Method and apparatus for time-to-live and communication service availability

Abstract

Preconfigured parameters, such as survival time and communication service availability targets, are part of the application layer. Methods, systems, and devices can communicate these parameters at the radio access network (“RAN”) side. Survival time thresholds can be used to trigger packet data convergence protocol (“PDCP”) duplication. These parameters can be provided to user equipment (“UE”) by the access and mobility management function (“AMF”) through quality of service (“QoS”) information or non-access stratum (“NAS”) signaling. The communicated parameters can be used to establish priorities for logical channels (“LCHs”).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This document generally pertains to wireless communication. More specifically, time to survival and communication service availability are transmitted wirelessly. Background Technology

[0002] Wireless communication technology is propelling the world towards an increasingly interconnected and networked society. Wireless communication relies on efficient network resource management and allocation between user mobile stations and wireless access network nodes (including but not limited to wireless base stations). Next-generation networks promise to provide high-speed, low-latency, and ultra-reliable communication capabilities, meeting the requirements of various industries and users. User mobile stations or user equipment (UEs) are becoming increasingly complex, and the amount of data being communicated is constantly increasing. To improve communication and meet the reliability requirements of vertical industries, as well as support next-generation network services, communication improvements are necessary. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This document relates to methods, systems, and apparatus for transmitting pre-configured parameters or information, such as parameters or information related to time-to-live and / or communication service availability objectives. These parameters may be transmitted wirelessly at the radio access network (“RAN”) side. Time-to-live thresholds may be used to trigger Packet Data Convergence Protocol (“PDCP”) replication. These parameters may be provided to the user equipment (“UE”) by the Access and Mobility Management Function (“AMF”) via Quality of Service (“QoS”) information or Non-Access Stratum (“NAS”) signaling. The transmitted parameters may be used to establish the priority of logical channels (“LCH”).

[0004] In one embodiment, a method for wireless communication includes: receiving a message including pre-configuration information and a time-to-live (TTL) threshold; and activating a replication function when the TTL threshold is exceeded. The method further includes: providing information for activating the replication function and providing information for deactivating the replication function. The pre-configuration information includes at least one of: a pre-configured inactive configuration grant; a pre-configured inactive replication prior to activating the replication function; or an indication that the user equipment can independently activate the replication function, wherein the pre-configured inactive replication includes a number of multiple radio link control (“RLC”) entities. The information provided for activating the replication function and the information provided for deactivating the replication function also include information related to the activation of the configuration grant and information related to the deactivation of the configuration grant, respectively. When the activation timer is exceeded, the method further includes: receiving predefined downlink control information (“DCI”), the predefined DCI including an indication for activating the configuration grant. When the number of multiple RLC entities is greater than one, the information for activating the replication function also includes an identifier of each RLC entity and an indication of its activated or deactivated state. The selection of RLC entities includes at least one of: a logical channel index number, a logical channel measurement result, or a list of logical channels. The information provided for activating and deactivating the replication function includes at least one of the following: uplink control information (“UCI”); MAC control element (“MACCE”); or buffer status report (“BSR”). The message includes a radio resource control “RRC” message, which includes at least one of the following: RRCReestablishment, RRCReconfiguration, RRCResume, RRCReject, or RRCSetup.

[0005] In another embodiment, a method for wireless communication includes: receiving a message including pre-configuration information and a time-to-live (TTL) threshold; and when the TTL threshold has not been exceeded and the TTL timer is reset, sending a request including information to deactivate configuration authorization, wherein the request includes uplink control information (“UCI”) or MAC control element (“MAC CE”).

[0006] In another embodiment, a method for wireless communication includes providing a message including pre-configuration information and a lifetime threshold. The pre-configuration information includes at least one of the following: a pre-configured inactive configuration authorization, pre-configured inactive replication prior to activation of the replication function, or an indication that the user equipment can independently activate the replication function or PDCP replication. The pre-configured inactive replication includes the number of radio link control (“RLC”) entities. The method further includes triggering activation of the replication function when the lifetime threshold is exceeded. The method includes implementing an activation timer for determining whether the lifetime threshold has been exceeded before data is received, wherein the replication function is activated when the threshold is exceeded. The method includes receiving an indication that the replication function has been activated, and activating a deactivation timer for deactivating the replication function. The pre-configuration parameters include the pre-configured inactive configuration authorization, and the method further includes activating the configuration authorization by providing predefined downlink control information (“DCI”) to the user equipment. The pre-configuration information includes at least one of the following: a pre-configured deactivation configuration authorization, a pre-configured deactivation copy before activating the copy function, or an indication that the user equipment can independently activate the PDCP copy function, wherein the pre-configured deactivation copy includes the number of multiple radio link control (“RLC”) entities. When the number of multiple RLC entities is greater than 1, the information for activating the copy function also includes the identifier of each RLC entity and an indication of its activation or deactivation status. The method for the UE to select an RLC entity includes at least one of the following: a logical channel index number, a logical channel measurement result, or a list of logical channels. When the lifetime threshold has not been exceeded and the lifetime timer has been reset, the method further includes: receiving a request for deactivation configuration authorization, wherein the request includes uplink control information (“UCI”) or a MAC control element (“MAC CE”).

[0007] In another embodiment, a method for wireless communication includes: providing a message having multiple logical channel priorities; measuring a threshold for a communication service availability target using a lifetime timer; and, when the threshold is exceeded, instructing at least one logical channel priority among the logical channel priorities to switch to a higher priority. The method further includes: if the threshold is not exceeded after switching to the higher-priority logical channel, instructing said at least one logical channel priority among the logical channel priorities to switch to a lower priority. The method further includes: receiving Quality of Service (QoS) information from an Access and Mobility Management Function (“AMF”), wherein the QoS information includes parameters related to the communication service availability target. The parameters include at least one of the following: a value of the communication service availability target; a level value of the communication service availability target; an index associated with said communication service availability target; or the number of lifetime triggers allowed over a period of time. The multiple logical channel priorities include multiple logical channels with different priorities or a single logical channel including multiple different priorities. The message includes a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, which includes at least one of the following: RRCReestablishment, RRCReconfiguration, RRCResume, RRCReject, or RRCSetup. The instruction also includes indications of downlink control information (“DCI”) or MAC control element (“MAC CE”) provided to the user equipment.

[0008] In another embodiment, a method for wireless communication includes: receiving Quality of Service (QoS) information from an Access and Mobility Management Function (“AMF”), wherein the QoS information includes parameters related to a communication service availability objective, and the parameters include at least one of: a value of the communication service availability objective, a level value of the communication service availability objective, an index related to the communication service availability objective, a time-to-live (TTL) value, or the number of TTL triggers allowed over a period of time. The method further includes: providing a message having a plurality of logical channel priorities. The method further includes: measuring a threshold for the communication service availability objective using a TTL timer. The method further includes: when the threshold is exceeded, instructing at least one logical channel priority among the logical channel priorities to switch to a higher priority. The method further includes: when no threshold is exceeded after switching to the higher-priority logical channel, instructing at least one logical channel priority among the plurality of logical channel priorities to switch to a lower priority. The plurality of logical channel priorities includes a plurality of logical channels with different priorities or a single logical channel including a plurality of different priorities. The message includes a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, which includes at least one of the following: RRCReestablishment, RRCReconfiguration, RRCResume, RRCReject, or RRCSetup. This indication is also included in downlink control information (“DCI”) or MAC control element (“MAC CE”) indications provided to user equipment. The lifetime value includes at least one of the following: a lifetime range in microseconds, a lifetime range in 500 nanoseconds, or a lifetime range based on the service period.

[0009] In another embodiment, a method for wireless communication includes: receiving a message having multiple logical channel priorities; measuring a threshold for a communication service availability target using a lifetime timer; and requesting, when the threshold is exceeded, that at least one logical channel priority among the logical channel priorities switch to a higher priority. The method further includes: receiving non-access stratum (“NAS”) signaling from an Access and Mobility Management Function (“AMF”), wherein the NAS signaling includes at least one of the following: a lifetime value, or a parameter related to the communication service availability target. The method further includes: requesting that at least one logical channel priority among the multiple logical channel priorities switch to a lower priority when the threshold is not exceeded after switching to the higher priority. The lifetime value includes at least one of the following: a lifetime value range in microseconds, a lifetime value range in 500 nanoseconds, or a lifetime value range based on a service period. The parameter related to the communication service availability target includes at least one of the following: a value of the communication service availability target; a level value of the communication service availability target; an index related to the communication service availability target; or the number of lifetime triggers allowed over a period of time. The multiple logical channel priorities include multiple logical channels with different priorities or a single logical channel including multiple different priorities. The request includes at least one of the following: uplink control information (“UCI”); or MAC control element (“MAC CE”).

[0010] In another embodiment, a system for wireless communication includes an Access and Mobility Management Function (“AMF”) that provides a base station with parameters related to a communication service availability objective via Quality of Service (“QoS”) information. These parameters include at least one of the following: a value of the communication service availability objective; a level value of the communication service availability objective; an index associated with the communication service availability objective; or the number of times a allowed lifetime triggers within a given period. The Quality of Service (QoS) information includes downlink information or uplink information.

[0011] In another embodiment, a system for wireless communication includes an Access and Mobility Management Function (“AMF”) that provides a User Equipment with a lifetime and parameters related to a communication service availability objective via Non-Access Stratum (“NAS”) signaling. The parameters include at least one of the following: a value of the communication service availability objective; a level value of the communication service availability objective; an index related to the communication service availability objective; or the number of lifetime triggers allowed over a period of time. The lifetime value includes at least one of the following: a lifetime value range in microseconds; a lifetime value range in 500 nanoseconds; or a lifetime value range based on a service period.

[0012] In some embodiments, there is a wireless communication device including a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is configured to read code from the memory and implement any of the methods described in any of the embodiments. In some embodiments, a computer program product includes a computer-readable program medium on which code is stored, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement any of the methods described in any of the embodiments. The above and other aspects and their embodiments are described in more detail in the accompanying drawings, specification, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 An example base station is shown.

[0014] Figure 2 An example random access (RA) messaging environment is shown.

[0015] Figure 3 An example of replication using pre-configured parameters is shown.

[0016] Figure 4 Another embodiment of replication using pre-configured parameters is shown.

[0017] Figure 5 Another embodiment of replication is shown when the time limit is not exceeded.

[0018] Figure 6 An example of pre-configured parameter transmission is shown.

[0019] Figure 7 Another embodiment of transmitting pre-configured parameters by measuring the number of triggers using a base station is shown.

[0020] Figure 8 Another embodiment of transmitting pre-configured parameters for measuring the number of triggers using user equipment is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0021] This disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this disclosure and illustrate specific examples of embodiments by way of illustration. However, it should be noted that this disclosure may be implemented in a variety of different forms, and therefore, the subject matter covered or claimed is intended to be construed as not being limited to any of the embodiments set forth below.

[0022] Throughout the specification and claims, terms may have nuanced meanings suggested or implied in the context beyond their explicitly stated meanings. Similarly, the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in some embodiments” as used herein do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and the phrases “in another embodiment” or “in other embodiments” as used herein do not necessarily refer to different embodiments. For example, it is intended that the claimed subject matter encompasses, in whole or in part, combinations of exemplary embodiments or embodiments.

[0023] Generally, terms can be understood at least in part from their usage in the context. For example, terms such as “and,” “or,” or “and / or” as used herein can include a variety of meanings that may depend at least in part on the context in which they are used. Typically, “or,” when used in a list of associations (such as A, B, or C), is intended to mean A, B, and C (used herein in an inclusive sense) and A, B, or C (used herein in an exclusive sense). Furthermore, depending at least in part on the context, the terms “one or more” or “at least one” as used herein may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in a singular sense, or may be used to describe a combination of features, structures, or characteristics in a plural sense. Similarly, depending at least in part on the context, terms such as “a,” “an,” or “the” may also be understood to convey either a singular or a plural usage. Moreover, the terms “based on” or “determined by” may be understood not necessarily to convey an exclusive set of factors, but rather, also depending at least in part on the context, may allow for additional factors that are not necessarily explicitly described.

[0024] New Radio (NR) access includes a lifetime parameter in the application layer to relax Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for reliability. The lifetime may be transmitted as part of the Time-Sensitive Communication (TSC) Assistance Information (TSCAI) parameter. The TSCAI may not always include the lifetime. The Session Management Function (SMF) determines the lifetime and sends it as part of the TSCAI to the Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG RAN) without requiring specific signaling exchange with the User Equipment (UE). The RAN can be part of a wireless communication system that connects the UE to other parts of the network via radio or wireless connections.

[0025] Lifetime can include the amount of time an application consuming communication services can continue without expected messages. Lifetime information may also include the maximum number of consecutive message transmission failures. SMF converts the maximum number of consecutive message transmission failures into time units based on the TSCAI periodicity parameter and determines the lifetime.

[0026] Even though different services may have similar or equal lifetimes, they can have very different communication service availability targets. Communication service availability parameters indicate whether a communication system is functioning correctly (e.g., "available" / "unavailable" state). A communication system can be in an "available" state as long as the availability criteria for packets used for transmission are met. If packets received at the target are incorrect or delayed, the service may be unavailable. The availability of a communication service can be calculated using the downtime intervals experienced by the application. Therefore, achieving different communication service availability targets requires different configurations for radio functions. This requires the RAN to know the communication service availability targets for a given flow.

[0027] Communication service availability can be calculated by dividing the amount of time the end-to-end communication service is delivered according to the agreed QoS by the percentage of the amount of time the system is expected to deliver the end-to-end service according to the specifications for a specific region. The availability of the communication service can be calculated using accumulated downtime. In one embodiment, the unavailability U of the communication service when the expected uptime T is calculated can be:

[0028]

[0029] Where, Δti It is the length of the i-th downtime interval of the communication service within the time period T. The availability A of the communication service can then be calculated as A = 1 – U.

[0030] As described below, the lifetime and / or parameters related to communication service availability may be referred to as pre-configured information or parameters. Specifically, parameters may be pre-configured, and the methods, systems, and devices described herein transmit those parameters wirelessly on the Radio Access Network (RAN) side. A lifetime threshold may be used to trigger Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) duplication. Parameters may be provided to the User Equipment (UE) by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) via Quality of Service (QoS) information or Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling. The transmitted parameters may be used to establish the priority of a Logical Channel (LCH).

[0031] Radio Resource Control (RRC) is a protocol layer at the IP level (network layer) between the UE and the base station. RRC messages are transmitted via Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP). As described, the UE can transmit infrequent (periodic and / or aperiodic) data in the RRC_INACTIVE state without changing to the RRC_CONECTED state. This can save UE power consumption and signaling overhead. This can be achieved through a Random Access Channel (RACH) protocol scheme or a Configured Grant (CG) scheme. Although the CG scheme is further described below, it is only one example of a protocol scheme used for communication, and other examples, including but not limited to RACH, are possible.

[0032] Figure 1 Example base station 102 is shown. Base station 102 may also be referred to as a wireless network node. Base station 102 may also be identified as a nodeB (NB, e.g., eNB or gNB) in a mobile telecommunications context. The example base station may include radio Tx / Rx circuitry 113 for receiving and transmitting with user equipment (UE) 104. Base station 102 may also include network interface circuitry 116 that couples base station 102 to core network 110, such as optical interconnect or wired interconnect, Ethernet and / or other data transmission media / protocols.

[0033] Base station 102 may also include system circuitry 122. System circuitry 122 may include one or more processors 124 and / or memory 126. Memory 126 may include operations 128 and control parameters 130. Operations 128 may include instructions for execution on one or more processors of processor 124 to support the operation of base station 102. For example, operations 128 may process random access transmission requests from multiple UEs 104. Control parameters 130 may include parameters or support for the execution of operations 128. For example, control parameters 130 may include network protocol settings, random access messaging format rules, bandwidth parameters, radio frequency mapping allocation, and / or other parameters.

[0034] Figure 2 An example random access messaging environment 200 is illustrated. In this environment 200, UE 104 can communicate with base station 102 via random access channel 252. In this example, UE 104 supports one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), such as SIM 1202. An electrical and physical interface (also known as a SIM card interface) 206 connects SIM 1202 to the rest of the user equipment hardware, for example, via system bus 210.

[0035] Mobile device 200 includes a communication interface 212, system logic (also referred to as system circuitry) 214, and a user interface 218. System logic 214 may include any combination of hardware, software, firmware, or other logic. System logic 214 may be implemented, for example, using one or more Systems on a Chip (SoC), Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), discrete analog and digital circuitry, and other circuitry. System logic 214 is part of an implementation of any desired functionality in UE 104. In this regard, system logic 214 may include logic that facilitates operations such as: decoding and playing music and video (e.g., MP3, MP4, MPEG, AVI, FLAC, AC3, or WAV decoding and playback); running applications; accepting user input; saving and retrieving application data; establishing, maintaining, and terminating cellular phone calls or data connections (e.g., for internet connections); establishing, maintaining, and terminating wireless network connections, Bluetooth connections, or other connections; and displaying relevant information on user interface 218. User interface 218 and input / output 228 may include a graphical user interface, a touch-sensitive display, haptic feedback or other haptic output, voice or facial recognition input, buttons, switches, speakers, and other user interface elements. Additional examples of input / output 228 include microphones, video and still image cameras, temperature sensors, vibration sensors, rotation and orientation sensors, headphone and microphone input / output jacks, Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors, memory card slots, radiation sensors (e.g., IR sensors), and other types of input.

[0036] System logic 214 may include one or more processors 216 and memory 220. Memory 220 stores, for example, control instructions 222 executed by processor 216 to achieve the desired functions of UE 104. Control parameters 224 provide and specify operational options and configurations for the control instructions 222. Memory 220 may also store any BT, WiFi, 3G, 4G, 5G, or other data 226 that UE 104 will send or has received via communication interface 212. In various embodiments, system power may be provided by a power storage device such as battery 282.

[0037] In communication interface 212, radio frequency (RF) transmission (Tx) and reception (Rx) circuitry 230 handles the transmission and reception of signals through one or more antennas 232. Communication interface 212 may include one or more transceivers. The transceivers may be wireless transceivers, which include modulation / demodulation circuitry, digital-to-analog converters (DACs), shapers, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), filters, waveform shapers, pre-amplifiers, power amplifiers, and / or other logic for transmission and reception via one or more antennas or (for some devices) via a physical (e.g., wired) medium.

[0038] Transmitted and received signals can follow any of a wide variety of formats, protocols, modulations (e.g., QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, or 256-QAM), frequency channels, bit rates, and encodings. As a specific example, communication interface 212 may include transceivers supporting transmission and reception under 2G, 3G, BT, WiFi, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA)+, and 4G / Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards. However, the technologies described below, whether originating from the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the GSM Association, 3GPP2, IEEE, or other partners or standards bodies, are applicable to other wireless communication technologies.

[0039] Replication functionality can include packet replication, which ensures packets are not lost and improves reliability. Packet Data Convergence Protocol (“PDCP”) replication is an example of replication functionality. The PDCP layer handles user data transmission, header compression, sequence numbering, replication detection, packet replication, etc. Both the user plane and control plane can support PDCP replication. The PDCP layer in the transmitter can be responsible for packet replication, while the PDCP layer in the receiver can detect replicated packets. Replicated packets have the same PDCP sequence number, which can be used for identification.

[0040] Figure 3 An example of replication using pre-configured parameters is shown. For Figure 3The UE independently activates PDCP replication. During uplink packet transmission, the UE can trigger autonomous PDCP replication based on measurement results. In message 302, the gNB (i.e., the base station) configures the pre-configured parameters in the RRC message. RRC message 302 may include at least one of the following: RRCReestablishment, RRCReconfiguration, RRCResume, RRCReject, or RRCSetup.

[0041] The pre-configured parameters in message 302 can also be referred to as pre-configuration information, and may include, but are not limited to, time-to-live and / or communication service availability parameters. Figure 3 In the example, pre-configured parameters may include pre-configured inactive PDCP replication, pre-configured inactive configuration authorization, a configured lifetime threshold, and / or an indication that the UE can independently activate PDCP replication. Pre-configured inactive PDCP replication and pre-configured inactive CG can be examples of pre-configured parameters. PDCP replication is a function, while CG is an uplink resource. CG should be prepared before PDCP replication can be activated for use. For example, CG should not only be pre-configured but also activated during (or before) PDCP replication.

[0042] In 304, the gNB uses Activation Timer 1 or a gNB implementation to trigger predefined downlink control information (“DCI”) to indicate the activation of Configuration Grant (“CG”). The CG can be used to reduce waste of periodically allocated resources by enabling multiple devices to share periodic resources. The base station can allocate CG resources to eliminate packet transmission delays and improve the utilization of allocated periodic radio resources.

[0043] When the service is periodic, timer 1 is activated when no packets are received during the period when packets should be received. The timer value can be set to less than a time-to-live threshold. If packets are received before the timer expires, the timer is reset. Otherwise, the predefined DCI in 306 is triggered to activate the CG after the timer expires.

[0044] Alternatively, when the service is non-periodic, a timer is started after each packet is received. The timer value can be set to be less than a time-to-live threshold. If a packet is received before the timer expires, the timer is reset. Otherwise, the predefined DCI in 306 is triggered to activate the CG after the timer expires.

[0045] When the lifetime threshold is exceeded in 308, the UE independently activates the replication function (e.g., PDCP replication). Replicated packets can be sent via the activated CG, and the lifetime buffer status report (BSR) or status report information may include an indication of the UE's activated PDCP replication status in 310. The BSR may use a reserved LCID (Logical Channel ID) in the UL-SCH (Uplink Shared Channel) to indicate that the UE has activated PDCP replication.

[0046] However, the indication can be changed based on the number of RLC entities in the pre-configured inactive PDCP replication. Two different scenarios can exist. The first scenario is when the number of RLC entities is 1, and the second scenario is when the number of RLC entities is greater than 1. Scenario 1 does not require indication to the gNB before sending the replicated data packets, and scenario 2 may or may not require sending indication information. For scenario 2, the method for sending indication information may include at least one of the following: using a BSR with indication information, using predefined uplink control information (“UCI”) to include the indication information, and / or using time-to-live status report information to include the indication information. The indication information may include at least one of the following: an indication of the identifier i of the RLC entity (e.g., i = 1, 2, 3) and an indication that the RLC entity i is in an active or deactivated state, where i is the ascending order of the logical channel identifiers of the RLC entity. The method for the UE to select an RLC entity includes at least one of the following: 1) an index number of the logical channel (“LCH”); 2) a measurement result of the logical channel; or 3) a list of logical channels.

[0047] In 312, the UE can autonomously deactivate PDCP replication and / or CG. UE deactivation of PDCP replication includes at least one of the following: 1) a predefined UCI containing deactivation indication information; or 2) a predefined MAC control element ("MAC CE") containing deactivation indication information in a format indicated by an LCID reserved in UL-SCH.

[0048] Figure 4Another embodiment of replication using pre-configured parameters is illustrated. In 402, the gNB (i.e., the base station) configures the pre-configured parameters in the RRC message. RRC message 402 may include at least one of the following: RRCReestablishment, RRCReconfiguration, RRCResume, RRCReject, or RRCSetup. The pre-configured parameters in message 402 may also be referred to as pre-configuration information and may include, but are not limited to, time-to-live and / or communication service availability parameters. Pre-configured parameters may include pre-configured inactive PDCP replication, pre-configured inactive configuration authorization, configured time-to-live threshold, and / or an indication that the UE can independently activate PDCP replication. Pre-configured inactive PDCP replication and pre-configured inactive CG may be examples of pre-configured parameters. PDCP replication is a function, while CG is an uplink resource. CG should be prepared before PDCP replication is activated for use. For example, CG should not only be pre-configured but also activated during (or before) PDCP replication.

[0049] In 404, the gNB uses Activation Timer 1 or a gNB implementation to trigger a predefined downlink control message (“DCI”) to indicate the activation of a Configuration Grant (“CG”). The CG can reduce waste of periodically allocated resources by enabling multiple devices to share periodic resources. The base station can allocate CG resources to eliminate packet transmission latency and improve the utilization of allocated periodic radio resources.

[0050] When the service is periodic, Activation Timer 1 is started when no packets are received during the period when packets should be received. The value of the Activation Timer can be set to be less than a time-to-live threshold. If a packet is received before the Activation Timer expires, the Activation Timer is reset. Otherwise, the predefined DCI in 406 is triggered to activate the CG after the Activation Timer expires. Alternatively, when the service is non-periodic, the Activation Timer is started after each packet is received. The value of the Activation Timer can be set to be less than a time-to-live threshold. If a packet is received before the Activation Timer expires, the Activation Timer is reset. Otherwise, the predefined DCI in 406 is triggered to activate the CG after the Activation Timer expires.

[0051] When the lifetime threshold is exceeded in 408, the UE independently activates a replication function (e.g., PDCP replication). Replicated packets can be sent via the activated CG, and the lifetime buffer status report (“BSR”) or status report information may include an indication of the UE’s activated PDCP replication status in 410. The BSR may use a reserved LCID in the UL-SCH to indicate UE activation of PDCP replication. The indication may change based on the number of RLC entities in pre-configured inactive PDCP replication. (The last part, "as for...", appears to be incomplete and requires further context.) Figure 3 The two different scenarios are discussed. The first scenario is when the number of RLC entities is 1, and the second scenario is when the number of RLC entities is greater than 1. In scenario 1, it is not necessary to indicate to the gNB before sending the replicated data packets, while in scenario 2, it may or may not be necessary to send indication information.

[0052] The time-to-live timer will not expire when the gNB correctly receives the packet. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The difference lies in PDCP replication deactivation and CG deactivation. In 412, the gNB implementation or deactivation timer 2 is used to trigger the deactivation of CG and PDCP replication. The deactivation timer is set in the gNB. When a packet is received, the deactivation timer starts, where the value of the deactivation timer is greater than a lifetime threshold. If a packet is received before the deactivation timer expires, the deactivation timer is reset.

[0053] Figure 5 Another embodiment of replication when a lifetime threshold is not exceeded is shown. In 502, the gNB (i.e., the base station) configures pre-configuration parameters in the RRC message. RRC message 502 may include at least one of the following: RRCReestablishment, RRCReconfiguration, RRCResume, RRCReject, and RRCSetup. The pre-configuration parameters in message 502 may also be referred to as pre-configuration information and may include, but are not limited to, lifetime and / or communication service availability parameters. Pre-configuration parameters may include pre-configured inactive PDCP replication, pre-configured inactive configuration authorization, a configured lifetime threshold, and / or an indication that the UE can independently activate PDCP replication. Pre-configured inactive PDCP replication and pre-configured inactive CG may be examples of pre-configuration parameters. PDCP replication is a function, while CG is an uplink resource. CG should be prepared before PDCP replication is activated for use. For example, CG should not only be pre-configured but also activated during (or before) PDCP replication.

[0054] In 504, the gNB uses Activation Timer 1 or a gNB implementation to trigger a predefined downlink control message (“DCI”) to indicate the activation of a Configuration Grant (“CG”). The CG can reduce the waste of periodically allocated resources by enabling multiple devices to share periodic resources. The base station can allocate CG resources to eliminate packet transmission latency and improve the utilization of allocated periodic radio resources.

[0055] When the service is periodic, timer 1 is activated when no packet is received during the period when packets should be received. The timer value can be set to be less than a time-to-live threshold. If a packet is received before the timer expires, the timer is reset. Otherwise, the predefined DCI in 506 is triggered to activate the CG after the timer expires. Alternatively, when the service is non-periodic, a timer is activated after each packet is received. The timer value can be set to be less than a time-to-live threshold. If a packet is received before the timer expires, the timer is reset. Otherwise, the predefined DCI in 506 is triggered to activate the CG after the timer expires.

[0056] and Figures 3-4 compared to Figure 5 The difference is in 508, where the time-to-live threshold is not exceeded. When the time-to-live threshold is not exceeded in 508, CG inactivity includes at least one of the following: a predefined UCI includes the above indication information, a predefined MAC CE format includes indication information and is indicated by the LCID retained in ULSCH, and / or the indication information is included in the time-to-live status report information in 510.

[0057] Figure 6 An example of pre-configured parameter transmission is illustrated. During uplink and downlink packet transmissions, the Access and Mobility Management Function (“AMF”) sends lifetime and / or pre-configured parameters related to communication service availability objectives to the gNB and / or UE. The AMF may be an entity that utilizes the Next Generation Application Protocol (“NGAP”) to carry non-access stratum (“NAS”) messages. The AMF receives these requests and manages the connection.

[0058] In 602, the AMF uses Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling to send pre-configuration parameters (such as lifetime and / or parameters related to communication service availability targets) to the UE. This signaling may include Packet Data Units (PDUs), which may include the following items: PDU Session Resource SETUP REQUEST, PDU Session Resource Release COMMAND, PDU Session Resource Modification REQUEST, INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST, HANDOVER REQUEST, INITIAL UEMESSAGE, and DOWNLINK NAS TRANSPORT.

[0059] In 604, the AMF can use downlink control information (“DCI”) (also known as downlink information) via the next-generation interface to send parameters related to communication service availability objectives to the gNB. Downlink information may include at least one of the following: a PDU session resource setup request message, a PDU session resource release command message, a PDU session resource modification request message, a PDU session resource notification message, or a PDU session resource modification indication message.

[0060] Parameters related to the communication service availability objective may include at least one of the following: a value for communication service availability, a level value for communication service availability, an index related to the availability of the communication service, and / or the number of times the lifetime is allowed to trigger over a period of time. The unit and value range of the parameter lifetime may include at least one of the following: a lifetime value range in microseconds (e.g., 0..180000000,...) or (e.g., 0..1920000,...), a lifetime value range in 500 nanoseconds (e.g., 0..360000000,...), and a lifetime value range based on service periods (e.g., 1..3,...).

[0061] Figure 7 Another embodiment of pre-configured parameter transmission utilizing base station measurement trigger counts is illustrated. In uplink and downlink packet transmission, the gNB performs relevant measurements, and based on the measurement results, the gNB instructs the UE to transmit packets according to different priorities of the logical channel (“LCH”).

[0062] AMF uses the downlink information in 702 to send pre-configuration parameters to the base station (gNB). In 704, the base station (gNB) configures different LCH priorities for the UE in an RRC message. The RRC may include at least one of the following: RRCReestablishment, RRCReconfiguration, RRCResume, RRCReject, or RRCSetup. Different LCH priorities can be two LCHs with different priorities or a single LCH with multiple different priorities. In one embodiment, the UE may initially send uplink packets on a low-priority LCH.

[0063] In 706, the gNB determines whether the LCH priority requires handover based on the triggering of the lifetime timer or the number of times the lifetime timer is allowed to trigger within a certain period. This measurement may include starting Timer 1 after each lifetime timer trigger, where the value of Timer 1 is related to the lifetime timer. If the number of lifetime timer triggers in Timer 1 is less than the allowed number of triggers configured in the higher level, Timer 1 is reset. Conversely, Timer 1 is reset when an LCH handover procedure or cell handover procedure is triggered.

[0064] After triggering the LCH handover procedure, in step 708, the gNB instructs the UE to switch to a higher-priority LCH to transmit uplink data. The gNB instruction includes at least one of the following: the LCH handover is activated by a MAC CE including instruction information, and / or the LCH handover is activated by a DCI including instruction information on the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

[0065] After a handover procedure is triggered by an LCH based on a time-to-live (TTL) timer, if the TTL timer has not expired, the gNB instructs the UE to switch to a lower-priority LCH to transmit uplink data. After a handover procedure is triggered by an LCH based on timer 1, if timer 1 expires, the gNB may instruct the UE to switch to a lower-priority LCH to transmit uplink data. The gNB instruction includes at least one of the following: the LCH handover is activated by a MAC CE including instruction information, and / or the LCH handover is activated by a DCI including instruction information on the PDCCH.

[0066] Figure 8 Another embodiment of pre-configured parameter transmission utilizing user equipment (“UE”) to measure the number of triggers is illustrated. In uplink and downlink packet transmissions, the UE performs relevant measurements, and the UE requests the gNB to transmit packets at different priorities on the logical channel (“LCH”) based on the measurement results.

[0067] In 802, the AMF uses the NAS-PDU in NAS signaling to send pre-configuration parameters to the UE. Prior to time-to-live measurement, the gNB configures two LCHs with different priorities for the UE via an RRC message in 804. The RRC message includes at least one of the following: RRCReestablishment, RRCReconfiguration, RRCResume, RRCReject, or RRCSetup. The UE can initially send uplink packets on the selected lower-priority LCH.

[0068] The UE determines whether the LCH priority requires handover based on measurements in 806. These measurements include the number of times the lifetime is triggered or the number of times the lifetime is allowed to be triggered within a given period. This may include starting Timer 1 after each lifetime timer trigger, where the value of Timer 1 is related to the lifetime timer. If the number of lifetime triggers in Timer 1 is less than the allowed number of triggers configured at the higher level, Timer 1 is reset. Conversely, Timer 1 is reset when an LCH handover procedure or cell handover procedure is triggered.

[0069] In 808, the UE can trigger the gNB by requesting a priority for the LCH handover. The request to the gNB can be to execute an LCH handover procedure, which may include triggering an LCH handover to a higher priority using a time-to-live (TTL) timer. After triggering the LCH handover procedure based on the TTL timer, if the triggered TTL timer has not expired, the LCH handover to a lower priority can be triggered. In another embodiment, the LCH handover to a higher priority can be triggered based on timer 1. After triggering the LCH handover to a higher priority based on timer 1, if the timer expires, the LCH handover to a lower priority can be triggered. The request information includes at least one of the following: TTL status report information, a MAC CE including a request to indicate handover information, and / or a UCI including a request to indicate handover information. Upon receiving the request message, the gNB instructs activation of the LCH handover to include at least one of the following: activating the LCH handover via a MAC CE including indication information, and / or activating the LCH handover via a DCI including indication information on the PDCCH as in 810.

[0070] The UE itself can trigger a switch of LCH priority via a lifetime timer or Timer 1. When the number of triggers in Timer 1 is less than the allowed number of triggers configured for the higher priority, the UE itself triggers the LCH to switch to a higher priority. After the LCH is triggered to perform the handover process based on Timer 1, if the timer expires, the UE itself can trigger the LCH to switch to a lower priority.

[0071] The systems and processes described above can be encoded in a signal-carrying medium, a computer-readable medium (such as memory), programmed within a device (such as one or more integrated circuits, one or more processors), or processed by a controller or computer. The data can be analyzed in a computer system and used to generate a spectrogram. If the method is executed by software, the software can reside in memory that communicates with the transmitter via a storage device, synchronizer, communication interface, or non-volatile or volatile memory, or be connected via an interface to such a storage device, synchronizer, communication interface, or non-volatile or volatile memory. A circuit or electronic device is designed to transmit data to another location. The memory may include an ordered list of executable instructions for implementing logical functions. The described logical functions or any system elements can be implemented via optical circuitry, digital circuitry, source code, analog circuitry, or analog sources (such as analog electrical, audio, or video signals or combinations thereof). The software can be implemented in any computer-readable or signal-carrying medium for use by or connection to an instruction-executable system, apparatus, or device. Such a system may include a computer-based system, a processor-integrated system, or another system that can selectively obtain instructions from an instruction-executable system, apparatus, or device that can also execute instructions.

[0072] "Computer-readable medium," "machine-readable medium," "signal propagation medium," and / or "signal-carrying medium" can include any device that includes, stores, transmits, propagates, or transmits software for use by or connection to an instruction-executable system, apparatus, or device. Machine-readable media may optionally be, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, devices, or propagation media. A non-exhaustive list of examples of machine-readable media would include: an electrical connection "electronic device" having one or more wires, a portable magnetic disk or optical disk, volatile memory (such as random access memory, RAM), read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM, or flash memory), or optical fiber. Because software can be electrically stored as an image or other format (e.g., by optical scanning) and then compiled, and / or interpreted or otherwise processed, machine-readable media may also include tangible media on which software is printed. The processed medium can then be stored in computer and / or machine memory.

[0073] The illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments. The illustrations are not intended to be a complete description of all elements and features of apparatuses and systems utilizing the structures or methods described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of this disclosure. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived from this disclosure, allowing for structural and logical substitutions and changes without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, the illustrations are representative only and may not be drawn to scale. Some scales within the illustrations may be exaggerated, while others may be minimized. Therefore, this disclosure and the accompanying drawings should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0074] One or more embodiments of this disclosure may be referred to herein, individually and / or collectively, by the term "invention," merely for convenience and not intended to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any particular invention or inventive concept. Furthermore, although specific embodiments have been shown and described herein, it should be understood that any subsequent arrangement designed to achieve the same or similar purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all subsequent adaptations or variations of the various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments and other embodiments not specifically described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the specification.

[0075] The phrase "coupled with" is defined as indicating a direct connection or an indirect connection via one or more intermediate components. Such intermediate components may include both hardware-based and software-based components. The arrangement and type of components may be varied without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims described herein. Additional, different, or fewer components may be provided.

[0076] The subject matter disclosed above should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments falling within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the scope of the invention will be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the claims and their equivalents, and should not be limited or restricted by the foregoing detailed description. While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention should not be limited except by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: The user equipment (UE) receives a message from the radio network node that includes pre-configuration information and a lifetime threshold. The pre-configuration information includes: a pre-configured inactive configuration authorization, a pre-configured inactive replication prior to activating the replication function, and an indication that the UE can activate the replication function. The UE determines whether the lifetime threshold has been exceeded, and when the lifetime threshold is exceeded, the UE activates the replication function; and The UE provides the wireless network node with information for activating the replication function, or information for deactivating the replication function; The information for activating the replication function and the information for deactivating the replication function further include information related to the activation of the configuration authorization and information related to the deactivation of the configuration authorization, respectively.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The information provided for activating or deactivating the replication function includes at least one of the following: uplink control information (UCI); MAC control element (CE); or buffer status report (BSR).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The pre-configured inactive replication includes a number of Radio Link Control (RLC) entities.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, When the activation timer expires, the method further includes: Receive predefined downlink control information (DCI), the predefined DCI including an indication for activating the configuration authorization.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein, When the time-to-live timer is reset, the method further includes: Send a request containing deactivation configuration authorization information, wherein the request is included in uplink control information (UCI) or MAC control element (CE).

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein, When the number of the plurality of RLC entities is greater than 1, the information used to activate the replication function also includes the identifier of each RLC entity among the plurality of RLC entities and an indication of its activated or deactivated status.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein, When the number of the plurality of RLC entities is greater than 1, the selection of the plurality of RLC entities includes at least one of the following: the index number of the logical channel, the measurement result of the logical channel, or the list of logical channels.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The message includes a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, which includes at least one of the following: RRCReestablishment, RRCReconfiguration, RRCResume, RRCReject, or RRCSetup.

9. A method for wireless communication, comprising: The radio network node provides a message to the user equipment (UE) including pre-configuration information and a time-to-live threshold, wherein the pre-configuration information includes: pre-configured inactive configuration authorization, pre-configured inactive replication before activating the replication function, and an indication that the UE can activate the replication function; The wireless network node uses an activation timer to determine whether the time-to-live threshold has been exceeded before data is received; and The wireless network node receives information from the UE for activating the replication function or for deactivating the replication function; The information for activating the replication function and the information for deactivating the replication function further include information related to the activation of the configuration authorization and information related to the deactivation of the configuration authorization, respectively.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The pre-configured inactive replication includes the number of Radio Link Control (RLC) entities.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: The configuration authorization is activated by providing the UE with predefined downlink control information (DCI).

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein, When the time-to-live timer is reset, the method further includes: Receive a request to deactivate the configuration authorization; The request is included in the uplink control information (UCI) or MAC control element (CE).

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein, When the number of the plurality of RLC entities is greater than 1, the information for activating the replication function also includes the identifier of each RLC entity among the plurality of RLC entities and an indication of its activated or deactivated status.

14. A wireless communication device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein, The processor is configured to read code from the memory and implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable program medium thereon storing code thereon, said code, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 13.

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