Systems and methods for providing system information via UE to network relay

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, and methods are disclosed that enable Layer 2 (L2) relay optimization of a remote user equipment (UE) to receive system information (SI) from a relay UE. The relay UE may establish a sidelink communication channel with the remote UE, which is in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an out-of-coverage (OOC) state relative to the base station. The relay UE decodes a relay SI request received from the first remote UE via the sidelink communication channel. The relay SI request indicates requested system information. The relay UE obtains the requested system information or a subset thereof from a memory device or a base station and encodes a relay SI response for transmission to the first remote UE. The relay SI response includes the requested system information or a subset thereof.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates in its entirety to a wireless communication system including Layer 2 (L2) relay of data from a relay UE to a remote user equipment (UE). Background Technology

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to transmit data between base stations and wireless mobile devices. Wireless communication system standards and protocols may include 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G) or New Radio (NR) (e.g., 5G); the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard, commonly referred to by the industry organization as WiMAX; and the IEEE 802.11 standard for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), commonly referred to by the industry organization as Wi-Fi. In the 3GPP Radio Access Network (RAN) of an LTE system, a base station may include RAN nodes such as an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly referred to as Evolved Node B, Enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and / or a Radio Network Controller (RNC) in the E-UTRAN, which communicates with wireless communication equipment called User Equipment (UE). In the fifth generation (5G) wireless RAN, RAN nodes may include 5G nodes and NR nodes (also known as next-generation node B or g NodeB (gNB)).

[0003] The RAN uses Radio Access Technology (RAT) to communicate between RAN nodes and UEs. The RAN can include Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rate GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), and / or E-UTRAN, which provides access to communication services through the core network. Each RAN operates according to a specific 3GPP RAT. For example, GERAN implements the GSM and / or EDGE RAT, UTRAN implements the Universal System for Mobile Communications (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RATs, E-UTRAN implements the LTE RAT, and NG-RAN implements the 5G RAT. In some deployments, E-UTRAN may also implement the 5G RAT.

[0004] Relays in wireless communication systems can be implemented at different layers of the protocol stack. Simple amplification and forwarding relay UEs can be implemented at Layer 1 (L1) of the protocol stack, where the relay UE only has a portion of the PHY layer. Layer 2 (L2) relay UEs, which include the protocol stack up to the Media Access Control (MAC) / Radio Link Control (RLC) layers, enable the possibility of distributed radio resource management (RRM). Layer 3 (L3) or higher relay UEs can support all protocol layers of the base station, except that they may not require expensive backhaul as in a normal gNB or eNB and they are assumed to have low transmission power capabilities. Attached Figure Description

[0005] To facilitate identification of any particular element or action being discussed, one or more of the most significant digits in the reference numerals refer to the drawing number in which the element was first introduced.

[0006] Figure 1 A wireless communication system according to one embodiment is shown.

[0007] Figure 2A The user plane protocol stack according to one implementation is shown.

[0008] Figure 2B The user plane protocol stack according to one implementation is shown.

[0009] Figure 3 The system information supply according to one implementation scheme is shown.

[0010] Figure 4 The information structure of an RRC system according to one implementation scheme is shown.

[0011] Figure 5A RRC on-demand SI supply is shown according to one implementation scheme.

[0012] Figure 5B RRC on-demand SI supply is shown according to another implementation scheme.

[0013] Figure 6 The broadcast of on-demand SI according to one implementation scheme is shown.

[0014] Figure 7 An on-demand SI transmission from a gNB to a UE in an RRC connection state is illustrated according to one implementation scheme.

[0015] Figure 8 A table showing the supported on-demand SI acquisition features is presented according to one implementation.

[0016] Figure 9 A table showing various implementation schemes for L2 relay based on the state of the remote UE is provided.

[0017] Figure 10 A table showing which MSI parameters a relay UE can select for rebroadcasting, according to one implementation, is presented.

[0018] Figure 11 RRC on-demand SI supply is shown according to one implementation scheme.

[0019] Figure 12 A method is shown for a relay UE to provide SI from a base station in a wireless network to one or more remote UEs according to one embodiment.

[0020] Figure 13 A method for a remote UE according to one implementation is shown.

[0021] Figure 14 A system according to one implementation is shown.

[0022] Figure 15 An infrastructure setup according to one implementation scheme is shown.

[0023] Figure 16 A platform based on one implementation scheme is shown.

[0024] Figure 17 The components according to one implementation are shown. Detailed Implementation

[0025] This discloses enabling remote UEs to communicate via non-3GPP or short-range links (e.g., WLAN) when the remote UE is within or outside coverage area. Layer 2 (L2) relay optimization techniques, apparatus, and methods for receiving system information (SI) from relays (e.g., smartphones, etc.). This saves the battery of remote UEs because they do not need to send or receive data via a direct Uu connection to the base station, but instead use nearby low-power devices as relays.

[0026] L2 relay may include decode-and-forward (DF) type relay technology, where signals received from the base station are demodulated and decoded, and then re-encoded and modulated before being relayed to the remote UE. While introducing some latency, the DF process reduces noise in the relayed signal. Radio functions other than modulation / demodulation and encoding / decoding (such as mobility control, retransmission control via Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ), and user data concatenation / segmentation / reassembly) are performed transparently between the base station and the remote UE relative to L2 relay. Additional details, including the user plane and control plane protocol stacks for L2 relay configuration, are provided below.

[0027] For L2 UE-to-network relay designs, remote UEs may not have an efficient or effective way to obtain SIs. Attempts to address this issue may include having the relay UE rebroadcast the SI in an unsolicited manner. However, this rebroadcasting of SIs increases the power consumption of the relay UE. Instead of the on-demand SI retrieval mechanism introduced in the NR Uu interface, the embodiments disclosed herein provide several different approaches to address this problem. Some embodiments also provide ways to reduce the amount of SI information forwarded from the relay UE to the remote UE. For example, some embodiments forward basic SIs only based on the state of the remote UE.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system 100 according to certain embodiments for relaying SI from base station 106 to remote UE 102 via relay UE 104. Relay UE 104 receives SI from base station 106 (e.g., gNB) via Uu link 108. Remote UE 102 may include, for example, a wearable device (e.g., such as...). Figure 1 The device may include, for example, a watch, an evolved remote UE, a machine-type communication (MTC) device, a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, or other devices that communicate using device-to-device (D2D) communication. Relay UE 104 may include, for example, a smartphone, an evolved relay UE, a master node or master sensor capable of relaying data via a wireless wide area network (WWAN) such as 3GPP LTE / 5G, and another UE such as remote UE 102 via D2D. D2D communication includes BT, WLAN (e.g., ProSe (e.g., LTE Rel13ProSe) or other near-field communications.

[0029] As discussed in detail below, relay UE 104 can access SI stored in a memory device (discussed below) or SI from base station 106 via Uu link 108. Uu link 108 includes an over-the-air (OTA) connection between relay UE 104 and base station 106 for communicating with the wireless network. Relay UE 104 can forward at least a portion of the SI to remote UE 102 via relay link 110 (also referred to herein as a sidelink communication channel). Relay link 110 may include a PC5 interface. The PC5 interface is an interface using D2D communication, which may refer to Proximity Service (ProSe) communication, but may also refer to any D2D communication that can occur through this interface (e.g., WLAN or BT). Support for Layer 3 (L3) UE-to-network (UE-to-NW) relay makes it possible to apply PC5 interface technology (i.e., sidelink interface) to support some wearable use cases. However, the Proximity Service (ProSe) framework targets long-distance and relatively low-rate broadcast communication and is robust to interference. L3 relay technology is supported in LTE and has no impact on the access layer (AS layer). In contrast, the implementation described in this paper describes L2 relay, which includes advantages over L3 relay, such as support in 5G networks, end-to-end security in the 3GPP AS layer, and better quality of service (QoS) control.

[0030] For example, Figure 2A A user plane protocol stack 202 for L2 relay configuration according to certain embodiments is shown, and Figure 2B A control plane protocol stack 212 for L2 relay configuration is shown according to certain implementations. In this example, the control plane and user plane are shown in a remote UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 The remote UE 102 and L2 UE to network relay 206 shown are illustrated. Figure 1 The relay UE 104 and NG-RAN 208 shown are, for example, Figure 1 Between the base station 106 shown. The remote UE 204 has established a side link communication channel with the L2 UE to network relay 206 through the PC5 interface, and the L2 UE to network relay 206 has established a link with the NG-RAN 208 through the Uu interface.

[0031] The L2 UE-to-network relay 206 is configured as an adaptation relay and includes a PC5 physical (PHY) layer, a PC5 media access control (MAC) layer, and a PC5 radio link control (RLC) layer to communicate with the corresponding PC5-PHY, PC5-MAC, and PC5-RLC layers in the remote UE 204 via a PC5 interface. The L2 UE-to-network relay 206 also includes NR-PHY, NR-MAC, and NR-RLC layers to communicate with NG-RAN 208 via a Uu interface through the corresponding NR-PHY, NR-MAC, and NR-RLC layers in NG-RAN 208.

[0032] for Figure 2A The user plane protocol stack 202 shown communicates with the user plane function (shown as UPF 210) via the N3 interface, where the N3 stack of NG-RAN 208 interfaces with the N3 stack of UPF 210. UPF 210 can be used as a protocol data unit (PDU) session anchor point and can support features and capabilities that facilitate user plane operation, such as packet routing and forwarding, interconnection to data networks, policy enforcement, and data buffering.

[0033] The user plane protocol stack 202 at the remote UE 204 also includes the NR Packet Data Convergence Protocol layer (NR-PDCP), the NR Service Data Adaptation Protocol layer (NR-SDAP), the PDU layer, and the application layer (APP). Although it is via L2 UE to network trunk 206, the NR-PDCP and NR-SDAP layers in the remote UE 204 communicate transparently (logically) with the NR-PCCP and NR-SDAP layers in the L2 UE to network trunk 206. Similarly, the PDU layer in the remote UE 204 communicates transparently with the PDU layer in the UPF 210, and the APP layer can communicate transparently with the data network (not shown) via the N6 interface.

[0034] for Figure 2B The control plane protocol stack 212 shown has NG-RAN 208 communicating with the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF 214) via the N2 interface, where the N2 stack of NG-RAN 208 interfaces with the N2 stack of AMF 214. AMF 214 can communicate with the Session Management Function (SMF 216) via the N11 interface, where the N11 stack in AMF 214 interfaces with the N11 stack in SMF 216.

[0035] The control plane protocol stack 212 at remote UE 204 also includes an NR-PDCP layer, an NR radio resource control layer (NR-RRC), a non-access stratum (NAS) mobility management layer (NAS-MM), and a NAS session management layer (NAS-SM). Although via L2 UE to network relay 206, the NR-PDCP and NR-RRC layers in remote UE 204 communicate transparently (logically) with the NR-PCCP and NR-RRC layers in L2 UE to network relay 206. Similarly, the NAS-MM layer in remote UE 204 communicates transparently with the NAS-MM layer in AMF 214, and the NAS-SM layer in remote UE 204 communicates transparently with the NAS SM layer in SMF 216.

[0036] Figure 3 This diagram illustrates the provision of system information according to certain implementation schemes. The gNB 302 (or other base station) sends Minimum System Information 306 (MSI) to the UE 304. Minimum System Information 306 may always be present and may be periodically broadcast by the gNB 302. The gNB 302 may also optionally send Other System Information 308 (OSI) and / or On-Demand System Information 310 to the UE 304. Other System Information 308 may optionally be present and may be periodically broadcast by the gNB 302. The gNB 302 may broadcast On-Demand System Information 310 in response to a request from the UE 304.

[0037] Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating the RRC System Information (SI) structure according to certain implementation schemes. The minimum SI 402 is defined by the base station (e.g., Figure 3The gNB 302 shown is broadcast periodically and includes a Master Information Block (MIB) and System Information Block 1 (SIB1). The base station broadcasts the MIB on the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) at a period of, for example, 80 milliseconds (ms). The MIB includes basic Layer 1 (L1) information required for further SI provisioning, such as the scheduling of SIB1 and cell prohibition status information. Those skilled in the art will recognize from this disclosure that the RRC message including the MIB may include parameters such as systemFrameNumber, subCarrierSpacingCommon, ssb-SubcarrierOffset, dmrs-TypeA-Position, pdcch-ConfigSIB1, cellBarred, and / or intraFreqReselection. The base station broadcasts SIB1 on the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) at a period of, for example, 160 ms. SIB1 includes information required for initial access (e.g., cell selection, cell access, etc.) and provides scheduling for other System Information Blocks (SIBs) in other SIs 404. Therefore, as the arrows indicate, the UE uses the MIB to obtain SIB1 and uses SIB1 to obtain SIB2 and above in other SI 404.

[0038] Other SI 404 parameters are provided in, for example, SIB2 for public cell reselection, SIB3 for intra-frequency cell reselection, SIB4 for inter-frequency cell reselection, SIB5 for inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT) cell reselection for E-UTRAN, SIB6 for primary notifications for Earthquake and Tsunami Warning Systems (ETWS), SIB7 for secondary notifications for ETWS, SIB8 for warning notifications for Commercial Mobility Alert Service (CMAS), and / or SIB9 for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Universal Time Coordination (UTC) information. Base stations may periodically broadcast other SI 404 parameters or provide them on demand.

[0039] Figure 5A and Figure 5B This diagram illustrates on-demand SI transmission from gNB502 (or other base stations) to UE504 in RRC idle or RRC inactive states, according to certain implementation schemes. Figure 5A The RRC on-demand SI supply 500a using Msg1-based SI requests is shown. Figure 5B The RRC on-demand SI supply 500b using Msg3-based SI requests is shown.

[0040] RRC configuration for SI requests based on Msg1 may include:

[0041]

[0042]

[0043] RRC configuration for Msg3-based SI requests may include:

[0044]

[0045] exist Figure 5A In the Msg1-based SI request shown, UE 504 selects a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) preamble (506) and resources specific to the requested SIB. UE 504 then sends a random access preamble (508) along with a dedicated preamble to gNB 502. gNB 502 then generates a random access response (510). The random access response (510) can be a special random access response (RAR) with a random access preamble identifier (RAPID) corresponding to UE 504. gNB 502 then transmits the requested SIB (512), enabling UE 504 to perform on-demand SI reception.

[0046] exist Figure 5B In the illustrated Msg3-based SI request, UE 504 sends a random access preamble 514 to gNB 502 and receives a random access response 516 including uplink (UL) authorization. UE 504 uses the UL authorization to send a system information request 518 to indicate the SIB that gNB 502 needs or requests. The system information request 518 may be included in an RRC message that does not include the UE identifier (ID). gNB 502 responds to system information request 518 with a system information response 520, where the CR MAC control element (CE) includes content parameters set to Msg3. gNB 502 then transmits the requested SIB 522, enabling UE 504 to perform on-demand SI reception.

[0047] for Figure 5A The SI request based on Msg1 shown or Figure 5B As shown, based on Msg3, or both, the network can broadcast the requested SI at configurable periods and for specific durations.

[0048] For example, Figure 6 This is a block diagram illustrating the broadcast of on-demand SI according to certain implementation schemes. SI request procedure 602 is performed on gNB 502 and UE 504 (e.g., Figure 5A The RRC shown is supplied by SI on demand for 500a or Figure 5BFollowing the RRC on-demand SI supply 500b shown, gNB 502 periodically broadcasts the requested SI to UE 504 within the SI window. In this example, gNB 502 broadcasts the requested SI for the duration corresponding to two SI windows. In other words, gNB 502 broadcasts the requested SI in the first SI window 604 and the second SI window 606, but not in the third SI window 608.

[0049] Figure 7 This diagram illustrates on-demand SI transmission from gNB 702 (or other base station) to UE 704 in an RRC connection state according to certain embodiments. After UE 704 enters an RRC connection state 706 with gNB 702, gNB 702 and UE 704 can communicate with each other using unicast transmission 708. UE 704 may send an SIBx request 710 to gNB 702, where SIBx includes the requested system information (e.g., one or more of SIB2-SIB9 or a portion thereof). SIBx request 710 may be sent in the uplink dedicated control channel (UL-DCCH). In response, gNB 702 may send an RRC reconfiguration message 712 to UE 704. RRC reconfiguration message 712 includes an SI that includes the requested system information (SIBx). Alternatively, or in other embodiments, gNB 702 may broadcast an SI 714 including SIBx to UE 704.

[0050] Figure 8 Table 800 illustrates the differences between on-demand SI acquisition between the 3GPP Release 15 (Rel-15) design and the Release 16 (Rel-16) enhancements. For UE-requested on-demand SI acquisition, the Rel-15 design provides support for idle / inactive UEs, requests based on Msg1 / Msg3 (Common Control Channel (CCH)), and / or per-SI requests. The Rel-16 system provides support for UE-requested on-demand SI acquisition for UEs with RRC connections, requests based on DedicatedSIBRequest (DCCH), and / or per-SIB requests.

[0051] For network (NW) provisioning obtained on demand SI, Table 800 shows that the Rel-15 design supports NW provisioning via broadcast only, while the Rel-16 enhancement supports NW provisioning via broadcast and / or via RRCReconfiguration if no common search space (CSS) is configured on the active bandwidth portion (BWP).

[0052] The current system does not provide an efficient way for L2 UEs to provide SIs to remote UEs via NW relays. UEs outside the coverage area cannot directly obtain SIs from the gNB. Furthermore, UEs at the cell edge may not be able to reliably decode SI broadcasts from the gNB. Additionally, a remote UE in the first cell may wish to connect to a relay UE in a second (neighboring) cell. Therefore, to allow remote UEs to retrieve system information from the gNB, it is expected that the relay UE will forward the system information to the remote UE. The remote UE can then perform operations such as tracking area updates, RAN-based notification area (RNA) updates, cell camping, and cell access. However, the problem with the current radio system is that while the relay UE can simply obtain SIs by following the current NR Uu procedure, rebroadcasting SIs increases the relay UE's power consumption. Furthermore, the relay UE may not be aware of the remote UE unless they are PC5 connected (i.e., via a sidelink communication channel). Therefore, the relay UE may not know that the remote UE needs an SI or which SI it needs.

[0053] Therefore, some implementations of this paper provide ways to reduce the amount of SI information forwarded from a relay UE to a remote UE. For example, some implementations forward basic SI information based solely on the state of the remote UE.

[0054] For example, Figure 9 Table 900 illustrates various implementations of L2 relay for a remote UE-based SI (System Indicator) disclosed herein. In one implementation discussed below (Case 1), when the remote UE is in an out-of-coverage (OOC), RRC idle, or RRC inactive state relative to the base station, and the remote UE is not connected to the relay UE via PC5 interface RRC, the relay UE may broadcast an unsolicited SI that can be received and decoded by the remote user.

[0055] In another implementation (Case 2) discussed below, when the remote UE is in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state relative to the base station, and the remote UE is connected to the relay UE via PC5 interface RRC, the remote UE can solicit SI from the relay UE. In one such implementation (Option 1), the remote UE uses PC5-RRC signaling to solicit SI from the relay UE. After the relay obtains the requested SI from the SI stored in a memory device or from the base station (e.g., gNB), the relay UE forwards the requested SI or a portion of the requested SI to the remote UE. In another implementation (Option 2), the remote UE first enters an RRC connection state with the base station and triggers on-demand SI retrieval, as discussed below (in Case 3).

[0056] In another implementation discussed below (Case 3), when a remote UE is in an RRC connection state with a base station via the PC5 interface and also in an RRC connection state with a relay UE, and the relay UE is in an RRC connection state with the base station, the remote UE can solicit an SI from the relay UE. The remote UE can use, for example, a DedicatedSIBRequest to trigger an on-demand SI retrieval (e.g., the same as relay support for other RRC procedures). The base station (e.g., gNB) can deliver the requested SI or a portion of the requested SI to the remote UE via an RRCReconfiguration message (i.e., dedicated signaling).

[0057] In Case 1, the remote UE is not connected to any relay. In some such cases, the remote UE may be an OOC (Out of Control) of the base station (otherwise, the remote UE can obtain the SI directly from the base station). The remote UE may also be in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state. Many parameters in the SI may not be useful to the OOC remote UE, such as RACH-related configurations. However, some information may be useful to the remote UE (e.g., cell ID, access control, etc.). Therefore, some embodiments of this paper selectively provide certain information of the Minimal System Information (MSI) to the remote UE.

[0058] To enable a remote UE to obtain an MSI, according to the first option, the relay UE may rebroadcast the MSI or a subset of the MSI. In the second option, the remote UE may use a new broadcast-based procedure to solicit the MSI (or a subset of the MSI) without a PC5-RRC connection and without security protection (e.g., using a request-response method). In some implementations, if the first option is supported, the second option may also be considered (e.g., Model A or Model B discovery broadcast via a sidelink (SL)). In the third option, the remote UE may first connect to the relay UE and then solicit the MSI using a PC5-RRC message (the remote UE moves to Case 2 discussed below).

[0059] Rebroadcasting the MSI is feasible because the relay UE within the coverage area (IC) can receive the MSI (MIB and SIB1) from the base station via the Uu interface. In some implementations, the relay UE selects which information to include in the MSI to broadcast to the remote UE.

[0060] For example, Figure 10Table 1000, illustrating which MSI parameters a relay UE can select for rebroadcasting according to one embodiment, is shown. The upper-layer related parameters 1002 selected by the relay UE (as indicated by checkmarks) may include, for example, Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identity information (e.g., cell ID, Tracking Area Code (TAC), RNA region), emergency call support via Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) (eCallOverIMS), Unified Access Control (UAC) prohibition information, IMS emergency support, Position System Information Block (posSIB) mapping table, and connection establishment failure control information. In some embodiments, the relay UE may also select the System Frame Number (SFN) from the L1 related parameters 1004 for rebroadcasting. However, the relay may decide not to rebroadcast certain parameters from the L1 related parameters 1004, such as Timing Lead (TA), Subcarrier Spacing, Random Access Channel (RACH) configuration, and SI scheduling information.

[0061] In some implementations, the relay UE may combine the broadcast of an MSI or a subset of MSIs with a relay announcement discovery message (e.g., the MSI broadcast window and the relay announcement discovery message may share the same periodicity). For example, this combination can also be accomplished by creating a discovery message that encapsulates the relay UE's serving cell MSI information or selected MSI information as part of the relay announcement's supplementary information.

[0062] In some implementations, the relay UE includes the following parameters from SIB1 only in the subset of MSI broadcast to the remote UE: cell access related information (cellAccessRelatedInfo), Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) support (ims-EmergencySupport), eCall Over IMS support (eCallOverIMS-Support), UE timers and constants (ue-TimersAndConstants), Unified Access Control (UAC) Barring Info (uac-BarringInfo), useFullResumeID, UAC AccessCategory1 SelectionAssistance Info (UAC-AccessCategory1-SelectionAssistanceInfo), and cell access related information (CellAccessRelatedInfo). Other parameters from SIB1 related to Uu interface resource configuration may not be needed by the remote UE and are not selected by the relay for rebroadcasting with the subset of MSI.

[0063] Additionally, or in other implementations, the relay UE may include, in a subset of the MSI used for broadcast messages to the remote UE, all parameters received from at least one of the Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) SIB, Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) SIB, and Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) SIB.

[0064] In some implementations, the relay UE includes cell-barred information (the cellBarred parameter in the MIB) as part of the basic information forwarded to the remote UE. However, in other implementations, when the relay UE pre-occupies a barred cell, the relay UE is not required to advertise itself as a viable relay. Therefore, the relay UE does not include the cellBarred parameter in a subset of the MSI.

[0065] In addition to being included in the MIB, the SFN can also be carried in the Side Link Synchronization Block (S-SSB). However, the S-SSB may not always be transmitted. For example, the S-SSB may only be transmitted while active SL communication is in progress. Therefore, in some implementations, the systemFrameNumber parameter from the MIB is included in a subset of the MSI broadcast by the relay UE to the remote UE.

[0066] In some implementations, the relay UE may determine whether a subset of the OSI is necessary or useful for the remote UE. For example, the relay UE may select at least a portion of SIB6, SIB7, and / or SIB8, including ETWS and CMAS information, to broadcast to the remote UE. However, when the relay UE does not provide NR or LTE V2X SIB, the remote UE may follow the configuration from a pre-configured message. In some implementations, an unsolicited approach is used, in which the relay UE rebroadcasts the OSI or a subset of the OSI. However, rebroadcasting the OSI may incur excessive overhead for the relay UE. Therefore, in other implementations, an on-demand approach is used, in which the remote UE solicits the OSI or a subset of the OSI from the relay UE.

[0067] Figure 11 This diagram illustrates the RRC-on-demand SI provisioning 1100 when the remote UE 1102 is in an RRC idle or inactive state relative to the gNB 1106 (or other base station) and the remote UE 1102 is connected to the relay UE 1104 via the PC5 interface PC5-RRC (Case 2 discussed above). For example... Figure 11As shown, when PC5 link establishment 1110 is performed between remote UE 1102 and relay UE 1104, relay UE 1104 may be in an idle or inactive state 1108. In response to a UE upper-layer request 1112 for a specific SI (shown as the requested SI x), remote UE 1102 sends a PC5-RRC message to relay UE 1104 including a relay SI request 1114.

[0068] Relay UE 1104 may have a stored copy of the requested SI x (e.g., in an internal memory device), which may be sent to remote UE 1102 in response to relay SI request 1114. However, as from Figure 11 As shown in box 1116, if the relay UE 1104 does not have a stored copy of the requested SI x, the relay UE 1104 can use a dedicated Uu RRC message to obtain the requested SI x or a subset of the requested SI x from the gNB 1106. For example, the relay UE 1104 can trigger an idle / inactive on-demand SI request procedure that includes a RACH procedure (see...). Figure 5A and Figure 5B The relay UE 1104 may send a Uu RRC message 1118 containing an RRCSystemInfoRequest to gNB 1106. Alternatively, if the relay UE 1104 enters an RRC connection state with gNB 1106, the relay UE 1104 may send a Uu RRC message 1118 containing a DedicatedSIBRequest to gNB 1106.

[0069] gNB 1106 sends a Uu RRC response 1120 to relay UE 1104, including an SI that includes the requested SI x or a subset of the requested SI x. Relay UE 1104 then sends the requested SI x or a subset of the requested SI x in a PC5-RRC message that includes a relay SI response 1122. Alternatively, or in other embodiments, the requested SI x or a subset of the requested SI x may be delivered via SL broadcast 1124, so that other remote UEs can also obtain the SI information (e.g., without needing to connect to relay UE 1104 via a PC5 link).

[0070] In other implementations, when a remote UE is connected to the gNB by RRC and also connected to a relay UE via a sidelink communication channel (e.g., PC5), as discussed in Case 3 above, the remote UE may solicit SIs from either the gNB or the relay UE. In the NR Uu, the connected UE can monitor for “broadcasts” in the SI window or receive them via RRCReconfiguration. The gNB may decide which method to use. However, in some L2 relay implementations disclosed herein, only the gNB responds to SI requests from connected remote UEs with dedicated signaling. The relay UE may be unaware of the end-to-end RRC signaling and may not know whether the remote UE triggered a DedicatedSIBRequest or which remote UE triggered a DedicatedSIBRequest. Furthermore, it may not be appropriate for the relay UE to rebroadcast every SI broadcast detected in the Uu from the gNB. For example, rebroadcasting every SI broadcast detected from the gNB may consume power from a battery-operated relay UE.

[0071] In some implementations, the relay UE is configured to handle SI modifications. The relay UE monitors SI updates from the base station. In one implementation, when the relay UE detects that the SI has been modified, it forwards the updated SI to the remote UE. In another implementation, when the relay UE detects that the SI has been modified, it sends an indication of the SI modification to the remote UE. In response, the remote UE can solicit the SI again to obtain the updated SI. This is similar to paging, for example, via a relay solution.

[0072] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating a method 1200 for a relay UE to provide an SI (System Information) from a base station in a wireless network to one or more remote UEs. In block 1202, method 1200 includes establishing a sidelink communication channel with a first remote UE. The first remote UE is in an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an out-of-coverage (OOC) state relative to the base station. In block 1204, method 1200 includes, at the relay UE, decoding a relay SI request received from the first remote UE via the sidelink communication channel. The relay SI request indicates requested system information. In block 1206, method 1200 includes, at the relay UE, obtaining the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information from a memory device or from the base station. In block 1208, method 1200 includes, at the relay UE, encoding a relay SI response for transmission to the first remote UE. The relay SI response includes the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information.

[0073] In some embodiments, method 1200 further includes sending a relay SI response to a first remote UE via a sidelink communication channel using dedicated RRC signaling. In other embodiments, a sidelink broadcast channel is used to send the relay SI response to the first remote UE.

[0074] In some implementations, obtaining the requested system information includes: determining that the relay UE has a current or updated copy of the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information stored in a memory device; and obtaining the current or updated copy of the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information from the memory device.

[0075] In some implementations, obtaining the requested system information includes determining that the relay UE does not have a current or updated copy of the requested system information stored in a memory device. If the relay UE is in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state relative to the base station, the relay UE triggers a RACH-based on-demand system information procedure (e.g., RRCSystemInfoRequest) to obtain the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information from the base station. If the relay UE is in an RRC connected state with the base station, the relay UE uses a dedicated SIB request (e.g., DedicatedSIBRequest) to obtain the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information from the base station.

[0076] In some implementations, method 1200 further includes generating a broadcast message to be sent to one or more second remote UEs via a sidelink broadcast channel. The broadcast message includes an MSI or a subset of MSIs, and the one or more second remote UEs are not connected to the relay UE by PC5-RRC. The relay UE may periodically broadcast the broadcast message including an MSI or a subset of MSIs at the same periodicity as the relay announcement discovery message broadcast by the relay UE. The relay UE may also encapsulate the MSI information of its serving cell or selected MSI information as part of the auxiliary information in the relay announcement discovery message. In other implementations, instead of periodically broadcasting spontaneously, the relay UE may, in response to a request from one or more second remote UEs, broadcast only the broadcast message including an MSI or a subset of MSIs, without requiring a sidelink RRC connection and without security protection.

[0077] In some implementations, the relay UE selects one or more parameters to be included in a subset of the MSI used for broadcast messages, the one or more parameters being selected from a group including: Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identity information, emergency call (eCall) support via Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Unified Access Control (UAC) prohibition information, IMS emergency support, Location System Information Block (posSIB) mapping table, connection establishment failure control information, and system frame number.

[0078] In some implementations, the MSI includes a Master Information Block (MIB) and System Information Block 1 (SIB1), wherein the relay UE includes only one or more of the following SIB1 parameters in the subset of the MSI used for broadcast messages: cell access related information, Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) support, emergency call (eCall) support via IMS, UE timers and constants, Unified Access Control (UAC) prohibition information, useFullResumeID, UAC Access Category 1 selection assistance information, and cell access related information. The relay UE may also include in the subset of the MSI used for broadcast messages all parameters from at least one of the V2X SIB, Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) SIB, and Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) SIB received from the base station. In some implementations, the relay UE also includes in this subset of the MSI used for broadcast messages at least one of the cell prohibition parameters from the MIB and the system frame number.

[0079] In some embodiments of method 1200, the relay UE is connected to a third remote UE via a sidelink RRC connection, wherein the third remote UE is connected to a base station via RRC, and wherein the relay UE performs Layer 2 (L2) relay operations for end-to-end RRC signaling between the base station and the third remote UE, but does not respond to a dedicated system information block (SIB) request from the third UE to the base station with a separate sidelink dedicated signaling response, and does not rebroadcast each SI broadcast detected from the base station.

[0080] In some implementations, method 1200 further includes: monitoring SI updates from a base station at a relay UE; and forwarding the SI update or an indication of an SI update to a first remote UE in response to detecting an SI update.

[0081] Figure 13This is a flowchart illustrating method 1300 for a remote UE. In block 1302, method 1300 includes establishing a sidelink communication channel with a relay UE. The remote UE is in an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an out-of-coverage (OOC) state relative to the base station. In block 1304, method 1300 includes encoding a relay system information (SI) request at the remote UE for transmission to the relay UE via the sidelink communication channel. The relay SI request indicates the requested system information. In block 1306, method 1300 includes processing a response to the relay SI request from the relay UE, the response including the requested system information.

[0082] In some implementations, method 1300 further includes receiving requested system information from a relay UE via a sidelink communication channel using dedicated RRC signaling.

[0083] In some implementations, method 1300 further includes receiving requested system information from a relay UE via a sidelink broadcast channel.

[0084] In some embodiments, method 1300 further includes: entering an RRC connection state with a base station; sending an RRC message from a remote UE to the base station via a relay UE, the RRC message including a dedicated system information block (SIB) request; and receiving an RRC response message including system information from the base station. In some such embodiments, method 1300 may further include: processing an instruction for modified system information from the relay UE; and, in response to the instruction, requesting the modified system information or a portion of the modified system information from the relay UE.

[0085] Figure 14 An exemplary architecture of system 1400 for a network according to various implementations is shown. The following description is provided for an exemplary system 1400 operating in combination with LTE system standards and 5G or NR system standards provided by 3GPP technical specifications. However, the exemplary implementations are not limited in this respect, and the implementations can be applied to other networks that benefit from the principles described herein, such as future 3GPP systems (e.g., sixth generation (6G)) systems, IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., WMAN, WiMAX, etc.), etc.

[0086] like Figure 14As shown, system 1400 includes UE 1422 and UE 1420. In this example, UE 1422 and UE 1420 are shown as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices 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 control unit (ECU), electronic / engine control module (ECM), embedded systems, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management system (EMS), connected or “smart” appliances, MTC devices, M2M, IoT devices, etc.

[0087] In some implementations, UE 1422 and / or UE 1420 may be IoT UEs, which may include a network access layer designed to utilize low-power IoT applications with short-lived UE connections. IoT UEs may utilize technologies such as M2M or MTC to exchange data with MTC servers or devices via PLMN, ProSe, or D2D communication, sensor networks, or IoT networks. M2M or MTC data exchange may be machine-initiated data exchange. An IoT network describes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) with short-lived connections. IoT UEs may execute background applications (e.g., keeping track of activity messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity within the IoT network.

[0088] UE 1422 and UE 1420 can be configured to connect to an access node or radio access node (shown as (R)AN1408), for example, communicatively coupled. In embodiments, (R)AN 1408 can be an NG RAN or SG RAN, E-UTRAN, or a legacy RAN such as UTRAN or GERAN. As used herein, the term "NG RAN," etc., can refer to (R)AN 1408 operating in an NR or SG system, and the term "E-UTRAN," etc., can refer to (R)AN 1408 operating in an LTE or 4G system. UE 1422 and UE 1420 utilize connections (or channels) (shown as connection 1404 and connection 1402, respectively), each connection including a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in further detail below).

[0089] In this example, connections 1404 and 1402 are air interfaces for communication coupling and are compatible with cellular communication protocols such as GSM, CDMA, PTT, POC, UMTS, 3GPP LTE, SG, NR, and / or any other communication protocols discussed herein. In an implementation, UE 1422 and UE 1420 may also exchange communication data directly via ProSe interface 1410. ProSe interface 1410 may alternatively be referred to as sidelink (SL) interface 110 and may include one or more logical channels, including but not limited to PSCCH, PSSCH, PSDCH, and PSBCH.

[0090] UE 1420 is shown configured to access AP 1412 (also referred to as a "WLAN node", "WLAN", "WLAN terminal", "WT", etc.) via connection 1424. Connection 1424 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, where AP 1412 will include Wireless Fibre. Router. In this example, AP 1412 may connect to the Internet but not to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below). In various implementations, UE 1420, (R)AN 1408, and AP 1412 may be configured to utilize LWA operation and / or LWIP operation. LWA operation may involve UE 1420 in RRC_CONNECTED configured by RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416 to utilize the radio resources of LTE and WLAN. LWIP operation may involve UE 1420 using WLAN radio resources (e.g., connection 1424) via IPsec protocol tunneling to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., IP packets) transmitted through connection 1424. 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.

[0091] (R)AN 1408 may include one or more AN nodes, such as RAN node 1414 and RAN node 1416, that implement connection 1404 and connection 1402. 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 may be referred to as BS, gNB, RAN node, eNB, NodeB, RSU, TRxP, or TRP, etc., and may 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 a RAN node (e.g., gNB) operating in an NR or SG system, while the terms “E-UT RAN node,” etc., can refer to a RAN node (e.g., eNB) operating in an LTE or 4G system 1400. According to various implementation schemes, RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416 may 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.

[0092] In some implementations, all or part of RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416 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 (e.g., RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416); 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 (e.g., RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416); 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. This virtualization framework allows the idle processor cores of RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416 to execute other virtualized applications. In some specific implementations, each RAN node may represent a virtualized application via a different F1 interface. Figure 14(Not shown) Individual gNB-DUs connected to the gNB-CU. In these specific implementations, the gNB-DU may include one or more remote radio head units or RFEMs, and the gNB-CU may be operated by a server (not shown) located in (R)AN 1408 or by a server pool in a manner similar to CRAN / vBBUP. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416 may be a next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), which is a RAN node that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminals to UE 1422 and UE 1420 and is connected to the SGC via the NG interface (discussed below). In V2X scenarios, one or more of RAN nodes 1414 or RAN node 1416 may be an RSU or act as an RSU.

[0093] 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 that provides connectivity support to passing vehicle UEs (vUEs). 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. An RSU can 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 or in addition to this, the RSU may operate on a cellular V2X band to provide the aforementioned low-latency communications and other cellular communication services. Alternatively or in addition to this, 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 communications. 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.

[0094] RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416 can terminate the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for UE 1422 and UE 1420. In some implementations, RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416 can perform various logical functions of (R)AN 1408, including but not limited to the functions of a radio network controller (RNC), such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0095] In the implementation, UE 1422 and UE 1420 may be configured to communicate with each other or with RAN node 1414 and / or RAN node 1416 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), but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0096] In some implementations, the downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from RAN node 1414 and / or RAN node 1416 to UE 1422 and UE 1420, 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.

[0097] According to various implementations, UE 1422 and UE 1420, as well as RAN node 1414 and / or RAN node 1416, transmit data (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.

[0098] To operate in unlicensed spectrum, UEs 1422 and 1420, along with RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416, may use LAA, eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms. In these specific implementations, UEs 1422 and 1420, along with RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416, may perform one or more known media 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. Media / carrier sensing operations may be performed according to a Listen-After-Speak (LBT) protocol.

[0099] LBT is a mechanism that equipment (e.g., UE 1422 and UE 1420, RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416, etc.) uses to sense a medium (e.g., a channel or carrier frequency) and transmit 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.

[0100] 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 1422, AP1412, 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 (μs); however, the size of the CWS and MCOT (e.g., transmission burst) can be based on government regulatory requirements.

[0101] 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.

[0102] 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 the PCC 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, while changing the PCC may require UE 1422 to undergo handover. In LAA, eLAA, and feLAA, some or all of the SCells can operate in unlicensed spectrum (called "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.

[0103] The PDSCH carries user data and higher-layer signaling to UE 1422 and UE 1420. Among other information, the PDCCH carries information about the transmission format and resource allocation related to the PDSCH channel. It also informs UE 1422 and UE 1420 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 1420 within the cell) can be performed at either RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416 based on channel quality information fed back from either UE 1422 or UE 1420. Downlink resource allocation information can be transmitted on the PDCCH used (e.g., allocated to) each of UE 1422 and UE 1420.

[0104] 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 levels, L = 1, 2, 4, or 8) can exist.

[0105] 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.

[0106] RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416 may be configured to communicate with each other via interface 1430. In implementations where system 1400 is an LTE system (e.g., when CN 1406 is an EPC), interface 1430 may be an X2 interface. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more RAN nodes connected to the EPC (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.), and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC. In some specific implementations, the X2 interface may include an X2 user plane interface (X2-U) and an X2 control plane interface (X2-C). X2-U may provide flow control mechanisms for user packets transmitted via the X2 interface and may be used to transmit information about the delivery of user data between eNBs. For example, X2-U may provide specific sequence number information about user data transmitted from a MeNB to a SeNB; information about the successful in-order delivery of PDCP PDUs from the SeNB to UE 1422 for user data; information about PDCP PDUs not delivered to UE 1422; information about the current minimum expected buffer size at the 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.

[0107] In implementations where system 1400 is an SG or NR system (e.g., when CN 1406 is an SGC), interface 1430 may be an Xn interface. The Xn interface is defined between two or more RAN nodes connected to the SGC (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.), between RAN node 1414 (e.g., a gNB) connected to the SGC and an eNB, and / or between two eNBs connected to the 5GC (e.g., CN1406). 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 1422 in connected modes (e.g., CM-CONNECTED) includes functions for managing UE mobility in connected modes between one or more RAN nodes 1414 or RAN nodes 1416. Mobility support may include context transfer from the old (source) serving RAN node 1414 to the new (destination) serving RAN node 1416; and control of the user plane tunnel between the old (source) serving RAN node 1414 and the new (destination) serving RAN node 1416. 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.

[0108] (R)AN 1408 is shown communicatively coupled to the core network, in which embodiment, it is communicatively coupled to CN1406. CN1406 may include one or more network elements 1432 configured to provide various data and telecommunications services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE 1422 and UE 1420) connected to CN1406 via (R)AN 1408. Components of CN1406 may be implemented in a single physical node or in 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 CN1406 may be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instance of a portion of CN1406 may be referred to as a network subslice. NFV architectures and infrastructure can be used to virtualize one or more network functions onto physical resources that include a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches (or alternatively, proprietary hardware). In other words, NFV systems can be used to perform virtual or reconfigurable concrete implementations of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0109] Generally, application server 1418 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 1418 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for UE 1422 and UE 1420 via EPC. Application server 1418 can communicate with CN 1406 through IP communication interface 1436.

[0110] In this implementation, CN 1406 may be an SGC, and (R)AN 116 may be connected to CN 1406 via NG interface 1434. In this implementation, NG interface 1434 may be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface 1426, which carries traffic data between RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416 and the UPF; and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface 1428, which is the signaling interface between RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416 and the AMF.

[0111] In one implementation, CN 1406 may be an SG CN, while in other implementations, CN 1406 may be an EPC. When CN 1406 is an EPC, (R)AN 116 may be connected to CN 1406 via S1 interface 1434. In one implementation, S1 interface 1434 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface 1426, which carries traffic data between RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416 and the S-GW; and an S1-MME interface 1428, which is the signaling interface between RAN node 1414 or RAN node 1416 and the MME.

[0112] Figure 15 Examples of infrastructure equipment 1500 according to various implementation schemes are shown. Infrastructure equipment 1500 may be implemented as a base station, radio head unit, RAN node, AN, application server, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. In other examples, infrastructure equipment 1500 may be in or implemented by a UE.

[0113] Infrastructure equipment 1500 includes application circuitry 1502, baseband circuitry 1504, one or more radio front-end modules 1506 (RFEM), memory circuitry 1508, a power management integrated circuit (shown as PMIC 1510), a power tee circuitry 1512, network controller circuitry 1514, a network interface connector 1520, satellite positioning circuitry 1516, and user interface circuitry 1518. In some embodiments, the equipment infrastructure equipment 1500 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 specific implementations. Application circuitry 1502 includes circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of the following: low-dropout regulators (LDOs), interrupt controllers, serial interfaces such as SPI, I... 2The application circuit 1502 may include a C or general-purpose programmable serial interface module, a real-time clock (RTC), a timer-counter (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 the application circuit 1502 may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage element and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the infrastructure apparatus 1500. 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.

[0114] The processor of application circuit 1502 may include, for example, one or more processor cores (CPU), 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 1502 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operation according to the various embodiments herein. As an example, the processor of application circuit 1502 may include one or more Intel processors / controllers. or Processor; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processor, Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) or Processors; ARM-based processors licensed by ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A series processors provided by Cavium™, Inc. MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPS Warrior P-class processor; etc. In some implementations, the infrastructure equipment 1500 may not utilize the application circuitry 1502 and instead may include a dedicated processor / controller to process, for example, IP data received from the EPC or 5GC.

[0115] In some implementations, application circuitry 1502 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 1502 may include logic blocks or logic architectures, and other interconnect resources that can be programmed to perform various functions such as procedures, methods, functions, etc., of the various implementations discussed herein. In such implementations, the circuitry of application circuitry 1502 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), antifuse, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic architectures, data, etc., in lookup tables (LUTs). Baseband circuitry 1504 may 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.

[0116] User interface circuitry 1518 may include one or more user interfaces designed to enable a user to interact with infrastructure equipment 1500, or peripheral interface designed to enable peripheral components to interact with infrastructure equipment 1500. 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.

[0117] Radio front-end module 1506 may include a millimeter-wave (mmWave) radio front-end module (RFEM) and one or more submillimeter-wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some embodiments, the one or more sub-millimeter-wave RFICs may be physically separated from the millimeter-wave RFEM. The RFIC may include connectors to one or more antennas or antenna arrays, and the RFEM may be connected to multiple antennas. In alternative embodiments, both millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave radio functions may be implemented in the same physical radio front-end module 1506 that combines both millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave antennas.

[0118] The memory circuit 1508 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 other components. and A three-dimensional (3D) XPOINT memory. The memory circuit 1508 can be implemented as one or more of the following: a solder-in packaged integrated circuit, a socket memory module, and an insert memory card.

[0119] The PMIC 1510 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 1512 can provide electrical power drawn from the network cable to provide both power and data connectivity to the infrastructure equipment 1500 using a single cable.

[0120] Network controller circuitry 1514 may 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 may be provided to / from infrastructure equipment 1500 via a physical connection via network interface connector 1520; this physical connection may be an electrical connection (typically referred to as a "copper interconnect"), an optical connection, or a wireless connection. Network controller circuitry 1514 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 1514 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0121] Positioning circuit 1516 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 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 1516 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 1516 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 1516 may also be part of or interact with the baseband circuit 1504 and / or the radio front-end module 1506 to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. The positioning circuit 1516 may also provide location data and / or time data to the application circuit 1502, which may use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructures, etc. Figure 15 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, such as I... 2 Interfaces include C-type interface, SPI interface, point-to-point interface, and power bus, etc.

[0122] Figure 16 Examples of platform 1600 according to various embodiments are shown. In embodiments, computer platform 1600 may be adapted to function as a UE, application server, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. Platform 1600 may include any combination of the components shown in the examples. Components of platform 1600 may be implemented as integrated circuits (ICs), portions of ICs, discrete electronic devices, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof adapted within computer platform 1600, or may be implemented as components otherwise integrated within the chassis of a larger system. Figure 16The block diagram is intended to show a high-level view of the components of the computer platform 1600. 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.

[0123] Application circuit 1602 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), I / O. 2 The application circuit 1602 includes a C or general-purpose programmable serial interface module, an RTC, timer-counters (including interval timers and watchdog timers), general-purpose I / O, a memory card controller (such as an SD MMC or similar), a USB interface, a MIPI interface, and a JTAG test access port. The processor (or core) of the application circuit 1602 may be coupled to or may include memory / storage elements, and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the platform 1600. In some specific implementations, the memory / storage element may be on-chip memory circuitry, 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.

[0124] The processor of application circuit 1602 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 1602 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operation according to various embodiments herein.

[0125] For example, the processor of application circuit 1602 may include a processor based on... Architecture Core TM processors, such as Quark TM Atom TM i3, i5, i7 or MCU-level processors, or available from Another such processor from the Corporation. The processor for application circuit 1602 can also be one or more of the following: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Processor or Accelerated Processing Unit (APU); from Inc.'s AS-A9 processor, from Snapdragon by Technologies, Inc. TM Processor, Texas Instruments OpenMultimedia Applications Platform(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 1602 may be part of a system-on-a-chip (SoC), where the application circuit 1602 and other components are formed as a single integrated circuit or a single package, such as... company( Edison Corporation TM Or Galileo TM SoC board.

[0126] In addition to or alternatively, application circuitry 1602 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more of, the following: 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 circuitry 1602 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 circuitry 1602 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), antifuse, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic architectures, data, etc., in lookup tables (LUTs).

[0127] The baseband circuit 1604 can be implemented, for example, as a solderable substrate, which includes one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits.

[0128] Radio front-end module 1606 may include a millimeter-wave (mmWave) radio front-end module (RFEM) and one or more submillimeter-wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some embodiments, the one or more sub-millimeter-wave RFICs may be physically separated from the millimeter-wave RFEM. The RFIC may include connectors to one or more antennas or antenna arrays, and the RFEM may be connected to multiple antennas. In another embodiment, both millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave radio functions may be implemented in the same physical radio front-end module 1606 that combines both millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave antennas.

[0129] The memory circuit 1608 may include any number and type of memory devices for providing a fixed amount of system memory. For example, the memory circuit 1608 may include one or more of the following: volatile memory, including random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), and / or synchronous dynamic RAM (SD RAM); 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 1608 may be developed according to the Joint Electronic Equipment Committee (JEDEC) designs based on Low Power Double Data Rate (LPDDR), such as LPDDR2, LPDDR3, LPDDR4, etc. The memory circuit 1608 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 a motherboard via a ball grid array (BGA). In a low-power implementation, the memory circuit 1608 may be an on-chip memory or register associated with the application circuit 1602. To provide persistent storage for information such as data, applications, operating systems, etc., the memory circuit 1608 may include one or more mass storage devices, which may include, in particular, solid-state drives (SSDDs), hard disk drives (HDDs), miniature HDDs, resistance-changing memories, phase-change memories, holographic memories, or chemical memories. For example, the computer platform 1600 may be combined with... and 3D XPOINT memory.

[0130] The removable memory 1626 may include devices, circuitry, enclosures / housings, ports, or sockets for coupling portable data storage devices to the platform 1600. These portable data storage devices can 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.

[0131] Platform 1600 may also include interface circuitry (not shown) for connecting external devices to platform 1600. External devices connected to platform 1600 via this interface circuitry include sensor 1622 and electromechanical components (shown as EMC 1624), as well as a removable memory device coupled to removable memory 1626.

[0132] Sensor 1622 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 sensors); 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.

[0133] EMC 1624 includes devices, modules, or subsystems intended to enable platform 1600 to change its state, position, and / or orientation, or to move or control mechanisms or (sub)systems. Additionally, EMC 1624 can be configured to generate messages / signaling and send messages / signaling to other components of platform 1600 to indicate the current state of EMC 1624. Examples of EMC 1624 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 1600 is configured to operate one or more EMC 1624s based on one or more captured events and / or commands or control signals received from a service provider and / or various clients. In some specific implementations, the interface circuitry connects platform 1600 to positioning circuitry 1616. Positioning circuit 1616 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 circuit 1616 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 1616 may include a miniature PNT IC that performs position tracking / estimation using a master timing clock without GNSS assistance. Positioning circuit 1616 may also be part of or interact with baseband circuitry 1604 and / or radio front-end module 1606 to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. The positioning circuit 1616 can also provide location data and / or time data to the application circuit 1602, 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.

[0134] In some implementations, this interface circuitry can connect platform 1600 to a near-field communication circuitry (shown as NFC circuitry 1612). NFC circuitry 1612 is configured to provide contactless short-range communication based on a radio frequency identification (RFID) standard, where a magnetic field sensor is used to enable communication between NFC circuitry 1612 and NFC-enabled devices (e.g., “NFC contact points”) external to platform 1600. NFC circuitry 1612 includes an NFC controller coupled to an antenna element and a processor coupled to the NFC controller. The NFC controller may be a chip / IC that provides NFC functionality to NFC circuitry 1612 by executing NFC controller firmware and an NFC stack. The NFC stack may be executed by the processor to control the NFC controller, and the NFC controller firmware may be executed by the NFC controller to control the antenna element to transmit short-range RF signals. The RF signals may power passive NFC tags (e.g., microchips embedded in stickers or wristbands) to transmit stored data to NFC circuitry 1612, or initiate data transfer between NFC circuitry 1612 and another active NFC device (e.g., a smartphone or an NFC-enabled POS terminal) located near platform 1600.

[0135] The driving circuitry 1618 may include software and hardware elements for controlling specific devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the platform 1600. The driving circuitry 1618 may include various drivers that allow other components of the platform 1600 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 circuitry 1618 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 1600; a sensor driver for acquiring sensor readings of the sensor 1622 and controlling and allowing access to the sensor 1622; an EMC driver for acquiring the actuator position of the EMC 1624 and / or controlling and allowing access to the EMC 1624; 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.

[0136] A power management integrated circuit (shown as PMIC 1610, also referred to as "power management circuitry") manages the power supplied to various components of platform 1600. Specifically, relative to baseband circuitry 1604, PMIC 1610 controls power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. PMIC 1610 is typically included when platform 1600 can be powered by battery 1614, for example, when the device is included in a UE.

[0137] In some implementations, the PMIC 1610 can be controlled or otherwise integrated into various power-saving mechanisms of the platform 1600. For example, if the platform 1600 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 1600 can power down for short intervals to conserve power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period, the platform 1600 can transition to the RRC_Idle state, where the device disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The platform 1600 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 1600 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 result in significant latency, which is assumed to be acceptable.

[0138] Battery 1614 can power platform 1600, but in some examples, platform 1600 may be installed and deployed in a fixed location and may have a power source coupled to the power grid. Battery 1614 can 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 1614 can be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

[0139] In some implementations, battery 1614 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 1600 to track the state of charge (SoCh) of battery 1614. The BMS can be used to monitor other parameters of battery 1614, such as the state of health (SoH) and state of function (SoF) of battery 1614, to provide fault prediction. The BMS can transmit information about battery 1614 to application circuitry 1602 or other components of platform 1600. The BMS may also include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that allows application circuitry 1602 to directly monitor the voltage of battery 1614 or the current from battery 1614. Battery parameters can be used to determine actions that platform 1600 can perform, such as transmission frequency, network operation, sensing frequency, etc.

[0140] A power block coupled to the power grid or other power source can be coupled to the BMS to charge the battery 1614. In some examples, a wireless power receiver can replace the power block to wirelessly acquire power, for example, via a loop antenna in the computer platform 1600. 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 1614 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.

[0141] User interface circuitry 1620 includes various input / output (I / O) devices present within or connected to platform 1600, and includes one or more user interfaces designed to enable user interaction with platform 1600 and / or peripheral component interfaces designed to enable interaction with peripheral components of platform 1600. User interface circuitry 1620 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). Output device circuitry may include any number and / or combination of audio or visual displays, particularly one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (such as 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 1600. Output device circuitry may also include speakers or other audio transmitting devices, printers, etc. In some embodiments, sensor 1622 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.

[0142] Although not shown, components of the Platform 1600 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 number of other technologies. The bus / IX may be a proprietary bus / IX, for example, used in a SoC-based system. Other bus / IX systems, such as I... 2 Interfaces include C-type interface, SPI interface, point-to-point interface, and power bus, etc.

[0143] Figure 17 This is a block diagram illustrating component 1700, according to some exemplary embodiments, 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 methods discussed herein. Specifically, Figure 17 A schematic diagram of hardware resource 1702 is shown, including one or more processors 1706 (or processor cores), one or more memory / storage devices 1714, and one or more communication resources 1724, each of which can be communicatively coupled via bus 1716. For implementations utilizing node virtualization (e.g., NFV), an executable hypervisor 1722 provides an execution environment for one or more network slices / subslices to utilize hardware resource 1702.

[0144] Processor 1706 (e.g., 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 digital signal processor (DSP) (such as a baseband processor), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, processor 1708 and processor 1710.

[0145] Memory / storage device 1714 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. Memory / storage device 1714 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 memory, etc.

[0146] Communication resource 1724 may include interconnect or network interface components or other suitable devices for communicating with one or more peripheral devices 1704 or one or more databases 1720 via network 1718. For example, communication resource 1724 may include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via Universal Serial Bus (USB), cellular communication components, NFC components, etc. Components (e.g.) (low power consumption) Components and other communication components.

[0147] Instruction 1712 may include software, programs, applications, applets, or other executable code for causing at least one processor in processor 1706 to perform any or more of the methods discussed herein. Instruction 1712 may reside wholly or partially in processor 1706 (e.g., within the processor's cache), memory / storage device 1714, or at least one of any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of instruction 1712 may be transferred to hardware resource 1702 from any combination of peripheral device 1704 or database 1720. Therefore, the memory of processor 1706, memory / storage device 1714, peripheral device 1704, and database 1720 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0148] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods described in the Embodiments section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples below. As another example, circuitry associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc., described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples shown in the Examples section below.

[0149] Example Section

[0150] The following examples relate to other implementation schemes.

[0151] Example 1 is a method for a relay user equipment (UE) to provide system information (SI) from a base station in a wireless network to one or more remote UEs. The method includes: establishing a sidelink communication channel with a first remote UE, the first remote UE being in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an out-of-coverage (OOC) state relative to the base station; at the relay UE, decoding a relay SI request received from the first remote UE via the sidelink communication channel, the relay SI request indicating requested system information; at the relay UE, obtaining the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information from a memory device or from the base station; and at the relay UE, encoding a relay SI response for transmission to the first remote UE, the relay SI response including the requested system information or a subset of the requested information.

[0152] Example 2 includes the method according to Example 1, and further includes sending the relay SI response to the first remote UE via the sidelink communication channel using dedicated RRC signaling.

[0153] Example 3 includes the method according to Example 1, and further includes sending the relay SI response to the first remote UE using a sidelink broadcast channel.

[0154] Example 4 includes the method according to Example 1, wherein obtaining the requested system information includes: determining that the relay UE has a current copy or an updated copy of the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information stored in the memory device; and obtaining the current copy or the updated copy of the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information from the memory device.

[0155] Example 5 includes the method according to Example 1, wherein obtaining the requested system information includes: determining that the relay UE does not have a current copy or an updated copy of the requested system information stored in the memory device; if the relay UE is in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state relative to the base station, triggering a RACH-based on-demand system information procedure to obtain the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information from the base station; and if the relay UE is in the RRC connected state with the base station, using a dedicated system information block (SIB) request to obtain the requested system information or a subset of the requested information from the base station.

[0156] Example 6 includes the method according to Example 1, and further includes generating a broadcast message to be sent to one or more second remote UEs via a sidelink broadcast channel, the broadcast message including minimum system information (MSI) or a subset of the MSI, the one or more second remote UEs not connected to the relay UE by PC5-RRC.

[0157] Example 7 includes the method according to Example 6, and further includes the relay UE periodically broadcasting a broadcast message including the MSI or a subset of the MSI at the same period as the period of the relay announcement discovery message broadcast by the relay UE.

[0158] Example 8 includes the method according to Example 6, and further includes including the MSI or a subset of the MSI in a side-channel trunk announcement discovery message broadcast by the trunk UE.

[0159] Example 9 includes the method according to Example 6, and further includes, in response to a request from the one or more second remote UEs, broadcasting only the broadcast message including the MSI or a subset of the MSI, without requiring a sidelink RRC connection and without requiring security protection.

[0160] Example 10 includes the method according to Example 6, wherein the relay UE selects one or more parameters to be included in the subset of the MSI used for the broadcast message, the one or more parameters being selected from the group including: Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identity information, emergency call (eCall) support via Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Unified Access Control (UAC) prohibition information, IMS emergency support, Position System Information Block (posSIB) mapping table, connection establishment failure control information, and system frame number.

[0161] Example 11 includes the method according to Example 6, wherein the MSI includes a Master Information Block (MIB) and a System Information Block 1 (SIB1), and wherein the relay UE includes only one or more of the following SIB1 parameters in the subset of the MSI used for the broadcast message: cell access related information, Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) support, emergency call (eCall) support via IMS, UE timer and constant, Unified Access Control (UAC) prohibition information, useFullResumeID, UAC access category 1 selection assistance information, and cell access related information.

[0162] Example 12 includes the method according to Example 11, wherein the relay UE also includes, in the subset of the MSI used for the broadcast message, all parameters from at least one of the Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) System Information Block (SIB), Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) SIB, and Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) SIB received from the base station.

[0163] Example 13 includes the method according to Example 11, wherein the relay UE includes at least one of a cell prohibition parameter from the MIB and a system frame number in the subset of the MSI used for the broadcast message.

[0164] Example 14 includes the method according to Example 6, wherein the broadcast message further includes other system information (OSI) or a subset of the OSI.

[0165] Example 15 includes the method according to Example 1, wherein the relay UE is connected to the third remote UE via a sidelink RRC connection, wherein the third remote UE is connected to the base station via RRC, and wherein the relay UE performs Layer 2 (L2) relay operation for end-to-end RRC signaling between the base station and the third remote UE, but does not respond to a dedicated system information block (SIB) request from the third UE to the base station with a separate sidelink dedicated signaling response, and does not rebroadcast each SI broadcast detected from the base station.

[0166] Example 16 includes the method according to Example 1, further comprising: monitoring SI updates from the base station at the relay UE; and forwarding the SI update or an indication of the SI update to the first remote UE in response to detecting the SI update.

[0167] Example 17 is a method for a remote user equipment (UE). The method includes: establishing a sidelink communication channel with a relay UE, the remote UE being in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an out-of-coverage (OOC) state relative to a base station; encoding a relay system information (SI) request at the remote UE for transmission to the relay UE via the sidelink communication channel, the relay SI request indicating requested system information; and processing a response to the relay SI request from the relay UE, the response including the requested system information.

[0168] Example 18 includes the method according to Example 17, and further includes receiving requested system information from the relay UE via the sidelink communication channel using dedicated RRC signaling.

[0169] Example 19 includes the method according to Example 17, and further includes receiving requested system information from the relay UE via a sidelink broadcast channel.

[0170] Example 20 includes the method according to Example 17, further comprising: entering an RRC connection state with the base station; sending an RRC message from the remote UE to the base station via the relay UE, the RRC message including a Dedicated System Information Block (SIB) request; and receiving an RRC response message including system information from the base station.

[0171] Example 21 includes the method according to Example 20, further comprising: an instruction to process modified system information from the relay UE; and, in response to the instruction, requesting the modified system information or a portion thereof from the relay UE.

[0172] Example 22 is a computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when processed by a computer, configure the processor to perform the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 21.

[0173] Example 23 is a computing device including a processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the device to perform the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 21.

[0174] Example 24 is an apparatus used in a relay user equipment (UE) to provide system information (SI) from a base station in a wireless network to one or more remote UEs. The apparatus includes: a memory for storing the SI; and a processor configured to: establish a sidelink communication channel with a first remote UE, the first remote UE being in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an out-of-coverage (OOC) state relative to the base station; at the relay UE, decoding a relay SI request received from the first remote UE via the sidelink communication channel, the relay SI request indicating requested system information; at the relay UE, obtaining the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information from a memory device or from the base station; and at the relay UE, encoding a relay SI response for transmission to the first remote UE, the relay SI response including the requested system information or the subset of the requested information.

[0175] Example 25 includes the apparatus according to Example 24, wherein the processor is further configured to send the relay SI response to the first remote UE via the sidelink communication channel using dedicated RRC signaling.

[0176] Example 26 includes the apparatus according to Example 24, wherein the processor is further configured to send the relay SI response to the first remote UE using a sidelink broadcast channel.

[0177] Example 27 includes the apparatus according to Example 24, wherein obtaining the requested system information includes: determining that the relay UE has a current copy or an updated copy of the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information stored in the memory device; and obtaining the current copy or the updated copy of the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information from the memory device.

[0178] Example 28 includes the apparatus according to Example 24, wherein obtaining the requested system information includes: determining that the relay UE does not have a current copy or an updated copy of the requested system information stored in the memory device; if the relay UE is in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state relative to the base station, triggering a RACH-based on-demand system information procedure to obtain the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information from the base station; and if the relay UE is in the RRC connected state with the base station, using a dedicated system information block (SIB) request to obtain the requested system information or a subset of the requested information from the base station.

[0179] Example 29 includes the apparatus according to Example 24, wherein the processor is further configured to generate a broadcast message to be sent via a sidelink broadcast channel to one or more second remote UEs, the broadcast message including minimum system information (MSI) or a subset of the MSI, the one or more second remote UEs not connected to the relay UE by PC5-RRC.

[0180] Example 30 includes the apparatus according to Example 29, wherein the processor is further configured to periodically broadcast a broadcast message including the MSI or a subset of the MSI by the relay UE at the same period as the periodicity of the relay announcement discovery message broadcast by the relay UE.

[0181] Example 31 includes the apparatus according to Example 29, wherein the processor is further configured to include the MSI or a subset of the MSI in a side-channel trunk notification discovery message broadcast by the trunk UE.

[0182] Example 32 includes the apparatus according to Example 29, wherein the processor is further configured to, in response to a request from the one or more second remote UEs, broadcast only the broadcast message including the MSI or a subset of the MSI, without requiring a sidelink RRC connection and without requiring security protection.

[0183] Example 33 includes the apparatus according to Example 29, wherein the relay UE selects one or more parameters to be included in the subset of the MSI used for the broadcast message, the one or more parameters being selected from the group consisting of: Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identity information, emergency call (eCall) support via Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Unified Access Control (UAC) prohibition information, IMS emergency support, Position System Information Block (posSIB) mapping table, connection establishment failure control information, and system frame number.

[0184] Example 34 includes the apparatus according to Example 29, wherein the MSI includes a Master Information Block (MIB) and a System Information Block 1 (SIB1), and wherein the relay UE includes only one or more of the following SIB1 parameters in the subset of the MSI used for the broadcast message: cell access related information, Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) support, emergency call (eCall) support via IMS, UE timer and constant, Unified Access Control (UAC) prohibition information, useFullResumeID, UAC access category 1 selection assistance information, and cell access related information.

[0185] Example 35 includes the apparatus according to Example 34, wherein the relay UE further includes, in the subset of the MSI used for the broadcast message, all parameters from at least one of the Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) System Information Block (SIB), Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) SIB, and Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) SIB received from the base station.

[0186] Example 36 includes the apparatus according to Example 34, wherein the relay UE includes at least one of a cell prohibition parameter from the MIB and a system frame number in the subset of the MSI used for the broadcast message.

[0187] Example 37 includes the apparatus according to Example 29, wherein the broadcast message further includes other system information (OSI) or a subset of the OSI.

[0188] Example 38 includes the apparatus according to Example 24, wherein the relay UE is connected to the third remote UE via a sidelink RRC connection, wherein the third remote UE is connected to the base station via RRC, and wherein the relay UE performs Layer 2 (L2) relay operation for end-to-end RRC signaling between the base station and the third remote UE, but does not respond to a dedicated system information block (SIB) request from the third UE to the base station with a separate sidelink dedicated signaling response, and does not rebroadcast each SI broadcast detected from the base station.

[0189] Example 39 includes the apparatus according to Example 24, wherein the processor is further configured to: monitor SI updates from the base station at the relay UE; and forward the SI update or an indication of the SI update to the first remote UE in response to detecting the SI update.

[0190] Example 40 is a computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions to implement a method for providing system information (SI) from a base station in a wireless network to one or more remote UEs, the method comprising: establishing a sidelink communication channel with a first remote UE, the first remote UE being in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an out-of-coverage (OOC) state relative to the base station; at the relay UE, decoding a relay SI request received from the first remote UE via the sidelink communication channel, the relay SI request indicating requested system information; at the relay UE, obtaining the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information from a memory device or from the base station; and at the relay UE, encoding a relay SI response for transmission to the first remote UE, the relay SI response including the requested system information or a subset of the requested information.

[0191] Example 41 includes a computer-readable medium according to Example 40, wherein the instructions also configure the computer to send the relay SI response to the first remote UE via the sidelink communication channel using dedicated RRC signaling.

[0192] Example 42 includes a computer-readable medium according to Example 40, wherein the instructions also configure the computer to send the relay SI response to the first remote UE using a sidelink broadcast channel.

[0193] Example 43 includes a computer-readable medium according to Example 40, wherein obtaining the requested system information includes: determining that the relay UE has a current copy or an updated copy of the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information stored in the memory device; and obtaining the requested system information or the current copy or the updated copy of the subset of the requested system information from the memory device.

[0194] Example 44 includes a computer-readable medium according to Example 40, wherein obtaining the requested system information includes: determining that the relay UE does not have a current copy or an updated copy of the requested system information stored in the memory device; if the relay UE is in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state relative to the base station, triggering a RACH-based on-demand system information procedure to obtain the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information from the base station; and if the relay UE is in the RRC connected state with the base station, using a dedicated system information block (SIB) request to obtain the requested system information or a subset of the requested information from the base station.

[0195] Example 45 includes a computer-readable medium according to Example 40, wherein the instructions also configure the computer to generate a broadcast message to be sent via a sidelink broadcast channel to one or more second remote UEs, the broadcast message including minimum system information (MSI) or a subset of the MSI, the one or more second remote UEs not connected to the relay UE by PC5-RRC.

[0196] Example 46 includes a computer-readable medium according to Example 45, wherein the instructions also configure the computer to periodically broadcast broadcast messages including the MSI or a subset of the MSI by the relay UE at the same period as the periodicity of relay announcement discovery messages broadcast by the relay UE.

[0197] Example 47 includes a computer-readable medium according to Example 45, wherein the instructions also configure the computer to include the MSI or a subset of the MSI in a side-channel trunk announcement discovery message broadcast by the trunk UE.

[0198] Example 48 includes a computer-readable medium according to Example 45, wherein the instructions also configure the computer to broadcast a broadcast message including only the MSI or a subset of the MSI in response to a request from the one or more second remote UEs, without requiring a sidelink RRC connection and without requiring security protection.

[0199] Example 49 includes a computer-readable medium according to Example 45, wherein the relay UE selects one or more parameters to be included in the subset of the MSI used for the broadcast message, the one or more parameters being selected from the group consisting of: Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identity information, emergency call (eCall) support via Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Unified Access Control (UAC) prohibition information, IMS emergency support, Position System Information Block (posSIB) mapping table, connection establishment failure control information, and system frame number.

[0200] Example 50 includes a computer-readable medium according to Example 45, wherein the MSI includes a Master Information Block (MIB) and a System Information Block 1 (SIB1), and wherein the relay UE includes only one or more of the following SIB1 parameters in the subset of the MSI used for the broadcast message: cell access related information, Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) support, emergency call (eCall) support via IMS, UE timers and constants, Unified Access Control (UAC) prohibition information, useFullResumeID, UAC access category 1 selection assistance information, and cell access related information.

[0201] Example 51 includes the computer-readable medium according to Example 50, wherein the relay UE further includes, in the subset of the MSI used for the broadcast message, all parameters from at least one of the Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) System Information Block (SIB), Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) SIB, and Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) SIB received from the base station.

[0202] Example 52 includes a computer-readable medium according to Example 50, wherein the relay UE includes at least one of a cell prohibition parameter from the MIB and a system frame number in the subset of the MSI used for the broadcast message.

[0203] Example 53 includes the computer-readable medium according to Example 45, wherein the broadcast message further includes other system information (OSI) or a subset of the OSI.

[0204] Example 54 includes a computer-readable medium according to Example 40, wherein the relay UE is connected to a third remote UE via a sidelink RRC connection, wherein the third remote UE is connected to the base station via RRC, and wherein the relay UE performs Layer 2 (L2) relay operations for end-to-end RRC signaling between the base station and the third remote UE, but does not respond to a dedicated system information block (SIB) request from the third UE to the base station with a separate sidelink dedicated signaling response, and does not rebroadcast each SI broadcast detected from the base station.

[0205] Example 55 includes a computer-readable medium according to Example 40, wherein the instructions also configure the computer to: monitor SI updates from the base station at the relay UE; and, in response to detecting the SI update, forward the SI update or an indication of the SI update to the first remote UE.

[0206] Example 56 is an apparatus for use in a remote user equipment (UE). The apparatus includes: a memory for storing system information; and a processor configured to: establish a sidelink communication channel with a relay UE, the remote UE being in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an out-of-coverage (OOC) state relative to the base station; encode a relay system information (SI) request at the remote UE for transmission to the relay UE via the sidelink communication channel, the relay SI request indicating requested system information; and process a response to the relay SI request from the relay UE, the response including the requested system information.

[0207] Example 57 includes the apparatus according to Example 56, wherein the processor is further configured to instruct the apparatus to receive requested system information from the relay UE via the sidelink communication channel using dedicated RRC signaling.

[0208] Example 58 includes the apparatus according to Example 56, wherein the processor is further configured to receive requested system information from the relay UE via a sidelink broadcast channel.

[0209] Example 59 includes the apparatus according to Example 56, wherein the processor is further configured to: enter an RRC connection state with the base station; send an RRC message from the remote UE to the base station via the relay UE, the RRC message including a dedicated system information block (SIB) request; and receive an RRC response message including system information from the base station.

[0210] Example 60 includes the apparatus according to Example 59, wherein the processor is further configured to: process an instruction for modified system information from the relay UE; and, in response to the instruction, request the modified system information or a portion thereof from the relay UE.

[0211] Example 61 is a computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions to implement a method comprising: establishing a sidelink communication channel with a remote UE, the remote UE being in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an out-of-coverage (OOC) state relative to a base station; encoding a relay system information (SI) request at the remote UE for transmission to the relay UE via the sidelink communication channel, the relay SI request indicating requested system information; and processing a response to the relay SI request from the relay UE, the response including the requested system information.

[0212] Example 62 includes a computer-readable medium according to Example 61, wherein the instructions also configure the computer to receive requested system information from the relay UE via the sidelink communication channel using dedicated RRC signaling.

[0213] Example 63 includes a computer-readable medium according to Example 61, wherein the instructions also configure the computer to receive requested system information from the relay UE via a sidelink broadcast channel.

[0214] Example 64 includes a computer-readable medium according to Example 61, wherein the instructions further configure the computer to: enter an RRC connection state with the base station; send an RRC message from the remote UE to the base station via the relay UE, the RRC message including a dedicated system information block (SIB) request; and receive an RRC response message including system information from the base station.

[0215] Example 65 includes a computer-readable medium according to Example 64, wherein the instructions also configure the computer to: process instructions for modified system information from the relay UE; and, in response to the instructions, request the modified system information or a portion thereof from the relay UE.

[0216] Example 66 may include an apparatus comprising components for performing one or more elements of the method described or associated with any of the above embodiments or any other method or process described herein.

[0217] Example 67 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of the method or any other method or process described herein as described or associated with any of the above embodiments.

[0218] Example 68 may include an apparatus comprising logic components, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of the methods described or associated with any of the above embodiments or any other methods or processes described herein.

[0219] Example 69 may include any of the methods, techniques, or processes described or related to any of the above examples, or any part or component thereof.

[0220] Embodiment 70 may include an apparatus comprising one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, the one or more computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process or part thereof as described or associated with any of the above embodiments.

[0221] Example 71 may include any of the signals or parts or components described or associated with any of the above examples.

[0222] Example 72 may include datagrams, packets, frames, segments, protocol data units (PDUs) or messages or parts or components thereof described or associated with any of the above examples, or other content described in this disclosure.

[0223] Example 73 may include any of the data-encoded signals or parts thereof described or associated with any of the above examples, or other content described in this disclosure.

[0224] Example 74 may include signals or portions or components thereof encoded as datagrams, packets, frames, segments, PDUs or messages as described or associated with any of the above examples, or other content described in this disclosure.

[0225] Example 75 may include an electromagnetic signal carrying computer-readable instructions, wherein execution of the computer-readable instructions by one or more processors will cause the one or more processors to perform any of the methods, techniques, or processes or portions thereof described or associated with any of the above embodiments.

[0226] Embodiment 76 may include a computer program comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element will cause the processing element to perform a method, technique, or process or part thereof described or associated with any of the above embodiments.

[0227] Example 77 may include signals in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0228] Example 78 may include methods for communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0229] Example 79 may include a system for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0230] Example 80 may include a device for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0231] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific embodiments provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. In view of the teachings above, modifications and variations are possible, or modifications and variations may be obtained from the practice of various embodiments.

[0232] Implementations and specific embodiments of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations embodied in machine-executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. The computer system may include one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers (or other electronic devices). The computer system may include hardware components, including specific logical components for performing the operations, or may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0233] It should be recognized that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific implementations. These implementations may be combined into a single system, partially integrated into other systems, divided into multiple systems, or otherwise partitioned or combined. Furthermore, it is conceivable to use parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., of one implementation in another implementation. For clarity, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., are described only in one or more implementations, and it should be recognized that unless specifically stated herein, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., may be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., of another implementation.

[0234] 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.

[0235] Although the foregoing has been described in considerable detail for clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that many alternative ways exist to implement both the processes and apparatus described herein. Therefore, embodiments of the invention should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and this specification is not limited to the details given herein, but can be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for relaying system information SI from a base station in a wireless network to one or more remote UEs, the method comprising: Establish a sidelink communication channel with the first remote UE, wherein the first remote UE is in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an out-of-coverage state relative to the base station; At the relay UE, the relay SI request received from the first remote UE via the sidelink communication channel is decoded, and the relay SI request indicates the requested system information; At the relay UE, the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information is obtained from a memory device or from the base station; At the relay UE, a relay SI response is encoded and sent to the first remote UE, the relay SI response including the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information; as well as A broadcast message is generated to be sent to one or more second remote UEs via a sidelink broadcast channel. The broadcast message includes a minimum system information (MSI) or a subset of the MSI, and the one or more second remote UEs are not connected to the relay UE by PC5-RRC.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending the relay SI response to the first remote UE via the sidelink communication channel using dedicated RRC signaling.

3. The method according to claim 1 further includes sending the relay SI response to the first remote UE using a sidelink broadcast channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the requested system information comprises: Determine that the relay UE has a current copy or an updated copy of the requested system information or a subset of the requested system information stored in the memory device; as well as Obtain the current or updated copy of the requested system information or the subset thereof from the memory device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the requested system information comprises: It is determined that the relay UE does not have a current copy or an updated copy of the requested system information stored in the memory device; If the relay UE is in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state relative to the base station, a RACH-based on-demand system information procedure is triggered to obtain the requested system information or the subset of the requested system information from the base station; as well as If the relay UE is in an RRC connection state with the base station, it uses a Dedicated System Information Block (SIB) request to obtain the requested system information or the subset of the requested system information from the base station.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the relay UE periodically broadcasting the broadcast message including the MSI or a subset of the MSI at the same period as the periodicity of the relay announcement discovery message broadcast by the relay UE.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising including the MSI or a subset of the MSI in a side-channel trunk announcement discovery message broadcast by the trunk UE.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to a request from the one or more second remote UEs, broadcasting only the broadcast message including the MSI or a subset of the MSI, without sidelink RRC connection and without security protection.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the relay UE selects one or more parameters to be included in the subset of the MSI used for the broadcast message, the one or more parameters being selected from the group consisting of: Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identity information, emergency call eCall support via Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Unified Access Control (UAC) prohibition information, IMS emergency support, Location System Information Block (posSIB) mapping table, connection establishment failure control information, and system frame number.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the MSI comprises a Master Information Block (MIB) and a System Information Block (SIB1), and wherein the relay UE includes only one or more of the following SIB1 parameters in the subset of the MSI used for the broadcast message: cell access related information, Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) support, emergency call eCall support via IMS, UE timer and constant, Unified Access Control (UAC) prohibition information, useFullResumeID, UAC access category 1 selection assistance information, and cell access related information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the relay UE further includes, in the subset of the MSI used for the broadcast message, all parameters from at least one of the following: Vehicle-to-All V2X System Information Block (SIB) received from the base station, Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) SIB, and Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) SIB.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the relay UE includes at least one of a cell prohibition parameter from the MIB and a system frame number in the subset of the MSI used for the broadcast message.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast message further includes other system information OSI or a subset of the OSI.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the relay UE is connected to the third remote UE via a sidelink RRC connection, wherein the third remote UE is connected to the base station via RRC, and wherein the relay UE performs Layer 2 L2 relay operation for end-to-end RRC signaling between the base station and the third remote UE, but does not respond to a dedicated System Information Block (SIB) request from the third UE to the base station with a separate sidelink dedicated signaling response, and does not rebroadcast each SI broadcast detected from the base station.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The relay UE monitors SI updates from the base station; as well as In response to the detection of the SI update, the SI update or the indication of the SI update is forwarded to the first remote UE.

16. A method for a remote user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Establish a sidelink communication channel with the relay UE, wherein the remote UE is in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an out-of-coverage state relative to the base station; The relay system information (SI) request is encoded at the remote UE and transmitted to the relay UE via the sidelink communication channel. The relay SI request indicates the requested system information. Process a response to the relay SI request from the relay UE, the response including the requested system information; as well as The relay UE receives a broadcast message via a sidelink broadcast channel, the broadcast message including a minimum system information (MSI) or a subset of the MSI, wherein the remote UE is not connected to the relay UE by PC5-RRC.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving requested system information from the relay UE via the sidelink communication channel using dedicated RRC signaling.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving requested system information from the relay UE via a sidelink broadcast channel.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising: Entering RRC connection state with the base station; The relay UE sends an RRC message to the base station from the remote UE, the RRC message including a Dedicated System Information Block (SIB) request; as well as Receive an RRC response message containing system information from the base station.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: Instructions for processing modified system information from the relay UE; as well as In response to the instruction, the relay UE requests the modified system information or a portion thereof.

21. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when processed by a computer, configure a processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

22. A computing device comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the computing device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

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