User Equipment, Base Station, and Method for Identifying User Equipment

Abstract

Provided are a user equipment (UE), a base station, and a method for identifying a UE. The method, performed by the UE, includes the UE determining a configuration associated with the UE from the base station, and the UE performing a random access (RA) procedure using the configuration associated with the UE, wherein the UE type is identified by the base station during the RA procedure. This method can address problems in the prior art, achieving early UE identification, implementing coverage compensation, providing differentiated scheduling for different UE types, providing good communication performance, and / or providing high reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication systems, and more particularly, to a user equipment (UE), a base station, and a method for identifying a UE that can provide good communication performance and / or high reliability. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These wireless communication systems may be able to support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems such as long term evolution (LTE) systems and fifth generation (5G) systems, which may be referred to as new radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ techniques such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple access communication system may include multiple base stations or network access nodes, each of which simultaneously supports communication for multiple communication devices, which may also be referred to as user equipment (UE).

[0003] A wireless communication network may include base stations that may support communications for UEs. A UE may communicate with a base station via a downlink (DL) and an uplink (UL). DL refers to the communication link from the base station to the UE, and UL refers to the communication link from the UE to the base station.

[0004] In 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 17, a study item, "Study on Support for Reduced-Capability NR Devices," was initiated. The scope of this study item includes identifying and investigating potential UE complexity reduction techniques, UE power savings, and battery life enhancements for UEs with reduced capabilities. Features that can mitigate or limit the performance degradation of such complexity reductions, principles for how such reduced capabilities should be defined and limited, and features that allow networks and network operators to clearly identify devices with reduced capabilities and allow operators to restrict their access if needed. Support for reduced-capability NR devices is an open question.

[0005] Therefore, a user equipment (UE), a base station, and a method for identifying a UE are needed to solve the problems in the prior art, achieve early identification of the UE, implement coverage compensation, provide different scheduling for different UE types, provide good communication performance, and / or provide high reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to propose a user equipment (UE), a base station and a method for identifying UE, which can solve the problems existing in the prior art, achieve early identification of UE, realize coverage compensation, provide different scheduling for different UE types, provide good communication performance, and / or provide high reliability.

[0007] In a first aspect of the present invention, a method for identifying a user equipment (UE) performed by the UE includes: the UE processing a configuration associated with the UE, a UE-specific early identification, or UE capability information, wherein processing the configuration associated with the UE includes the UE determining the configuration associated with the UE from a base station; or processing the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information includes the UE sending or not sending the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information to the base station; and when the configuration associated with the UE is processed by the UE, the method further includes the UE performing a random access (RA) procedure using the configuration associated with the UE, wherein the UE type of the UE is identified by the base station in the RA procedure; or when the UE processes the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information, the method also includes processing a report of the UE type of the UE, wherein the report of the UE type of the UE is triggered by the base station or by the UE.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the UE type of the UE is a reduced capability Redcap UE or a regular UE.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, when processing the UE specific early identification or the UE capability information includes the UE not sending the UE specific early identification or the UE capability information to the base station, the base station assumes the UE to be the regular UE.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the configuration associated with the UE includes at least one of the following: configuration of a first physical random access channel PRACH resource, configuration of a first initial uplink UL bandwidth part BWP, configuration of a first random access RA preamble code, or configuration of a first physical uplink shared channel PUSCH resource.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the RA process includes at least one of the following: a 4-step RA type or a 2-step RA type.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the 4-step RA type includes the UE sending a message 1 MSG1 on the first PRACH resource in a dedicated UL BWP or a first initial UL BWP, and the MSG1 includes the first RA preamble.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the 2-step RA type includes the UE sending a message A MSGA on the first initial UL BWP and the first PRACH resource in the first PUSCH resource, and the MSGA includes the first RA preamble and a payload.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first RA preamble is transmitted on the first PRACH resource in the first initial UL BWP, and the payload is transmitted on the first PUSCH resource.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first PUSCH resource is associated with the first PRACH resource.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the random access procedure includes a contention-based random access procedure CBRA and / or a contention-free random access procedure CFRA.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the configuration associated with the UE is provided to the UE in system information or radio resource control RRC signaling, the system information or the RRC signaling including one or more new information elements IE or one or more fields of one or more existing IE, the system information including the master block MIB or the system block SIB, the one or more new IEs or the one or more fields of the one or more existing IEs including RACH-ConfigCommon and / or RACH-ConfigCommonTwoStepRA and / or MSGA-ConfigCommon and / or numberOfRA-PreamblesGroupA and / or totalNumberOfRA-Preambles and / or MsgA-ConfigCommon IE and / or MsgA-PUSCH-Config IE.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the first RA preamble includes a CBRA preamble and a CFRA preamble, and the CBRA preamble includes a group A and a group B.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, the CBRA preamble and CFRA preamble of a Redcap UE are interleaved or separated from the CBRA preamble and CFRA preamble of another UE.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, when multiple Redcap UE types are defined, the RA preambles of each Redcap UE type are interleaved or separated from each other.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present invention, M fields are introduced to divide CBRA preamble group A, CBRA preamble group B and CFRA preamble into parts for Redcap UE and regular UE respectively, and multiple M fields are associated with multiple Redcap UE types or one Redcap UE type.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present invention, M is 3 if there is a single Redcap UE type, and / or M is 6 if there are two Redcap UE types.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, if there is a single Redcap UE type, a field is introduced to indicate the number of corresponding preambles of another UE.

[0024] In one embodiment of the present invention, a field is introduced to indicate the number of the CBRA preambles of the regular UE for each synchronization signal block SSB in group A. If there is no field, all CBRA preambles in group A can be used for another UE or the Redcap UE.

[0025] In one embodiment of the present invention, a field is introduced to indicate the number of the CBRA preambles of the regular UE for each SSB in the group B. If there is no field, all CBRA preambles in the group B can be used for another UE or the Redcap UE.

[0026] In one embodiment of the present invention, a field is introduced to indicate the number of CFRA preambles of another UE. If there is no field, all CFRA preambles can be used for another UE or the Redcap UE.

[0027] In one embodiment of the present invention, if there are two types of Redcap UEs, a field is introduced to indicate the number of preambles corresponding to the Redcap UEs.

[0028] In one embodiment of the present invention, the field is introduced to indicate the number of CBRA preambles of the first Redcap UE type for each SSB in the group A and / or the number of CBRA preambles of the second Redcap UE type for each SSB in the group A, and / or the field is introduced to indicate the number of CBRA preambles of the first Redcap UE type for each SSB in the group B and / or the number of CBRA preambles of the second Redcap UE type for each SSB in the group B, and / or the field is introduced to indicate the number of CFRA preambles of the first Redcap UE type and / or the number of CFRA preambles of the second Redcap UE type and / or the number of CFRA preambles of another UE type.

[0029] In one embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the PRACH resources includes the number of PRACH occasions PO, the offset of the lowest PO in the frequency domain relative to PRB 0, and / or the PRACH configuration index.

[0030] In one embodiment of the present invention, for frequency domain multi-tasking FDMed PO, the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of the conventional UE are interleaved or separated. If multiple Redcap UE types are defined, the PO of each Redcap UE type is interleaved or separated.

[0031] In one embodiment of the present invention, for time domain multi-tasking TDMed PO, the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of the conventional UE are interleaved or separated. If multiple Redcap UE types are defined, the PO of each Redcap UE type is interleaved or separated.

[0032] In one embodiment of the present invention, the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of the conventional UE are separated from each other in the frequency domain but interleaved in the time domain; or the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of the conventional UE are interleaved in both the frequency domain and the time domain; or the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of the conventional UE are separated from each other in both the frequency domain and the time domain; or the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of another UE are separated from each other in the time domain but interleaved in the frequency domain.

[0033] In one embodiment of the present invention, for the configuration of the first PRACH resource, if the base station supports the deployment of the Redcap UE, the base station provides the PRACH resource allocation related to the Redcap UE in the system information or the RRC; the UE decodes the SI or the RRC to obtain content including the PRACH resource allocation of the Redcap UE; the UE selects a suitable PO to send a preamble code according to its respective UE type; the base station identifies the UE type according to the frequency domain position and / or time domain position of the selected PO; the base station schedules RAR and subsequent messages within the transmission capability of the corresponding UE type.

[0034] In one embodiment of the present invention, for the configuration of the first initial UL BWP, if the base station supports the deployment of the Redcap UE, the base station provides the initial UL BWP configuration related to the Redcap UE on the system information or the RRC, the UE decodes the SI or the RRC and obtains the content containing the initial UL BWP configuration for the Redcap UE, and the UE selects the initial UL BWP corresponding to the corresponding UE type to send a preamble code; the base station identifies the UE type based on the frequency domain and the bandwidth of each bandwidth part, and the base station schedules subsequent messages within the transmission capability of the corresponding UE type.

[0035] In one embodiment of the present invention, for the configuration of the first PUSCH resource, if the base station supports the deployment of the Redcap UE and the 2-step RA, the base station provides the MSGA PUSCH configuration related to the Redcap UE on the system information or the RRC, the UE decodes the SI or the RRC and obtains content including the MSGA PUSCH configuration for the Redcap UE, and the UE selects the MSGA PUSCH corresponding to the respective UE type to send the MSGA payload; according to the frequency domain and bandwidth of the MSGAPUSCH, the base station identifies the UE type, and the base station schedules subsequent messages within the transmission capability of the corresponding UE type.

[0036] In one embodiment of the present invention, the step further includes determining, by the UE, a random access response (RAR) within the transmission capability of the identified UE type from the base station.

[0037] In one embodiment of the present invention, it also includes: the UE sending to the base station a post-RAR message or a post-Msg2 including the UE specific early identification or the UE capability information, wherein the UE type of the UE is refreshed by the base station according to the UE specific early identification or the UE capability information, when the UE reports the UE specific early identification or the UE capability information to the base station, MSG1 uses specific resources; and the UE determining a subsequent message within the transmission capability of the refreshed UE type from the base station.

[0038] In one embodiment of the present invention, the reporting of the UE-specific early identification is triggered by the base station or the UE; if the reporting of the UE-specific early identification is triggered by the base station, the UE obtains the early identification command on the downlink DL message; if the reporting of the UE-specific early identification is triggered by the UE, the UE does not need to obtain the early identification command on the DL message.

[0039] In one embodiment of the present invention, the DL message includes MSG2, MSGB, MSG4, UE capability query or security mode command, and the early identification command is used to indicate the UE-specific early identification on MSG3 or the subsequent MSG4.

[0040] In one embodiment of the present invention, the early identification command includes the respective UE types, wherein all UEs or only Redcap UEs report their respective UE types and / or fields related to their respective UE types and / or fields that are independent but carry their respective UE types, and the early identification command field is used to notify all UEs or the Redcap UEs to report their respective types to the base station in subsequent messages.

[0041] In one embodiment of the present invention, the UE-specific early identification is transmitted in MSGA, or MSG3, or post MSG4, or MSG5, or UE capability information, or security mode completion, or UL information transfer, or UE information response, or measurement report.

[0042] In one embodiment of the present invention, the media access control MAC packet data unit PDU of MSG2 and / or MSGB consists of one or more MAC subPDUs; each MSG2 MAC subPDU contains one of the following: a MAC subheader with only a backoff indicator; a MAC subheader with only a random access preamble identifier (RAPID); or a MAC subheader with RAPID and MACRAR.

[0043] In one embodiment of the present invention, each MSGB MAC subPDU consists of one of the following: a MAC subheader with only a backoff indicator; a MAC subheader and a fallbackRAR; a MAC subheader and a successRAR; a MAC subheader and a MAC service data unit SDU for a common control channel CCCH or a dedicated control channel DCCH; or a MAC subheader and padding; each MSGB MAC subPDU contains one of the following: a MAC subheader with only a backoff indicator; a MAC subheader and a fallbackRAR; a MAC subheader and a successRAR; a MAC subheader and a MAC service data unit SDU for a common control channel CCCH or a dedicated control channel DCCH; or a MAC subheader and padding.

[0044] In one embodiment of the present invention, the MAC RAR or MAC SDU includes an early identification command and / or the fallbackRAR or successRAR carries an early identification command, and / or the MAC subheader with the logical channel identifier LCID only includes an early identification command for instructing the UE to report UE-specific early identification.

[0045] In one embodiment of the present invention, the UE-specific early identification is reported by the UE through a MAC control element CE, the MAC CE corresponds to a MAC subheader consisting of header fields R / F / LCID / L, and the format of the UE-specific early identification is a MAC subheader identifier with an LCID.

[0046] In a second aspect of the present invention, a method for identifying a user equipment (UE) performed by a base station includes: the base station processing a configuration associated with the UE, UE-specific early identification, or UE capability information, wherein processing the configuration associated with the UE includes the base station configuring the configuration associated with the UE to the UE; or processing the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information includes the base station receiving or not receiving the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information from the UE; and when the configuration associated with the UE is processed by the base station, the method further includes the base station performing a random access (RA) procedure using the configuration associated with the UE, wherein the UE type of the UE is identified by the base station in the RA procedure; or when the base station processes the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information, the method also includes processing a report of the UE type of the UE, wherein the report of the UE type of the UE is triggered by the base station or by the UE.

[0047] In one embodiment of the present invention, the UE type of the UE is a reduced capability Redcap UE or a regular UE.

[0048] In one embodiment of the present invention, when processing the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information includes the base station not receiving the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information from the UE, the base station assumes the UE to be the regular UE.

[0049] In one embodiment of the present invention, the configuration associated with the UE includes at least one of the following: configuration of a first physical random access channel PRACH resource, configuration of a first initial uplink UL bandwidth part BWP, configuration of a first random access RA preamble code, or configuration of a first physical uplink shared channel PUSCH resource.

[0050] In one embodiment of the present invention, the RA process includes at least one of the following: a 4-step RA type or a 2-step RA type.

[0051] In one embodiment of the present invention, the 4-step RA type includes the UE sending a message 1 MSG1 on the first PRACH resource in a dedicated UL BWP or a first initial UL BWP, and the MSG1 includes the first RA preamble.

[0052] In one embodiment of the present invention, the 2-step RA type includes the UE sending a message A MSGA on the first initial UL BWP and the first PRACH resource in the first PUSCH resource, and the MSGA includes the first RA preamble and a payload.

[0053] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first RA preamble is transmitted on the first PRACH resource in the first initial UL BWP, and the payload is transmitted on the first PUSCH resource.

[0054] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first PUSCH resource is associated with the first PRACH resource.

[0055] In one embodiment of the present invention, the random access procedure includes a contention-based random access procedure CBRA and / or a contention-free random access procedure CFRA.

[0056] In one embodiment of the present invention, the configuration associated with the UE is provided to the UE in system information or radio resource control RRC signaling, the system information or the RRC signaling including one or more new information elements IE or one or more fields of one or more existing IE, the system information including the master block MIB or the system block SIB, the one or more new IEs or the one or more fields of the one or more existing IEs including RACH-ConfigCommon and / or RACH-ConfigCommonTwoStepRA and / or MSGA-ConfigCommon and / or numberOfRA-PreamblesGroupA and / or totalNumberOfRA-Preambles and / or MsgA-ConfigCommon IE and / or MsgA-PUSCH-Config IE.

[0057] In one embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the first RA preamble includes a CBRA preamble and a CFRA preamble, and the CBRA preamble includes a group A and a group B.

[0058] In one embodiment of the present invention, the CBRA preamble and CFRA preamble of a Redcap UE are interleaved or separated from the CBRA preamble and CFRA preamble of another UE.

[0059] In one embodiment of the present invention, when multiple Redcap UE types are defined, the RA preambles of each Redcap UE type are interleaved or separated from each other.

[0060] In one embodiment of the present invention, M fields are introduced to divide CBRA preamble group A, CBRA preamble group B and CFRA preamble into parts for Redcap UE and regular UE respectively, and multiple M fields are associated with multiple Redcap UE types or one Redcap UE type.

[0061] In one embodiment of the present invention, M is 3 if there is a single Redcap UE type, and / or M is 6 if there are two Redcap UE types.

[0062] In one embodiment of the present invention, if there is a single Redcap UE type, a field is introduced to indicate the number of corresponding preambles of another UE.

[0063] In one embodiment of the present invention, a field is introduced to indicate the number of the CBRA preambles of the regular UE for each synchronization signal block SSB in group A. If there is no field, all CBRA preambles in group A can be used for another UE or the Redcap UE.

[0064] In one embodiment of the present invention, a field is introduced to indicate the number of the CBRA preambles of the regular UE for each SSB in the group B. If there is no field, all CBRA preambles in the group B can be used for another UE or the Redcap UE.

[0065] In one embodiment of the present invention, a field is introduced to indicate the number of CFRA preambles of another UE. If there is no field, all CFRA preambles can be used for another UE or the Redcap UE.

[0066] In one embodiment of the present invention, if there are two types of Redcap UEs, a field is introduced to indicate the number of preambles corresponding to the Redcap UEs.

[0067] In one embodiment of the present invention, the field is introduced to indicate the number of CBRA preambles of the first Redcap UE type for each SSB in the group A and / or the number of CBRA preambles of the second Redcap UE type for each SSB in the group A, and / or the field is introduced to indicate the number of CBRA preambles of the first Redcap UE type for each SSB in the group B and / or the number of CBRA preambles of the second Redcap UE type for each SSB in the group B, and / or the field is introduced to indicate the number of CFRA preambles of the first Redcap UE type and / or the number of CFRA preambles of the second Redcap UE type and / or the number of CFRA preambles of another UE type.

[0068] In one embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the PRACH resources includes the number of PRACH occasions PO, the offset of the lowest PO in the frequency domain relative to PRB 0, and / or the PRACH configuration index.

[0069] In one embodiment of the present invention, for frequency domain multi-tasking FDMed PO, the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of the conventional UE are interleaved or separated. If multiple Redcap UE types are defined, the PO of each Redcap UE type is interleaved or separated.

[0070] In one embodiment of the present invention, for time domain multi-tasking TDMed PO, the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of the conventional UE are interleaved or separated. If multiple Redcap UE types are defined, the PO of each Redcap UE type is interleaved or separated.

[0071] In one embodiment of the present invention, the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of the conventional UE are separated from each other in the frequency domain but interleaved in the time domain; or the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of the conventional UE are interleaved in both the frequency domain and the time domain; or the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of the conventional UE are separated from each other in both the frequency domain and the time domain; or the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of another UE are separated from each other in the time domain but interleaved in the frequency domain.

[0072] In one embodiment of the present invention, for the configuration of the first PRACH resource, if the base station supports the deployment of the Redcap UE, the base station provides the PRACH resource allocation related to the Redcap UE in the system information or the RRC; the UE decodes the SI or the RRC to obtain content including the PRACH resource allocation of the Redcap UE; the UE selects a suitable PO to send a preamble code according to its respective UE type; the base station identifies the UE type according to the frequency domain position and / or time domain position of the selected PO; the base station schedules RAR and subsequent messages within the transmission capability of the corresponding UE type.

[0073] In one embodiment of the present invention, for the configuration of the first initial UL BWP, if the base station supports the deployment of the Redcap UE, the base station provides the initial UL BWP configuration related to the Redcap UE on the system information or the RRC, the UE decodes the SI or the RRC and obtains the content containing the initial UL BWP configuration for the Redcap UE, and the UE selects the initial UL BWP corresponding to the corresponding UE type to send a preamble code; the base station identifies the UE type based on the frequency domain and the bandwidth of each bandwidth part, and the base station schedules subsequent messages within the transmission capability of the corresponding UE type.

[0074] In one embodiment of the present invention, for the configuration of the first PUSCH resource, if the base station supports the deployment of the Redcap UE and the 2-step RA, the base station provides the MSGA PUSCH configuration related to the Redcap UE on the system information or the RRC, the UE decodes the SI or the RRC and obtains content including the MSGA PUSCH configuration for the Redcap UE, and the UE selects the MSGA PUSCH corresponding to the respective UE type to send the MSGA payload; according to the frequency domain and bandwidth of the MSGAPUSCH, the base station identifies the UE type, and the base station schedules subsequent messages within the transmission capability of the corresponding UE type.

[0075] In one embodiment of the present invention, the step further includes determining, by the UE, a random access response (RAR) within the transmission capability of the identified UE type from the base station.

[0076] In one embodiment of the present invention, it also includes: the UE sending to the base station a post-RAR message or a post-Msg2 including the UE specific early identification or the UE capability information, wherein the UE type of the UE is refreshed by the base station according to the UE specific early identification or the UE capability information, when the UE reports the UE specific early identification or the UE capability information to the base station, MSG1 uses specific resources; and the UE determining a subsequent message within the transmission capability of the refreshed UE type from the base station.

[0077] In one embodiment of the present invention, the reporting of the UE-specific early identification is triggered by the base station or the UE; if the reporting of the UE-specific early identification is triggered by the base station, the UE obtains the early identification command on the downlink DL message; if the reporting of the UE-specific early identification is triggered by the UE, the UE does not need to obtain the early identification command on the DL message.

[0078] In one embodiment of the present invention, the DL message includes MSG2, MSGB, MSG4, UE capability query or security mode command, and the early identification command is used to indicate the UE-specific early identification on MSG3 or the subsequent MSG4.

[0079] In one embodiment of the present invention, the early identification command includes the respective UE types, wherein all UEs or only Redcap UEs report their respective UE types and / or fields related to their respective UE types and / or fields that are independent but carry their respective UE types, and the early identification command field is used to notify all UEs or the Redcap UEs to report their respective types to the base station in subsequent messages.

[0080] In one embodiment of the present invention, the UE-specific early identification is transmitted in MSGA, or MSG3, or post MSG4, or MSG5, or UE capability information, or security mode completion, or UL information transfer, or UE information response, or measurement report.

[0081] In one embodiment of the present invention, the media access control MAC packet data unit PDU of MSG2 and / or MSGB consists of one or more MAC subPDUs; each MSG2 MAC subPDU contains one of the following: a MAC subheader with only a backoff indicator; a MAC subheader with only a random access preamble identifier (RAPID); or a MAC subheader with RAPID and MACRAR.

[0082] In one embodiment of the present invention, each MSGB MAC subPDU consists of one of the following: a MAC subheader with only a backoff indicator; a MAC subheader and a fallbackRAR; a MAC subheader and a successRAR; a MAC subheader and a MAC service data unit SDU for a common control channel CCCH or a dedicated control channel DCCH; or a MAC subheader and padding; each MSGB MAC subPDU contains one of the following: a MAC subheader with only a backoff indicator; a MAC subheader and a fallbackRAR; a MAC subheader and a successRAR; a MAC subheader and a MAC service data unit SDU for a common control channel CCCH or a dedicated control channel DCCH; or a MAC subheader and padding.

[0083] In one embodiment of the present invention, the MAC RAR or MAC SDU includes an early identification command and / or the fallbackRAR or successRAR carries an early identification command, and / or the MAC subheader with the logical channel identifier LCID only includes an early identification command for instructing the UE to report UE-specific early identification.

[0084] In one embodiment of the present invention, the UE-specific early identification is reported by the UE through a MAC control element CE, the MAC CE corresponds to a MAC subheader consisting of header fields R / F / LCID / L, and the format of the UE-specific early identification is a MAC subheader identifier with an LCID.

[0085] In a third aspect of the present invention, a user equipment (UE) includes a memory, a transceiver, and a processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to execute the above method.

[0086] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, a base station includes a memory, a transceiver, and a processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to execute the above method.

[0087] In a fifth aspect of the present invention, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon is characterized in that when the instructions are executed by a computer, the computer is caused to perform the above method.

[0088] In a sixth aspect of the present invention, a chip includes a processor configured to call and run a computer program stored in a memory so that a device equipped with the chip executes the above method.

[0089] In a seventh aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, wherein the computer program enables a computer to execute the above method.

[0090] In an eighth aspect of the present invention, a computer program product comprises a computer program, wherein the computer program enables a computer to execute the above method.

[0091] In a ninth aspect of the present invention, a computer program is provided, which enables a computer to execute the above method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0092] To further illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings necessary for describing the embodiments. Obviously, the following drawings only illustrate some embodiments of the present invention. It would be readily apparent to any skilled artisan in the art that other drawings could be derived based on the following drawings without inventive effort.

[0093] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a random access (RA) procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0094] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a fallback of a contention-based random access (CBRA) with a two-step RA type according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0095] Figure 3 1 is a block diagram of one or more user equipments (UEs) and a communication base station (e.g., gNB) in a communication network system according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0096] Figure 4 is a flowchart of a method for identifying a user equipment (UE) executed by a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0097] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a method for identifying a user equipment (UE) executed by a base station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0098] Figure 6 4 is a schematic diagram of a 4-step RA preamble according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0099] Figure 7 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a 2-step RA preamble according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0100] Figure 8 FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an interleaved preamble according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0101] Figure 9 FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an interleaved preamble according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0102] Figure 10 FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an interleaved preamble according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0103] Figure 11 is a diagram of an example of a separate preamble portion according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0104] Figure 12 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a method for identifying a UE type from a preamble according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0105] Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of frequency domain multiplexed (FDMed) physical random access channel (PRACH) opportunities for conventional New Radio (NR) UEs and reduced capability (Redcap) UEs according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0106] Figure 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of time domain multiplexed (TDMed) PRACH opportunities for conventional NR UEs and Redcap UEs according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0107] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of multiplexing PRACH opportunities according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0108] Figure 16FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a method for identifying a UE type from a PRACH resource according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0109] Figure 17 FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a method for identifying a UE type from an initial uplink (UL) bandwidth part (BWP) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0110] Figure 18 FIG. 1 is a diagram of a method for identifying a UE type from a Message A (MSGA) Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0111] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of an example of an early recognition process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0112] Figure 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a medium access control (MAC) packet data unit (PDU) composed of a MAC random access response (RAR) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0113] Figure 21 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a MAC RAR according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0114] Figure 22 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an early recognition command in a MAC RAR according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0115] Figure 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of an MSGB MAC PDU with a MAC service data unit (SDU) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0116] Figure 24 2 is a schematic diagram of a rollback RAR according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0117] Figure 25 is a schematic diagram of successRAR according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0118] Figure 26 is a block diagram of a system for wireless communication according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0119] The technical matters, structural features, objectives and effects of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Specifically, the terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are only for the purpose of illustrating the embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0120] Some embodiments of the present invention relate to New Radio (NR) wireless communication systems and Reduced Capability (Redcap) User Equipment (UE). Some embodiments of the present invention provide methods for identifying Redcap UEs during random access. Some embodiments of the present invention provide several methods for early identification of Redcap UEs.

[0121] In some embodiments, a reduced-capability UE (Redcap UE) includes at least one of the following: Industrial wireless sensors: pressure sensors, humidity sensors, thermometers, motion sensors, accelerometers, actuators, etc. Surveillance cameras in smart city use cases: including data collection and processing to more effectively monitor and control city resources and provide services to city residents. Wearable devices: smart watches, rings, eHealth-related devices, medical monitoring equipment, etc.

[0122] A key goal of 5G is to enable connected industries. 5G connectivity can be the catalyst for the next wave of industrial transformation and digitalization. The goal is to connect these industrial wireless sensors and actuators to 5G networks and core networks. The use cases and requirements for large-scale industrial wireless sensor networks (IWSNs), as described in TR 22.804, TS 22.104, TR 22.832, and TS 22.261, include not only very demanding ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) services, but also more low-end services requiring small form factors and / or being completely wireless with battery lifespans of several years. These services have higher requirements than low-power wide-area networks (LPWA) (i.e., long-term evolution machine-type communications (LTE-M) / narrowband IoT (NB-IoT)) but lower than URLCC and enhanced mobile broadband (MBB).

[0123] Similar to the connected industry, 5G connectivity can be a catalyst for the next wave of smart city innovation. For example, TS 22.804 describes smart city use cases and their requirements. The smart city vertical encompasses data collection and processing to more effectively monitor and control urban resources and provide services to city residents. The deployment of surveillance cameras, in particular, is a crucial component of smart cities, as well as factories and industries. Furthermore, wearable device use cases include smart watches, rings, eHealth devices, and medical monitoring equipment. A key characteristic of these use cases is small device size. Therefore, as a baseline, the requirements for these UEs must include at least one of the following: Reduced complexity features. Device complexity: Compared to high-end eMBB and URLLC devices, the primary motivation for these new device types is to reduce device cost and complexity. Deployment scenarios: The system should support all frequency bands FR1 / FR2, both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD). Device size: Device designs should feature compact form factors, lower power consumption, and longer battery life.

[0124] The following is one of the objectives of the study project for some embodiments of the present invention: to study capabilities that allow networks and network operators to unambiguously identify reduced-capability devices and allow operators to restrict their access when necessary [RAN2, RAN1]. As can be seen above, Redcap UEs must be able to be unambiguously identified by the network. It is important to note that this identification is primarily related to the context of the access cell. How early this identification needs to occur depends on the random access procedure for the Redcap UE and whether Redcap UEs may differ from regular NR UEs. Early identification may be necessary if random access requires different treatment for Redcap UEs. Some motivations include at least one of the following: As analyzed in many 3GPP contributions, reduced capability may result in performance degradation of downlink (DL) channels. To compensate for coverage loss, it is best to indicate Redcap UEs as early as possible in the RACH procedure. A reduction in UE bandwidth (e.g., 50 MHz in FR2) may cause coexistence issues with regular NR UEs. For example, if the size of CORESET 0 configured for a regular NR UE is larger than 50 MHz, the reduced-capability UE can only receive RARs and Message 4 (MSG4) scheduled within the UE bandwidth of the reduced-capability UE. In this case, the gNB and other base stations should identify the UE type with reduced capabilities before RAR / Msg4 transmission.

[0125] Figure 1 A random access (RA) procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Figure 2 The figure illustrates the fallback of contention-based random access (CBRA) with two-step RA type according to an embodiment of the present invention. In NR, two types of random access procedures are supported: 4-step RA with message 1 (MSG1) and 2-step RA type with message A (MSGA). Both types of RA procedures support contention-based random access (CBRA) and contention-free random access (CFRA), such as Figure 1 As shown. The 2-step RA type MSGA includes a preamble on the physical random access channel (PRACH) and a payload on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). After the MSGA transmission, the UE monitors the response from the network (e.g., base station) within the configured window. For CBRA, if the contention resolution is successful when the network response is received, the UE ends the random access procedure, as shown in Figure 1 (b); and if a fallback indication is received in MSGB, the UE performs MSG3 transmission and monitors contention resolution, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 If contention resolution is unsuccessful after MSG3 (re)transmission, the UE returns to MSG 4 transmission.

[0126] Furthermore, the UE selects the random access type based on the network configuration when initiating the random access procedure: when no CFRA resources are configured, the UE uses the RSRP threshold to select between a 2-step RA type and a 4-step RA type; when 4-step RA type CFRA resources are configured, the UE performs a 4-step RA type random access; and / or when 2-step RA type CFRA resources are configured, the UE performs a 2-step RA type random access. The network does not configure both 4-step and 2-step RA type CFRA resources for a bandwidth part (BWP). CFRA with a 2-step RA type only supports handover.

[0127] The MSG1 of the 4-step RA type consists of a preamble on the PRACH. After the MSG1 transmission, the UE monitors the response from the network within the configured window. For CFRA, a dedicated preamble for MSG1 transmission is allocated by the network, and after receiving the random access response from the network, the UE ends the random access procedure, as shown in the following example. Figure 1 (c) For CBRA, after receiving the random access response, the UE sends MSG3 using the UL grant scheduled in the response and monitors contention resolution, as shown in Figure 1 As shown in (a), if contention resolution is unsuccessful after MSG3 (re)transmission, the UE returns to MSG1 transmission.

[0128] The 2-step RA type of MSGA includes a preamble on PRACH and a payload on PUSCH. After the MSGA transmission, the UE monitors the response from the network within the configured window. For CFRA, a dedicated preamble and PUSCH resources are allocated for MSGA transmission, and after receiving the network response, the UE ends the random access procedure, such as Figure 1 (d) For CBRA, if the contention resolution is successful after receiving the network response, the UE ends Figure 1 (b) shows the random access procedure; and if a fallback indication is received in MSGB, the UE performs MSG3 transmission using the UL grant scheduled in the fallback indication and monitors contention resolution, such as Figure 1 If contention resolution is unsuccessful after MSG3 (re)transmission, the UE returns to MSGA transmission. If the random access procedure with 2-step RA type is not completed after multiple MSGA transmissions, the UE can be configured to switch to CBRA with 4-step RA type.

[0129] Furthermore, the following is one of the objectives of the research project in some embodiments of the present invention:

[0130] Further study is underway to identify Redcap UEs, including one of the following indication methods: Option 1: During Msg1 transmission, for example, via a separate initial UL BWP, separate PRACH resources, or PRACH preamble partitioning. Option 2: During Msg3 transmission. Option 3: Issuing an Msg4 acknowledgment, for example, during Msg5 transmission or a partial UE capability report. Option 4: During MSGA transmission (depending on whether 2-step RACH is supported). Other options are not excluded. Note: This study is intended to determine the feasibility and pros and cons of the identified options from the perspective of RAN1 and is not intended to be a down-select without guidance from RAN2. In some embodiments, the topic of UE types for Redcap UEs was discussed, with some suggestions including: studying up to two UE types, aiming for one UE type per FR in Release 17; low-band / mid-band distinctions and / or FDD / TDD distinctions in FR1. The definition of each UE type has the following as a starting point: Option 1: Functionality-specific; Option 2: Scenario / use case-specific. In addition, some embodiments discuss how to define UE types for Redcap, including whether the existing UE characteristics / capability framework is a baseline for defining UE types for Redcap and / or whether it is necessary to add any other mechanism on top of the existing UE characteristics / capability framework to define UE types for Redcap. Advantageous effects of some embodiments of the present invention include determining an early identification method for UEs, which helps to achieve coverage compensation and different scheduling for different UE types.

[0131] Figure 3 The diagram illustrates, in some embodiments, one or more user equipment (UE) 10 and a base station (e.g., gNB) 20 for communicating in a communication network system 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The communication network system 30 includes one or more UEs 10 and base stations 20. The one or more UEs 10 may include a memory 12, a transceiver 13, and a processor 11 coupled to the memory 12 and transceiver 13. The base station 20 may include a memory 22, a transceiver 23, and a processor 21 coupled to the memory 22 and transceiver 23. Processors 11 or 21 may be configured to implement the functions, processes, and / or methods described herein. A radio interface protocol layer may be implemented in processors 11 or 21. Memory 12 or 22 may be operatively coupled to processors 11 or 21 and store various information to operate processors 11 or 21. Transceivers 13 or 23 may be operatively coupled to processors 11 or 21 and transmit and / or receive radio signals.

[0132] The processor 11 or 21 may include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), other chipsets, logic circuits, and / or data processing devices. The memory 12 or 22 may include a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), flash memory, a memory card, a storage medium, and / or other storage devices. The transceiver 13 or 23 may include a baseband circuit for processing radio frequency signals. When the embodiment is implemented in software, the techniques described herein may be implemented using modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. The modules may be stored in the memory 12 or 22 and executed by the processor 11 or 21. The memory 12 or 22 may be implemented within the processor 11 or 21 or external to the processor 11 or 21, in which case they may be communicatively coupled to the processor 11 or 21 via various means known in the art.

[0133] In some embodiments, the processor 11 is configured to process a configuration, UE-specific early identification, or UE capability information associated with the UE 10, wherein processing the configuration associated with the UE 10 includes the processor 11 determining the configuration associated with the UE 10 from the base station 20; or processing the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information includes the transceiver 13 sending or not sending the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information to the base station 20; and when the configuration associated with the UE 10 is processed by the processor 11, the processor 11 performs a random access (RA) procedure using the configuration associated with the UE 10, wherein the UE type of the UE 10 is identified by the base station 20 in the RA procedure; or when the processor 11 processes the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information, the processor 11 processes a report of the UE type of the UE 10, wherein the report of the UE type of the UE 10 is triggered by the base station 20 or by the UE 10. This can solve the problems in the prior art, achieve early identification of UEs, implement coverage compensation, provide different scheduling for different UE types, provide good communication performance, and / or provide high reliability.

[0134] In some embodiments, the processor 21 is configured to process a configuration associated with the UE 10, a UE-specific early identification, or UE capability information, wherein processing the configuration associated with the UE 10 includes the processor 21 configuring the configuration associated with the UE 10 to the UE 10; or processing the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information includes the transceiver 23 receiving or not receiving the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information from the UE 10; and when the configuration associated with the UE 10 is processed by the processor 21, the processor 21 performs a random access (RA) procedure using the configuration associated with the UE 10, wherein the UE type of the UE 10 is identified by the processor 21 in the RA procedure; or when the processor 21 processes the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information, the processor 21 processes a report of the UE type of the UE 10, wherein the report of the UE type of the UE 10 is triggered by the base station 20 or by the UE 10. This can solve the problems in the prior art, achieve early identification of UEs, implement coverage compensation, provide different scheduling for different UE types, provide good communication performance, and / or provide high reliability.

[0135] Figure 4 A method 200 for identifying a user equipment (UE) performed by the UE according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. In some embodiments, the method 200 includes: step 202, wherein the UE processes a configuration, UE-specific early identification, or UE capability information associated with the UE, wherein processing the configuration associated with the UE includes the UE determining the configuration associated with the UE from a base station; or processing the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information includes the UE sending or not sending the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information to the base station; and step 204, wherein when the configuration associated with the UE is processed by the UE, the method further includes the UE performing a random access (RA) procedure using the configuration associated with the UE, wherein the UE type of the UE is identified by the base station during the RA procedure; or when the UE processes the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information, the method further includes processing a report of the UE type of the UE, wherein the report of the UE type of the UE is triggered by the base station or by the UE. This can solve problems in the prior art, achieve early identification of UEs, implement coverage compensation, provide different scheduling for different UE types, provide good communication performance, and / or provide high reliability.

[0136] Figure 5A method 300 for identifying a UE, performed by a base station, according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. In some embodiments, method 300 includes: step 302, the base station processing a configuration associated with the UE, UE-specific early identification, or UE capability information, wherein processing the configuration associated with the UE includes the base station configuring the configuration associated with the UE for the UE; or processing the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information includes the base station receiving or not receiving the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information from the UE; and step 304, when the configuration associated with the UE is processed by the base station, the method further includes the base station performing a random access (RA) procedure using the configuration associated with the UE, wherein the UE type of the UE is identified by the base station during the RA procedure; or when the base station processes the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information, the method further includes processing a report of the UE type of the UE, wherein the report of the UE type of the UE is triggered by the base station or by the UE. This can solve problems in the prior art, achieve early UE identification, implement coverage compensation, provide different scheduling for different UE types, provide good communication performance, and / or provide high reliability.

[0137] In one embodiment of the present invention, the UE type of the UE is a reduced capability Redcap UE or a regular UE. In one embodiment of the present invention, when processing the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information includes the UE not sending the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information to the base station, the base station assumes the UE to be the regular UE. In one embodiment of the present invention, the configuration associated with the UE includes at least one of the following: configuration of a first physical random access channel PRACH resource, configuration of a first initial uplink UL bandwidth part BWP, configuration of a first random access RA preamble code, or configuration of a first physical uplink shared channel PUSCH resource. In one embodiment of the present invention, the RA procedure includes at least one of the following: a 4-step RA type or a 2-step RA type.

[0138] In one embodiment of the present invention, the 4-step RA type includes the UE transmitting a message 1 (MSG1) on the first PRACH resource in a dedicated UL BWP or a first initial UL BWP, and the MSG1 includes the first RA preamble. In one embodiment of the present invention, the 2-step RA type includes the UE transmitting a message A (MSGA) on the first PRACH resource in the first initial UL BWP and the first PUSCH resource, and the MSGA includes the first RA preamble and a payload. In one embodiment of the present invention, the first RA preamble is transmitted on the first PRACH resource in the first initial UL BWP, and the payload is transmitted on the first PUSCH resource. In one embodiment of the present invention, the first PUSCH resource is associated with the first PRACH resource. In one embodiment of the present invention, the random access procedure includes a contention-based random access procedure (CBRA) and / or a contention-free random access procedure (CFRA).

[0139] In one embodiment of the present invention, the configuration associated with the UE is provided to the UE via system information or radio resource control (RRC) signaling, wherein the system information or RRC signaling includes one or more new information elements (IEs) or one or more fields of one or more existing IEs, wherein the system information includes a master block (MIB) or a system block (SIB), and the one or more new IEs or the one or more fields of the one or more existing IEs include RACH-ConfigCommon and / or RACH-ConfigCommonTwoStepRA and / or MSGA-ConfigCommon and / or numberOfRA-PreamblesGroupA and / or totalNumberOfRA-Preambles and / or MsgA-ConfigCommon IE and / or MsgA-PUSCH-Config IE. In one embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the first RA preamble includes a CBRA preamble and a CFRA preamble, wherein the CBRA preamble includes Group A and Group B. In one embodiment of the present invention, the CBRA preamble and CFRA preamble of a Redcap UE are interleaved or separated from the CBRA preamble and CFRA preamble of another UE. In one embodiment of the present invention, when multiple Redcap UE types are defined, the RA preambles for each Redcap UE type are interleaved or separated. In one embodiment of the present invention, M fields are introduced to divide the CBRA preamble group A, CBRA preamble group B, and CFRA preamble into Redcap UE and regular UE portions, respectively. Multiple M fields are associated with multiple Redcap UE types or a single Redcap UE type.

[0140] In one embodiment of the present invention, if there is a single Redcap UE type, M is 3, and / or if there are two Redcap UE types, M is 6. In one embodiment of the present invention, if there is a single Redcap UE type, a field is introduced to indicate the number of corresponding preambles of another UE. In one embodiment of the present invention, a field is introduced to indicate the number of CBRA preambles of the conventional UE for each synchronization signal block (SSB) in group A. If there is no field, all CBRA preambles in group A can be used for another UE or the Redcap UE. In one embodiment of the present invention, a field is introduced to indicate the number of CBRA preambles of the conventional UE for each SSB in group B. If there is no field, all CBRA preambles in group B can be used for another UE or the Redcap UE. In one embodiment of the present invention, a field is introduced to indicate the number of CFRA preambles of another UE. If there is no field, all CFRA preambles can be used for another UE or the Redcap UE.

[0141] In one embodiment of the present invention, if there are two types of Redcap UEs, a field is introduced to indicate the number of preambles corresponding to the Redcap UEs.

[0142] In one embodiment of the present invention, the field is introduced to indicate the number of CBRA preambles of the first Redcap UE type for each SSB in group A and / or the number of CBRA preambles of the second Redcap UE type for each SSB in group A, and / or the field is introduced to indicate the number of CBRA preambles of the first Redcap UE type for each SSB in group B and / or the number of CBRA preambles of the second Redcap UE type for each SSB in group B, and / or the field is introduced to indicate the number of CFRA preambles of the first Redcap UE type and / or the number of CFRA preambles of the second Redcap UE type and / or the number of CFRA preambles of another UE type. In one embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the PRACH resources includes the number of PRACH opportunity POs, the offset of the lowest PO in the frequency domain relative to PRB 0, and / or the PRACH configuration index. In one embodiment of the present invention, for frequency domain multi-tasking FDMed PO, the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of the conventional UE are interleaved or separated. If multiple Redcap UE types are defined, the PO of each Redcap UE type is interleaved or separated.

[0143] In one embodiment of the present invention, for time domain multi-tasking TDMed PO, the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of the conventional UE are interleaved or separated from each other. If multiple Redcap UE types are defined, the PO of each Redcap UE type is interleaved or separated from each other. In one embodiment of the present invention, the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of the conventional UE are separated from each other in the frequency domain, but interleaved in the time domain; or the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of the conventional UE are interleaved in both the frequency domain and the time domain; or the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of the conventional UE are separated from each other in both the frequency domain and the time domain; or the PO of the Redcap UE and the PO of another UE are separated from each other in the time domain but interleaved in the frequency domain.

[0144] In one embodiment of the present invention, for the configuration of the first PRACH resource, if the base station supports the deployment of the Redcap UE, the base station provides the Redcap UE-related PRACH resource allocation in the system information or the RRC; the UE decodes the SI or the RRC and obtains content including the PRACH resource allocation for the Redcap UE; the UE selects an appropriate PO based on its respective UE type to transmit a preamble; the base station identifies the UE type based on the frequency domain position and / or time domain position of the selected PO; and the base station schedules the RAR and subsequent messages within the transmission capability of the corresponding UE type. In one embodiment of the present invention, for the configuration of the first initial UL BWP, if the base station supports the deployment of the Redcap UE, the base station provides the Redcap UE-related initial UL BWP configuration in the system information or the RRC; the UE decodes the SI or the RRC and obtains content including the initial UL BWP configuration for the Redcap UE; the UE selects the initial UL BWP corresponding to the corresponding UE type to transmit a preamble; the base station identifies the UE type based on the frequency domain and the bandwidth of each bandwidth part, and the base station schedules subsequent messages within the transmission capability of the corresponding UE type. In one embodiment of the present invention, for the configuration of the first PUSCH resource, if the base station supports the deployment of the Redcap UE and the 2-step RA, the base station provides the MSGA PUSCH configuration related to the Redcap UE on the system information or the RRC, the UE decodes the SI or the RRC and obtains content including the MSGA PUSCH configuration for the Redcap UE, and the UE selects the MSGA PUSCH corresponding to the respective UE type to send the MSGA payload; according to the frequency domain and bandwidth of the MSGA PUSCH, the base station identifies the UE type, and the base station schedules subsequent messages within the transmission capability of the corresponding UE type.

[0145] In one embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes: the UE sending a random access response (RAR) within the transmission capability of the identified UE type from the base station. In one embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes: the UE sending a post-RAR message or post-Message 2 (post-Msg2) to the base station, including the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information, wherein the UE type of the UE is updated by the base station based on the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information; when the UE reports the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information to the base station, MSG1 uses specific resources; and the UE determining a subsequent message within the transmission capability of the updated UE type from the base station. In one embodiment of the present invention, the reporting of the UE-specific early identification is triggered by the base station or the UE; if the reporting of the UE-specific early identification is triggered by the base station, the UE obtains an early identification command on a downlink (DL) message; if the reporting of the UE-specific early identification is triggered by the UE, the UE does not need to obtain the early identification command on the DL message. In one embodiment of the present invention, the DL message includes MSG2, MSGB, MSG4, UE capability query or security mode command, and the early identification command is used to indicate the UE-specific early identification on MSG3 or the subsequent MSG4. In one embodiment of the present invention, the early identification command includes the respective UE types, wherein all UEs or only Redcap UEs report their respective UE types and / or fields related to their respective UE types and / or fields that are independent but carry their respective UE types, and the early identification command field is used to notify all UEs or the Redcap UEs to report their respective types to the base station in subsequent messages.

[0146] In one embodiment of the present invention, the UE-specific early identification is transmitted on MSGA, or MSG3, or post MSG4, or MSG5, or UE capability information, or security mode completion, or UL information transfer, or UE information response, or measurement report. In one embodiment of the present invention, the media access control MAC packet data unit PDU of MSG2 and / or MSGB consists of one or more MAC subPDUs; each MSG2 MAC subPDU contains one of the following: a MAC subheader with only a backoff indicator; a MAC subheader with only a random access preamble identifier (RAPID); or a MAC subheader with RAPID and MAC RAR. In one embodiment of the present invention, each MSGB MAC subPDU consists of one of the following: a MAC subheader with only a backoff indicator; a MAC subheader and a fallback RAR; a MAC subheader and a success RAR; a MAC subheader and a MAC service data unit (SDU) for a common control channel (CCCH) or a dedicated control channel (DCCH); or a MAC subheader and padding. Each MSGB MAC subPDU contains one of the following: a MAC subheader with only a backoff indicator; a MAC subheader and a fallback RAR; a MAC subheader and a success RAR; a MAC subheader and a MAC service data unit (SDU) for a common control channel (CCCH) or a dedicated control channel (DCCH); or a MAC subheader and padding. In one embodiment of the present invention, an early identification command is included in the MAC RAR or MAC SDU and / or the early identification command is carried in the fallback RAR or success RAR, and / or the MAC subheader with a logical channel identifier (LCID) includes only an early identification command for instructing the UE to report UE-specific early identification. In one embodiment of the present invention, the UE-specific early identification is reported by the UE through a MAC control element CE, the MAC CE corresponds to a MAC subheader consisting of header fields R / F / LCID / L, and the format of the UE-specific early identification is a MAC subheader identifier with an LCID.

[0147] In some embodiments, the CBRA preamble group A of the regular UE, the CBRA preamble group A of the Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group B of the regular UE, the CBRA preamble group B of the Redcap UE, the CFRA preamble of the regular UE, and the CFRA preamble of the Redcap UE are arranged in sequence. In some embodiments, the CBRA preamble group A of the Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group A of the regular UE, the CBRA preamble group B of the Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group B of the regular UE, the CFRA preamble of the Redcap UE, and the CFRA preamble of the regular UE are arranged in sequence. In some embodiments, the CBRA preamble of the regular UE of group A, the CBRA preamble of the Redcap UE of group A, the CBRA preamble of the Redcap UE of group B, the CBRA preamble of the regular UE of group B, the CFRA preamble of the regular UE, and the CFRA preamble of the Redcap UE are arranged in sequence. In some embodiments, if a single Redcap UE type is defined, the CBRA preamble group A for regular UEs, the CBRA preamble group B for regular UEs, the CFRA preamble for regular UEs, the group A CBRA preamble for Redcap UEs, the group B CBRA preamble for Redcap UEs, and the CFRA preamble for Redcap UEs are arranged in that order.

[0148] In some embodiments, if a single Redcap UE type is defined, the CBRA preamble group A of the Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group B of the Redcap UE, the CFRA preamble of the Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group A of the normal UE, the CBRA preamble group B of the normal UE, and the CFRA preamble of the normal UE are arranged in sequence. In some embodiments, if two Redcap UE types are defined, the CBRA preamble group A of the normal UE, the CBRA preamble group B of the normal UE, the CFRA preamble of the normal UE, the CBRA preamble group A of the first Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group B of the first Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble of the first Redcap UE, the CFRA preamble of the first Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group A of the second Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group B of the second Redcap UE, and the CFRA preamble of the second Redcap UE are arranged in sequence. In some embodiments, if two Redcap UE types are defined, the CBRA preamble group A of the regular UE, the CBRA preamble group B of the regular UE, the CFRA preamble of the regular UE, the CBRA preamble group A of the first Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group A of the first Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group A of the second Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group B of the first Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group B of the second Redcap UE, the CFRA preamble of the first Redcap UE, and the CFRA preamble of the second Redcap UE are arranged in sequence.

[0149] During MSG1 / MSGA transfer:

[0150] In some embodiments, for MSG1 / MSGA, the UE transmits a random access preamble via the PRACH resources of the initial UL BWP configured by the network, such as the gNB. By configuring separate PRACH resources, separate initial UL BWPs, or separate RA preambles for different UE types, the gNB can distinguish redcap UEs from regular NR UEs. Furthermore, MSGA includes payload on the PUSCH, and by configuring separate PUSCH resources for redcap UEs, the gNB can distinguish redcap UEs. For 4-step RA and / or 2-step RA, the UE can be provided with these configurations by higher layers in the system information (MIB or SIB) in a new IE or in fields of an existing IE (i.e., RACH-ConfigCommon or MSGA-ConfigCommon).

[0151] Separate RA preamble:

[0152] Figure 6 The figure shows a 4-step RA preamble according to an embodiment of the present invention. In some embodiments for 4-step RA, two configurations (totalNumberofRA-Preambles and numberofRA-PreamblesGroupA) can be obtained from RACH-ConfigCommon, which can determine the range of preamble group A, preamble group B and contention-free access preamble, such as Figure 6 shown. Figure 7 The diagram shows a two-step RA preamble according to an embodiment of the present invention. The preamble division of the 2-step RA is similar to that of the 4-step RA. Figure 7 As shown, the preamble for each cell is divided into three parts (Group A, Group B, and CFRA preamble) using the RACH-ConfigCommon and RACH-ConfigCommonTwoStepRA fields. The purpose of dividing the CBRA preamble into Group A and Group B is to provide some a priori information about MSG3, so that the gNB can allocate appropriate UL resources for MSG3 in the RAR. If the potential MSG3 is greater than a certain threshold and the path loss is less than another specific threshold, preamble Group A is selected. Otherwise, preamble Group B is selected. Without a preamble grouping mechanism, the gNB and other networks would need to allocate more UL resources to MSG3, which may result in a loss of UL spectrum efficiency.

[0153] The following embodiment will introduce a method for configuring a separate preamble for a Redcap UE. Figure 8 The diagram shows an example of an interleaved preamble according to an embodiment of the present invention. The preambles for conventional UEs and Redcap UEs are interleaved in each preamble part and the interleaving pattern in each part may be different, such as Figure 8 As shown in . Figure 8 (a) Description: In some embodiments, the CBRA preamble group A of the conventional UE, the CBRA preamble group A of the Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group B of the conventional UE, the CBRA preamble of the Redcap UE, the CFRA preamble of the conventional UE, and the CFRA preamble of the Redcap UE are arranged in sequence. Figure 8 (b) Description: In some embodiments, the CBRA preamble group A of Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group A of regular UE, the CBRA preamble group B of Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble of group B regular UE, the CFRA preamble of Redcap UE, and the CFRA preamble of regular UE are arranged in sequence. Figure 8(c) Description: In some embodiments, the CBRA preamble group A of conventional UEs, the CBRA preamble group A of Redcap UEs, the CBRA preamble group B of Redcap UEs, the CBRA preambles of group B conventional UEs, the CFRA preambles of conventional UEs, and the CFRA preambles of Redcap UEs are arranged in sequence.

[0154] Figure 9 An example of an interleaved preamble according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Figure 9 In some embodiments, M new fields (e.g., A, B, and C) are introduced to divide preamble group A, preamble group B, and CF preambles into regular NR UE and Redcap UE portions, respectively. The number of M fields is related to the number of Redcap UE types. For example, if there is a single Redcap UE type, M is 3, and if there are two Redcap UE types, M is 6. In some embodiments, the new fields indicate the number of corresponding preambles for regular NR UEs. Assume a single Redcap UE type as an example.

[0155] A: Indicates the number of CB preambles for regular NR UEs per SSB in group A. Implicitly, the number of CB preambles for redcap UEs in group A is: (numberofRA-PreamblesGroupA–A) for 4-step RA, and (msgA-TotalNumberOfRA–Preambles-A) for 2-step RA. Optionally, if this field is not present, all CB preambles in group A can be used for regular NR UEs. Optionally, if this field is not present, all CB preambles in group A can be used for redcap UEs.

[0156] B: Indicates the number of CB preambles for regular NR UEs per SSB in group B. Implicitly, the number of CB preambles for redcap UEs in group B is (totalNumberOfRA-Preambles–numberofRA-PreamblesGroupA–B) for 4-step RA, and (msgA-TotalNumberOfRA-Preambles–msgA-TotalNumberOfRA-Preambles–B) for 2-step RA. Optionally, if this field is not present, all CB preambles in group B are available to regular NR UEs. Optionally, if this field is not present, all CB preambles in group B are available to redcap UEs.

[0157] C: Indicates the number of CFRA preambles for regular NR UEs. Implicitly, the number of CFRA preambles for redcap UEs is (64-totalNumberOfRA-Preambles-numberofRA-PreamblesGroupA-C) for 4-step RA, and (64-msgA-TotalNumberOfRA-Preambles–C) for 2-step RA. Optionally, if this field is not present, all CF preambles can be used for regular NR UEs. Optionally, if this field is not present, all CF preambles can be used for redcap UEs.

[0158] Figure 10 An example of an interleaved preamble according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Figure 9 Note: In some embodiments, a new field indicates the number of corresponding preambles for Redcap UEs. For example, assume that two Redcap UE types are defined and M is 6. A1: Indicates the number of CB preambles for Recap UE Type #1 for each SSB in group A. A2: Indicates the number of CB preambles for Recap UE Type #2 for each SSB in group A. B1: Indicates the number of CB preambles for Recap UE Type #1 for each SSB in group B. B2: Indicates the number of CB preambles for Recap UE Type #2 for each SSB in group B. C1: Indicates the number of CFRA preambles for Recap UE Type #1. C2: Indicates the number of CFRA preambles for Recap UE Type #2.

[0159] Figure 11 An example of a separate preamble portion according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. In some embodiments, the preambles for conventional UEs and Redcap UEs are separate, such as Figure 11 When multiple Redcap UE types are defined, the preambles of each Redcap UE type can be interleaved or separated, as shown in Figure 11 (c) and Figure 11 (d) shown. Figure 11 (a) Description, in some embodiments, if a single Redcap UE type is defined, the CBRA preamble group A of the regular UE, the CBRA preamble group B of the regular UE, the CFRA preamble of the regular UE, the group A of the CBRA preamble of the Redcap UE, the group B of the CBRA preamble of the Redcap UE, and the CFRA preamble of the Redcap UE are arranged in that order. Figure 11(b) Description, in some embodiments, if a single Redcap UE type is defined, the CBRA preamble group A for Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group B for Redcap UE, the CFRA preamble for Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group A for normal UE, the CBRA preamble group B for normal UE, and the CFRA preamble for normal UE are arranged in that order. Figure 11 (c) Description, in some embodiments, if two Redcap UE types are defined, the CBRA preamble group A of the regular UE, the CBRA preamble group B of the regular UE, the CFRA preamble of the regular UE, the CBRA preamble group A of the first Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group B of the first Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble of the first Redcap UE, the CFRA preamble of the first Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group A of the second Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group B of the second Redcap UE, and the CFRA preamble of the second Redcap UE are arranged in sequence. Figure 11 (d) Note: In some embodiments, if two Redcap UE types are defined, the CBRA preamble group A for regular UEs, the CBRA preamble group B for regular UEs, the CFRA preamble for regular UEs, the CBRA preamble group A for the first Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group A for the first Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group A for the second Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group B for the first Redcap UE, the CBRA preamble group B for the second Redcap UE, the CFRA preamble for the first Redcap UE, and the CFRA preamble for the second Redcap UE are arranged in that order. Similar to the above embodiment, N new fields need to be introduced to explicitly or implicitly indicate the number of preambles corresponding to regular NR UEs and each Redcap UE type.

[0160] Figure 12 A method of identifying a UE type from a preamble according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Figure 12In some embodiments, if the gNB supports the deployment of Redcap UEs, the gNB will provide the preamble configuration related to the Redcap UE in system information or RRC. In operation, the UE decodes the SI(s) (or RRC) and obtains the contents of the preamble configuration (e.g., numberOfRA-PreamblesGroupA, totalNumberOfRA-Preambles, and the new field). Based on its device type and other information, the UE selects an appropriate preamble and then transmits the preamble to the gNB. In operation, based on the partition to which the preamble belongs, the gNB identifies the UE type (e.g., conventional NR UE, Redcap UE). The gNB schedules the RAR and subsequent messages within the transmission capabilities of the corresponding UE type. In operation, the UE may send UE-specific early identification or UE capability information to the gNB in a post-RAR message or post-Message 2 (post-Msg2). In operation, the gNB may update the UE type based on the UE-specific early identification or UE capability information. The gNB schedules subsequent messages within the transmission capabilities of the updated UE type.

[0161] Separate PRACH resources:

[0162] In some embodiments, the UE is configured with PRACH resources by higher layers using RACH-ConfigCommon and RACH-ConfigCommonTwoStepRA. The IE(s) specify at least one of the following fields: the number of FDM PRACH transmission opportunities in a time instance, the offset of the lowest PRACH transmission opportunity in the frequency domain relative to PRB 0. The PRACH configuration index, through the index and the corresponding table in TS 38.211 (see 6.3.3.2), contains information such as the preamble format, time domain information, or other information.

[0163] Separate PRACH opportunities can be configured for each type of UE through FDMed or TDMed PRACH opportunities (PO). Redcap UE-related PRACH resource allocation should be provided by system information (such as RACH-ConfigCommon and RACH-ConfigCommonTwoStepRA) or RRC. These resources do not overlap with the PRACH resources of regular NR UEs. These configurations include at least one of the following: the number of FDM PRACH transmission opportunities of the Redcap UE in a time instance, the offset of the lowest PRACH transmission opportunity in the frequency domain of the Redcap UE relative to PRB 0, the PRACH configuration index of the Redcap UE, or others.

[0164] Figure 13The diagram illustrates an example of a frequency domain multiplexed (FDMed) physical random access channel (PRACH) opportunity for a conventional New Radio (NR) UE and a reduced capability (Redcap) UE according to an embodiment of the present invention. For FDMed PO, there are two methods (e.g. Figure 13 1. Separate PO part. 2. Interleaved PO. If two Redcap UE types are defined, the configuration is similar to the above embodiment.

[0165] Figure 14 The figure shows an example of time domain multiplexing (TDMed) PRACH opportunity for conventional NR UE and Redcap UE according to an embodiment of the present invention. For TDMed PO, there are two methods (such as Figure 14 1. Separate PO part. 2. Interleaved PO. If two Redcap UE types are defined, the configuration is similar to the above embodiment.

[0166] Figure 15 The figure shows the multiplexing PRACH opportunity according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the frequency domain and time domain, the multiplexing method can be mixed, for example: Figure 15 As shown in (a), they are separated in the frequency domain but interleaved in the time domain. Figure 15 As shown in (b), it is interleaved in the frequency domain and time domain. Figure 15 As shown in (c), they are separated in the frequency domain and time domain. Figure 15 As shown in (d), they are interleaved in the frequency domain but separated in the time domain.

[0167] Figure 16 A method for identifying a UE type from a PRACH resource according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Figure 16 In some embodiments, if the gNB supports the deployment of Redcap UEs, the gNB will provide the PRACH resource allocation associated with the Redcap UE in system information or RRC. In operation, the UE decodes the SI (or RRC) and obtains the PRACH resource allocation for the Redcap UE (e.g., the maximum number of FDMed POs, the PRACH configuration index, and the offset between PO#0 and PRB#0). The UE selects an appropriate PO to transmit the preamble based on its type. In operation, the gNB identifies the UE type (e.g., conventional NR UE, Redcap UE) based on the frequency and / or time domain location of the PO. The gNB schedules the RAR and subsequent messages within the transmission capabilities of the corresponding UE type.

[0168] Individual initial UL BWP:

[0169] In some embodiments, the relevant IE or field may be configured by higher layers for a separate initial UP BWP. For example:

[0170]

[0171] Figure 17 A method of identifying a UE type from an initial uplink (UL) bandwidth part (BWP) according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Figure 17 In some embodiments, if the gNB supports the deployment of Redcap UEs, the gNB will provide the initial UL BWP configuration associated with the Redcap UE in system information or RRC. In operation, the UE decodes the SI (or RRC) and retrieves the content including the initial UL BWP configuration for the Redcap UE. The UE selects the initial UL BWP corresponding to its type to transmit the preamble. In operation, the gNB identifies the UE type (e.g., conventional NR UE, Redcap UE) based on the frequency domain and bandwidth of the bandwidth portion. The gNB schedules subsequent messages within the transmission capabilities of the corresponding UE type.

[0172] Separate MSGA PUSCH:

[0173] In some embodiments, the MSGA includes a payload on the PUSCH. Therefore, by configuring separate PUSCH resources for Redcap UEs, the gNB can identify the UE type. The relevant IE or field can be configured by higher layers for the initial UP BWP. For example, add the field to the MsgA-ConfigCommon IE or the MsgA-PUSCH-Config IE:

[0174]

[0175]

[0176]

[0177]

[0178] Figure 18 A method of identifying a UE type from a Message A (MSGA) Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Figure 18The diagram illustrates that, in some embodiments, if the gNB supports the deployment of Redcap UEs and two-step RA, the gNB will provide the MSGA PUSCH configuration related to the Redcap UE in system information or RRC. In operation, the UE decodes the SI (or RRC) and retrieves the contents, including the MSGA PUSCH configuration for the Redcap UE. The UE selects the MSGA PUSCH corresponding to its type to transmit the MSGA payload. In operation, based on the frequency domain and bandwidth of the MSGA PUSCH, the gNB identifies the UE type (e.g., conventional NR UE, Redcap UE). The gNB schedules subsequent messages within the transmission capabilities of the corresponding UE type.

[0179] UE-specific information transmission:

[0180] In some embodiments, UE-specific Early Identification (UE-EI) reporting can be initiated by the gNB or triggered by the UE itself. If the gNB initiates the reporting, the UE will receive the command from the DL message (e.g., MSG2 / MSG4 / UE Capability Query / Security Mode Command). An Early Identification command (EI command) should be defined to instruct the UE to send UE-specific Early Identification after MSG3 or MSG4. The EI command includes: UE Type: All UEs or only Redcap UEs should report this. Other fields (optional): 1. Some fields related to the UE type. 2. Some independent fields that carry the UE type, such as xDD type (HD-FDD, FDD, or TDD).

[0181] The corresponding UE-EI should be defined and transmitted on MSGA, MSG3 or post Msg4. This UE-specific information includes the UE type: for example, Redcap Type, Redcap Type #2 (--cond two-redcap-types-defined), regular NR UE. Other fields: If the corresponding field is present in the EI command, this field must be present. xDD type: HD-FDD, FDD or TDD.

[0182] Figure 19The figure illustrates an example of an early identification process according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Option #1: UE-triggered reporting. A Redcap UE generates UE-specific early information and carries it on the MSGA PUSCH or MSG3 or Post-MSG4 messages (e.g., MSG5, UE Capability Information, Security Mode Complete, UL Information Transmission, UE Information Response, Measurement Report). If the UL message contains UE-specific early information, the gNB uses it to identify the UE type and other capabilities. Otherwise, the gNB assumes the UE is a regular NR UE. For example, if the UE does not report UE-specific information, the base station treats this UE type as a regular UE. This avoids scenarios where lower-version or existing UEs do not report this information. Lower-version or existing UEs are referred to as legacy UEs. Legacy UEs are terminals operating according to current communication standards. The gNB schedules subsequent messages within the transmission capabilities and other capabilities of the corresponding UE type.

[0183] Option #2: The gNB triggers the report. If the gNB supports the deployment of Redcap UEs and 2-step RA, the gNB will provide an EI command in a downlink message (e.g., MSG2, MSG1, MSG4, or UE Capability Query / Security Mode Command). The Redcap UE decodes the MSG and interprets the EI command for the Redcap UE. The UE sets the values of certain UE variables based on the contents of the EI command field (the number of variables is related to the number of fields in the EI command). For example, UE_TYPE = 1 and XDD_TYPE = 1. The Redcap UE generates the UE-EI based on the values of the variables and carries it in subsequent uplink messages, such as MSG3 or Post-MSG4 messages (MSG5, UE Capability Information, Security Mode Complete, UL Information Transfer, UE Information Response, Measurement Report). If the uplink message contains UE-specific early information, the gNB uses it to identify the UE type and other capabilities. Otherwise, the gNB assumes the UE is a regular NR UE. The gNB schedules subsequent messages within the transmission capabilities and other capabilities of the corresponding UE type.

[0184] In some embodiments, the MSG2 / MSGB MAC PDU consists of one or more MAC subPDUs. Each MSG2 MAC subPDU contains one of the following: a MAC subheader with only a backoff indicator; a MAC subheader with only a RAPID (i.e., an acknowledgment of an SI request); or a MAC subheader with a RAPID and a MAC RAR. Each MSGB MAC subPDU contains one of the following: a MAC subheader with only a backoff indicator; a MAC subheader and a fallback RAR; a MAC subheader and a success RAR; a MAC subheader and a MAC SDU for CCCH or DCCH; or a MAC subheader and padding. The EI command can be contained in the MAC RAR or the MAC SDU.

[0185] Figure 20 An example of a medium access control (MAC) packet data unit (PDU) composed of a MAC random access response (RAR) according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Figure 21 FIG. 5 illustrates a MAC RAR according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 22 The figure shows an early recognition command in the MAC RAR according to an embodiment of the present invention. The NR MSG2 MACPDU defined in the MAC layer protocol standard is as follows Figure 20 、 Figure 21 、 Figure 22 The MAC PDU composed of MAC RAR is shown as follows. Figure 20 As shown. MAC RAR as Figure 21 The MAC subheader or MAC RAC is octet aligned. The EI command can be defined as follows Figure 22 As shown and carried in MAC RAR.

[0186] Figure 23 An example of an MSGB MAC PDU with a MAC Service Data Unit (SDU) according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Figure 24 FIG. 1 illustrates a fallback RAR according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 25 The NR MSGB MAC PDU defined in the MAC layer protocol standard is as follows: Figure 23 、 Figure 24 、 Figure 25 An example of a MSGB MAC PDU with MACSDU is shown in Figure 23 fallbackRAR as described in Figure 24 As described in. successRAR Figure 25 As shown in the figure, the MAC subheader or MAC RAR is octet aligned.

[0187] In some embodiments, the method of sending the EI command is described below. Figure 22 As shown. It can be carried in fallbackRAR or successRAR. The MAC layer provides services to the radio link control (RLC) layer as the upper layer through the logical channel. In addition, the MAC layer includes the mapping function between the logical channel and the transport channel, as well as the multiplexing / demultiplexing function of the transport block provided to the physical channel, which belongs to the logical channel. Figure 23 As shown in Figure 1, the MSGB PDU can consist of one or more MAC SDUs. One MAC SDU corresponds to one MAC subheader, which consists of the header fields R / F / LCID / L. The LCID (Logical Channel ID) field identifies the logical channel instance of the corresponding MAC SDU. In some embodiments, the EI command can be generated by a higher layer, and the corresponding LCID should be defined as specified in Table 1 below. The MAC subheader with the LCID specified in Table 1 is only used to instruct the UE to report UE-specific early information.

[0188] Table 1: LCID values for DL-SCH

[0189] Code Point / Index LCID value 0 CCCH 1–32 Logical channel identifier 33 Extended Logical Channel ID field (two-octet eLCID field) 34 Extended Logical Channel ID field (one-octet eLCID field) 35–45 reserve 46 (example) Early Identification Command 47 Recommended bit rate 48 SP ZP CSI-RS resource set activation / deactivation 49 PUCCH spatial relationship activation / deactivation 50 SP SRS activation / deactivation 51 SP CSI reporting PUCCH activation / deactivation 52 UE-specific PDCCH TCI status indication 53 UE-specific PDSCH TCI state activation / deactivation 54 Aperiodic CSI trigger state subselection 55 SP CSI-RS / CSI-IM resource set activation / deactivation 56 Replication Activation / Deactivation 57 SCell activation / deactivation (four octets) 58 SCell activation / deactivation (one octet) 59 Long DRX command 60 DRX Commands 61 Timed Advance Command 62 UE contention resolution flag 63 filling

[0190] In some embodiments, as Figure 22 As shown, the EI command can be provided by MSG4. MSG4 is not a specific message and varies according to the UE status and application scenario. It may be RRC setup, RRC reestablishment, RRC recovery, RRC reconfiguration, etc. Early Identification related IEs can be carried in MSG4.

[0191]

[0192] In some embodiments, MSG3 / MSG5 is not a specific message and varies according to the UE status and application scenario. For example, when the UE initially accesses, an RRC connection request may be included and sent in MSG3. During the RRC connection reestablishment process, the RRC connection reestablishment request may be included in MSG3 for transmission. MSG3 may be an RRC setup request, an RRC reestablishment request, an RRC recovery request, an RRC reconfiguration, etc. Correspondingly, MSG5 may be an RRC setup complete, an RRC reestablishment complete, an RRC recovery complete, an RRC reconfiguration complete, etc. Other messages (e.g., UE capability information, security mode complete, UL information transmission, UE information response, measurement report) may also be used to report UE-EI. The relevant fields may be included in a new IE or an existing IE.

[0193] Take the new IE as an example:

[0194]

[0195] Taking the existing IE as an example: when using UE capability information to transmit UE-EI, the UE capability information element can contain relevant information. The following is an example:

[0196]

[0197]

[0198] In addition, MSGA, MSG3, MSG5, and other UL messages can transmit the UE-EI on their PUSCH resources. The UE can report the UE-EI via a MAC CE. Each MAC CE corresponds to a MAC subheader, which consists of the header fields R / F / LCID / L. The LCID (Logical Channel ID) field identifies the logical channel instance of the corresponding MAC CE. The UE-EI MAC CE includes: UE type; xDD type; or other. The UE-EI format is identified by the MAC subheader with the LCID, as shown in Table 2 below.

[0199] Table 2: LCID values for UL-SCH

[0200]

[0201] The commercial benefits of some embodiments are as follows. 1. Solve problems in the existing technology. 2. Achieve early identification of UE. 3. Realize coverage compensation. 4. Provide different scheduling for different UE types. 5. Provide good communication performance. 6. Provide high reliability. 7. Some embodiments of the present invention are used by 5G-NR chipset suppliers, V2X communication system development suppliers, automobile manufacturers including cars, trains, trucks, buses, bicycles, motorcycles, helmets, etc., drones, smartphone manufacturers, communication equipment for public safety, AR / VR equipment manufacturers (such as games, conferences / seminars, educational purposes). Some embodiments of the present invention are a combination of "technology / processes" that can be adopted in 3GPP specifications to create a final product. Some embodiments of the present invention propose technical mechanisms.

[0202] Figure 26 1 is a block diagram of a system for wireless communication according to an embodiment of the present invention. The embodiments described herein may be implemented in a system using any suitably configured hardware and / or software. Figure 26An example system 700 for one embodiment is shown, comprising radio frequency (RF) circuitry 710, baseband circuitry 720, application circuitry 730, memory / storage 740, display 750, camera 760, sensor 770, and input / output (I / O) interface 780, all coupled to one another at least as shown. Application circuitry 730 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor may include any combination of general-purpose processors and specialized processors such as graphics processors and application processors. The processor may be coupled to the memory / storage and configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage to enable various applications and / or operating systems running on the system.

[0203] The baseband circuitry 720 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor may include a baseband processor. The baseband circuitry may handle various radio control functions for communicating with one or more radio networks via RF circuitry. Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation, encoding, decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry may provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry may support communications with the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) and / or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), and wireless personal area networks (WPANs). Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[0204] In various embodiments, baseband circuitry 720 may include circuitry that operates with signals not strictly considered to be at baseband frequencies. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry may include circuitry that operates with signals having an intermediate frequency between baseband frequencies and radio frequencies. RF circuitry 710 may utilize modulated electromagnetic radiation transmitted through a non-solid medium to facilitate communication with a wireless network. In various embodiments, RF circuitry may include switches, filters, amplifiers, and the like to facilitate communication with the wireless network. In various embodiments, RF circuitry 710 may include circuitry that operates with signals not strictly considered to be at radio frequencies. For example, in some embodiments, RF circuitry may include circuitry that operates with signals having an intermediate frequency between baseband frequencies and radio frequencies.

[0205] In various embodiments, the transmitter circuitry, control circuitry, or receiver circuitry discussed above with respect to user equipment, eNBs, or gNBs may be embodied in whole or in part in one or more of the RF circuitry, baseband circuitry, and / or application circuitry. As used herein, "circuitry" may refer to, be part of, or include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) executing one or more software or firmware programs, electronic circuitry, processors (shared, dedicated, or grouped), and / or memory (shared, dedicated, or grouped), combinatorial logic, and / or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the electronic circuitry may be implemented in one or more software or firmware modules, or the functionality associated with the circuitry may be implemented by one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, some or all of the components of the baseband circuitry, application circuitry, and / or memory / storage may be implemented together on a system-on-chip (SoC). Memory / storage 740 may be used to load and store, for example, information and / or instructions for the system. The memory / storage used in one embodiment may include any combination of suitable volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and / or non-volatile memory, such as flash memory.

[0206] In various embodiments, the I / O interface 780 may include one or more user interfaces designed to enable interaction between a user and the system, and / or a peripheral component interface designed to enable interaction between a peripheral component and the system. The user interface may include, but is not limited to, a physical keyboard or keypad, a touchpad, a speaker, a microphone, etc. The peripheral component interface may include, but is not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an audio jack, and a power supply port. In various embodiments, the sensor 770 may include one or more sensing devices to determine environmental conditions and / or location information related to the system. In some embodiments, the sensor may include, but is not limited to, a gyroscope sensor, an accelerometer, a proximity sensor, an ambient light sensor, and a positioning unit. The positioning unit may also be part of a baseband circuit and / or an RF circuit or interact with it to communicate with components of a positioning network such as a global positioning system (GPS) satellite.

[0207] In various embodiments, display 750 may include displays such as liquid crystal displays and touch screen displays. In various embodiments, system 700 may be a mobile computing device, such as, but not limited to, a laptop computing device, a tablet computing device, a netbook, an ultrabook, a smartphone, etc. In various embodiments, the system may have more or fewer components and / or a different architecture. Where appropriate, the methods described herein may be implemented as a computer program. The computer program may be stored on a storage medium such as a non-transitory storage medium.

[0208] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that each of the units, algorithms, and steps described and disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention is implemented using electronic hardware or a combination of software for a computer and electronic hardware. Whether the function is run in hardware or software depends on the design requirements of the conditions of the application and the technical plan. Those skilled in the art can use different ways to implement the functions for each specific application, and such implementation should not exceed the scope of the present invention. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the working processes of the systems, devices, and units in the embodiments mentioned above can be referenced, because the working processes of the systems, devices, and units mentioned above are basically the same. For ease of description and simplicity, these working processes will not be described in detail.

[0209] It should be understood that the systems, devices, and methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in other ways. The above embodiments are merely exemplary. The division of units is based solely on logical function, and other divisions may exist. It is possible that multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system. Certain features may also be omitted or skipped. On the other hand, the mutual coupling, direct coupling, or communicative coupling shown or discussed operates through some ports, devices, or units, whether indirectly or communicatively, electrically, mechanically, or in some other manner.

[0210] Units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. Units shown may or may not be physical units, i.e., located in one location or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units described may be used depending on the purpose of the embodiment. Furthermore, each functional unit in each embodiment may be integrated into a single processing unit, physically separate, or integrated into a single processing unit along with two or more units.

[0211] If the software functional unit is implemented and used and sold as a product, it can be stored in a readable storage medium in a computer. Based on this understanding, the technical solution proposed in the present invention can be basically or partially implemented in the form of a software product. Alternatively, a part of the technical solution that is beneficial to traditional technology can be implemented in the form of a software product. The software product in the computer is stored in a storage medium, and the storage medium contains multiple commands for a computing device (such as a personal computer, a server or a network device) to run all or some steps disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention. The storage medium includes a flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a floppy disk or other types of media capable of storing program code.

[0212] While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is intended to cover various arrangements accorded within the broadest interpretation of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for identifying a user equipment (UE) performed by the UE, characterized in that: include: The UE performs a random access RA procedure, and an uplink message of the RA procedure carries identification information associated with a UE type of the UE; and The UE type of the UE is identified by the base station based on the identification information, and the identification information associated with the UE type is a dedicated logical channel identifier LCID in a media access control MAC control element CE. When multiple Redcap UE types are defined, the RA preamble codes of each Redcap UE type are interleaved or separated from each other.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The UE type of the UE is a reduced capability Redcap UE, a regular UE, or another type of UE.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that When processing the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information includes the UE not sending the UE-specific early identification or the UE capability information to the base station, the base station assumes that the UE is the regular UE.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Before performing the RA process, the method further includes: The UE receives a configuration associated with the UE, including at least one of the following: a physical random access channel PRACH resource configuration, an initial uplink bandwidth part BWP configuration, or a random access preamble configuration.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The RA preamble is a separate preamble part associated with the UE type.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein The identification information associated with the UE type is the RA preamble selected by the UE according to the UE type, carried in MSG1 for 4-step RA or in MSGA for 2-step RA.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The MAC CE is carried in MSGA, or MSG3, or MSG4, or MSG5, or UE capability information, or security mode completion, or UL information transfer, or UE information response, or measurement report.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The RA process includes a contention-based random access process CBRA and / or a contention-free random access process CFRA.

9. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The configuration of the first preamble portion includes at least one of the following: a total preamble, a group A preamble, or a start preamble.

10. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The configuration of the first RA preamble includes a CBRA preamble, and the CBRA preamble includes a group A and a group B.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The CBRA preamble and CFRA preamble of the Redcap UE are interleaved or separated from the CBRA preamble and CFRA preamble of another UE.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that M fields are introduced to divide the CBRA preamble of group A, the CBRA preamble of group B, and the CFRA preamble into parts for Redcap UE and regular UE, respectively. The number of M is related to the number of Redcap UE types or one Redcap UE type.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that If there is a single Redcap UE type, M is 3, and / or if there are two Redcap UE types, M is 6.

14. A user equipment UE, characterized in that include: Memory; transceiver; and a processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver; wherein the processor is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 13.

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