Method for MSG3 duplicate requests in non-terrestrial network (NTN)

Abstract

Various techniques are provided for receiving, by a user equipment (UE), a set of Msg3 duplicate request configurations, the set of Msg3 duplicate request configurations including a set of resources for Msg1 transmissions, determining, by the UE, a metric associated with a location of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) satellite relative to the UE, determining, by the UE, a set of Msg3 duplicate request configurations based on the metric, and determining, by the UE, a set of Msg3 duplicate request configurations including a set of resources for Msg1 transmissions. The method includes determining, by the UE, a subset of a set of resources for Msg1 transmission, determining, by the UE, whether a repetition request is applicable, and selecting, by the UE, a resource from the subset of the set of resources for Msg1 transmission in response to determining that the repetition request is applicable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification relates to wireless communications. Background Art

[0002] A communication system may be a facility that enables communication between two or more nodes or devices, such as fixed or mobile communication devices. Signals may be carried on wired or wireless carriers.

[0003] An example of a cellular communication system is the architecture being standardized by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The latest development in this area is generally referred to as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio access technology. E-UTRA (Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access) is the air interface of the 3GPP's Long Term Evolution (LTE) upgrade path for mobile networks. In LTE, a base station or access point (AP) (referred to as an enhanced node AP (eNB)) provides wireless access within a coverage area or cell. In LTE, a mobile device or mobile station is referred to as a user equipment (UE). LTE has included many improvements or developments. Aspects of LTE are also continuously improving.

[0004] The development of 5G New Radio (NR) is part of the ongoing mobile broadband evolution process to meet the needs of 5G, similar to the earlier evolution of 3G and 4G wireless networks. In addition to mobile broadband, 5G also targets emerging use cases. The goal of 5G is to significantly improve the provision of wireless performance, which can include new levels of data rate, latency, reliability, and security. 5G NR can also be extended to effectively connect the massive Internet of Things (IoT) and can provide new types of mission-critical services. For example, ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC) equipment may require high reliability and very low latency. Summary of the invention

[0005] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus, a system, a non-transitory computer-readable medium (having a computer-executable program code stored thereon and executable on a computer system), and / or a method may perform: a process including determining a control resource set (CORESET) frequency position from a punctured synchronization signal block according to an example embodiment. The method may include: receiving, by a user equipment (UE), a Msg3 repetition request configuration set, the Msg3 repetition request configuration set including a set of resources for Msg1 transmission, determining, by the UE, a metric associated with a position of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) satellite relative to the UE, determining, by the UE, a subset of the set of resources for Msg1 transmission based on the metric, determining, by the UE, whether a repetition request is applicable, and selecting, by the UE, in response to determining that the repetition request is applicable, a resource from the subset of the set of resources for Msg1 transmission.

[0006] Implementations may include one or more of the following features. For example, the method may further include: sending Msg1 based on the selected resource. The Msg3 repeat request configuration set may further include: a mapping between a range of metrics and a subset of a set of resources used for Msg1 transmission. The resource may be a preamble or a random access channel opportunity. The metric may be a distance from the UE to the NTN satellite, or an elevation angle of the NTN satellite detected at the UE. Determining the distance to the NTN satellite may include: calculating the elevation angle of the NTN satellite, and calculating the distance to the NTN satellite based on the elevation angle. The distance to the NTN satellite is calculated as Where d is the distance to the NTN satellite, R e is the radius of the Earth, h is the NTN satellite altitude, is the UE elevation angle. The method may further include: the UE does not make a Msg3 repetition request in response to determining that the repetition request is not applicable. Determining whether the repetition request is applicable is based on the SSB RSRP threshold. The UE is a coverage enhancement (CE) UE.

[0007] According to an example embodiment, a device, a system, a non-transitory computer-readable medium (having a computer-executable program code stored thereon and executable on a computer system), and / or a method may perform: a process including determining a control resource set (CORESET) frequency position from a punctured synchronization signal block according to an example embodiment. The method may include: configuring a set of resources for Msg1 transmission by a base station, mapping the set of resources for Msg1 transmission to a range associated with a metric by the base station, the metric being associated with a position of the base station relative to a user equipment (UE), the base station being included in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) satellite, generating a Msg3 repetition request configuration set by the base station based on the set of resources for Msg1 transmission and the mapped range, and transmitting the Msg3 repetition request configuration set by the base station to the UE.

[0008] The implementation may include one or more of the following features. For example, the metric may be the distance from the UE to the NTN satellite, or the elevation angle of the NTN satellite detected at the UE. The resource may be a preamble or a random access channel opportunity. The preamble may include at least one physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble sequence. Each set of resources used for Msg1 transmission may be associated with a geographical portion of a cell. The UE may be a first UE, and the method may further include: detecting a second UE by the base station, modifying a Msg3 repetition request configuration set by the base station in response to detecting the second UE, and transmitting the modified Msg3 repetition request configuration set by the base station to the UE. Upper layer signaling may be used to transmit upper layer signaling.

[0009] The details of one or more examples of embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1A and 1B is a block diagram of a wireless network according to an example embodiment.

[0011] Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating a Msg3 repetition configuration according to an example embodiment.

[0012] Figure 3 is a diagram of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) according to an example embodiment.

[0013] Figure 4 is an illustration of satellite geometry according to an example embodiment.

[0014] Figure 5 is a block diagram of a method of operating a user equipment according to an example embodiment.

[0015] Figure 6 is a block diagram of a method of operating an NTN base station according to an example embodiment.

[0016] Figure 7 is a block diagram of a wireless station or wireless node (e.g., AP, BS, gNB, RAN node, relay node, UE or user equipment, network node, network entity, DU, CU-CP, CU-CP, or other node) according to an example embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Figure 1A is a block diagram of a wireless network 130 according to an example embodiment. Figure 1B is a block diagram of a wireless network 140 according to an example embodiment. Figure 1A Wireless network 130 and / or Figure 1B In a wireless network 140, user devices 131, 132, 133, and 135 (which may also be referred to as mobile stations (MS) or user equipment (UE)) may be connected to (and communicate with) a base station (BS) 134, which may also be referred to as an access point (AP), an enhanced Node B (eNB), a BS, a next generation Node B (gNB), a next generation enhanced Node B (ng-eNB), or a network node. The terms user device and user equipment (UE) may be used interchangeably.

[0018] BS 134 may be referred to as a terrestrial BS. Wireless network 140 may extend wireless network 130 to further include a non-terrestrial network (NTN) base station (NTN-BS) 160. NTN-BS 160 may be implemented in a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite, a high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, an unmanned aerial system (UAS), a lighter-than-air (LTA) UAS, a heavier-than-air (HTA) UAS, etc. In addition, the NTN-BS may be on the ground, with signals routed through a satellite.

[0019] The BS (including NTN-BS) may also include or may be referred to as a RAN (Radio Access Network) node, and may include a portion of a BS or a portion of a RAN node (e.g., in the case of a separate BS, such as a centralized unit (CU) and / or a distributed unit (DU)). At least a portion of the functionality of a BS (e.g., an access point (AP), a base station (BS), an NTN base station (NTN-BS), or an (enhanced) node B (eNB), a BS, a RAN node) may also be performed by any node, server, or host operably coupled to a transceiver (such as a remote radio head or a satellite). The BS (or AP) 134 provides wireless coverage within a cell 136 including user equipment (or UE) 131, 132, 133, and 135. The NTN-BS 160 may provide wireless coverage within the cell 136, within a plurality of cells (not shown), and / or within a geographic coverage area. Although only four user equipment (or UE) are shown connected or attached to the BS 134 and / or the NTN-BS 160, any number of user equipment may be provided. And BS 134 is also connected to core network 150 via S1 interface or NG interface 151. NTN-BS 160 is also connected to UE (shown as UE 131) via Uu interface 162. NTN-BS 160 is also connected to BS 134 via S1 / NG interface 164. NTN-BS 160 is also connected to core network 150 via S1 interface or NG interface 166. These are just a simple example of wireless networks, and other examples can be used.

[0020] A base station (e.g., such as BS 134 and / or NTN-BS 160) is an example of a radio access network (RAN) node within a wireless network. A BS (or RAN node) may be or may include (or alternatively be referred to as) for example an access point (AP), a gNB, an eNB, or a portion thereof (in the case of a separate BS or separate gNB, such as a centralized unit (CU) and / or a distributed unit (DU)), or other network node. For example, a BS (or gNB) may include: a distributed unit (DU) network entity, such as a gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU), and a centralized unit (CU) that may control multiple DUs. In some cases, for example, a centralized unit (CU) may be separated or divided into: a control plane entity, such as a gNB centralized (or central) unit control plane (gNB-CU-CP), and a user plane entity, such as a gNB centralized (or central) unit user plane (gNB-CU-UP). For example, the CU sub-entities (gNB-CU-CP, gNB-CU-UP) may be provided as different logical entities or different software entities (e.g., as separate or different software entities that communicate), which may be run or provided on the same hardware or server, in the cloud, etc., or may be provided on different hardware, systems or servers (e.g., physically separated hardware, systems or servers), or run on different systems, hardware or servers.

[0021] As previously described, in a split configuration of gNB / BS, the gNB functionality may be separated into DU and CU. A distributed unit (DU) may provide or establish wireless communications with one or more UEs. Thus, a DU may provide one or more cells and may allow a UE to communicate with a DU and / or establish a connection to a DU to receive wireless services, such as allowing a UE to send or receive data. A centralized (or central) unit (CU) may provide control functions and / or data plane functions for one or more connected DUs, for example, including gNB control such as user data transfer, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, session management, etc., in addition to functions specifically assigned to a DU. The CU may control the operation of the DU (e.g., the CU communicates with one or more DUs) via a fronthaul (Fs) interface.

[0022] According to an illustrative example, in general, a BS node (e.g., BS, eNB, gNB, CU / DU, etc.) or a radio access network (RAN) may be part of a mobile telecommunication system. The RAN (radio access network) may include one or more BSs or RAN nodes implementing a radio access technology, for example, to allow one or more UEs to have access to a network or core network. Thus, for example, a RAN (RAN node, such as a BS or gNB) may be located between one or more user equipment or UEs and a core network. According to an example embodiment, each RAN node (e.g., BS, eNB, gNB, CU / DU, etc.) or BS may provide one or more wireless communication services for one or more UEs or user equipment, for example, to allow the UE to have wireless access to the network via the RAN node. Each RAN node or BS may perform or provide wireless communication services, for example, allowing the UE or user equipment to establish a wireless connection to the RAN node and to send and / or receive data to and / or from one or more of the UEs. For example, after establishing a connection to the UE, the RAN node (e.g., BS, eNB, gNB, CU / DU, etc.) may forward data received from the network or core network to the UE, and / or forward data received from the UE to the network or core network. RAN nodes (e.g., BS, eNB, gNB, CU / DU, etc.) may perform various other wireless functions or services, such as broadcasting control information (e.g., system information) to UEs, paging UEs when there is data to be transmitted to the UEs, assisting UE handovers between cells, scheduling resources for uplink data transmission from (multiple) UEs and downlink data transmission to (multiple) UEs, sending control information to configure one or more UEs, etc. These are a few examples of one or more functions that a RAN node or BS may perform. A base station may also be the DU (distributed unit) part of an IAB (integrated access and backhaul) node (also known as a relay node). The DU facilitates access link connections to the IAB node.

[0023] User equipment (user terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile terminal, handheld wireless device, etc.) may refer to a portable computing device, including wireless mobile communication devices that operate with or without a user identity module (SIM) (which may be referred to as a universal SIM), including, by way of example, but not limited to, the following types of devices: mobile station (MS), mobile phone, cell phone, smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), cell phone, device using a wireless modem (alarm or measuring device, etc.), laptop and / or touch screen computer, tablet computer, tablet phone, game console, notebook computer, vehicle, sensor, and multimedia device or any other wireless device. It should be understood that a user device may also be (or may include) a device that is almost exclusively uplink-only, an example of which is a camera or video camera that loads images or video clips to a network. A user device may also be the MT (mobile terminal) portion of an IAB (integrated access and backhaul) node (also known as a relay node). The MT facilitates backhaul connections for IAB nodes.

[0024] In LTE (as an illustrative example), the core network 150 may be referred to as an evolved packet core (EPC) that may include a mobility management entity (MME) that may handle or assist: mobility / handover of user equipment between BSs, one or more gateways that may forward data and control signals between the BSs and a packet data network or the Internet, and other control functions or blocks. Other types of wireless networks, such as 5G (which may be referred to as new radio (NR)), may also include a core network (e.g., in 5G / NR, may be referred to as 5GC).

[0025] In addition, by way of illustrative example, the various example embodiments or techniques described herein may be applied to various types of user devices or data service types, or may be applied to user devices that may have multiple applications running thereon, which may be different data service types. New radio (5G) developments may support many different applications or many different data service types, such as: machine type communications (MTC), enhanced machine type communications (eMTC), massive MTC (mMTC), Internet of Things (IoT), and / or narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) user devices, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), and ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC). Many of these new 5G (NR) related applications may require higher performance than previous wireless networks.

[0026] IoT may refer to the growing group of objects that may have an Internet or network connection so that the objects may send information to and receive information from other network devices. For example, many sensor-type applications or devices may monitor physical conditions or states and may send reports (e.g., when events occur) to servers or other network devices. Machine type communications (MTC, or machine-to-machine communications) may, for example, be characterized by fully automated data generation, exchange, processing, and actuation between intelligent machines, with or without human intervention. Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) may support higher data rates than currently available in LTE.

[0027] Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication (URLLC) is a new type of data service or new use case that can support the New Radio (5G) system. This enables emerging applications and services such as industrial automation, autonomous driving, vehicle safety, e-health services, etc. 3GPP aims to provide reliable connectivity, corresponding to 10 -5 Block error rate (BLER) and U-plane (user / data plane) latency of up to 1 millisecond. Thus, for example, a URLLC user equipment / UE may require a significantly lower block error rate than other types of user equipment / UE, as well as low latency (regardless of whether there is a requirement for simultaneous high reliability). Thus, for example, a URLLC UE (or a URLLC application on a UE) may require shorter latency than an eMBB UE (or an eMBB application running on a UE).

[0028] Various example embodiments may be applied to various wireless technologies or wireless networks, such as LTE, LTE-A, 5G (New Radio (NR)), centimeter wave and / or millimeter wave band networks, IoT, MTC, eMTC, mMTC, eMBB, URLLC, etc., or any other wireless network or wireless technology. These example networks, technologies, or data service types are provided only as illustrative examples.

[0029] In a terrestrial network (TN), channel conditions can remain consistent over a long period of time. In contrast, channel conditions in an NTN can change quickly and in a semi-predictable manner. Base stations in a TN can be in fixed locations. In contrast, base station locations in an NTN are not necessarily fixed. Therefore, changes in the path loss, distance, and elevation angle of the UE during the satellite orbit may need to be considered. Msg3 PUSCH repetition Type A serves as such a communication channel, where changes in the path loss, distance, and elevation angle of the UE during the satellite orbit may need to be considered.

[0030] For example, Msg3 PUSCH repetition Type A may be requested by a Coverage Enhancement (CE) UE during Msg1 PRACH if the measured SS-RSRP of all SSBs is below a certain threshold (as shown below):

[0031] SS-RSRP<rsrp-ThresholdSSB+ / -rsrp-Threshold-MsgRep, (1)

[0032] A new threshold (e.g., rsrp-Threshold-Msg3Rep) (Formula 1) may be defined for NTN. The new threshold may be configured by the BS, which may be greater than or less than rsrp-ThresholdSSB. In coverage enhancement scenarios, different numbers of repetitions may be required for each UE depending on the channel conditions to ensure proper reception at the gNB. In addition to configuring a new threshold to send Msg3 repetition requests by applying different preambles or sets of PRACH / preambles or RACH timings (UEs with dedicated CE functionality) to distinguish CE UEs from legacy UEs, the BS may also determine the number of repetitions based on, for example, the quality of receiving Msg1 sent by the CE UE. The maximum number of Msg3 repetitions may be determined based on the enhancement objectives and scenario context (e.g., BLER expectations for rural, urban, or suburban scenarios) to compensate for the coverage gap.

[0033] As the satellite moves toward the horizon, the number of CE UEs requesting Msg3 repetition in the cell may increase. Therefore, the probability of satisfying the requirement of formula (1) for the UEs in the cell may increase. This may cause more CE UEs to transmit requests for Msg3 repetition by selecting PRACH preambles from the same reserved preamble group. If satellite movement is taken into account, when the satellite moves toward the horizon, the probability of collision and the number of requests may increase because more UEs in the cell may satisfy the requirement of formula (1). These UEs may make Msg3 requests at the same time.

[0034] Considering a fixed UE location, the satellite motion itself may increase the number of Msg3 repetition requests due to high signal fluctuations when moving from the nadir to the horizon. Therefore, a scheme needs to be defined to optimize the size of the preamble or RACH opportunity (RO) set so that the PRACH resources are not too scarce when the satellite is far away from the earth and not too many when the satellite is close to the earth. The example implementation provides enhancements to the Msg3 repetition request during PRACH in NTN, thereby reducing the number of conflicts and unsuccessful PRACHs and can compensate for the dynamic changes in channel conditions due to satellite motion and high signal fluctuations.

[0035] An example implementation may introduce a dynamic subset of preambles or ROs derived from a set of preambles or ROs configured by the network for Msg3 repetition requests. For example, the subset size may be adapted to the position of the satellite relative to the earth and may be mapped to a range of UE distances from NTN satellites. In an example implementation, a subset of the set of preambles or ROs may be determined based on the calculated distance. For example, if the satellite is located above the UE and the distance is small, a small portion of the repeated preambles or ROs may be used for UE selection for PRACH transmission. For example, if the satellite is located far from the UE, where the calculated elevation angle (e.g., ) and the distance are relatively low and high, respectively, a larger portion of the preamble and RO can be used for UE selection for PRACH transmission. In order to determine a dynamic subset of preambles or ROs, a Msg3Rep-Preamble set can be configured (for example, through RRC). In this example, each subset of preambles or ROs in the Msg3Rep-PreambleSubset can be mapped to a range of UE distances defined by a BS (for example, an NTN-BS). This may depend on the relative position of the UE in the satellite beam covering the UE. If the beam size is large enough, different repetition factors can be used for UEs located at the edge or center of the beam. This can be taken into account by the BS when allocating a specific number of repetitions for Msg3. In the example, the configuration of the Msg3Rep-PreambleSubset distance can be cell-specific and can be applied to CE NTN UEs in the cell.

[0036] Figure 2 is a flowchart of Msg3 repetition configuration according to an example implementation. Figure 2 As shown, the wireless system may include: UE 205 and BS210. UE 205 and / or BS210 may be configured to communicate with each other (e.g., wireless communication). For example, UE 205 and BS210 may be configured to transmit messages, signals, etc. to each other. For example, UE 205 and / or BS210 may be configured to communicate using the wireless standard as described above. In an example implementation, in box 215, BS120 may determine a Msg3 repeat request configuration set. The Msg3 repeat request configuration set may include a set of resources for Msg1 transmission. The resource may be a preamble or a random access channel opportunity. For example, the Msg3 repeat request configuration set may include: a subset number, a distance range, and a Msg3 repeat preamble subset range.

[0037] UE 205 may map N subsets in the Msg3Rep-Preamble set to a range associated with a metric. The metric may be related to the position of the NTN satellite including BS210 relative to UE 205. UE 205 may map N subsets in the Msg3Rep-Preamble set to a range of selected distances. For example, Table 1 may illustrate an example Msg3 repetition request configuration set mapped to a corresponding distance. BS210 may change the Msg3 repetition request configuration set, mapping, and / or corresponding distance based on the number and / or number change of UEs in a cell and / or an area in a cell. In block 220, BS210 transmits message 220 to UE 205. Message 220 may include the Msg3 repetition request configuration set. In an example implementation, UE205 may transmit message 220 via upper layer signaling (e.g., SIB1). For example, when the Msg3 repetition request configuration set, mapping, and / or corresponding distance change, message 220 may be retransmitted.

[0038]

[0039]

[0040] Table 1

[0041] In response to receiving the message 220, in block 225, the UE 205 may calculate a metric associated with the location. The metric may be a distance from the UE 205 to an NTN satellite including the BS 210, or an elevation angle of an NTN satellite detected at the UE 205. In an example implementation, the elevation angle may be calculated using algorithms such as MUSIC and / or ESPRIT (e.g., ). In an example implementation, the distance (d) from the UE 205 to the BS 210 may be calculated as:

[0042]

[0043] Where R e represents the radius of the Earth,

[0044] h is the satellite altitude, and

[0045] Indicates the UE elevation angle.

[0046] The calculation of the elevation angle and the distance between the UE 205 and the satellite 205 may be based on information related to the serving satellite ephemeris (e.g., the position of the satellite in space combined with satellite movement information) from broadcast information (e.g., SIB19), and information related to the geographic location of the UE 205 from the use of GNSS information (e.g., GPS-like information). The distance calculation may be based on the time at which the distance is calculated / estimated.

[0047] For example, the time at which the UE calculates / estimates the distance to the satellite for the selection of the preamble may be based on at least one of the following: the transmission time of the random access preamble, the expected reception time of the random access response (e.g., the end of the random access response window), and / or the expected transmission time of Msg3. The expected transmission time of Msg3 may be configured by the base station and / or as a hard-coded value on the UE side (e.g., two (2) times the round trip time to the satellite plus processing delays).

[0048] Then, in block 230, UE 205 may select and / or determine a subset of the Msg3 preamble or RO based on the distance. For example, if UE 205 calculates the distance to be 870 km, referring to Table 1, UE 205 may select subset number three (3). UE 205 may select a subset number three (3) based on the distance. RSRP Block 230 (and block 235) is executed after evaluating to:

[0049] UE RSRP <rsrp-ThresholdSSB-rsrp-Threshold-Msg3Rep, (3)

[0050] If UE RSRP If the requirement of formula (3) is met, UE 205 may perform block 230 (and block 235). Otherwise, UE 205 may not transmit message 235 to make a Msg3 repetition request.

[0051] In block 235, UE 205 transmits message 235 to BS 210. Message 235 may be a Msg3 repeat request transmitted using a subset of the Msg1 preamble or RO. Continuing with this example, UE 205 may transmit message 235 using a subset of the PRACH preamble (PRACH sequence [1] ...

[25] ). If UE RSRP If the requirements of equation (3) are not met, UE 205 may not execute block 230, and UE 205 may not transmit message 235 to make a Msg3 repetition request.

[0052] Figure 3 is a diagram of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) according to an example embodiment. Figure 3As shown, the NTN includes: BS 160, cell 305, and geographic areas 310, 315, 320. In an example implementation, geographic area 310 is associated with a first subset, geographic area 315 is associated with a second subset, and geographic area 320 is associated with a third subset. For example, referring to Table 1, the first subset may be subset #1, the second subset may be subset #2, and the third subset may be subset #3.

[0053] The cell 305 may cover a distance d (e.g., up to 1000 km). Each geographic area 310, 315, 320 may have multiple UEs (e.g., CE UEs) served by the BS 160 (e.g., as an NTN-BS). UEs located in the same area are close to each other in distance to the BS 160. In an example implementation, the Msg3 repetition request configuration set may include: a first subset, a second subset, and a third subset associated with the geographic area 310, the geographic area 315, and the geographic area 320, respectively. The Msg3 repetition request configuration set may change as the satellite including the BS 160 moves (e.g., as the earth rotates), and / or as the number of UEs in the geographic areas 310, 315, 320 changes. The UEs within the geographic areas 310, 315, 320 may select a subset based on the distance to the satellite including the BS 160, which may be a subset associated with the geographic areas 310, 315, 320.

[0054] Figure 4 is an illustration of satellite geometry according to an example embodiment. Figure 4 As shown, circle 405 represents the Earth, satellite 410 is in orbit about the Earth, and UE 415 is in position on the Earth. Figure 4 Can be used to show the variables used in the above formula (2). Figure 4 As shown, R e represents the radius of the earth, h represents the altitude of the satellite, represents the UE elevation angle, and d represents the distance from the UE 415 to the satellite 410. Figure 4 It can be used to prove formula (2) as follows.

[0055] first:

[0056]

[0057] Formula (4) and Formula (5) can be rewritten as follows:

[0058]

[0059] Known,

[0060] sin 2 (θ)+cos 2(θ)=1,

[0061] Expanding the above formula yields:

[0062]

[0063] Example 1. Figure 5 is a block diagram of a method of operating a user device according to an example embodiment. Figure 5 As shown, in step S505, a user equipment (UE) receives a Msg3 repetition request configuration set, the Msg3 repetition request configuration set including a set of resources for Msg1 transmission;. In step S510, the UE determines a metric associated with a position of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) satellite relative to the UE. In step S515, the UE determines a subset of the set of resources for Msg1 transmission based on the metric. In step S520, the UE determines whether a repetition request is applicable. In step S525, the UE selects a resource from the subset of the set of resources for Msg1 transmission in response to determining that the repetition request is applicable.

[0064] Example 2. The method according to Example 1 may further include: sending Msg1 based on the selected resource.

[0065] Example 3. The method according to Example 1, wherein the Msg3 repetition request configuration set may further include: a mapping between a range of metrics and a subset of a set of resources used for Msg1 transmission.

[0066] Example 4. The method of Example 1, wherein the resource may be: a preamble or a random access channel opportunity.

[0067] Example 5. The method of Example 1, wherein the metric may be a distance from the UE to an NTN satellite, or an elevation angle of an NTN satellite detected at the UE.

[0068] Example 6. The method of Example 5, wherein determining the distance to the NTN satellite may include calculating an elevation angle of the NTN satellite, and calculating the distance to the NTN satellite based on the elevation angle.

[0069] Example 7. The method of Example 6, wherein the distance to the NTN satellite is calculated as Where d is the distance to the NTN satellite, R e is the radius of the Earth, h is the NTN satellite altitude, is the UE elevation angle.

[0070] Example 8. The method according to Example 1 may further include: the UE does not make a Msg3 repetition request in response to determining that the repetition request is not applicable.

[0071] Example 9. The method of Example 1, wherein determining whether a repeat request is applicable may be based on a SSB RSRP threshold.

[0072] Example 10. The method of Example 1, wherein the UE is a coverage enhancement (CE) UE.

[0073] Example 11. Figure 6 is a block diagram of a method of operating an NTN base station according to an example embodiment. Figure 6 As shown, in step S605, the base station configures a set of resources for Msg1 transmission. In step S610, the base station maps the set of resources for Msg1 transmission to a range associated with a metric, the metric being associated with a position of the base station relative to a user equipment (UE), and the base station being included in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) satellite. In step S615, the base station generates a Msg3 repetition request configuration set based on the set of resources for Msg1 transmission and the mapped range. In step S620, the base station transmits the Msg3 repetition request configuration set to the UE.

[0074] Example 12. The method of Example 11, wherein the metric may be a distance from the UE to an NTN satellite, or an elevation angle of the NTN satellite detected at the UE.

[0075] Example 13. The method of Example 11, wherein the resource may be: a preamble or a random access channel opportunity.

[0076] Example 14. The method of Example 13, wherein the preamble may include: at least one physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble sequence.

[0077] Example 15. The method of Example 11, wherein each set of resources for Msg1 transmission may be associated with a geographic portion of a cell.

[0078] Example 16. According to the method of Example 11, wherein the UE may be a first UE, the method may further include: detecting a second UE by the base station, modifying the Msg3 repetition request configuration set by the base station in response to detecting the second UE, and transmitting the modified Msg3 repetition request configuration set by the base station to the UE.

[0079] Example 17. The method of Example 11, wherein the upper layer signaling may be transmitted using upper layer signaling.

[0080] Example 18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which instructions, when executed by at least one processor, are configured to cause a computing system to perform the method of any of Examples 1-17.

[0081] Example 19. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any one of Examples 1 to 17.

[0082] Example 20. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least perform the method of any one of Examples 1 to 17.

[0083] Figure 7 is a block diagram of a wireless station 700 or a wireless node or a network node 700 according to an example embodiment. According to an example embodiment, the wireless node or the wireless station or the network node 700 may include, for example, one or more of the following: an AP, a BS, a gNB, a RAN node, a relay node, a UE or user equipment, a network node, a network entity, a DU, a CU-CP, a CU-UP, etc., or other nodes.

[0084] The wireless station 700 may include, for example, one or more (e.g., Figure 7 The wireless station also includes two RF or wireless transceivers 702A and 702B, each of which includes a transmitter to send signals and a receiver to receive signals. The wireless station also includes a processor or control unit / entity (controller) 704 to execute instructions or software and control the transmission and reception of signals, and a memory 706 to store data and / or instructions.

[0085] The processor 704 may also make decisions or determinations, generate frames, data packets or messages for transmission, decode received frames or messages for further processing, and perform other tasks or functions described herein. The processor 704 may be a baseband processor, for example, may generate messages, data packets, frames, or other signals for transmission through the wireless transceiver 702 (702A or 702B). The processor 704 may control the transmission of signals or messages through a wireless network, and may control the reception of signals or messages, etc. through a wireless network (for example, after being down-converted by the wireless transceiver 702). The processor 704 may be programmable and may be capable of executing software or other instructions stored in a memory or other computer medium to perform the various tasks and functions described above, such as one or more of the tasks or methods described above. The processor 704 may be (or may include): for example, hardware, programmable logic, a programmable processor that executes software or firmware, and / or any combination of these. Using other terms, for example, the processor 704 and the transceiver 702 together may be considered a wireless transmitter / receiver system.

[0086] In addition, reference Figure 7, the controller (or processor) 708 can execute software and instructions and can provide overall control for the station 700, as well as Figure 7 The wireless station 700 may provide control for other systems not shown in the figure, such as controlling input / output devices (e.g., display, keyboard), and / or may execute software for one or more applications that may be provided on the wireless station 700, such as an email program, audio / video applications, word processor, IP voice application, or other applications or software.

[0087] Additionally, a storage medium may be provided that includes stored instructions that, when executed by a controller or processor, may cause the processor 704, or other controllers or processors, to perform one or more of the functions or tasks described above.

[0088] According to another example embodiment, the RF or (multiple) wireless transceiver 702A / 702B can receive signals or data, and / or transmit or send signals or data. The processor 704 (and possibly the transceiver 702A / 702B) can control the RF or wireless transceiver 702A or 702B to receive, send, broadcast, or transmit signals or data.

[0089] However, the example embodiments are not limited to the systems given as examples, and those skilled in the art may apply the scheme to other communication systems. Another example of a suitable communication system is a 5G system. It is assumed that the network architecture in 5G is very similar to that of advanced LTE. 5G may use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, more base stations or nodes than LTE (the so-called small cell concept, including macro sites operating in collaboration with small sites), and may also adopt various radio technologies to achieve better coverage and enhanced data rates.

[0090] It should be understood that future networks will likely utilize network function virtualization (NFV), a network architecture concept that proposes virtualizing network node functions into "building blocks" or entities that can be operably connected or linked together to provide services. A virtualized network function (VNF) may include one or more virtual machines that use standard or common types of servers rather than custom hardware to run computer program code. Cloud computing or data storage may also be utilized. In radio communications, this may mean that node operations may be performed at least in part in a server, host, or node that is operably coupled to a remote radio head. Node operations may also be distributed among multiple servers, nodes, or hosts. It should also be understood that the distribution of labor between core network operations and base station operations may be different from LTE or even non-existent.

[0091] Example embodiments of the various technologies described herein may be implemented in digital electronic circuit systems, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in a combination thereof. Example embodiments may be implemented as a computer program product, i.e., a computer program tangibly embodied in an information carrier, for example, in a machine-readable storage device or in a propagated signal, for execution by a data processing device (e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple computers), or for controlling the operation of a data processing device. Embodiments may also be provided on a computer-readable medium or a computer-readable storage medium (which may be a non-transitory medium). Embodiments of various technologies may also include: embodiments provided via transient signals or media, and / or program and / or software embodiments downloaded via the Internet or (multiple) other networks (wired networks and / or wireless networks). In addition, embodiments may be provided via machine type communications (MTC), and via the Internet of Things (IOT).

[0092] A computer program may be in source code form, object code form, or some intermediate form, and it may be stored in some carrier, distribution medium, or computer readable medium, which may be any entity or device capable of carrying the program. Such carriers include, for example, recording media, computer memory, read-only memory, optical and / or electrical carrier signals, telecommunication signals, and software distribution packages. Depending on the processing power required, a computer program may be executed in a single electronic digital computer or distributed among multiple computers.

[0093] In addition, example embodiments of the various techniques described herein may use a cyber-physical system (CPS) (a system of collaborative computing elements that control physical entities). CPS can implement embodiments and the utilization of a large number of interconnected ICT devices (sensors, actuators, processors, microcontrollers, etc.) embedded in physical objects in different locations. Mobile cyber-physical systems are a subcategory of cyber-physical systems, in which the physical systems in question have inherent mobility. Examples of mobile physical systems include mobile robots and electronic devices transported by humans or animals. The popularity of smartphones has increased people's interest in the field of mobile cyber-physical systems. Therefore, various embodiments of the techniques described herein may be provided by one or more of these technologies.

[0094] Computer programs (such as the above-mentioned (multiple) computer programs) can be written in any form of programming language, including written in compiled or interpreted languages, and can be deployed in any form, including as stand-alone programs or as modules, components, subroutines, or other units or parts suitable for computing environments. Computer programs can be deployed for execution on one computer or on multiple computers at one site, or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.

[0095] The method steps may be performed by one or more programmable processors executing a computer program or a portion of a computer program to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. The method steps may also be performed by an apparatus, and the apparatus may be implemented as a special purpose logic circuit system, for example, an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit).

[0096] Processors suitable for the execution of computer programs include, for example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any type of digital computer, chip or chipset. Typically, the processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The elements of a computer may include at least one processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Typically, a computer may also include, or be operatively coupled to, one or more mass storage devices (e.g., magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks) for storing data, which receive data from it, transmit data to it, or both. Information carriers suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including, for example, semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and memory may be supplemented by, or incorporated into, a dedicated logic circuit system.

[0097] To provide interaction with a user, embodiments may be implemented on a computer having a display device (e.g., a cathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor) and a user interface (such as a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or trackball) for displaying information to the user, through which the user may provide input to the computer. Other types of devices may also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, the feedback provided to the user may be any form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user may be received in any form, including acoustic, voice, or tactile input.

[0098] Example embodiments may be implemented in a computing system that includes a back-end component (e.g., a data server), or includes a middleware component (e.g., an application server), or includes a front-end component (e.g., a client computer with a graphical user interface or a web browser through which a user can interact with the embodiment, or any combination of these back-end, middleware, or front-end components). The components may be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs), such as the Internet.

[0099] Although certain features of the described embodiments have been illustrated as described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It should therefore be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the various embodiments.

Claims

1. A method comprising: Receiving, by a user equipment (UE), a Msg3 repetition request configuration set, wherein the Msg3 repetition request configuration set includes a set of resources used for Msg1 transmission; determining, by the UE, a metric associated with a position of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) satellite relative to the UE; Determining, by the UE based on the metric, a subset of the set of resources used for Msg1 transmission; determining, by the UE, whether a repeat request is applicable; as well as In response to determining that the repetition request is applicable, the UE selects resources from the subset of the set of resources used for Msg1 transmission.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Msg1 is sent based on the selected resource.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the Msg3 repeat request configuration set further comprises: A mapping between a range of the metric and a subset of the set of resources used for Msg1 transmission. The method of claim 1 , wherein the resource is a preamble or a random access channel opportunity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the metric is: a distance from the UE to the NTN satellite, or an elevation angle of the NTN satellite detected at the UE.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the distance to the NTN satellite comprises: calculating the elevation angle of the NTN satellite, and The distance to the NTN satellite is calculated based on the elevation angle.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the distance to the NTN satellite is calculated as follows: in d is the distance to the NTN satellite, R e is the radius of the Earth, h is the NTN satellite altitude, and is the UE elevation angle.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to determining that the repetition request is not applicable, the UE does not make a Msg3 repetition request.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the repeat request is applicable is based on a SSB RSRP threshold.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE is a coverage enhancement (CE) UE.

11. A method comprising: The base station configures a set of resources for Msg1 transmission; Mapping, by the base station, the set of resources for Msg1 transmission to a range associated with a metric associated with a location of the base station relative to a user equipment (UE), the base station being included in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) satellite; The base station generates a Msg3 repetition request configuration set based on the set of resources used for Msg1 transmission and the mapped range; as well as The base station transmits the Msg3 repetition request configuration set to the UE.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the metric is: a distance from the UE to the NTN satellite, or an elevation angle of the NTN satellite detected at the UE.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the resource is a preamble or a random access channel opportunity.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the preamble comprises: At least one physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble sequence.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein each set of resources used for Msg1 transmission is associated with a geographic portion of a cell.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the UE is a first UE, the method comprising: The base station detects a second UE; In response to detecting the second UE, the base station modifies the Msg3 repetition request configuration set; as well as The base station transmits the modified Msg3 repetition request configuration set to the UE. The method according to claim 11 , wherein upper layer signaling is transmitted using the upper layer signaling.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which when executed by at least one processor are configured to cause a user equipment (UE): Receiving, by the UE, a Msg3 repeat request configuration set, wherein the Msg3 repeat request configuration set includes a set of resources used for Msg1 transmission; determining, by the UE, a metric associated with a position of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) satellite relative to the UE; Determining, by the UE based on the metric, a subset of the set of resources used for Msg1 transmission; determining, by the UE, whether a repeat request is applicable; as well as In response to determining that the repetition request is applicable, the UE selects resources from the subset of the set of resources used for Msg1 transmission.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which instructions, when executed by at least one processor, are configured to cause a base station to: The base station configures a set of resources for Msg1 transmission; Mapping, by the base station, the set of resources for Msg1 transmission to a range associated with a metric associated with a location of the base station relative to a user equipment (UE), the base station being included in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) satellite; The base station generates a Msg3 repetition request configuration set based on the set of resources used for Msg1 transmission and the mapped range; as well as The base station transmits the Msg3 repetition request configuration set to the UE.

20. A user equipment (UE), comprising means for: Receiving, by the UE, a Msg3 repeat request configuration set, wherein the Msg3 repeat request configuration set includes a set of resources used for Msg1 transmission; determining, by the UE, a metric associated with a position of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) satellite relative to the UE; Determining, by the UE based on the metric, a subset of the set of resources used for Msg1 transmission; determining, by the UE, whether a repeat request is applicable; as well as In response to determining that the repetition request is applicable, the UE selects resources from the subset of the set of resources used for Msg1 transmission.

21. A base station comprising means for: The base station configures a set of resources for Msg1 transmission; Mapping, by the base station, the set of resources for Msg1 transmission to a range associated with a metric associated with a location of the base station relative to a user equipment (UE), the base station being included in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) satellite; The base station generates a Msg3 repetition request configuration set based on the set of resources used for Msg1 transmission and the mapped range; as well as The base station transmits the Msg3 repetition request configuration set to the UE.

22. A user equipment (UE), comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory, the 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 UE to: Receiving, by the UE, a Msg3 repeat request configuration set, wherein the Msg3 repeat request configuration set includes a set of resources used for Msg1 transmission; determining, by the UE, a metric associated with a position of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) satellite relative to the UE; Determining, by the UE based on the metric, a subset of the set of resources used for Msg1 transmission; determining, by the UE, whether a repeat request is applicable; as well as In response to determining that the repetition request is applicable, the UE selects resources from the subset of the set of resources used for Msg1 transmission.

23. A base station, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory, the 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 base station to: The base station configures a set of resources for Msg1 transmission; Mapping, by the base station, the set of resources for Msg1 transmission to a range associated with a metric associated with a location of the base station relative to a user equipment (UE), the base station being included in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) satellite; The base station generates a Msg3 repetition request configuration set based on the set of resources used for Msg1 transmission and the mapped range; as well as The base station transmits the Msg3 repetition request configuration set to the UE.

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