Transmission of periodic data in an inactive state

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the transmission of periodic data in an inactive state. A first device receives control information for the transmission of periodic data from at least one of a second device, a third device, or a core network element, and based on the control information, obtains periodic data from the third device in an inactive state. In this way, paging overhead can be reduced and power saving at the first device can be achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to the transmission of periodic data in an inactive state. Background Art

[0002] For positioning operations in New Radio (NR), sometimes a location server such as a Location Management Function (LMF) or the last serving cell needs to send periodic positioning assistance data to the positioning device. Typically, if the positioning device is in an inactive state, the positioning device must move to a connected state for receiving periodic positioning assistance data. This may result in increased power consumption, additional signaling overhead, and positioning delays.

[0003] Currently, NR Release 17 approves small data transmission in an inactive state. In this case, it is important to keep the positioning device in an inactive state to receive periodic positioning assistance data from the network side. Summary of the invention

[0004] In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a scheme for transmission of periodic data in an inactive state.

[0005] In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the first device to: receive control information for transmission of periodic data from at least one of a second device, a third device, or a core network element; and based on the control information, obtain the periodic data from the third device in an inactive state.

[0006] In a second aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the second device to: determine control information for transmission of periodic data; and send the control information to a first device for obtaining the periodic data from a third device in an inactive state.

[0007] In a third aspect, a third device is provided. The third device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the third device to: receive a random access request with an indication for acquiring periodic data, the random access request being sent by a first device in an inactive state based on control information for transmission of periodic data, the control information being received from at least one of a second device, the third device, or a core network element; and send the periodic data to the first device in a response to the random access request.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a core network element is provided. The core network element comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the core network element to: generate control information for transmission of periodic data; and send the control information to a first device, the control information being used by the first device to obtain the periodic data from a third device in an inactive state.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a method for communication is provided, comprising: receiving, at a first device, control information for transmission of periodic data from at least one of a second device, a third device, or a core network element; and acquiring, based on the control information, the periodic data from the third device in an inactive state.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a method for communication is provided, comprising: determining, at a second device, control information for transmission of periodic data; and sending the control information to a first device, for acquiring the periodic data from a third device in an inactive state.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a method for communication is provided. The method comprises: receiving, at a third device, a random access request with an indication for acquiring periodic data, the random access request being sent by a first device in an inactive state based on control information for transmission of periodic data, the control information being received from at least one of a second device, the third device, or a core network element; and sending the periodic data to the first device in a response to the random access request.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a method for communication is provided, comprising: generating control information for transmission of periodic data at a core network element; and sending the control information to a first device, the control information being used by the first device to obtain the periodic data from a third device in an inactive state.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a device for communication is provided. The device includes: a component for receiving control information for transmission of periodic data from at least one of a second device, a third device, or a core network element at a first device; and a component for acquiring the periodic data from the third device in an inactive state based on the control information.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, an apparatus for communication is provided. The apparatus includes: a component for determining control information for transmission of periodic data at a second device; and a component for sending the control information to a first device for obtaining the periodic data from a third device in an inactive state.

[0015] In an eleventh aspect, an apparatus for communication is provided. The apparatus includes: a component for receiving, at a third device, a random access request with an indication for acquiring periodic data, the random access request being sent by a first device in an inactive state based on control information for transmission of periodic data, the control information being received from at least one of a second device, the third device, or a core network element; and a component for sending the periodic data to the first device in a response to the random access request.

[0016] In a twelfth aspect, a device for communication is provided. The device includes: a component for generating control information for transmission of periodic data at a core network element; and a component for sending the control information to a first device, the control information being used by the first device to obtain the periodic data from a third device in an inactive state.

[0017] In a thirteenth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprises program instructions, and the program instructions are used to cause an apparatus to execute the method according to the fifth aspect.

[0018] In a fourteenth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprises program instructions, and the program instructions are used to cause an apparatus to execute the method according to the sixth aspect.

[0019] In a fifteenth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprises program instructions, and the program instructions are used to cause an apparatus to execute the method according to the seventh aspect.

[0020] In a sixteenth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprises program instructions, and the program instructions are used to cause an apparatus to execute the method according to the eighth aspect.

[0021] It should be understood that the invention summary is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0023] Figure 1 shows an example communication network in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0024] Figure 2 A flow chart illustrating a transmission process of periodic data in an inactive state according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0025] Figure 3 A flow chart illustrating a configuration process of control information for transmission of periodic data according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0026] Figure 4 A flow chart illustrating another configuration process of control information for transmission of periodic data according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0027] Figure 5 A flow chart illustrating yet another configuration process of control information for transmission of periodic data according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0028] Figure 6 A flowchart showing an example communication method implemented at a first device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0029] Figure 7 A flowchart showing an example communication method implemented at a second device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0030] Figure 8 A flowchart showing an example communication method implemented at a third device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0031] Fig. 9 A flow chart illustrating an example communication method implemented at a core network element according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] Fig.10 shows a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0033] Fig.11 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to help those skilled in the art understand and implement the present disclosure without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways different from the ways described below.

[0036] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0037] References in the specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, these terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an example embodiment, it should be understood that it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect the feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0038] It should be understood that although the terms "first" and "second" etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, the first element may be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element may be referred to as the first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed items.

[0039] The terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "include", "comprise", "have", "have", "contain" and / or "including" when used herein indicate the presence of the features, elements and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0040] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0041] (a) hardware circuit implementation only (e.g., implementation only in analog and / or digital circuits) and

[0042] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (where applicable):

[0043] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, and

[0044] (ii) any portion of a hardware processor with software (including a digital signal processor, software and memory that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions), and

[0045] (c) Hardware circuits and / or processors, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, whose operation requires software (such as firmware), but the software may not be present when the operation does not require the software.

[0046] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware implementation. For example, the term circuitry also covers a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device, if applicable to the particular claim element.

[0047] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal equipment and the network equipment in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) communication protocol and / or any other protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present invention can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems that can implement the present invention. The scope of the present disclosure should not be considered to be limited to the above-mentioned systems.

[0048] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP) such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, a low power node such as a femto node, a pico node, etc.

[0049] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), user station (SS), portable user station, mobile station (MS) or access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device such as a digital camera, a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless terminal, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop embedded device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (such as remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices running in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronic devices, devices running on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0050] Local NR positioning support is standardized in NR Release 16. Therefore, NR Release 16 specifies the following positioning schemes: Downlink Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDOA), Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (UL-TDOA), Downlink Angle of Departure (DL-AoD), Uplink Angle of Arrival (UL-AoA), and Multi-cell Round Trip Time (Multi-RTT).

[0051] In NR Release 16, positioning techniques that rely on radio access technology (RAT) are limited to terminal devices in radio resource control (RRC) connected mode. In this case, the number of terminal devices that can be located simultaneously is limited. For example, in Internet of Things (IoT) scenarios and other use cases, a large number of terminal devices may require positioning services at the same time. Requiring all terminal devices to move to a connected state will result in large signaling overhead. In addition, when positioning is requested, if the terminal device is not in a connected state, an additional delay will occur before the terminal device is located. In addition, power consumption is increased because the terminal device needs to move to a connected state before positioning. Therefore, 3GPP Release 17 approved enhancements to the positioning of terminal devices in RRC idle and RRC inactive states.

[0052] When the terminal device is in the RRC connected state, it can communicate with the network device using typical NR physical channels and procedures. When the terminal device is in the RRC idle and RRC inactive states, power can be saved compared to being in the RRC connected state.

[0053] Prior to Release 16, the RRC inactive state did not support data transmission. Therefore, the terminal device had to resume the connection for any downlink and uplink data (i.e., move to the RRC connected state). Connection establishment and subsequent release to the RRC inactive state occurs for each data transmission, however the data packets are small and infrequent. This means that, for example, when a packet arrives in the downlink of a terminal device in the RRC inactive state, the network will initiate a paging process for the terminal device, and then the terminal device will start a 2-step or 4-step random access (RA) process to restore the connection before data transmission. This results in unnecessary power consumption and signaling overhead. In this case, in NR Release 17, small data transmission (SDT) in the RRC inactive state is supported. This means that NR supports the RRC inactive state, and terminal devices with infrequent (periodic and / or aperiodic) data transmission are typically maintained by network devices in the RRC inactive state.

[0054] As mentioned above, for positioning operations in NR, sometimes a location server such as LMF needs to send periodic positioning assistance data to the positioning device. Typically, if the positioning device is in an inactive state, the positioning device must move to a connected state for receiving periodic positioning assistance data. This may result in increased power consumption, additional signaling overhead, and positioning delays. In the case of small data transmission in an inactive state currently approved by NR version 17, it is important to keep the positioning device in an inactive state to receive periodic positioning assistance data from the network side.

[0055] In a conventional scheme, it is proposed to support positioning measurement reporting in the RRC inactive state based on SDT. For positioning devices, it will be beneficial to reduce power consumption and end-to-end delay for positioning operations. In another conventional scheme, it is proposed to send positioning assistance data to the positioning device according to a RACH-based process in the RRC inactive state, for example, using Msg4 for 4-step RA and MsgB for 2-step RA with flexible payload size to carry positioning assistance data in the RRC inactive state. However, the corresponding mechanism for how to implement positioning assistance data transmission has not been discussed.

[0056] In the case where the positioning device in the RRC inactive state starts to initiate the RRC connection recovery process for UL SDT, the network device can send the positioning assistance data to the positioning device together with the RRC release message (i.e., the suspension indication) in the DL MAC PDU. However, the terminal device in NR usually initiates the RRC connection recovery process only when it needs to send UL data. If the terminal device does not initiate the RRC connection recovery process for UL SDT, the network device should page the terminal device first. For periodic positioning assistance data transmission, the network device should periodically page the positioning device in the RRC inactive state for positioning assistance data transmission. In order to achieve fast assistance data updates, the network device needs to configure a small paging cycle for the positioning device. This operation will increase the power consumption of the positioning device due to paging monitoring, which is very sensitive to low-power positioning devices.

[0057] In order to solve the above and other potential problems, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an improved scheme for transmitting periodic data such as periodic positioning assistance data in an inactive state. In this scheme, a network device instructs a terminal device such as a positioning device to periodically initiate an RRC connection recovery process for the transmission of periodic data in an RRC inactive state, even if it does not need to transmit uplink data. Upon receiving an RRC connection recovery request for periodic data transmission, the anchor cell of the terminal device requests periodic data from the last serving cell of the terminal device, and sends the periodic data as downlink small data to the terminal device in an RRC inactive state. This will be beneficial for the terminal device to save power, and will also be beneficial for the network device to reduce the paging overhead for periodic data transmission.

[0058] Some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these drawings is for illustrative purposes, as the present disclosure extends beyond these limited embodiments.

[0059] Figure 1 1 shows an example communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. Figure 1 As shown, the network 100 includes a first device 110, a second device 120, and a third device 130. Each of the second device 120 and the third device 130 can serve the first device 110. The first device 110 can access the core network 140 via any one of the second device 120 and the third device 130, and receive services from a core network element 141 in the core network 140. In some embodiments, the core network element 141 can be a location server such as an LMF. Of course, the core network element 141 can have any other suitable functions. For illustration, the first device 110 is shown as a terminal device, and the second device 120 and the third device 130 are shown as network devices.

[0060] For the purpose of illustration only, and without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure, some embodiments will be described in the context that the first device 110 is a terminal device and the second device 120 and the third device 130 are each a network device. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the first device 110 may be a network device, and the second device 120 and / or the third device 130 may be a terminal device. In other words, the principles and spirit of the present disclosure may be applied to both uplink transmission and downlink transmission.

[0061] It should also be understood that Figure 1 The number of first devices, second devices, and third devices and the number of core network elements shown are for illustration purposes only and do not imply any limitation. Network 100 may include any suitable number of first devices, second devices, and third devices and core network elements suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0062] like Figure 1 As shown, each of the first device 110 and the second device 120 and the third device 130 can communicate with each other via a channel such as a wireless communication channel. The second device 120 and the third device 130 can communicate with each other via an air interface. The communication in the network 100 can meet any suitable standard, including but not limited to LTE, LTE evolution, LTE advanced (LTE-A), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA) and global mobile communication system (GSM) etc. In addition, communication can be performed according to any generation of communication protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. The example of communication protocol includes but is not limited to first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocol.

[0063] In some scenarios, the core network element 141 or the second device 120 needs to send periodic data to the first device 110. For example, the core network element 141 or the second device 120 may send periodic positioning assistance data to the first device 110. It should be noted that embodiments of the present invention are also applicable to any other types of periodic data.

[0064] Assume that the first device 110 is in a connection state (e.g., RRC connection state) with the second device 120 and then the second device 120 instructs the first device 110 to enter an inactive state (e.g., RRC inactive state). In some embodiments, the first device 110 in the inactive state may perform cell reselection for paging reception from the second device 120 to the third device 130. In this case, the third device 130 acts as an anchor cell for the first device 110, and the second device 120 acts as a last serving cell for the first device 110. In some alternative embodiments, the first device 110 in the inactive state may not perform cell reselection. In this case, the second device 120 acts as both an anchor cell and a last serving cell for the first device 110. In other words, the second device 120 and the third device 130 are the same device.

[0065] For convenience, the following description will be made in conjunction with a case where the third device 130 serves as an anchor cell for the first device 110 and the second device 120 serves as a last serving cell for the first device 110 .

[0066] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a transmission process 200 of periodic data in an inactive state according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1 The following description is made in the context of.

[0067] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the core network element 141 or the second device 120 generates control information for transmission of periodic data, and configures the control information to the first device 110. Based on the control information, the first device 110 obtains periodic data in an inactive state.

[0068] In some embodiments, the control information may include an indication that a random access request needs to be sent periodically (also referred to herein as an RRC connection recovery request indication). This field may specify that the first device 110 should periodically initiate an RRC connection recovery procedure for periodic data transmission.

[0069] In some embodiments, the control information may include the number of random access requests (also referred to herein as the request amount). This field may specify the number of periodic RRC connection recovery requests for periodic data transmission. For example, this field may be defined as an integer value N. The integer N=1...31 corresponds to an amount of 2N. The integer value N=32 represents an "infinite / indefinite" amount, which means that the RRC connection recovery request should continue until an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) abort message is received. It should be understood that the above values ​​of N are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Any other suitable value is also feasible.

[0070] In some embodiments, the control information may include a period of random access requests (also referred to herein as a request interval). This field may specify the interval between RRC connection resumption requests.

[0071] In some embodiments, the control information may include resources configured for sending a random access request. For example, the control information may include an identifier of a resource. This field may specify a resource for an RRC connection recovery request. In some embodiments, the resource may be a resource configured for a 2-step RACH procedure. In some embodiments, the resource may be a resource configured for a 4-step RACH procedure. In some embodiments, the resource may be a configuration grant (CG) resource for SDT.

[0072] refer to Figure 2 In some embodiments, the core network element 141 may generate 211 control information in a user plane interface and send 212 the control information to the first device 110, for example based on the LE Positioning Protocol (LPP). For example, upon receiving a periodic data request from the first device 110, the core network element 141 may configure the control information in an information element (IE). As an example, the LMF may configure control information for the transmission of periodic positioning assistance data in positioning method specific assistance data (e.g., IEA-GNSS-ProvideAssistanceData). In this way, the transmission of the control information to the first device 110 is transparent to the second device 120 and the third device 130.

[0073] Control information about the RRC connection resumption request indication (i.e., RRCResumeRequestIndication) may be indicated in the GNSS-PeriodicControlParam of the IEA-GNSS-ProvideAssistanceData. Other control information such as the request amount and the request interval may be implicitly configured by the GNSS PeriodicControlParam. For example, the request amount may be implicitly determined by the deliveryAmount, and the request interval may be implicitly determined by the deliveryInterval. Examples of GNSS-PeriodicControlParam are as follows.

[0074] GNSS-PeriodicControlParam

[0075] The IE GNSS-PeriodicControlParam is used to specify controlparameters for a periodic assistance data delivery.

[0076] --ASN1START

[0077] GNSS-PeriodicControlParam-r15::=SEQUENCE{

[0078] RRCResumeRequestIndication INTERGER(0..1)

[0079] deliveryAmount-r15 INTEGER(1..32),

[0080] deliveryInterval-r15 INTEGER(1..64), ...

[0081] }

[0082] --ASN1STOP

[0083] In some alternative embodiments, the core network element 141 may send 213 at least a portion of the control information to the serving cell of the first device 110 (i.e., the second device 120), and the second device 120 may configure 215 the control information to the first device 110. In some alternative embodiments, the second device 120 may generate 214 the control information itself and configure 215 the control information to the first device 110. Figures 3 to 5Configuration 215 of control information from the second device 120 to the first device 110 is described.

[0084] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a configuration process 300 for control information of periodic data transmission according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1 and Figure 2 In this example, the first device 110 is in an RRC connected state, and the second device 120 acts as a serving cell for the first device 110.

[0085] like Figure 3 As shown, before the first device 110 enters the inactive state, the second device 120 may send 310 control information to the first device 110. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may configure the control information to the first device 110 in high-layer RRC signaling. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may configure the control information to the first device 110 in L1 signaling.

[0086] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating another configuration process 400 for control information for periodic data transmission according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1 and Figure 2 In this example, the first device 110 is in an RRC inactive state, the second device 120 acts as a last serving cell for the first device 110, and the third device 130 acts as an anchor cell for the first device 110.

[0087] like Figure 4 As shown, the second device 120 as the last serving cell may initiate 410 a paging process in a notification area (RNA) based on a radio access network (RAN), and instruct the cells in the RNA to configure control information through a paging message. In this case, the third device 130 as the anchor cell may receive 420 the configuration of the control information from the second device 120, and send 430 a paging message including the control information to the first device 110. In this way, control information for transmission of periodic data may be configured to the first device 110 based on the paging process.

[0088] Figure 5 FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another configuration process 500 for control information of periodic data transmission according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1 and Figure 2In this example, the first device 110 is in an RRC inactive state, the second device 120 acts as a last serving cell for the first device 110, and the third device 130 acts as an anchor cell for the first device 110.

[0089] like Figure 5 As shown, the second device 120 as the last serving cell may initiate 510 a paging process in the RNA, and instruct the anchor cell to send control information to the first device 110 based on the RACH or CG-SDT process when receiving an RRC connection recovery request from the first device 110. In this case, the second device 120 may send 520 control information to the third device 130 as the anchor cell. The third device 130 may send 530 a paging message to the first device 110.

[0090] In response to the paging message, the first device 110 may send 540 an RRC connection recovery request to the third device 130. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may send the RRC connection recovery request in a message A (MsgA) for a 2-step RACH procedure. MsgA may also include a PRACH preamble. In some alternative embodiments, the first device 110 may send the RRC connection recovery request in a message 3 (Msg3) for a 4-step RACH procedure.

[0091] The third device 130 may send 550 a response to the RRC connection recovery request, the response including control information. In some embodiments in which the first device 110 sends a message A (MsgA) for a 2-step RACH procedure, the third device 130 may send a message B (MsgB) for a 2-step RACH procedure with control information to the first device 110. MsgB may also include a successful random access response (RAR) and an RRC release message. In some embodiments in which the first device 110 sends a message 3 (Msg3) for a 4-step RACH procedure, the third device 130 may send a message 4 (Msg4) for a 4-step RACH procedure with control information to the first device 110. In this way, control information for the transmission of periodic data may be configured to the first device 110 based on the random access procedure.

[0092] return Figure 2 , upon receiving the configuration of the control information for periodic data transmission, the first device 110 acquires periodic data from the third device 130 in an inactive state. In some embodiments, based on the configuration of the control information, the first device 110 may periodically initiate an RRC connection recovery procedure for periodic data transmission. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may periodically send 221 a random access request with an indication for acquiring periodic data to the third device 130.

[0093] In some embodiments where resources (e.g., 2-step or 4-step RACH resources or CG-SDT resources) are configured in the control information, the first device 110 may use the resources configured in the control information to send the RRC connection recovery request. In some alternative embodiments, the first device 110 may send the RRC connection recovery request in Msg A for a 2-step RACH process, Msg3 for a 4-step RACH process, or a CG PUSCH resource for SDT based on the configuration of the anchor cell.

[0094] Regarding the indication for obtaining periodic data, in some embodiments, the recovery reason for obtaining periodic data can be carried in the UL MAC PDU together with the RRC connection recovery request. For example, the recovery reason can indicate the desire to obtain periodic positioning assistance data. Of course, the recovery reason can indicate any other type of periodic data.

[0095] Upon receiving the RRC connection resumption request with an indication for acquiring periodic data from the first device 110 , the third device 130 as the anchor cell may request 222 the periodic data of the first device 110 from the second device 120 as the last serving cell.

[0096] Upon receiving the request for periodic data, the second device 120 may determine the periodic data. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may generate 223 the periodic data. In some embodiments, the core network element 141 may generate 223' the periodic data and send 224' the periodic data to the second device 120. In this case, the second device 120 may obtain the periodic data from the core network element 141.

[0097] In some embodiments, the periodic data may include periodic positioning assistance data. In some embodiments, the periodic positioning assistance data may include positioning assistance data for high-precision global navigation satellite system positioning (HA GNSS). In some embodiments, when DL-TDOA and UL-TDOA are used in combination, the periodic positioning assistance data may include uplink positioning measurement results for synchronization error elimination. In some embodiments, the periodic positioning assistance data may include the configuration of positioning reference signaling, such as uplink power control parameters of positioning sounding reference signal (SRS). For example, the uplink power control parameters may include the configuration of path-free reference RS and spatial relationship information or related rules. Of course, the periodic positioning assistance data may also include any other suitable information.

[0098] After determining the periodic data, the second device 120 may send 224 the periodic data to the third device 130. The third device 130 may send 225 the periodic data to the first device 110. In some embodiments, the third device 130 may send the periodic data to the first device 110 in a DL MAC PDU together with an RRC release message (i.e., a suspend indication).

[0099] In some embodiments, for a 2-step RACH procedure, periodic data may be sent via MsgB. In some alternative embodiments, for a 4-step RACH procedure, periodic data may be sent via Msg4. In some alternative embodiments, in response to receiving an RRC connection recovery request via a CG resource configured for SDT or periodic data transmission, periodic data may be sent via DLPDSCH.

[0100] It should be noted that Figures 2 to 5 The actions shown in are not always necessary to implement the embodiments of the present disclosure, and more or fewer actions may be adjusted as needed. Figures 2 to 5 The described process enables the first device 110 in the RRC inactive state to periodically initiate the RRC connection recovery process for periodic data transmission in the RRC inactive state. In addition, there is no need to perform a transition from the RRC inactive state to the RRC connected state. In addition, there is no need for a paging process for periodic data transmission. Therefore, power saving at the first device 110 can be achieved, and paging overhead can also be reduced.

[0101] It should be understood that the process according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to other application scenarios for DL ​​SDT besides positioning assistance data transmission.

[0102] Corresponding to the combination Figures 2 to 5 The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method implemented at a first device, a second device, a third device and a core network element. Figures 6 to 9 Describe these methods.

[0103] Figure 6 A flow chart of a communication method 600 implemented at a first device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The method 600 may be implemented at Figure 1 For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The method 600 is described. It should be understood that the method 600 may also include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some of the shown blocks, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0104] like Figure 6As shown, in block 610, the first device 110 receives control information for transmission of periodic data from at least one of the second device 120, the third device 130, or the core network element 141. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive the control information in a signaling message from the second device 120 before entering the inactive state. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive the control information from the third device 130 in the inactive state based on a paging procedure. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive the control information from the third device 130 in the inactive state based on a random access procedure. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive the control information from the core network element 141 in a user plane interface.

[0105] In some embodiments, the control information may include at least one of the following: an indication that a random access request needs to be sent periodically; the number of the random access requests; the period of the random access request; or a resource configured for sending the random access request. Of course, the control information may include any other suitable information.

[0106] In block 620, the first device 110 acquires periodic data from the third device 130 based on the control information in the inactive state. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may periodically send a random access request with an indication for acquiring periodic data to the third device 130 based on the control information, and receive periodic data from the third device 130 in response to the random access request.

[0107] In some embodiments, the periodic data may include periodic positioning assistance data. In some embodiments, the periodic positioning assistance data may include at least one of the following: positioning assistance data for HA GNSS; uplink positioning measurement results for synchronization error elimination when DL-TDOA and UL-TDOA are used in combination; or configuration of positioning reference signaling including uplink power control parameters for positioning SRS. For example, the uplink power control parameters may include configuration of a pathless reference RS and spatial relationship information or related rules. Of course, the periodic positioning assistance data may include any other suitable information.

[0108] use Figure 6 The scheme enables a first device in an inactive state to periodically initiate a random access process for acquiring periodic data in the inactive state without changing to a connected state. Compared with the conventional scheme, a paging process is not required for periodic data transmission. Therefore, power saving at the first device can be achieved, and paging overhead on the network side can also be reduced.

[0109] Figure 7A flow chart of a communication method 700 implemented at a second device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The method 700 may be implemented at Figure 1 The second device 120 is shown as being implemented. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The method 700 is described. It should be understood that the method 700 may also include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some of the shown blocks, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0110] like Figure 7 As shown, at block 710, the second device 120 determines control information for transmission of periodic data. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may generate the control information. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may receive the control information from the core network element 141.

[0111] In some embodiments, the control information may include at least one of the following: an indication that a random access request needs to be sent periodically; the number of the random access requests; the period of the random access request; or a resource configured for sending the random access request. Of course, the control information may include any other suitable information.

[0112] At block 720, the second device 120 sends the control information to the first device 110. The control information may be used by the first device 110 to obtain periodic data from the third device 130 in the inactive state. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send the control information to the first device 110 in a signaling message before entering the inactive state. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send the control information to the third device 130 based on at least one of a paging procedure or a random access procedure for transmission to the first device 110 in the inactive state.

[0113] In some embodiments, the periodic data may include periodic positioning assistance data. In some embodiments, the periodic positioning assistance data may include at least one of the following: positioning assistance data for HA GNSS; uplink positioning measurement results for synchronization error elimination when DL-TDOA and UL-TDOA are used in combination; or configuration of positioning reference signaling including uplink power control parameters for positioning SRS. For example, the uplink power control parameters may include configuration of a pathless reference RS and spatial relationship information or related rules. Of course, the periodic positioning assistance data may include any other suitable information.

[0114] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may receive a request for obtaining periodic data from the third device 130, and send the periodic data to the third device 130. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may obtain periodic data from the core network element 141, and send the periodic data to the third device 130.

[0115] use Figure 7 In the scheme, the second device can determine the control information for transmitting periodic data to the first device, which helps the first device to periodically initiate a random access procedure to obtain periodic data in an inactive state without transitioning to a connected state. In this case, a paging procedure is not required for periodic data transmission. Therefore, power saving at the first device can be achieved, and paging overhead on the network side can also be reduced.

[0116] Figure 8 FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a communication method 800 implemented at a third device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 800 may be implemented at Figure 1 The third device 130 is shown as being implemented. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The method 800 is described. It should be understood that the method 800 may also include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some of the blocks shown, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0117] like Figure 8 As shown, in block 810, the third device 130 receives a random access request with an indication for acquiring periodic data. The random access request is sent by the first device 110 in an inactive state based on control information for transmission of periodic data, and the control information is received from at least one of the second device 120, the third device 130, or the core network element 141. In some embodiments, the third device 130 may receive the control information from the second device 120 and send the control information to the first device 110 in an inactive state.

[0118] In some embodiments, the third device 130 may send the control information in a paging process (eg, in a paging message). In some embodiments, the third device 130 may send the control information through an SDT process (eg, CG-based SDT or RACH-based SDT).

[0119] In some embodiments, the control information may include at least one of the following: an indication that a random access request needs to be sent periodically; the number of the random access requests; the period of the random access request; or a resource configured for sending the random access request. Of course, the control information may include any other suitable information.

[0120] At block 820, the third device 130 sends periodic data to the first device 110 in a response to the random access request. In some embodiments, the third device 130 may generate the periodic data. In some embodiments, the third device 130 may send a request to obtain periodic data to the second device 120 and receive periodic data from the second device 120.

[0121] In some embodiments, the periodic data may include periodic positioning assistance data. In some embodiments, the periodic positioning assistance data may include at least one of the following: positioning assistance data for HA GNSS; uplink positioning measurement results for synchronization error elimination when DL-TDOA and UL-TDOA are used in combination; or configuration of positioning reference signaling including uplink power control parameters for positioning SRS. For example, the uplink power control parameters may include configuration of a pathless reference RS and spatial relationship information or related rules. Of course, the periodic positioning assistance data may include any other suitable information.

[0122] use Figure 8 In the scheme of the present invention, the third device can be configured with control information for transmitting periodic data to the first device, which helps the first device to periodically initiate a random access procedure for acquiring periodic data in an inactive state without transitioning to a connected state. In this case, a paging procedure is not required for periodic data transmission. Therefore, power saving at the first device can be achieved, and paging overhead on the network side can also be reduced.

[0123] Fig. 9 A flow chart of a communication method 900 implemented at a core network element according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The method 900 may be implemented at Figure 1 The core network element 141 is shown as being implemented. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The method 900 is described. It should be understood that the method 900 may also include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some of the blocks shown, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0124] like Fig. 9 As shown, in block 910, the core network element 141 generates control information for transmission of periodic data. In some embodiments, the control information may include at least one of the following: an indication that a random access request needs to be sent periodically; the number of the random access requests; the period of the random access request; or a resource configured for sending the random access request. Of course, the control information may include any other suitable information.

[0125] At block 920, the core network element 141 sends the control information to the first device 110. In some embodiments, the core network element 141 may send the control information to the first device 110 in a user plane interface. In some embodiments, the core network element 141 may send the control information to the second device 120 for forwarding to the first device 110. The control information will be used by the first device 110 to obtain periodic data from the third device 130 in an inactive state.

[0126] In some embodiments, the core network element 141 may also generate periodic data and send the periodic data to the second device 120. In some embodiments, the periodic data may include periodic positioning assistance data. In some embodiments, the periodic positioning assistance data may include at least one of the following: positioning assistance data for HA GNSS; uplink positioning measurement results for synchronization error elimination when DL-TDOA and UL-TDOA are used in combination; or configuration of positioning reference signaling including uplink power control parameters for positioning SRS. For example, the uplink power control parameters may include configuration of a pathless reference RS and spatial relationship information or related rules. Of course, the periodic positioning assistance data may include any other suitable information.

[0127] use Fig. 9 In the scheme of the present invention, the core network device can generate control information for the transmission of periodic data, which helps the first device to periodically initiate a random access process for obtaining periodic data in an inactive state without transitioning to a connected state. In this case, a paging process is not required for periodic data transmission. Therefore, power saving at the first device can be achieved, and paging overhead on the network side can also be reduced.

[0128] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any method 600 (e.g., the first device 110) may include a component for performing each step of the method 600. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0129] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a component for receiving, at a first device, control information for transmission of periodic data from a second device, a third device, or at least one of a core network element; and a component for obtaining the periodic data from the third device in an inactive state based on the control information.

[0130] In some embodiments, the component for receiving control information includes at least one of the following: a component for receiving the control information in a signaling message from the second device before entering the inactive state, a component for receiving the control information from the third device in the inactive state based on at least one of a paging procedure or a random access procedure, or a component for receiving the control information from the core network element in a user plane interface.

[0131] In some embodiments, the control information may include at least one of the following: an indication that a random access request needs to be sent periodically; the number of the random access requests; the period of the random access request; or a resource configured for sending the random access request. Of course, the control information may include any other suitable information.

[0132] In some embodiments, the means for acquiring may include: means for periodically sending a random access request with an indication for acquiring the periodic data to the third device based on the control information; and means for receiving the periodic data from the third device in a response to the random access request.

[0133] In some embodiments, the periodic data may include periodic positioning assistance data. In some embodiments, the periodic positioning assistance data may include at least one of the following: positioning assistance data for HA GNSS; uplink positioning measurement results for synchronization error elimination when DL-TDOA and UL-TDOA are used in combination; or configuration of positioning reference signaling including uplink power control parameters for positioning SRS. For example, the uplink power control parameters may include configuration of a pathless reference RS and spatial relationship information or related rules. Of course, the periodic positioning assistance data may include any other suitable information.

[0134] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any method 700 (e.g., the second device 120) may include a component for performing each step of the method 700. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0135] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: means for determining control information for transmission of periodic data at the second device; and means for sending the control information to the first device for obtaining the periodic data from the third device in an inactive state.

[0136] In some embodiments, the means for determining may include means for generating control information. In some embodiments, the means for determining may include means for receiving control information from a core network element.

[0137] In some embodiments, the component for sending may include at least one of the following: a component for sending the control information to the first device in a signaling message before entering the inactive state, or a component for sending the control information to the third device based on at least one of a paging procedure or a random access procedure for transmission to the first device in the inactive state.

[0138] In some embodiments, the control information may include at least one of the following: an indication that a random access request needs to be sent periodically; the number of the random access requests; the period of the random access request; or a resource configured for sending the random access request. Of course, the control information may include any other suitable information.

[0139] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: a component for receiving a request for obtaining the periodic data from the third device; and a component for sending the periodic data to the third device. In some embodiments, the component for sending the periodic data may further include a component for obtaining the periodic data from a core network element; and a component for sending the periodic data to the third device.

[0140] In some embodiments, the periodic data may include periodic positioning assistance data. In some embodiments, the periodic positioning assistance data may include at least one of the following: positioning assistance data for HA GNSS; uplink positioning measurement results for synchronization error elimination when DL-TDOA and UL-TDOA are used in combination; or configuration of positioning reference signaling including uplink power control parameters for positioning SRS. For example, the uplink power control parameters may include configuration of a pathless reference RS and spatial relationship information or related rules. Of course, the periodic positioning assistance data may include any other suitable information.

[0141] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of executing any method 800 (e.g., the third device 130) may include a component for executing each step of the method 800. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0142] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a component for receiving, at a third device, a random access request having an indication for obtaining periodic data, the random access request being sent by a first device in an inactive state based on control information for transmission of periodic data, the control information being received from at least one of the second device, the third device, or a core network element; and a component for sending the periodic data to the first device in a response to the random access request.

[0143] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a component for receiving control information from the second device; and a component for sending the control information to the first device in the inactive state based on at least one of a paging procedure or a random access procedure.

[0144] In some embodiments, the control information may include at least one of the following: an indication that a random access request needs to be sent periodically; the number of the random access requests; the period of the random access request; or a resource configured for sending the random access request. Of course, the control information may include any other suitable information.

[0145] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: a component for sending a request to the second device to obtain the periodic data; and a component for receiving the periodic data from the second device. In some embodiments, the periodic data may include periodic positioning assistance data. In some embodiments, the periodic positioning assistance data may include at least one of the following: positioning assistance data for HA GNSS; uplink positioning measurement results for synchronization error elimination when DL-TDOA and UL-TDOA are used in combination; or configuration of positioning reference signaling including uplink power control parameters for positioning SRS. For example, the uplink power control parameters may include configuration of a pathless reference RS and spatial relationship information or related rules. Of course, the periodic positioning assistance data may include any other suitable information.

[0146] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of executing any method 900 (e.g., core network element 141) may include components for executing the various steps of method 900. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0147] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for generating control information for transmission of periodic data at a core network element; and a component for sending the control information to a second device, wherein the control information is forwarded by the second device to the first device for obtaining the periodic data from a third device in an inactive state.

[0148] In some embodiments, the control information may include at least one of the following: an indication that a random access request needs to be sent periodically; the number of the random access requests; the period of the random access request; or a resource configured for sending the random access request. Of course, the control information may include any other suitable information.

[0149] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: a component for generating the periodic data; and a component for sending the periodic data to a second device. In some embodiments, the periodic data may include periodic positioning assistance data. In some embodiments, the periodic positioning assistance data may include at least one of the following: positioning assistance data for HAGNSS; uplink positioning measurement results for synchronization error elimination when DL-TDOA and UL-TDOA are used in combination; or configuration of positioning reference signaling including uplink power control parameters for positioning SRS. For example, the uplink power control parameters may include configuration of a pathless reference RS and spatial relationship information or related rules. Of course, the periodic positioning assistance data may include any other suitable information.

[0150] Fig.10 is a simplified block diagram of a device 1000 suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 1000 may be provided to implement a first device, a second device, a third device, or a core network element, for example Figure 1 The first device 110, the second device 120, the third device 130 or the core network element 141 are shown. As shown, the device 1000 includes: one or more processors 1010, one or more memories 1020 coupled to the processor 1010, and one or more communication modules 1040 (e.g., transmitters and / or receivers) coupled to the processor 1010.

[0151] The communication module 1040 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 1040 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface required to communicate with other network elements.

[0152] Processor 1010 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network, and may include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 1000 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-slaved to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0153] The memory 1020 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 1024, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic and / or optical memories. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 1022 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power-off periods.

[0154] Computer program 1030 includes computer executable instructions executed by associated processor 1010. Program 1030 may be stored in ROM 1024. Processor 1010 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 1030 into RAM 1022.

[0155] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by the program 1030 so that the device 1000 may execute the reference Figures 2 to 5 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0156] In some embodiments, the program 1030 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 1000 (e.g., memory 1020) or other storage devices accessible to the device 1000. The device 1000 may load the program 1030 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 1022 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Fig.11 An example of a computer readable medium 600 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. The computer readable medium has a program 1030 stored thereon.

[0157] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other illustrations, it should be understood that the block diagrams, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented as non-limiting examples in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0158] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules, which are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the above-referenced Figures 6 to 9 Methods 600-900 are described. Typically, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of program modules can be combined or divided between program modules as needed. The machine executable instructions of program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in local and remote storage media.

[0159] The program code for executing the disclosed method may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device so that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on the machine as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0160] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform the above-mentioned various processes and operations. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0161] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or apparatuses, or any suitable combination of the above. More specific examples of computer readable storage media include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer floppy disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0162] In addition, although operations are described in a particular order, this should not be construed as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order or sequence shown, or that all illustrated operations be performed in order to obtain the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these details should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately in multiple embodiments or in any suitable subcombination.

[0163] Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code, The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to: receiving control information for transmission of periodic data from at least one of a second device, a third device, or a core network element, wherein the periodic data includes periodic positioning assistance data; as well as The periodic data is obtained from the third device in an inactive state by periodically initiating a radio resource control (RRC) connection recovery procedure based on the control information.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is configured to obtain the periodic data by: Based on the control information, periodically sending a random access request to the third device, where the random access request has an indication for acquiring the periodic data; and The periodic data is received from the third device in response to the random access request.

3. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the control information comprises at least one of the following: An indication that random access requests need to be sent periodically; the number of the random access requests; The period of the random access request; or A resource configured for sending the random access request.

4. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the periodic positioning assistance data comprises at least one of the following: Positioning assistance data for high-precision GNSS positioning; Uplink positioning measurements for synchronization error cancellation when downlink TDOA and uplink TDOA are used in combination; or The configuration of positioning reference signaling includes uplink power control parameters of positioning sounding reference signals.

5. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the first device is caused to receive the control information by at least one of: before entering the inactive state, receiving the control information in a signaling message from the second device, receiving the control information from the third device in the inactive state based on at least one of a paging procedure or a random access procedure, or The control information is received from the core network element in a user plane interface. 6 . The first device according to claim 1 , wherein the first device is a terminal device, the second device is a network device acting as a last serving cell for the first device, and the third device is a network device acting as an anchor cell for the first device.

7. A second device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to: determining control information for transmission of periodic data, wherein the periodic data comprises periodic positioning assistance data; and The control information is sent to the first device, so that the first device can obtain the periodic data from the third device in an inactive state by periodically initiating a radio resource control (RRC) connection recovery process based on the control information.

8. The second device according to claim 7, wherein the control information comprises at least one of the following: An indication that random access requests need to be sent periodically; the number of the random access requests; The period of the random access request; or A resource configured for sending the random access request.

9. The second device according to claim 7, wherein the periodic positioning assistance data comprises at least one of the following: Positioning assistance data for high-precision GNSS positioning; Uplink positioning measurements for synchronization error cancellation when downlink TDOA and uplink TDOA are used in combination; or The configuration of positioning reference signaling includes uplink power control parameters of positioning sounding reference signals.

10. The second device according to claim 7, wherein the second device is caused to determine the control information by: The control information is received from a core network element.

11. The second device of claim 7, wherein the second device is caused to send the control information by at least one of: before entering the inactive state, sending the control information to the first device in a signaling message, or The control information is sent to the third device based on at least one of a paging procedure or a random access procedure, for transmission to the first device in the inactive state.

12. The second device according to claim 7, wherein the second device is further configured to: receiving a request for acquiring the periodic data from the third device; and The periodic data is sent to the third device.

13. The second device according to claim 12, wherein the second device is caused to send the periodic data by: Obtaining the periodic data from a core network element; and The periodic data is sent to the third device.

14. The second device according to claim 7, wherein the first device is a terminal device, the second device is a network device acting as a last serving cell for the first device, and the third device is a network device acting as an anchor cell for the first device.

15. A third device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code, The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the third device to: receiving a random access request with an indication for acquiring periodic data, the random access request being sent in a radio resource control RRC connection recovery procedure periodically initiated by a first device in an inactive state based on control information for transmission of periodic data, the control information being received from at least one of a second device, a third device, or a core network element, wherein the periodic data comprises periodic positioning assistance data; as well as The periodic data is sent to the first device in a response to the random access request.

16. The third device according to claim 15, wherein the control information comprises at least one of the following: An indication that the random access request needs to be sent periodically; the number of the random access requests; The period of the random access request; or A resource configured for sending the random access request.

17. The third device according to claim 15, wherein the periodic positioning assistance data comprises at least one of the following: Positioning assistance data for high-precision GNSS positioning; Uplink positioning measurements for synchronization error cancellation when downlink TDOA and uplink TDOA are used in combination; or The configuration of positioning reference signaling includes uplink power control parameters of positioning sounding reference signals.

18. The third device according to claim 15, wherein the third device is further caused to: receiving the control information from the second device; and The control information is sent to the first device in the inactive state based on at least one of a paging procedure or a random access procedure.

19. The third device according to claim 15, wherein the third device is further caused to: sending a request for acquiring the periodic data to the second device; and The periodic data is received from the second device.

20. The third device according to claim 15, wherein the first device is a terminal device, the second device is a network device acting as a last serving cell for the first device, and the third device is a network device acting as an anchor cell for the first device.

21. A core network element, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code, The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the core network element to: generating control information for transmission of periodic data, wherein the periodic data comprises periodic positioning assistance data; as well as The control information is sent to the first device, so that the first device can obtain the periodic data from the third device in an inactive state by periodically initiating a radio resource control (RRC) connection recovery process based on the control information.

22. The core network element according to claim 21, wherein the core network device is configured to send the control information by: The control information is sent to the second device for forwarding to the first device.

23. The core network element of claim 21, wherein the control information comprises at least one of the following: An indication that random access requests need to be sent periodically; the number of the random access requests; The period of the random access request; or A resource configured for sending the random access request.

24. The core network element of claim 21, wherein the periodic positioning assistance data comprises at least one of the following: Positioning assistance data for high-precision GNSS positioning; Uplink positioning measurements for synchronization error cancellation when downlink TDOA and uplink TDOA are used in combination; or The configuration of positioning reference signaling includes uplink power control parameters of positioning sounding reference signals.

25. The core network element of claim 21, wherein the core network element is further configured to: generating the periodic data; and The periodic data is sent to the second device.

26. The core network element of claim 22 or 25, wherein the first device is a terminal device, the second device is a network device acting as a last serving cell for the first device, and the third device is a network device acting as an anchor cell for the first device.

27. A method for communication, comprising: At the first device, receiving control information for transmission of periodic data from at least one of a second device, a third device, or a core network element, wherein the periodic data includes periodic positioning assistance data; as well as The periodic data is obtained from the third device in an inactive state by periodically initiating a radio resource control (RRC) connection recovery procedure based on the control information.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein acquiring the periodic data comprises: Based on the control information, periodically sending a random access request with an indication for obtaining the periodic data to the third device; as well as The periodic data is received from the third device in response to the random access request.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the control information comprises at least one of: An indication that random access requests need to be sent periodically; the number of the random access requests; The period of the random access request; or A resource configured for sending the random access request.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the periodic positioning assistance data comprises at least one of the following: Positioning assistance data for high-precision GNSS positioning; Uplink positioning measurements for synchronization error cancellation when downlink TDOA and uplink TDOA are used in combination; or The configuration of positioning reference signaling includes uplink power control parameters of positioning sounding reference signals.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein receiving the control information comprises at least one of: before entering the inactive state, receiving the control information in a signaling message from the second device, receiving the control information from the third device in the inactive state based on at least one of a paging procedure or a random access procedure, or The control information is received from the core network element in a user plane interface.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the first device is a terminal device, the second device is a network device acting as a last serving cell for the first device, and the third device is a network device acting as an anchor cell for the first device.

33. A method for communication, comprising: At a second device, determining control information for transmission of periodic data, wherein the periodic data includes periodic positioning assistance data; as well as The control information is sent to the first device, so that the first device can obtain the periodic data from the third device in an inactive state by periodically initiating a radio resource control (RRC) connection recovery process based on the control information.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the control information comprises at least one of: An indication that random access requests need to be sent periodically; the number of the random access requests; The period of the random access request; or A resource configured for sending the random access request.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the periodic positioning assistance data comprises at least one of: Positioning assistance data for high-precision GNSS positioning; Uplink positioning measurements for synchronization error cancellation when downlink TDOA and uplink TDOA are used in combination; or The configuration of positioning reference signaling includes uplink power control parameters of positioning sounding reference signals.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein determining the control information comprises: The control information is received from a core network element.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein sending the control information comprises at least one of: before entering the inactive state, sending the control information to the first device in a signaling message, or Based on at least one of a paging procedure or a random access procedure, the control information is sent to the third device for transmission to the first device in the inactive state.

38. The method of claim 33, further comprising: receiving a request for acquiring the periodic data from the third device; as well as The periodic data is sent to the third device.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein sending the periodic data comprises: Obtaining the periodic data from a core network element; as well as The periodic data is sent to the third device.

40. The method of claim 33, wherein the first device is a terminal device, the second device is a network device acting as a last serving cell for the first device, and the third device is a network device acting as an anchor cell for the first device.

41. A method for communication, comprising: receiving, at a third device, a random access request with an indication for acquiring periodic data, the random access request being sent in a radio resource control (RRC) connection recovery procedure periodically initiated by a first device in an inactive state based on control information for transmission of periodic data, the control information being received from at least one of a second device, the third device, or a core network element, wherein the periodic data comprises periodic positioning assistance data; as well as The periodic data is sent to the first device in a response to the random access request.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the control information comprises at least one of: An indication that the random access request needs to be sent periodically; the number of the random access requests; The period of the random access request; or A resource configured for sending the random access request.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the periodic positioning assistance data comprises at least one of: Positioning assistance data for high-precision GNSS positioning; Uplink positioning measurements for synchronization error cancellation when downlink TDOA and uplink TDOA are used in combination; or The configuration of positioning reference signaling includes uplink power control parameters of positioning sounding reference signals.

44. The method of claim 41, further comprising: receiving the control information from the second device; as well as The control information is sent to the first device in the inactive state based on at least one of a paging procedure or a random access procedure.

45. The method of claim 41, further comprising: Sending a request for acquiring the periodic data to the second device; as well as The periodic data is received from the second device.

46. ​​The method of claim 41, wherein the first device is a terminal device, the second device is a network device acting as a last serving cell for the first device, and the third device is a network device acting as an anchor cell for the first device.

47. A method for communication, comprising: generating, at a core network element, control information for transmission of periodic data, wherein the periodic data includes periodic positioning assistance data; as well as The control information is sent to the first device, so that the first device can obtain the periodic data from the third device in an inactive state by periodically initiating a radio resource control (RRC) connection recovery process based on the control information.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein sending the control information comprises: The control information is sent to the second device for forwarding to the first device.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein the control information comprises at least one of: An indication that random access requests need to be sent periodically; the number of the random access requests; The period of the random access request; or A resource configured for sending the random access request.

50. The method of claim 47, wherein the periodic positioning assistance data comprises at least one of: Positioning assistance data for high-precision GNSS positioning; Uplink positioning measurements for synchronization error cancellation when downlink TDOA and uplink TDOA are used in combination; or The configuration of positioning reference signaling includes uplink power control parameters of positioning sounding reference signals.

51. The method of claim 47, further comprising: generating the periodic data; as well as The periodic data is sent to the second device.

52. The method of claim 48 or 51, wherein the first device is a terminal device, the second device is a network device acting as a last serving cell for the first device, and the third device is a network device acting as an anchor cell for the first device.

53. An apparatus for communication, comprising: means for receiving, at the first device, control information for transmission of periodic data from at least one of a second device, a third device, or a core network element, wherein the periodic data comprises periodic positioning assistance data; as well as A means for acquiring the periodic data from the third device in an inactive state by periodically initiating a radio resource control (RRC) connection recovery procedure based on the control information.

54. An apparatus for communication, comprising: means for determining, at a second device, control information for transmission of periodic data, wherein the periodic data comprises periodic positioning assistance data; as well as A component for sending the control information to the first device, so that the first device obtains the periodic data from the third device in an inactive state by periodically initiating a radio resource control RRC connection recovery process based on the control information.

55. An apparatus for communication, comprising: means for receiving, at a third device, a random access request with an indication for acquiring periodic data, the random access request being sent in a radio resource control RRC connection recovery procedure periodically initiated by a first device in an inactive state based on control information for transmission of periodic data, the control information being received from at least one of a second device, the third device, or a core network element, wherein the periodic data comprises periodic positioning assistance data; as well as Means for sending the periodic data to the first device in a response to the random access request.

56. An apparatus for communication, comprising: means for generating, at a core network element, control information for transmission of periodic data, wherein the periodic data comprises periodic positioning assistance data; as well as A component for sending the control information to the first device, so that the first device obtains the periodic data from the third device in an inactive state by periodically initiating a radio resource control RRC connection recovery process based on the control information.

57. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 27 to 32.

58. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 33 to 40.

59. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 41 to 46.

60. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 47 to 52.

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