Unified access control improvements

Abstract

The invention relates to unified access control improvements. The present disclosure relates to techniques for performing wireless communications in the context of unified access control. The UE may enter an update required state. The UE may detect pending communications. The UE may access the network using an access category associated with pending communications. The UE may complete the update.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with application date of November 5, 2021, application number 202111302916.9, and titled "Improvement of Unified Access Control". Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to wireless communications, including unified access control. Background Art

[0003] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In addition, wireless communication technology has evolved from voice communications only to also include the transmission of data such as the Internet and multimedia content.

[0004] Mobile electronic devices may take the form of smart phones or tablet computers that are commonly carried by users. Wearable devices (also known as accessory devices) are a newer form of mobile electronic devices, an example of which is a smart watch. In addition, low-cost, low-complexity wireless devices intended for static or dynamic deployment are also increasing rapidly as part of the development of the "Internet of Things". In other words, the complexity, capabilities, traffic patterns and other characteristics of the required devices are increasingly wide-ranging. In general, it is desirable to recognize and provide improved support for a wide range of required wireless communication characteristics. One feature may be access control for different types of access categories. Improvements in this area are desired. Summary of the invention

[0005] Embodiments of systems, apparatus, and methods are presented herein for, inter alia, performing a radio resource control connection procedure for fast-moving wireless devices in a wireless communication system.

[0006] As described above, there are an increasing number of use cases for communicating with wireless networks of different kinds of user equipment devices (UE) with widely varying capabilities and usage expectations. One direction of expansion of possible use cases supported by wireless communication technologies may include increasing the use of techniques for access control. In some cases, higher priority services may be blocked based on the state of a connection. Therefore, the techniques described herein include techniques for a UE (e.g., in communication with a network) to access services without undue delay.

[0007] For example, the UE may establish a connection with a cellular network. The UE and / or the network may initiate an update regarding the UE's connection. For example, due to a unified access control block for a first access category associated with the update, the UE may not immediately complete the update. While the update is pending, the UE may detect a pending communication. In response, the UE may determine a second access category associated with the pending communication and whether the second access category is currently blocked. If the second access category is not currently blocked, the UE may initiate access to the network according to the second access category. The UE and the network may exchange data related to the pending communication and may complete the update.

[0008] The techniques described herein may be implemented in and / or used with a number of different types of devices, including but not limited to mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhones TM , based on Android TM phones), tablets (e.g., iPad TM 、Samsung Galaxy TM ), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TM , PlayStation Portable TM 、Gameboy Advance TM , iPhone TM ), wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses), laptops, PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, vehicles, automobiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (e.g., drones) and unmanned flight controllers, other cellular network infrastructure equipment, servers, and any of a variety of other computing devices.

[0009] This summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the topics described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the above features are only examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or essence of the topics described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the topics described herein will become apparent through the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] A better understanding of the present subject matter may be obtained when the following detailed description of the embodiments is considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0011] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system including an accessory device according to some embodiments is shown;

[0012] Figure 2An example wireless communication system is shown in which two wireless devices can perform direct device-to-device communication according to some embodiments;

[0013] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless device according to some embodiments;

[0014] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example base station according to some embodiments;

[0015] Figure 5 is a communication flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for communicating in accordance with unified access control (UAC) according to some embodiments;

[0016] Figures 6 to 13 illustrates aspects of an improved UAC according to some embodiments; and

[0017] Figures 14 to 17 Various aspects of classification related to access categories according to some embodiments are shown.

[0018] Although the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereof are not intended to limit this document to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, their purpose is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Acronyms and abbreviations

[0020] The following acronyms and abbreviations are used in this disclosure:

[0021] 3GPP: Third Generation Partnership Project

[0022] 3GPP2: Third Generation Partnership Project 2

[0023] GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications

[0024] UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0025] LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0026] RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0027] MAC: Media Access Control

[0028] CE: Control Element

[0029] Tx: Transmit (or transmit)

[0030] Rx: Receive (or receive)

[0031] RS: Reference signal

[0032] CSI: Channel State Information

[0033] PDCP: Packet Data Convergence Protocol

[0034] RLC: Radio Link Control

[0035] 5GS: 5G System

[0036] NAS: Non-Access Stratum

[0037] the term

[0038] The following are definitions of terms used in this disclosure:

[0039] Storage media —Any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include installation media, for example, CD-ROM, floppy disk or tape device; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory such as flash memory, magnetic media, for example, hard disk drive or optical storage device; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may also include other types of non-transitory memory or their combination. In addition, the memory medium may be located in the first computer system executing the program, or may be located in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system through a network such as the Internet. In the latter case, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media that may reside in different locations in different computer systems connected, for example, through a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., expressed as a computer program) that can be executed by one or more processors.

[0040] Carrier medium —Memory media as described above, and physical transmission media such as buses, networks and / or other physical transmission media that transmit signals such as electrical signals, electromagnetic signals or digital signals.

[0041] Programmable hardware components— includes various hardware devices that include multiple programmable function blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), PLDs (programmable logic devices), FPOAs (field programmable object arrays), and CPLDs (complex PLDs). Programmable function blocks can vary from fine-grained (combinational logic units or lookup tables) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as "configurable logic units."

[0042] Computer Systems —Any of various types of computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), a mainframe computer system, a workstation, a network appliance, an Internet appliance, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a television system, a grid computing system, or other devices or combinations of devices. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0043] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE Device") – Any of various types of computer systems or devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smart phones (e.g., iPhone TM , based on Android TM phones), tablets (e.g., iPad TM 、Samsung Galaxy TM ), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TM , PlayStation Portable TM 、Gameboy Advance TM , iPhone TM ), wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses), laptops, PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, vehicles, cars, unmanned aerial vehicles (e.g., drones) and unmanned flight controllers, etc. In general, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to cover any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunication device (or combination of these devices) that is easily transportable by a user and capable of wireless communication.

[0044] Wireless Devices —Any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform wireless communications. A wireless device may be portable (or mobile), or may be stationary or fixed at a certain location. A UE is an example of a wireless device.

[0045] Communications equipment—Any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communication, where the communication may be wired or wireless. A communication device may be portable (or mobile), or may be stationary or fixed at a location. A wireless device is an example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.

[0046] Base Station - The term "base station" has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station installed at a fixed location and used to communicate as part of a wireless communication system.

[0047] Link budget limited —includes the full scope of its ordinary meaning and includes at least the characteristics of a wireless device (e.g., UE) that exhibits limited communication capabilities or limited power relative to a device that is not link budget limited or relative to a device for which a radio access technology (RAT) standard has been developed. A link budget limited wireless device may experience relatively limited receive capabilities and / or transmit capabilities, which may be due to one or more factors, such as device design, device size, battery size, antenna size or design, transmit power, receive power, current transmission medium conditions, and / or other factors. Such devices may be referred to herein as "link budget limited" (or "link budget constrained") devices. A device may be inherently link budget limited due to the size of the device, battery power, and / or transmit / receive power. For example, a smart watch that communicates with a base station via LTE or LTE-A may be inherently link budget limited due to its reduced transmit / receive power and / or antenna reduction. Wearable devices such as smart watches are generally link budget limited devices. Alternatively, a device may not be inherently link budget limited, e.g., may have sufficient size, battery power, and / or transmit / receive power for normal communication over LTE or LTE-A, but may be temporarily link budget limited due to current communication conditions, e.g., a smartphone at a cell edge, etc. It is noted that the term "link budget limited" includes or encompasses power limitations, and thus a link-limited device may be considered a link budget limited device.

[0048] Processing element (or processor) – refers to various elements or combinations of elements capable of performing functions in a device (e.g., a user equipment device or a cellular network device). Processing elements may include, for example: a processor and associated memory, portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, separate processors, processor arrays, circuits such as ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), programmable hardware elements such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and any of the above combinations.

[0049] automatic—refers to an action or operation performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by a computer system) or a device (e.g., a circuit, a programmable hardware element, an ASIC, etc.) without the need for user input to directly specify or perform the action or operation. Thus, the term "automatically" is in contrast to an operation being manually performed or specified by a user, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic process may be initiated by input provided by a user, but subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user, i.e., are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing in information, selecting check boxes, radio selections, etc.) is manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to user actions. The form may be automatically filled out by a computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills out the form without any user input specifying the answers to the fields. As indicated above, a user may invoke automatic filling out of a form, but not participate in the actual filling out of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify the answers to the fields but they are automatically completed). This specification provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by a user.

[0050] Configured as --Various components may be described as being "configured to" perform one or more tasks. In such environments, "configured to" is a broad statement that generally means "having a structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, even when the component is not currently performing the task, the component can be configured to perform the task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect a module to another module even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured to" can be a broad statement that generally means "having a structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, even when the component is not currently turned on, the component can be configured to perform the task. Typically, the circuitry that forms the structure corresponding to "configured to" may include hardware circuitry.

[0051] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to". The description of a component being configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended to not invoke the interpretation of the sixth paragraph of Section 112 of Title 35 of the United States Code on that component.

[0052] Figure 1-Figure 2 —Wireless communication system

[0053] Figure 1 An example of a wireless cellular communication system is illustrated. It should be noted that Figure 1This represents one possibility among many, and the features of the present disclosure may be implemented by any of a variety of systems as desired.For example, the embodiments described herein may be implemented in any type of wireless device.

[0054] As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a cellular base station 102 that communicates over a transmission medium with one or more wireless devices 106A, 106B, etc., and an accessory device 107. Wireless devices 106A, 106B, and 107 may be user devices, which may be referred to herein as "user equipment" (UE) or UE devices.

[0055] The base station 102 may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or a cell site and may include hardware and / or software that implements wireless communications with UE devices 106A, 106B, and 107. If the base station 102 is implemented in the context of LTE, it may be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". If the base station 102 is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB". The base station 102 may also be equipped to communicate with a network 100 (e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunications network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, as well as a variety of possible networks). Thus, the base station 102 may facilitate communications between the UE device 106 and the UE device 107 and / or communications between the UE device 106 / 107 and the network 100. Also as used herein, with respect to a UE, a base station may sometimes be considered to represent a network in the context of considering the uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) communications of the UE. Therefore, a UE communicating with one or more base stations in a network may also be understood as a UE communicating with the network.

[0056] In other embodiments, the base station 102 may be configured to provide communications via one or more other wireless technologies, such as an access point supporting one or more WLAN protocols, such as 802.11a, b, g, n, ac, ad and / or ax, or LTE in an unlicensed band (LAA).

[0057] The communication area (or coverage area) of the base station 102 may be referred to as a “cell.” The base station 102 and the UE 106 / 107 may be configured to communicate over a transmission medium using any of various radio access technologies (RATs) or wireless communication technologies, such as GSM, UMTS (WCDMA, TDS-CDMA), LTE, Advanced LTE (LTE-A), NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi-Fi, etc.

[0058] Thus, base station 102 and other similar base stations (not shown) operating according to one or more cellular communication technologies can be provided as a cell network that can provide continuous or near-continuous overlapping service to UE devices 106A-N and UE device 107 and similar devices within a geographic area via one or more cellular communication technologies.

[0059] Note that, at least in some cases, UE device 106 / 107 may be capable of communicating using any of a variety of wireless communication technologies. For example, UE device 106 / 107 may be configured to communicate using one or more of GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, LTE, LTE-A, NR, WLAN, Bluetooth, one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one and / or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H), etc. Other combinations of wireless communication technologies (including more than two wireless communication technologies) are also possible. Similarly, in some cases, UE device 106 / UE device 107 may be configured to communicate using only a single wireless communication technology.

[0060] UE 106A and UE 106B may include handheld devices such as smart phones or tablets, and / or may include any of various types of devices with cellular communication capabilities. For example, one or more of UE 106A and UE 106B may be wireless devices intended for static or dynamic deployment, such as home appliances, measurement devices, control devices, etc. UE 106B may be configured to communicate with UE device 107, which may be referred to as accessory device 107. Accessory device 107 may be any of various types of wireless devices, which may generally be wearable devices with a small form factor and limited battery, output power and / or communication capabilities relative to UE 106. As a common example, UE 106B may be a smart phone carried by a user, and accessory device 107 may be a smart watch worn by the same user. UE 106B and accessory device 107 may communicate using any of various short-range communication protocols, such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. In some cases, UE 106B and accessory device 107 can utilize proximity services (ProSe) technology, for example, in a manner supported by a cellular base station to perform direct peer-to-peer communications. For example, such ProSe communications can be performed as part of a relay link to support a radio resource control connection between accessory device 107 and BS 102, such as according to various embodiments described herein.

[0061] UE 106B may also be configured to communicate with UE 106A. For example, UE 106A and UE 106B may be able to perform direct device-to-device (D2D) communications. D2D communications may be supported by cellular base station 102 (e.g., BS 102 may facilitate discovery, as well as various possible forms of assistance), or may be performed in a manner that is not supported by BS 102. For example, it may be possible that UE 106A and UE 106B may be able to arrange and perform D2D communications (e.g., including discovery communications) even when BS 102 and other cellular base stations have no coverage.

[0062] BS 102 may control one or more transmit and receive points (TRPs) and may use the TRPs to communicate with UEs. The TRPs may be collocated with the BS and / or at a separate physical location.

[0063] Figure 2 An exemplary BS 102 is shown communicating with a UE device 106, which in turn communicates with an accessory device 107. The UE device 106 and the accessory device 107 may be any of a mobile phone, a tablet or any other type of handheld device, a smart watch or other wearable device, a media player, a computer, a laptop, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), an unmanned flight controller, a vehicle, or virtually any type of wireless device. In some embodiments, the accessory device may be a wireless device designed to have low cost and / or low power consumption, and may benefit from a relay link with the UE device 106 (and / or another companion device) to support communications with the BS 102. For example, in Figure 2 In the exemplary scenario of , a device that utilizes a relay link with another wireless device to communicate with a cellular base station may also be referred to herein as a remote wireless device, a remote device, or a remote UE apparatus, and a wireless device that provides such a relay link may also be referred to herein as a relay wireless device, a relay device, or a relay UE device. According to some embodiments, such BS 102, UE 106, and accessory device 107 may be configured to perform radio resource control procedures for the remote wireless device according to the various techniques described herein.

[0064] Both UE 106 and accessory device 107 may include a device or integrated circuit called a cellular modem for facilitating cellular communication. The cellular modem may include one or more processors (processing elements) configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory and / or various hardware components described herein. UE 106 and / or accessory device 107 may each execute any of the method implementation schemes described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition thereto, UE 106 and / or accessory device 107 may include a programmable hardware element configured to (e.g., individually or in combination) execute any of the method implementation schemes described herein or any part of any of the method implementation schemes described herein, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), an integrated circuit and / or any of various other possible hardware components. The cellular modem described herein may be used in a UE device as defined herein, a wireless device as defined herein, or a communication device as defined herein. The cellular modem described herein may also be used in a base station or other similar network side device.

[0065] UE 106 and / or accessory device 107 may include one or more antennas for communicating according to one or more RAT standards using one or more wireless communication protocols. In some embodiments, one or both of UE 106 or accessory device 107 may be configured to communicate using a single shared radio component. The shared radio may be coupled to a single antenna, or may be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communications. Typically, the radio component may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog radio frequency (RF) signal processing circuits (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuits (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains.

[0066] Alternatively, UE 106 and / or accessory device 107 may include two or more radio components. For example, in some embodiments, UE 106 and / or accessory device 107 may include a separate transmit chain and / or receive chain (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol with which it is configured to communicate. As another possibility, UE 106 and / or accessory device 107 may include one or more radio components shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, and one or more radio components used uniquely by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106A and / or accessory device 107 may include a shared radio component for communicating using either LTE or CDMA2000 1xRTT (or LTE or NR, or LTE or GSM), and a shared radio component for communicating using Wi-Fi and BLUETOOTH. TM Each of the two devices communicates with a separate radio component. Other configurations are also possible.

[0067] Figure 3 —Block diagram of UE equipment

[0068] Figure 3 One possible block diagram of a UE device, such as UE device 106 or 107, is shown. As shown, the UE device 106 / 107 may include a system on a chip (SOC) 300, which may include parts for various purposes. For example, as shown, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 and a display circuit 304, the processor 302 may execute program instructions for the UE device 106 / 107, and the display circuit 304 may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to a display 360. The SOC 300 may also include a motion sensing circuit 370, which may detect the motion of the UE 106, for example, using any of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and / or various other motion sensing components. Processor 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 302 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, flash memory 310) and / or other circuits or devices, such as display circuit 304, radio 330, I / F 320, and / or display 360. MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, MMU 340 may be included as part of processor 302.

[0069] As shown, the SOC 300 may be coupled to various other circuits of the UE 106 / 107. For example, the UE 106 / 107 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), a connector interface 320 (e.g., for coupling to a computer system, a docking station, a charging station, etc.), a display 360, and wireless communication circuits 330 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, CDMA2000, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS, etc.).

[0070] The UE device 106 / 107 may include at least one antenna and may include multiple antennas 335a and 335b for performing wireless communications with a base station and / or other devices in some embodiments. For example, the UE device 106 / 107 may use antennas 335a and 335b to perform wireless communications. As described above, the UE device 106 / 107 may be configured to use multiple wireless communication standards or radio access technologies (RATs) for wireless communications in some embodiments.

[0071] Wireless communication circuitry 330 may include Wi-Fi logic 332, cellular modem 334, and Bluetooth logic 336. Wi-Fi logic 332 is used to enable UE device 106 / 107 to perform Wi-Fi communications on an 802.11 network. Bluetooth logic 336 is used to enable UE device 106 / 107 to perform Bluetooth communications. Cellular modem 334 may be a lower power cellular modem capable of performing cellular communications according to one or more cellular communication technologies.

[0072] As described herein, UE 106 / 107 may include hardware components and software components for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The processor 302 of UE device 106 / UE device 107 may be configured to implement part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). In other embodiments, the processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). In addition, the processor 302 may be coupled to a processor such as a processor 106 / 107. Figure 3The other components shown and / or may interoperate with the other components to perform radio resource control processes for remote wireless devices according to various embodiments disclosed herein. The processor 302 may also implement various other applications and / or end-user applications running on the UE 106. Alternatively or in addition, one or more components of the wireless communication circuit 330 (e.g., cellular modem 334) of the UE device 106 / 107 may be configured as a processor that executes program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), is configured as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) and / or uses a dedicated hardware component that may include an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) to implement part or all of the methods described herein.

[0073] Figure 4 —Block diagram of a base station

[0074] Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram of a base station 102 according to some embodiments is shown. Note that Figure 4 The base station of is only one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include a processor 404 that may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 or other circuit or device, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 404 and convert these addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450).

[0075] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As described in , the network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide multiple devices, such as the UE devices 106 / 107 , with access to the telephone network.

[0076] The network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also be configured or alternatively configured to be coupled to a cellular network, such as a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices such as UE devices 106 / 107. For example, the core network may include, for example, a mobility management entity (MME) for providing mobility management services, a serving gateway (SGW) and / or a packet data network gateway (PGW) for providing external data connections such as to the Internet, and the like. In some cases, the network port 470 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., between other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0077] The base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly multiple antennas. One or more antennas 434 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with the UE device 106 / 107 via the radio component 430. The antenna 434 communicates with the radio component 430 via a communication chain 432. The communication chain 432 may be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. The radio component 430 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to LTE, LTE-A, NR, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0078] Base station 102 may be configured to communicate wirelessly using multiple wireless communication standards. In some cases, base station 102 may include multiple radios that enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE radio for performing communications according to LTE and a Wi-Fi radio for performing communications according to Wi-Fi. In such cases, base station 102 may be capable of operating as both an LTE base station and a Wi-Fi access point. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multimode radio component capable of performing communications according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., LTE and NR, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0079] As further described later herein, the base station 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting the implementation of the features described herein. According to some embodiments, the processor 404 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition thereto), in combination with one or more components in other components 430, 432, 434, 440, 450, 460, 470, the processor 404 of the BS 102 may be configured to implement or support implementation of any of the various other features of the radio resource control process for remote wireless devices according to the various embodiments described herein, and / or the features described herein.

[0080] Figure 5 -Communication Flowchart

[0081] The Unified Access Control (UAC) feature in the 5G system (5GS) ensures that the previously distributed processing of access blocking (e.g., as in LTE) can be streamlined and processed in a centralized manner. Different access categories may have been specified, and blocking for these categories may be processed independently. Therefore, one category being blocked may not affect other categories, so attempts to access those allowed services may be possible and allowed.

[0082] According to the 3GPP technical specification (e.g., (TS) 24.501 Table 4.5.2A.2 and / or Table 4.5.2.2, etc.), different access categories may be associated (e.g., each) with a rule number, and may also implicitly have a priority that depends on the numerical value associated with the rule. In some embodiments, the lower the numerical value of the rule, the higher the priority of the service. When there are multiple services mapped to different access categories pending with a UE in idle mode at a given point in time, the specification may instruct the UE to use the access category associated with the minimum numerical rule for connection establishment. In some cases, this may result in the highest priority service being used to determine whether the UE is blocked from accessing the network. However, as described above, in some embodiments, the network (e.g., a base station) may block access categories without considering the numerical value of the corresponding rule. For example, at some times, a first access category associated with a rule having a lower numerical value (e.g., Rule 4) may be blocked, while a second access category associated with a rule having a higher numerical value (e.g., Rule 5) may not be blocked.

[0083] However, there may be situations where, although higher priority services (e.g., relatively lower rule numbers) are not blocked, current specifications, for example with respect to 5G Mobility Management (5GMM), ultimately restrict the initiation of the process based on the state of the UE. For example, a UE in an update required state (e.g., in the 5GMM-REGISTERED.UPDATE-NEEDED substate of the 5GMM sublayer) may be restricted in certain circumstances. Similarly, in some cases, establishment causes may be used that may cause the network to not prioritize the request. In addition, there may be situations where the UE initiates a service request when the UE and the network are not synchronized, which may lead to problems such as the UE being required to send measurement reports for a radio access technology that has been disabled, or the UE being required to move to a radio access technology that has been disabled, etc.

[0084] Figure 5 is a communication flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for performing communications in the context of unified access control according to some embodiments. In various embodiments, some of the illustrated method elements may be performed simultaneously in an order different from that shown, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as desired.

[0085] Figure 5 Various aspects of the method may be implemented by a UE such as UE 106 or 107, a cellular network and / or one or more BSs 102, for example, as shown in the figure and described with reference to the figure, or more generally in combination with any of the computer systems, circuits, elements, components or devices shown in the figure, etc. For example, one or more processors (or processing elements) (in various possibilities, for example, processors 302, 404, baseband processors, processors associated with communication circuits such as 330, 430 or 432, processors associated with various core network elements, etc.) may cause the UE, network element and / or BS to perform some or all of the elements of the method shown. Note that although the method is described in a manner involving the use of communication techniques and / or features associated with LTE, NR and / or 3GPP specification documents, Figure 5 At least some elements of the method, but this description is not intended to limit the present disclosure and can be used in any suitable wireless communication system as needed Figure 5 Aspects of the method. As shown, the method can be operated as follows.

[0086] According to some embodiments, the UE and the network may establish communication (502). The UE and the network may communicate using one or more radio access technologies (RATs), including, for example, NR. The UE and the network may communicate using one or more access categories.

[0087] The network may provide control information to the UE. For example, the network may indicate which access categories are currently blocked and which access categories are not blocked. Similarly, according to some embodiments, the network may indicate a probabilistic blocking factor for the blocked access categories. Such control information related to blocking may be broadcasted, for example, via a system information block, a master information block, or similar broadcast information.

[0088] According to some embodiments, the UE may enter an idle mode.

[0089] According to some embodiments, the UE and / or the network may initiate an update related to the connection between the UE and the network (504). Among various possibilities, the update may be a mobility update or a capability update. The update may be associated with a periodic registration, for example, due to the expiration of a timer T3512 to refresh the UE's registration with the network, as defined in 3GPP specification TS24.501 for the 5G MM sublayer. The update may be an aperiodic update (e.g., a mobility registration when connected to a 5G core).

[0090] The update may be initiated when the UE is in idle mode. Performing the update may include the UE obtaining access to a network (e.g., a base station) and registering (e.g., or re-registering) with the network (e.g., a base station and / or a core network element such as an AMF, a session management function (SMF), etc.). Therefore, according to some embodiments, due to certain restrictions for connection establishment, the UE may not complete the update before accessing the network and entering connected mode.

[0091] Various types of updates are possible. For example, the update may be related to one or more of the following: notifying the network of a change in the UE's radio capabilities; a change in the network slice that the UE intends to use; negotiating a change in discontinuous reception (DRX) parameters; and / or periodically refreshing registration with the network, etc.

[0092] According to some embodiments, the UE may determine whether the first access category associated with the update is currently barred (506). For example, the UE may base the determination on the latest barring information received from the network. Based on the determination, the UE may or may not access the network, and thus may or may not complete the update (e.g., at the current time). Accessing the network may include transmitting a service request and / or performing a registration (e.g., re-registration).

[0093] For example, the UE may determine that the update is associated with access category 9 (e.g., in various possibilities, mobile originating (MO) Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) registration related signaling). In various possibilities, access category 9 may be associated with rule 4.1. Therefore, the UE may determine whether the access category is currently blocked, such as whether rule 4.1 is currently allowed to access the network. In response to determining that rule 4.1 is currently blocked, the UE may determine not to access the network. In other words, if the rules and / or access categories associated with performing an update (e.g., a registration) are blocked, the UE may not initiate access, and thus the update may not be completed until the UE later accesses the network.

[0094] In some embodiments, blocking may be (e.g., partially) probabilistic, e.g., utilizing a blocking factor provided by the network. For example, the network may publish (e.g., broadcast via a system information block) a blocking factor for a blocked access category. The blocking factor may be access category specific, or the blocking factor may apply to all blocked access categories. Any UE attempting access according to a blocked access category may draw a random number and compare the random number to the blocking factor to determine whether to access the network. For example, any UE that draws a random number lower than the (e.g., applicable) blocking factor may access the network; a UE that draws a random number greater than or equal to the blocking factor may not access the network.

[0095] In response to determining that the access category is blocked (e.g., and if applicable, the UE's random number does not allow access), the UE may enter a state (e.g., a sub-state) associated with an incomplete update. For example, the UE may enter a state such as 5GMM.REGISTERED.UPDATE-NEEDED. The UE may store various information associated with entering the update required state. For example, the UE may store information related to the reason for entering the update required state, such as whether entering the update required state is the result of a periodic registration failure. The UE may store information about the reason for entering the update required state.

[0096] In response to determining that the access category is not blocked (e.g., or if applicable, the UE's random number does allow access), the UE may access the network (e.g., according to the first access category associated with the update and / or registration, such as rule 4.1 in the above example) and complete the update.

[0097] In some embodiments, the update may fail, be delayed, or the update process may take a while before successfully completing, for example, due to access class blocking and / or other factors. Any number of attempts may be made to complete the update process.

[0098] According to some embodiments, the UE may detect or determine that a communication is pending (508). This may occur when an update is pending (e.g., due to access barring of the updated access class, or in other words, before the update is successfully completed). The pending communication may be an uplink and / or downlink transmission. In other words, the pending communication may be an uplink communication for transmission by the UE to the network and / or a downlink communication for transmission by the network to the UE. In some embodiments, the UE may not be able to transmit and / or receive the pending communication before the update / registration is completed.

[0099] In some embodiments, the pending communication may be an MO communication. The pending communication may be associated with a service and / or application executed on the device. For example, the pending communication may be a multimedia telephone (MMTEL), such as an MMTEL call.

[0100] In some embodiments, the pending communication may be a mobile station called (MT) communication. For example, the UE may receive a paging indicating that the UE should exchange data (e.g., uplink and / or downlink) for a service and / or application associated with the paging. Thus, the UE may determine an access category associated with the service / application.

[0101] In some embodiments, the UE may detect or determine that the communication is pending based on the notification message. For example, the notification message may be transmitted to the UE via a non-3GPP access (e.g., a WLAN such as Wi-Fi). The notification message may indicate that uplink and / or downlink communications are pending for the UE via a 3GPP access (e.g., cellular).

[0102] According to some embodiments, the UE may determine whether a second access category associated with pending communications is blocked 510. This may occur while an update is pending (e.g., due to access barring of the updated access category, or in other words, before the update is successfully completed).

[0103] For example, the UE may determine a second access category associated with a pending communication. The UE may then determine whether the second access category associated with the pending communication is blocked (e.g., based on the control information). The second access category associated with the pending communication may be different from the first access category associated with the update. Thus, the determination of blocking of the pending communication may be different from the determination of blocking of the update. However, it should be understood that in some cases, the second access category associated with the pending communication may be the same as the first access category associated with the update, or even if the two access categories are different, they may both have the same blocking (e.g., both are blocked or neither is blocked). Thus, in some cases, the determination may be the same.

[0104] For example, a pending communication in response to a paging may be associated with access category 0 (e.g., rule 1). The UE may determine whether access category 0 is currently blocked. Similarly, data for an MMTel service may be associated with access category 4 (voice) or 5 (video). Therefore, the UE may determine whether the corresponding access category is blocked.

[0105] As described above, the UE may also extract a random number and compare the random number to a barring factor, for example, if the barring factor is used to block the access category.

[0106] According to some embodiments, in response to determining that the second access category associated with the pending communication is not blocked (e.g., or the UE's random number allows access given the blocking factor), the UE may access the network according to the access category (512). For example, the UE may transmit a service request, register, or re-register to the network using the second access category associated with the pending communication. The registration or re-registration may be performed via a mobility registration procedure.

[0107] In some embodiments, the UE may select a means of accessing the network (e.g., via a service request or registration) based on the details of how or why the UE entered the update required state. For example, if the UE enters the update required state due to a failure of a periodic registration (e.g., due to blocking and / or other factors), the UE may initiate a service request. If the UE enters the update required state due to a failure of an aperiodic registration (e.g., a mobility registration) (e.g., due to blocking and / or other factors), the UE may initiate a registration (e.g., a mobility registration).

[0108] In some implementations, the UE may enter connected mode upon accessing a network.

[0109] According to some embodiments, the UE and the network may exchange data and / or complete pending updates (514). For example, the UE and the network may complete the update. Completing the update may result in the UE and the network having consistent radio capability information for the UE. For example, in the event that a capability update associated with the UE disables a RAT, the network may update its records to reflect the disabling of the RAT (e.g., the network will no longer schedule the UE to use the RAT until a subsequent update occurs). Then, after the update is completed, the UE and the network may use the updated configuration to exchange data for pending communications.

[0110] In some embodiments, in response to completing the update, the UE may enter a normal service state (e.g., 5GMM.REGISTERED.NORMAL-SERVICE). The UE may enter a connected mode or an idle mode.

[0111] In some embodiments, if (e.g., in 510) the UE determines that the access category associated with the pending communication is blocked (e.g., or draws a random number that does not allow access given the applicable blocking factor), the UE may not initiate access (e.g., in 512). Similarly, the UE and the network may not complete the update (e.g., in 514) using the access category associated with the pending communication. Instead, the UE may wait for either or both of the first access category associated with the update or the access category associated with the pending communication to become unblocked. At this point, the UE may register, complete the update, and perform data exchange for the pending communication.

[0112] In some embodiments, if a second pending communication associated with another access category becomes pending, the UE may also determine whether the access category of the second pending communication is blocked. If not, the UE may complete the update using the access category.

[0113] In some embodiments, the priority of the second access category associated with the pending communication may be lower than the priority of the first access category associated with the update. However, even if the first access category associated with the update is blocked, the second access category associated with the pending communication may not be blocked. Therefore, the UE may obtain access to the network based on the second access category associated with the pending communication even if the first access category associated with the update is blocked. The UE may use the second access category associated with the pending communication to obtain access to the network. Upon obtaining access, the UE may complete the update and then perform the pending communication.

[0114] Although Figure 5 The discussion has been primarily with respect to updating desired state, but it should be understood that a similar approach can be applied to registering desired state. For example, Figure 5 The method may be applied to a UE in 5GMM.DEREGISTERED.INITIAL-REGISTRATION-NEEDED. A UE in such a state may detect pending communications (e.g., similar to 508, e.g., communications were not previously established in 502 or related actions were not performed in 504-506), and may continue as discussed above with respect to 510-514.

[0115] Figures 6 to 13 —Communication with improved access control

[0116] In some example scenarios, the UE may register in the 5GS in 5GMM idle mode. The UE may move to a new tracking area that is not in the current registration area. Therefore, the UE may initiate a mobility registration procedure. At the same time, there may be a MO-MMTEL voice call pending. According to existing specifications, the MO-MMTEL service may have rule number 5, and the UE-specific procedure has rule number 9. Therefore, according to the specification, the access category associated with the lower rule number (e.g., MO MMTEL voice call) may be used for connection establishment. Once the UE moves to connected mode, the registration procedure may not be subject to access barring check based on the following specification reference from TS24.501:

[0117] "Note 1: 5GMM specific procedures initiated by NAS in 5GMM-CONNECTED mode are not subject to access control, for example, a registration procedure after PS handover shall not be blocked by access control (see subclause 5.5)."

[0118] Therefore, in the use case where an MMTEL service is also pending at the registration initiation point, a lower regulation access category may be used and the registration itself may not be subject to access barring checks.

[0119] However, in some implementations, the UE may perform another sequence of operations. Figure 6An example according to some embodiments is shown in . The UE may attempt mobility registration (e.g., due to a change in tracking area), and the access check for the MO signaling category (e.g., category 3, rule 8) fails (e.g., due to blocking of the access category). Therefore, according to some embodiments, the UE's 5GMM state moves to 5GMM.REGISTERED.UPDATE-NEEDED (602). At this point, the UE may receive a request to start a MO-MMTEL service or some other high priority service after the UE has entered the 5GMM.REGISTERED.UPDATE-NEEDED substate (604). In some embodiments, the UE may receive paging related to such services. According to some embodiments, the UE may refuse communication due to blocking (606). For example, according to existing specifications, the UE may not provide MMTEL service even though it belongs to another higher priority access category (e.g., category 4, rule 5). Similarly, the UE may not respond to paging, for example, because the UE has not successfully updated its registration status with the network. For example, although paging is associated with a higher priority access category, the UE's state (e.g., 5GMM.REGISTERED.UPDATE-NEEDED) and / or its update state may prevent the initiation of a service request procedure (e.g., blocked via UAC). In some embodiments, when in the 5GMM.REGISTERED.UPDATE-NEEDED state, the UE may not initiate any procedures other than mobility registration, and mobility registration may then be allowed only when the blocking of the signaling access category is alleviated. Therefore, MMTEL services such as voice calls / video calls / SMS, etc. may fail in this and similar scenarios, although they belong to a higher priority access category and are allowed.

[0120] Figure 7 Another method in the case of MO communication according to some embodiments is shown (e.g., Figure 5 Specifically, Figure 7 An example is shown where the UE performs a check on the rule number of the requested service and then decides on the next step.

[0121] As shown, according to some embodiments, when the UE is in the update required state (704), a MO-MMTel service, a high priority service, or a service associated with an operator determined access category (ODAC) may be started (702). According to some embodiments, in response, the UE may check whether the pending service has a UAC rule number less than the rule associated with the MO signaling (706).

[0122] According to some embodiments, if the rules for the pending service are not lower than the rules for MO signaling, the UE may reject the request (710). For example, the UE may not initiate access to the pending service. Similarly, the UE may not respond to paging associated with the pending service. For example, the UE may not respond to paging if any of the following conditions are not met: the UE is in an appropriate 5GMM substate, the UE is registered in the current tracking area, and the UE has an appropriate update state to be able to initiate a service request process. For example, when in the 5GMM.REGISTERED.UPDATE-NEEDED substate, the UE may not meet these criteria and therefore may reject the request.

[0123] Alternatively, according to some embodiments, if yes (eg, the rule number is lower than the MO signaling), the UE may check whether the access category of the associated service is blocked (708).

[0124] If the access category of the service is barred, the UE may deny the request (710), as described above.

[0125] According to some embodiments, if the access category for the service is not blocked, the UE may attempt access (e.g., connection establishment) for mobility registration with the new access category (712). The UE may initiate signaling for pending procedures / updates after the mobility registration process is completed (if any).

[0126] Figure 8 Another method in the case of MO communication according to some embodiments is shown (e.g., Figure 5 ). Figure 8 In the example, the UE may check the access category of the requested service and decide on the next step.

[0127] As shown, according to some embodiments, when the UE is in the update required state (804), the MO-MMTel or high priority service can be started (802). According to some embodiments, in response to being in the update required state (e.g., 5GMM.REGISTERED.UPDATE-NEEDED), the UE can check whether the access category of the pending service is different from the MO signaling (806).

[0128] According to some embodiments, if the access category for the pending service is the same as the MO signaling, the UE may reject the request (810) (similar to what was discussed above with respect to 710).

[0129] According to some embodiments, if the access category for the pending service is different from the MO signaling, the UE may check whether the access category for the associated service is blocked (808).

[0130] If the access category for the pending service is barred, the UE may deny the request (810).

[0131] According to some embodiments, if the access category for the pending service is not blocked, the UE may attempt connection establishment for mobility registration 812. The UE may attempt to access with the access category for the pending service and may initiate signaling for the pending procedure / update (if any) after the mobility registration procedure is completed.

[0132] It should be understood that Figure 7 and Figure 8 The methods may be applicable to other updates. For example, these methods may be applied to UEs in 5GMM.DEREGISTERED.INITIAL-REGISTRATION-NEEDED or other states related to pending updates.

[0133] Figure 5 Other examples of the method may be related to paging and / or notifications received by the UE. The current specification may require the UE to initiate a service request when receiving a paging or notification in state 5GMM.REGISTERED.UPDATE-NEEDED. For example, TS24.501 may describe the currently expected UE behavior in section "5.1.3.2.1.4.85GMM-REGISTERED.UPDATE-NEEDED" as follows: "No 5GMM procedures other than: a) registration procedures for mobility and periodic registration updates; and b) service request procedures in response to paging or notification should be initiated by the UE in this sub-state." In addition, section "5.2.3.2.7UPDE-NEEDED" states that "UE: a) should not send any user data; b) should not send signaling information, unless it is a service request in response to paging or signaling to initiate emergency services or emergency service fallback."

[0134] However, this aspect of the standard may lead to mismatch issues and in some cases even network rejection if the UE context is not updated in the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF). For example, the UE and the network may assume different capabilities of the UE due to a previously incomplete registration procedure. Fig. 9In an exemplary scenario shown, the UE may successfully register in a first tracking area (e.g., TA1). The UE may disable EUTRA capabilities, which may be a radio capability change. The UE may initiate a mobility registration procedure to update the network. However, the mobility update procedure may fail (e.g., due to UAC blocking). Therefore, the UE may move to an update required state (e.g., 5GMM-REGISTERED.UPDATE-NEEDED) (902). The UE may receive a paging / notification message (904). According to existing specifications (906), a service request procedure may be initiated. In response to the service request, the network may redirect the UE to EUTRAN. Therefore, the UE may be in an abnormal scenario where it cannot handle the redirection because EUTRA has been disabled. If the UE initiates a service request while in the UPDATE-NEEDED substate, more such abnormal situations may be seen.

[0135] Fig.10 A communication method according to some embodiments is shown (e.g., Figure 5 An example of a method), wherein when paging / notification is received, if the access category of the MT service is not blocked, the UE may initiate a mobility registration procedure.

[0136] As shown, according to some embodiments, the UE may receive a MT paging or notification message (1002) while the UE is in an update required state (1004). The update required state may be due to a radio capability update having failed (eg, the UE may have disabled EUTRA, as described above).

[0137] According to some embodiments, the UE may check whether the access category of the MT access is barred (1006). For example, the MT access may be associated with access category 0 and rule 1. The paging or notification message may indicate the MT access.

[0138] According to some embodiments, if the access class of the MT access is blocked, the UE may not respond to the paging / notification (1010). The UE may wait for the access class of the MT access to become unblocked or wait for the UE to enter a connected mode before responding to the paging or performing the communication indicated by the paging / notification (e.g., receiving downlink data through 3GPP access).

[0139] According to some embodiments, if the access category of the MT access is not blocked, the UE may initiate registration (e.g., mobility registration) with the access category of the MT access (1008). For example, the UE may access the network, complete updates, and / or perform communications indicated by paging / notification (e.g., receiving downlink data via 3GPP access).

[0140] Other examples of processing notification messages are contemplated. Existing specifications (e.g., TS24.501) may indicate certain behaviors of a UE in 5GMM-REGISTERED.UPDATE-NEEDED on 3GPP access. When receiving a notification message for 3GPP via non-3GPP access, the UE may send a notification response indicating a failure to establish a connection via 3GPP access. However, this may be inconsistent with other aspects of the expected UE behavior. For example, a notification message for 3GPP access via non-3GPP access may be used as a means of saving paging resources of the network and / or as an alternative means of requiring a UE in 5GMM.IDLE mode to move to 5GMM.CONNECTED mode. In some aspects, a notification message may be similar to a paging message. Therefore, it may be inconsistent that the UE behaves differently to paging and notification messages when in the 5GMM.REGISTERED.UPDATE-NEEDED substate.

[0141] like Fig.11 As shown, according to some embodiments, the UE may enter the update required state (1102) due to a failure in the radio capability update. The failure may occur during the period during which the UE may determine that the communication is pending (1104). The communication may be a communication of a MO-MMTEL service, a high priority service, an access category service determined by the operator (e.g., access category 32-63, following rule 3), paging or notification. According to some embodiments, the UE may ignore / reject the requested service (1106). For example, the UE may not initiate access based on a UAC check of the MO process and / or based on a 5GMM substate. Therefore, in various possibilities, the UE may not update the status of the MT service (e.g., in response to a paging or notification).

[0142] In some embodiments, the UE in the above scenario may initiate a service request or mobility registration via 3GPP access, for example, depending on whether a periodic registration failure or a mobility registration failure causes the UE to move to the update required state. In more detail, special processing in the case where a periodic registration fails the UAC check may be described as follows. For example, if the UE moves to 5GMM-REGISTERED.UPDATE-NEEDED due to a previous mobility and access check failure of the periodic registration update procedure for which its 5GS Registration Type IE indicates "Periodic Registration Update", the UE may follow these procedures. In the case where the UE moves to the 5GMM.REGISTERED.UPDATE-NEEDED state due to a periodic registration failing the UAC check, the UE may determine whether to transmit a service request.

[0143] As a first possibility, the UE may potentially send a service request if the rule number associated with the service / pending communication evaluates to a value less than the rule number associated with the MO signaling. In other words, the UE may send a service request if the pending communication has a higher priority than the MO signaling. The UE may initiate a service request procedure in response to a request to establish a connection for a service with an associated rule number lower than the rule number associated with the 5GMM specific procedure initiated by the UE NAS, as specified in Table 4.5.2.2 of TS24.501 and in accordance with the criteria specified in Section 4.5 of TS24.501.

[0144] As a second possibility, the UE may potentially send a service request for any access category other than MO signaling. In other words, if the access category of the serving / pending communication is different from MO signaling, the UE may send a service request.

[0145] According to some embodiments, additional factors may be considered in either possibility.

[0146] In addition, upon successful completion of the service request process, the UE may move to a normal service state (e.g., 5GMM.REGISTERED.NORMALSERVICE). In the normal service state, the UE may not perform periodic registration.

[0147] Alternatively, the UE may remain in a normal service state (e.g., 5GMM.REGISTERED.NORMALSERVICE) after the periodic registration fails the UAC check. The UE may (e.g., via a specific implementation of the UE) remember that the periodic registration is pending. Therefore, the UE may behave as described above (e.g., determine whether to transmit a service request according to the first possibility or the second possibility).

[0148] Fig.12 An example of a UE operating according to a first possibility according to some embodiments is shown. As shown, the UE may enter an update required state (1202). The update required state may be in response to a radio capability update failure. The UE may store information about the failure, such as including whether the failure (and therefore the update required state) is due to a periodic registration failure. For example, a failure associated with the expiration of a timer (e.g., T3512) associated with a periodic registration may be considered a periodic registration failure.

[0149] According to some embodiments, while in the update required state (e.g., when the update is pending), the UE may determine that a communication is pending (1204). The communication may be a communication of a MO-MMTEL service, a high priority service, an operator-determined access category service (e.g., access category 32-63, following rule 3), a paging, or a notification.

[0150] As discussed in the first possibility, according to some embodiments, the UE may determine whether the rule number associated with the requested service / pending communication is lower than the rule number of the MO signaling (1206). If not, the UE may reject the communication (1210, e.g., as discussed above with respect to 710).

[0151] According to some embodiments, if the rule number associated with the requested service / pending communication is lower than the rule number of the MO signaling, the UE may determine whether the access category is blocked (1208). If so, the UE may deny the communication (1210).

[0152] If not, then in accordance with some embodiments, the UE may determine whether the pending registration / update is associated with a periodic registration failure (e.g., based on the information stored at 1202) (1211). For example, if the UE moved to 5GMM-REGISTERED.UPDATE-NEEDED due to an access check failure of a previous mobility and periodic registration update procedure where the 5GS Registration Type IE indicated "Mobility Registration Update", the UE may determine that the failure is associated with a periodic registration.

[0153] According to some embodiments, if the pending registration / update is associated with a periodic registration failure, the UE may initiate a service request 1214. The UE may move to connected mode to complete the update and / or registration. The UE may exchange data for the pending service / communication.

[0154] According to some embodiments, if the pending registration / update is not associated with a periodic registration failure, the UE may initiate a mobility registration procedure 1216. The UE may move to connected mode, complete the update and / or registration. The UE may exchange data for pending services / communications.

[0155] Thus, the UE may initiate mobility and periodic registration update procedures in response to a request to establish a connection for a service having an associated rule number lower than the rule number associated with the 5GMM specific procedure initiated by the UE NAS, as specified in Table 4.5.2.2 and in accordance with the criteria specified in Section 4.5.

[0156] Fig.13 An example of a UE operating according to the second possibility according to some embodiments is shown. As shown, according to some embodiments, the UE may enter an update required state (1302) and determine that a communication is pending (1304) (e.g., as discussed above with respect to 1202 and 1204).

[0157] As discussed in the second possibility, according to some embodiments, the UE may determine whether the access category associated with the requested service / pending communication is different from the access category of the MO signaling (1306). If not, the UE may deny the service (1310), for example, as described above with respect to 1210. If the access category is different from the MO signaling, the UE may continue to evaluate other factors (1308, 1311) and initiate a service request (1314) or a mobility registration (1316), for example, as discussed above with respect to 1208, 1211, 1214, and 1216.

[0158] Figures 14 to 17 - Clarify access categories

[0159] The current specification (e.g., Section 4.5 of TS 24.501) may not discuss the access categories to be used for the following exemplary use cases:

[0160] The first case may be an uplink (UL) NAS transport message with a steering of roaming (SOR) transparent container. The SOR container may be or include a payload container information element (IE). The IE may indicate the UE's confirmation of successful reception of the SOR information sent in the downlink DL NAS transport message from the network via the SOR transparent container.

[0161] The first case may be an UL NAS transport message with a UE parameter update (UPU) transparent container. The UPU container may be or include a payload container IE. The IE may indicate the UE's confirmation of successful reception of the UPU data sent in the DL NAS transport message from the network via the UPU transparent container.

[0162] Fig.14 An example of an access category selected for a UL NAS (e.g., any of the examples above, among various possibilities) according to some embodiments is shown (e.g., similar to Table 4.5.2.2: Mapping table for access categories). As shown, such UL NAS may be prioritized according to Rule 9.

[0163] In some cases, this may result in delays. For example, consider a scenario where the UE is registered and in idle mode and all access categories except 0 and 2 may be blocked (e.g., rules 1 and 2). If the network sends a DL NAS transmission with a SOR transparent container, the UE may (e.g., attempt to) send an UL NAS transmission with a SOR acknowledgment. However, an RRC connection failure may be indicated by lower layers (e.g., because access is blocked according to rule 9). Therefore, the UE may attempt NAS signaling connection recovery to resend the UL NAS transmission and Fig.14 of table.

[0164] Fig.15An example of an RRC establishment cause that the UE may use in attempting to resume a connection is shown (e.g., similar to Table 4.5.6.1: Mapping table of access identity / access category and RRC establishment cause when establishing an N1 NAS signaling connection via an NR connected to 5GCN, or similarly, Table 4.5.6.2). As shown, the UE may set the RRC establishment cause to mo-Data (e.g., based on access category 7, such as Fig.14 ). The network may use RRC establishment to prioritize connection establishment requests from various UEs (e.g., during high load conditions in the network). In this case, indicating that the cause is mo-Data may increase the risk that the UE may not be able to send a SOR / UPU ACK. For example, the network may prioritize other access categories and / or RRC establishment causes (e.g., Category 2 Emergency or Category 4 mo-VoiceCall) more than mo-Data, so the UE's SOR / UPU ACK may not be highly prioritized and may be delayed.

[0165] Either or both of the following changes in 24.501 may reduce or avoid the possibility of such delays.

[0166] Change #1: In section 4.5.1, Note 4 may be replaced as follows: "Note 4: A SOR Ack or UPU Ack transmitted in a UL NAS Transport message sent in response to a DL NAS Transport with a SOR or UPU container shall be treated as an MT access."

[0167] Change #2: The specification may be updated to indicate that SOR and / or UPU confirmation may be performed according to Rule 1. For example, Table 4.5.2.2 may be updated. Fig.16 A table (eg, similar to Table 4.5.2.2: Mapping table for access categories) is shown showing proposed additional text (underlined) according to some embodiments.

[0168] In other words, a SOR or UPU confirmation may be considered as an MT access, for example, rather than an MO access.

[0169] Fig.17 is a communication flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for performing communications in the context of unified access control, for example in conjunction with the changes to 24.501 discussed above, according to some embodiments. In various embodiments, some of the illustrated method elements may be performed simultaneously in an order different from that shown, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as desired.

[0170] Fig.17Various aspects of the method may be implemented by a UE such as UE 106 or 107, a cellular network and / or one or more BSs 102, for example as shown in the figure and described with reference to the figure, or more generally in combination with any computer system, circuit, element, component or device shown in the figure, etc. For example, one or more processors (or processing elements) (in various possibilities, for example, processors 302, 404, baseband processors, processors associated with communication circuits such as 330, 430 or 432, processors associated with various core network elements, etc.) may cause the UE, network element and / or BS to perform some or all of the elements of the method shown. Note that although the method is described in a manner involving the use of communication techniques and / or features associated with LTE, NR and / or 3GPP specification documents, Figure 5 At least some elements of the method, but this description is not intended to limit the present disclosure and can be used in any suitable wireless communication system as needed Figure 5 Aspects of the method. As shown, the method can be operated as follows.

[0171] According to some embodiments, the UE and the network may establish communication (1702). The UE and the network may communicate using one or more radio access technologies (RATs), including, for example, NR. The UE and the network may communicate using one or more access categories.

[0172] According to some embodiments, the UE may enter an idle mode (1704).

[0173] According to some embodiments, when the UE is in idle mode, the network may transmit control information to the UE (1706). In various possibilities, the control information may include UPU and / or SOR.

[0174] According to some embodiments, the UE may determine an access category for confirming the control information (1708). The UE may select an access category based on the type of control information. For example, in response to the control information including UPU and / or SOR, the UE may select an MT access category. For example, the UE may select access category 0 (indicating MT access) which may be associated with rule 1.

[0175] According to some embodiments, the UE may initiate access using a selected access category (1710). The UE may use an RRC establishment cause associated with a rule and / or access category. For example, rule 1 and access category 0 may be associated with an RRC establishment cause indicating priority access (e.g., mps-PriorityAccess, as shown in Table 4.5.6.1). The UE may confirm the control information. In addition, the UE may implement the control information.

[0176] In some embodiments, the UE may exchange additional data and / or control information with the network.

[0177] In some implementations, the UE may return to idle mode.

[0178] Exceptions to access control

[0179] In section 4.5.1 of TS 24.501, which deals with general aspects of unified access control, the specification describes certain events (e.g., listed 1 to 8) that may occur in connected mode. For the listed events, the UE may apply access control checks. The implication of the list is that for any other event in connected mode, the UE may not be subject to access control checks.

[0180] However, section 4.5.1 of TS24.501 also includes the following note, which may cause ambiguity by stating that 5GMM-specific procedures initiated by NAS in 5GMM-CONNECTED mode are not subject to access control. Specifically, section 4.5.1 states: "Note 2: 5GMM-specific procedures initiated by NAS in 5GMM-CONNECTED mode are not subject to access control, for example, the registration process after PS handover will not be blocked by access control (see subclause 5.5)." In addition, the fact that specific procedures are not subject to access checks may currently be associated with the 5GMM-CONNECTED mode, while this may apply to the 5GMM-CONNECTED mode in which RRC is inactive. The latter may not be described by TS 24.501. Therefore, 5G in RRC inactivity being subject to UAC checks may cause multiple problems. For example, remaining in 5GMM CONNECTED in which RRC is inactive when in a substate other than 5GMM.REGISTERED.NORMAL-SERVICE may cause the UE to lose synchronization with the network. Similarly, a UE with changed capabilities may move to 5G MM.CONNECTED mode due to the network resuming a suspended RRC connection, even though the UE has not yet updated the network with its new capabilities, etc.

[0181] Since the specification already lists events that are not subject to access control in connected mode, there may not be a need to specifically mention skipping access control for 5GMM-specific procedures in connected mode. In other words, Note 2 may cast doubt on the handling of common procedures and therefore may be clarified. For example, Note 2 may be edited to additionally consider common procedures and other procedures in addition to the listed procedures (e.g., events 1 to 8). Therefore, Section 4.5.1 may be modified to state (the added text is underlined): "Note 2: Access control is skipped for 5GMM-specific procedures in 5GMM-CONNECTED mode." or 5G MM-CONNECTED mode with RRC inactivity indication 5GMM-specific procedures initiated by NAS in and other processes not listed in 1) to 8) aboveNot subject to access control, for example, access control shall not prevent the registration procedure after PS handover (see subclause 5.5)".

[0182] Therefore, the UE may enter connected mode and perform procedures other than those explicitly listed in Section 4.5.1 of TS24.501. The UE may not perform / evaluate access control for this procedure. In other words, when in connected mode, the UE may not constrain its procedures based on access control.

[0183] Additional information and implementation options

[0184] In various implementations, various combinations of the above adjustments may be performed together. For example, the network may send control information to the UE so that the UE processes the downlink RS according to the above implementation and transmits the uplink RS according to the above implementation.

[0185] Yet another example embodiment may include a method, comprising: performing, by a wireless device: any or all of the foregoing examples.

[0186] Another exemplary embodiment may include a wireless device comprising: an antenna; a radio component, the radio component coupled to the antenna; and a processing element operably coupled to the radio component, wherein the device is configured to implement any or all portions of the foregoing examples.

[0187] Another example embodiment may include an apparatus comprising: a processing element configured to cause a wireless device to implement any or all of the foregoing examples.

[0188] Another exemplary set of embodiments may include a non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium including program instructions that, when executed at a device, cause the device to implement any or all portions of any of the foregoing examples.

[0189] Another exemplary set of embodiments may include a computer program comprising instructions for performing any or all portions of any of the foregoing examples.

[0190] Another exemplary set of embodiments may include an apparatus including means for performing any or all of the elements of any of the preceding examples.

[0191] Any of the methods for operating a UE described herein may become the basis for a corresponding method for operating a base station by interpreting each message / signal X received by a user equipment (UE) in DL as a message / signal X transmitted by a base station, and interpreting each message / signal Y transmitted by the UE in UL as a message / signal Y received by the base station. In addition, the methods described with respect to the base station may be interpreted as methods for the UE in a similar manner.

[0192] In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, more embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, some embodiments may be implemented as computer-implemented methods, computer-readable storage media, or computer systems. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0193] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be configured such that it stores program instructions and / or data, wherein if the program instructions are executed by a computer system, the computer system is caused to perform a method, such as any one of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein or any combination of such subsets.

[0194] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., UE 106 or 107) may be configured to include a processor (or a group of processors) and a memory medium, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, wherein the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions may be executed to implement any of the various method implementations described herein (or any combination of the method implementations described herein, or any subset of any method implementations described herein or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of various forms.

[0195] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0196] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to encompass all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method comprising: performing a registration procedure after a packet switched (PS) handover, wherein the registration procedure is not blocked by access control; as well as One or more additional 5GMM specific procedures initiated by the non-access stratum in 5GMM-CONNECTED mode with radio resource control RRC inactivity indication are performed.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising entering a 5G MM-CONNECTED mode with an RRC inactivity indication.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing at least one other process in 5G MM-CONNECTED mode with RRC inactivity indication.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one other process is not 5GMM specific.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising operating in a sub-state other than 5GMM.REGISTERED.NORMAL-SERVICE.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more additional 5GMM specific procedures are associated with the 5GMM-CONNECTED mode and are also applicable to the 5GMM-CONNECTED mode with RRC inactivity indication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein operation in 5G MM-CONNECTED mode with RRC inactivity indication is not restricted based on access control.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more additional 5GMM specific processes are not described by technical specification TS 24.

501.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating a radio capability update in response to disabling the radio access technology.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising entering an update required substate in response to determining that an access category associated with the signaling is barred.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating (504) a radio capability update using an access category associated with the signaling.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the radio capability update comprises a radio capability change.

13. A user equipment device UE (106), comprising: Radio components; as well as Processor, wherein the radio component and the processor are configured to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. A computer program product comprising computer instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a user equipment device, cause the user equipment device to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

15. A baseband processor, the baseband processor being configured to cause a user equipment device UE to perform an operation, the operation comprising: performing a registration procedure after a packet switched (PS) handover, wherein the registration procedure is not blocked by access control; as well as One or more additional 5GMM specific procedures initiated by the non-access stratum in 5GMM-CONNECTED mode with radio resource control RRC inactivity indication are performed.

16. The baseband processor of claim 15, the operations further comprising entering a 5G MM-CONNECTED mode with an RRC inactivity indication.

17. The baseband processor of claim 15, the operations further comprising performing at least one other process in a 5G MM-CONNECTED mode with an RRC inactivity indication.

18. The baseband processor of claim 17, wherein the at least one other process is not 5GMM specific.

19. The baseband processor of claim 15, the operations further comprising operating in a sub-state other than 5GMM.REGISTERED.NORMAL-SERVICE.

20. The baseband processor of claim 15, wherein the one or more additional 5GMM specific procedures are associated with the 5GMM-CONNECTED mode and are also applicable to the 5GMM-CONNECTED mode with RRC inactivity indication.

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