Random access during CG-SDT

Abstract

Systems and methods for random access during configuration grant (CG) small data transmission (SDT) are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) includes, while in an inactive state, transmitting a radio resource control (RRC) recovery request and first data to a network node using a CG occasion among a plurality of CG occasions configured for the UE, and determining that one or more criteria for performing random access (RA) have been satisfied. The method further includes, in response to determining that the one or more criteria for performing RA have been satisfied, performing RA, during which the UE retransmits the RRC recovery request and the first data. In this manner, the UE does not have to wait for the next CG opportunity to send retransmission or time-critical data, for example in the event of an initial transmission failure.

Description

Related Applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application serial number 63 / 422,208, filed on November 3, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to cellular communication networks, and more particularly to small data transmissions in cellular communication networks. Background Art

[0003] In 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 17 (Rel-17), Mobile Originated Small Data Transfer (MO-SDT) was introduced for New Radio (NR) to reduce the signaling overhead for small uplink data payloads (see RP-200954 “New Work Item on NR small data transmissions in INACTIVE state”). Two solutions were introduced, random access based SDT (RA-SDT) and configuration grant SDT (CG-SDT). RA-SDT means using the legacy 4-step random access channel (RACH) procedure or 2-step RACH procedure as a reference, but user plane data payload can be added in Msg3 (4-step RACH) or MsgA (2-step RACH) (multiplexed with RRCResumeRequest message). CG-SDT means that the user equipment (UE) is configured via the radio resource control (RRC) to have periodic CG-SDT opportunities that can be used for uplink transmission without contention. In this way, Msg1 and Msg2 can be omitted, but the UE is required to have a valid timing advance (TA) and be uplink synchronized to use the resources for transmission.

[0004] Similar signaling optimizations for small data have been introduced for Long Term Evolution (LTE) (LTE-M) for narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and machine type communications (MTC) through Release 15 Early Data Transfer (EDT) and Release 16 Preconfigured Uplink Resources (PUR). The main differences of the NR SDT solution are that Release 17 NR small data only supports RRC inactive state, also includes small data over 2-step RACH, is supported by any NR UE (i.e. also includes Mobile Broadband (MBB) UEs and is not limited to Internet of Things (IoT) UEs), and supports the transmission of subsequent data (i.e. larger payload size, which requires more than one transmission).

[0005] For LTE, support for small data transfer for mobile termination (MT) was later introduced in Release 16, i.e., support for the transmission of small data payloads in the downlink. Several solutions were considered: "Data in Paging" (multiple versions), "Data in Msg2", and "Data in Msg4" (see the overview in RAN2 email discussion R2-1901143 from RAN2#105). First "Data in Paging" was ruled out (see meeting report R2-1903001), then "Data in Msg2" was ruled out (see UP MT-EDT email discussion results in R2-1910420 and meeting report in R2-1912001). Therefore, "Data in Msg4" was specified as the LTE solution. Note that for NB-IoT and LTE-M, different solutions were introduced for IoT control plane optimization (“Data over NAS” or DoNAS) and IoT user plane optimization (RRC suspend / resume), control plane EDT (CP-EDT) and user plane EDT (UP-EDT), respectively, and the NR solution is similar to UP-EDT.

[0006] Currently, MT-SDT is being introduced for NR in Release 18. The Release 18 MT-SDT Work Item Description (WID) has been approved in RAN#94e (December 2021) and can be found in RP-213583. The WID contains the following objectives: Specify support for paging-triggered SDT (MT-SDT) [RAN2, RAN3] MT-SDT triggering mechanism for UE in RRC_INACTIVE, supporting RA-SDT and CG-SDT as UL responses; MT-SDT procedure for initial DL data reception and subsequent UL / DL data transmission in RRC_INACTIVE. Note: Data transmission in DL within a paging message is not within the scope of this WI.

[0007] The Small Data Transfer (SDT) procedure in NR Release 17 is used only for MO-SDT, which means it is triggered only by uplink (UL) data transfer.

[0008] The CG-SDT procedure means that after the UE has been directed to the RRC_INACTIVE state, it will pre-schedule multiple opportunities on the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) for possible UL transmissions. The UE will not monitor any control channels, only the paging channel. The scheduled opportunities will be valid for the UE at configured intervals as long as the time alignment timer has not expired. When the UE initiates the CG-SDT procedure, the UE transmits data and an RRCResumeRequest on the CG-SDT resources. When the NR base station (gNB) receives this transmission, it will acknowledge the transmission by sending a grant to the UE. The UE may use this grant to transmit any remaining data. However, if no grant is received, the UE is not allowed to transmit any new data on the CG resources. Instead, the UE will retransmit the already transmitted data and the RRCResumeRequest message on the next CG-SDT resource. The reason for this is that the gNB needs to know that the UE has started the CG-SDT procedure. This behavior of automatically retransmitting the initial transmission on the CG resources is also an argument against configuring a long CG period: it will make the procedure sensitive to transmission failures of the initial transmission. Summary of the invention

[0009] Systems and methods for performing random access during a configuration grant (CG) small data transfer (SDT) are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method performed by a user equipment (UE) includes: while in an inactive state, sending a radio resource control (RRC) recovery request and first data to a network node using a CG opportunity among multiple CG opportunities configured for the UE, and determining that one or more criteria for performing a random access (RA) have been met. The method also includes: in response to determining that one or more criteria for performing a RA have been met, performing a RA, during which the UE retransmits the RRC recovery request and the first data. In this way, the UE does not have to wait for the next CG opportunity to send a retransmission or time-critical data, for example in the event of an initial transmission failure.

[0010] In one embodiment, the one or more criteria for performing the RA include a criterion that the amount of time until the next CG opportunity among the plurality of CG opportunities is greater than a specific amount of time. In one embodiment, the criterion is a criterion that the amount of time until the next valid CG opportunity among the plurality of CG opportunities is greater than a specific amount of time. In one embodiment, the next valid CG opportunity is the next CG opportunity associated with the same synchronization signal block (SSB) as the CG opportunity for sending the RRC recovery request and the first data, or a CG opportunity associated with an SSB having an SSB reference signal received power (RSRP) above a specific threshold.

[0011] In one embodiment, the one or more criteria for performing a RA include a criterion that a response to the RRC recovery request has not been received from the network node within a certain amount of time. In one embodiment, the certain amount of time is a function of a period of a plurality of CG opportunities.

[0012] In one embodiment, one or more criteria for performing a RA include: a first criterion that a response to an RRC recovery request has not been received from a network node within a first amount of time, and a second criterion that the amount of time until a next CG opportunity among a plurality of CG opportunities is greater than a second amount of time.

[0013] In one embodiment, the method further includes: receiving an RRC release message from a network node while in a connected state, the RRC release message including a CG-SDT configuration for configuring multiple CG opportunities for the UE; and converting to an inactive state in response to receiving the RRC release message. In one embodiment, one or more criteria for performing RA include: a first criterion that a response to an RRC recovery request has not been received from a network node within a first amount of time, a second criterion that the amount of time until the next CG opportunity among multiple CG opportunities is greater than the second amount of time, or both the first criterion and the second criterion. In one embodiment, one or more criteria for performing RA include a second criterion, and the second amount of time is defined by a CG-SDT configuration. In one embodiment, the second criterion is the following criterion: the amount of time until the next valid CG opportunity among multiple CG opportunities is greater than the second amount of time. In one embodiment, the next valid CG opportunity is: the next CG opportunity with the same SSB association as the CG opportunity for sending the RRC recovery request and the first data, or a CG opportunity with an SSB association having an SSB RSRP higher than a specific threshold.

[0014] In one embodiment, the one or more criteria for performing the RA include a first criterion, and the first amount of time is defined by a CG-SDT configuration.

[0015] In one embodiment, multiple CG opportunities are configured for CG-SDT.

[0016] In one embodiment, the RA is a traditional RA, a RA-SDT, or a transmission using RA-SDT resources.

[0017] In one embodiment, a subset of multiple CG opportunities that occur after a RA is performed cannot be used by the UE.

[0018] In one embodiment, a subset of multiple CG opportunities occurring at a time after performing a RA can be used by the UE.

[0019] In one embodiment, the one or more criteria for performing the RA include a criterion that the additional data awaiting transmission at the UE has at least a certain priority. In one embodiment, the at least certain priority is at least a certain quality of service (QoS) priority or at least a certain logical channel (LCH) priority.

[0020] In one embodiment, the transport block (TB) size of data transmitted on the CG opportunity matches the TB size of Msg3 of the RA.

[0021] In one embodiment, the TB size of the data transmitted on the CG occasion does not match the TB size of Msg3 of the RA, and the message carrying the data for retransmission is reconstructed to have a TB size that matches the TB size of Msg3 of the RA.

[0022] In one embodiment, when performing a RA to retransmit the RRC recovery request and the first data, the small data transmission failure timer is not restarted.

[0023] Corresponding embodiments of the UE are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a UE is adapted to: when in an inactive state, send an RRC recovery request and first data to a network node using a CG opportunity among multiple CG opportunities configured for the UE, and determine that one or more criteria for performing RA have been met. The UE is also adapted to: in response to determining that one or more criteria for performing RA have been met, perform RA, during which the UE retransmits the RRC recovery request and the first data.

[0024] In another embodiment, the UE includes a communication interface and a processing circuit associated with the communication interface, the communication interface including a transmitter and a receiver. The processing circuit is configured to cause the UE to: when in an inactive state, send an RRC recovery request and first data to a network node using a CG opportunity among multiple CG opportunities configured for the UE, and determine that one or more criteria for performing RA have been met. The processing circuit is also configured to cause the UE to: in response to determining that one or more criteria for performing RA have been met, perform RA, during which the UE retransmits the RRC recovery request and the first data.

[0025] An embodiment of a method performed by a network node is also disclosed. In one embodiment, a method performed by a network node includes: sending an RRC release message to a UE, wherein the RRC release message includes a CG-SDT configuration, the CG-SDT configuration configuring a plurality of CG opportunities for CG-SDT for the UE and one or more parameters related to one or more criteria for the UE to perform a RA to retransmit the CG-SDT. The one or more criteria for the UE to perform a RA to retransmit the CG-SDT include: a first criterion that the UE has not received a response to an RRC recovery request for the CG-SDT and first data from the network node within a first amount of time, a second criterion that the amount of time until a next CG opportunity among the plurality of CG opportunities is greater than a second amount of time, or both the first criterion and the second criterion.

[0026] In one embodiment, the one or more criteria for the UE to perform a RA to retransmit the CG-SDT include a second criterion. In one embodiment, the second criterion is a criterion that the amount of time until the next valid CG opportunity among the multiple CG opportunities is greater than the second amount of time. In one embodiment, the next valid CG opportunity is: the next CG opportunity with the same SSB association as the CG opportunity for sending the RRC recovery request and the first data, or a CG opportunity with an SSB association with an SSB RSRP higher than a certain threshold.

[0027] In one embodiment, the one or more criteria for the UE to perform a RA to retransmit a CG-SDT include a first criterion. In one embodiment, the first amount of time is a function of a period of multiple CG opportunities.

[0028] In one embodiment, the first amount of time is defined by a CG-SDT configuration, the second amount of time is defined by a CG-SDT configuration, or both the first amount of time and the second amount of time are defined by a CG-SDT configuration.

[0029] In one embodiment, the RA is a traditional RA, a RA-SDT, or a transmission using RA-SDT resources.

[0030] In one embodiment, a subset of multiple CG opportunities that occur after the UE performs a RA cannot be used by the UE.

[0031] In one embodiment, a subset of multiple CG opportunities that occur after the UE performs a RA can be used by the UE.

[0032] In one embodiment, the one or more criteria for performing a RA also include a criterion that the additional data awaiting transmission at the UE has at least a certain priority.

[0033] Corresponding embodiments of the network node are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a network node is adapted to send an RRC release message to a UE, wherein the RRC release message includes a CG-SDT configuration that configures a plurality of CG opportunities for CG-SDT for the UE and one or more parameters related to one or more criteria for the UE to perform a RA to retransmit the CG-SDT. The one or more criteria for the UE to perform a RA to retransmit the CG-SDT include: a first criterion that the UE has not received a response to an RRC recovery request for the CG-SDT and first data from the network node within a first amount of time, a second criterion that the amount of time until a next CG opportunity among the plurality of CG opportunities is greater than a second amount of time, or both the first criterion and the second criterion.

[0034] In one embodiment, a network node includes a processing circuit configured to: cause the network node to send an RRC release message to a UE, wherein the RRC release message includes a CG-SDT configuration, the CG-SDT configuration configuring a plurality of CG opportunities for CG-SDT for the UE and one or more parameters related to one or more criteria for the UE to perform a RA to retransmit the CG-SDT. The one or more criteria for the UE to perform a RA to retransmit the CG-SDT include: a first criterion that the UE has not received a response to an RRC recovery request for the CG-SDT and first data from the network node within a first amount of time, a second criterion that the amount of time until a next CG opportunity among the plurality of CG opportunities is greater than a second amount of time, or both the first criterion and the second criterion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

[0036] Figure 1 A process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in which, under certain constraints, a user equipment (UE) configured for a configuration grant (CG) small data transfer (SDT) is enabled to perform a random access (RA) during an ongoing CG-SDT procedure;

[0037] Figure 2 An example of a communication system according to some embodiments is shown;

[0038] Figure 3 A UE according to some embodiments is shown;

[0039] Figure 4 shows a network node according to some embodiments;

[0040] Figure 5is a block diagram of a host according to various aspects described herein, which host may be Figure 2 An embodiment of a host;

[0041] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functionality implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized.

[0042] Figure 7 A communication diagram is shown in which a host communicates with a UE via a network node over a partially wireless connection according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The embodiments set forth below present information that enables those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. After reading the following description according to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand the conception of the present disclosure and will recognize the application of these concepts that are not specifically provided herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0044] There are some challenges. If a New Radio (NR) Base Station (gNB) configures a User Equipment (UE) with a Configuration Grant (CG) Small Data Transfer (SDT) (CG-SDT) configuration, the gNB will reserve resources without sending any specific data, resulting in a potential waste of scheduling events. One way to address this issue is to configure less frequent scheduling events for the UE. However, if the events are too far apart, a possible failure in the uplink (UL) transmission will cause the next possible UL transmission to be delayed, resulting in severe latency and a poor user experience. Since the process has been designed so that only autonomous retransmission of the initial transmission is possible, it is not possible to recover from a transmission failure before the next CG opportunity, and the time when this happens depends on the period. If the period is longer than the setting of the T319a timer (SDT failure timer), another problem is that the process will be terminated before the next CG opportunity, which means that there will not even be any chance for a retransmission.

[0045] Therefore, the longest possible UL transmission period is set to a symbol number that translates to 640 milliseconds (ms). While 640ms is a long time from a radio resource control (RRC) / medium access control (MAC) perspective, it is not that long from an application layer perspective. It is argued that a longer period is necessary to gain the benefits of CG-SDT, so that UEs can be prepared to perform CG-SDT for a longer period without consuming resources on the gNB side at this frequency. This will be particularly useful for low priority access UEs that do not have high performance requirements.

[0046] The problem in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 17 is that CG-SDT relies on fairly frequent cycles, which prevents the network from being able to allocate CG-SDT configurations for any significant period of time. In addition, companies are reluctant to introduce longer cycles because end-user performance may suffer.

[0047] Certain aspects of the present disclosure and embodiments thereof may provide solutions to these or other challenges. The systems and methods disclosed herein introduce an opportunity for a UE in a CG-SDT configuration to perform a random access or random access SDT (RA-SDT) procedure during an ongoing CG-SDT procedure under certain constraints. The constraints for performing random access may include, but are not limited to: The RRCResumeRequest and the initial transmission of the first data have been performed, and oNo new authorization has been received, and oThe specified time has passed since the transfer, and o Optionally, the time until the next CG opportunity is greater than a second specific time.

[0048] The random access procedure may be a conventional random access (RA) procedure, a RA-SDT procedure, or a procedure for retransmitting an RRCResumeRequest and first data to which no response is received using RA-SDT resources.

[0049] In one embodiment, functionality is introduced into a 3GPP system (eg, in a 3GPP specification) to allow a UE to perform random access during an ongoing CG procedure when a response to an initial transmission has not been received.

[0050] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages: o Longer periods of CG timing can be introduced, thus increasing the benefits of the CG-SDT feature; o In case of initial transmission failure, the delay of CG-SDT process is shorter; o The UE does not have to wait for the next CG opportunity to send a retransmission; o The UE does not have to wait for the next CG opportunity to send time-critical data.

[0051] Reasons for performing a random access while still having a CG opportunity in the future could be that data needs to be retransmitted and the period is such that the CG opportunity occurs in the distant future, or that the UE has new data in its uplink (UL) buffer that is considered time critical and cannot wait for the next opportunity.

[0052] In one embodiment, the UE (e.g., by a network node such as, for example, a gNB) is configured to allow or not allow the UE to trigger a RA when a response to an initial transmission (e.g., an initial transmission on a CG occasion (e.g., one of a plurality of CG occasions configured for CG-SDT)) has not been received. The configuration may specify a minimum time after the initial transmission when a RA can be triggered when a response has not been received, such as Figure 1 The protection period described in steps 2 and 7 of RA (described below) may be implemented as a timer that is started when the initial transmission is performed. When the timer expires and a response has not been received, a RA may be triggered. The timer setting may be a function of the CG period or a configured value. The time may also be the number of Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) monitoring opportunities after the initial transmission.

[0053] When RA can be triggered, the minimum time until the next valid CG transmission opportunity can also be configured. Figure 1 In steps 2 and 8 of , the RA procedure may be triggered, for example, if the next valid CG opportunity is at least "x" ms away, where "x" is preferably a non-zero positive value. The next valid CG opportunity may be the first CG opportunity associated with the same synchronization signal block (SSB) as the CG opportunity where the initial transmission was performed, or a CG opportunity associated with an SSB with an SSB reference signal received power (RSRP) above a threshold. In addition to this, there may also be a situation where the UE has a chance to successfully transmit within the same CG opportunity after SSB reselection. Tracking the impatience value allows triggering the RA-SDT after all possibilities for a successful transmission within the ongoing CG opportunity have been exhausted.

[0054] In one embodiment, once the UE has sent a RRCResumeRequest on RA resources, the CG-SDT resources may not be used. This may be the case when the CG-SDT resources may be shared by several UEs within a cell. On the other hand, the UE may continue to use the CG-SDT resources even after it has sent a RRCResumeRequest on RA resources. This may be advantageous in the following situation: if there is no response to the RRCResumeRequest sent on RA resources, and there are upcoming CG-SDT resources that can be used for another retransmission of the RRCResumeRequest.

[0055] It can also be configured to trigger a RA when no response to an initial CG transmission has been received if the data has a specific priority (e.g., quality of service (QoS) characteristics or logical channel (LCH) priority).

[0056] These configurations can be found in the System Information (SI) or as Figure 1 Provided in the RRC release message described in step 2, the RRC release message provides the CG-SDT configuration.

[0057] In one embodiment, the allowed RA resources are RA-SDT resources. In another aspect of this embodiment, the allowed RA resources are legacy RA resources. In another aspect of this embodiment, both RA-SDT and legacy RA resources may be used. However, for CG-SDT UEs that do not support RA-SDT, there may be limitations in using only legacy RA resources (CG-SDT and RA-SDT capabilities are considered independent). Therefore, in an alternative embodiment, the gNB considers UE capabilities and provides RA-SDT resources for UEs that support RA-SDT while providing legacy RA resources for UEs that do not support RA-SDT.

[0058] In one embodiment, the transport block (TB) size of the CG-SDT matches the TB size of msg3 so that the RRCResumeRequest message and data can be retransmitted exactly. In the event that a different TB size is configured for msg3 during the RA process, the message can be rebuilt to fit the new TB size.

[0059] In one embodiment, the T319a timer is not restarted, so from the UE's perspective, the same SDT process is ongoing. In one aspect of this embodiment, an indicator is included in the message to enable the gNB to recognize that the T319a timer has not been restarted. In another aspect of this embodiment, when a retransmission is made, the T319a timer is restarted. In this case, a transmission counter may be specified to limit the number of retransmission attempts that the UE can use, i.e., specify a maximum number of transmission attempts (because in this case, the T319a timer will never expire).

[0060] Now, we will describe Figure 1 .exist Figure 1 In the example of , a prerequisite for an embodiment of the present disclosure is that the UE has been converted to RRC_INACTIVE using a valid CG-SDT configuration. In other words, Figure 1As shown, after receiving the last data of the ongoing file transfer (step 1), the UE receives an RRC release message including a valid CG-SDT configuration from the gNB (step 2). The CG-SDT configuration includes an uplink transmission opportunity (also referred to as a CG opportunity or CG resource in this document), and if the UE has available data, the UE can use the uplink transmission opportunity for CG-SDT. In one embodiment, the CG-SDT configuration also includes information defining a protection time and / or information indicating an impatience time. In response to receiving the RRC release message, the UE transitions from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state.

[0061] In the RRC inactive state, in the described example, several CG occasions pass in which the UE does not have any data available for transmission (steps 3 and 4). However, some first data arrives from the higher layers at the RCC / MAC instance (step 5), and the UE follows the CG-SDT procedure and sends an RRC recovery request along with the first data arriving at the MAC instance (step 6). After sending the RRC recovery request along with the first data, the UE determines that one or more criteria for the RA are met, wherein these one or more criteria include a first criterion that no response has been received from the gNB within a specified amount of time (which is referred to herein as a protection period). The protection period may be configured via a CG-SDT configuration, otherwise configured by the network (e.g., gNB), defined (e.g., by a 3GPP specification), etc. In another embodiment, the protection period is a function of the period of the CG occasion defined by the CG-SDT configuration. The one or more criteria for performing a RA may include one or more additional criteria, such as: (a) a criterion that additional data is ready for UL transmission, (b) the amount of time until the next CG opportunity is greater than a second amount of time (referred to herein as an impatient time), (c) the data waiting to be sent meets one or more criteria (e.g., a priority such as, for example, a QoS priority or an LCH priority is greater than a defined or configured threshold), or (d) any combination of two or more of (a) to (c). With respect to the impatient time, the impatient time may be indicated, for example, by a CG-SDT configuration, otherwise configured by the network (e.g., by the gNB), defined (e.g., via a 3GPP specification), etc.

[0062] In response to sending the RRC recovery request and the first data and determining that one or more criteria for performing a RA are met, the UE performs a RA (e.g., a traditional RA, a RA-SDT, or using defined or configured RA-SDT resources) to retransmit the RRC recovery request and the first data. In the example shown, the UE performs a RA-SDT that includes retransmission of the RRC recovery request and the first data (step 7).

[0063] Figure 2An example of a communication system 200 is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0064] In the example, the communication system 200 includes: a telecommunications network 202, which includes an access network 204 (such as a radio access network (RAN)); and a core network 206, which includes one or more core network nodes 208. The access network 204 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 210A and 210B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 210), or any other similar third generation partnership project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points (APs). The network nodes 210 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as connecting UE 212A, UE 212B, UE 212C, and UE 212D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UE 212) to the core network 206 through one or more wireless connections.

[0065] Example wireless communications via wireless connections include sending and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information without using wiring, cables, or other material conductors. In addition, in different embodiments, the communication system 200 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that can facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals (whether via a wired connection or via a wireless connection). The communication system 200 may include any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar types of systems, and / or be connected to any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar types of system interfaces.

[0066] UE 212 may be any of a variety of communication devices, including wireless devices that are arranged, configured and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with network node 210 and other communication devices. Similarly, network node 210 is arranged, capable, configured and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with UE 212 and / or with other network nodes or devices in telecommunication network 202 to enable and / or provide network access (e.g., wireless network access) and / or to perform other functions (e.g., management) in telecommunication network 202.

[0067] In the depicted example, the core network 206 connects the network node 210 to one or more hosts (such as the host 216). These connections may be direct connections or indirect connections via one or more intermediate networks or devices. In other examples, the network node may be directly coupled to the host. The core network 206 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 208) composed of hardware and software components. The features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UE, the network node, and / or the host, so that their descriptions are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 208. The example core network node includes the functions of one or more of the following items: a mobile switching center (MSC), a mobility management entity (MME), a home subscriber server (HSS), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), an authentication server function (AUSF), a subscription identifier cancellation function (SIDF), a unified data management (UDM), a security edge protection proxy (SEPP), a network open function (NEF), and / or a user plane function (UPF).

[0068] The host 216 may be owned or under the control of a service provider other than the operator or provider of the access network 204 and / or the telecommunications network 202, and may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. The host 216 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include real-time and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services (e.g., retrieving and compiling data about various environmental conditions detected by multiple UEs), analysis functions, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for alarm and monitoring centers, or any other such functions performed by a server.

[0069] As a whole, Figure 2The communication system 200 enables connections between UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In this sense, the communication system 200 can be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures such as a specific standard, including but not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or other suitable second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G) or fifth generation (5G) standards, or any applicable future generation standards (e.g., sixth generation (6G)); Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard (WiFi); and / or any other suitable wireless communication standards, such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) standards (e.g., LoRa and Sigfox).

[0070] In some examples, the telecommunication network 202 is a cellular network implementing 3GPP standardized features. Therefore, the telecommunication network 202 can support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices connected to the telecommunication network 202. For example, the telecommunication network 202 can provide ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or providing massive machine type communication (mMTC) / massive Internet of Things (IoT) services to yet other UEs.

[0071] In some examples, UE 212 is configured to send and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the UE may be designed to send information to the access network 204 according to a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from the access network 204. In addition, the UE may be configured to operate in a single radio access technology (RAT) mode or a multi-RAT mode or a multi-standard mode. For example, the UE may operate using any one or a combination of WiFi, new radio (NR), and LTE, i.e., configured as multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as evolved UMTS terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN) NR dual connectivity (EN-DC).

[0072] In an example, the central node 214 communicates with the access network 204 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 212C and / or UE 212D) and a network node (e.g., network node 210B). In some examples, the central node 214 may be a controller, a router, a content source and an analyzer, or any other communication device described herein with respect to a UE. For example, the central node 214 may be a broadband router that enables a UE to access the core network 206. As another example, the central node 214 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators of the UE. The commands or instructions may be received from the UE, the network node 210, or received through executable code, scripts, processes, or other instructions in the central node 214. As another example, the central node 214 may be a data collector that acts as a temporary storage device for UE data, and in some embodiments, analysis or other processing of the data may be performed. As another example, the central node 214 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a virtual reality (VR) headset, display, speaker, or other media delivery device, the central node 214 can retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via the network node, and then the central node 214 provides it directly to the UE after performing local processing and / or after adding additional local content. In yet another example, the central node 214 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UE, especially if one or more of the UEs are low-energy IoT devices.

[0073] The central node 214 may have a continuous / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 210B. The central node 214 may also allow different communication schemes and / or scheduling between the central node 214 and the UE (e.g., UE 212C and / or UE 212D) and between the central node 214 and the core network 206. In other examples, the central node 214 is connected to the core network 206 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. In addition, the central node 214 may be configured to be connected to a machine-to-machine (M2M) service provider through the access network 204, and / or to another UE through a direct connection. In some scenarios, the UE may establish a wireless connection with the network node 210 while still being connected through the central node 214 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the central node 214 may be a dedicated central node, that is, a central node whose main function is to route communications from the network node 210B to the UE / route communications from the UE to the network node 210B. In other embodiments, central node 214 may be a non-dedicated central node—ie, a device operable to route communications between UEs and network node 210B but additionally operable as a communications origin and / or endpoint for certain data channels.

[0074] Figure 3 A UE 300 according to some embodiments is shown. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable of, configured, arranged and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with a network node and / or other UEs. Examples of UEs include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cellular phones, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablet computers, laptop computers, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless client equipment (CPEs), vehicle-mounted or vehicle-embedded / integrated wireless devices, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by 3GPP, including narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UEs, machine type communication (MTC) UEs, and / or enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs.

[0075] The UE may, for example, support device-to-device (D2D) communications by implementing 3GPP standards for sidelink communications, dedicated short-range communications (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, the UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated device. Alternatively, the UE may represent a device that is intended to be sold to or operated by a human user but may not or may not initially be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, the UE may represent a device that is not intended to be sold to or operated by an end user but may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0076] UE 300 includes processing circuitry 302, which is operatively coupled to input / output interface 306, power supply 308, memory 310, communication interface 312, and / or any other components or any combination thereof via bus 304. Some UEs may utilize Figure 3 All or a subset of the components shown. The level of integration between components may vary from UE to UE. In addition, some UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0077] The processing circuit 302 is configured to process instructions and data, and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute instructions stored in the memory 310 as a machine-readable computer program. The processing circuit 302 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., discrete logic, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic and suitable firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors (e.g., microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs)) and appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuit 302 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0078] In an example, the input / output interface 306 may be configured to provide one or more interfaces to an input device, an output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of output devices include speakers, sound cards, video cards, displays, monitors, printers, actuators, transmitters, smart cards, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 300. Examples of input devices include touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive displays, cameras (e.g., digital cameras, digital video cameras, web cameras, etc.), microphones, sensors, mice, trackballs, directional keyboards, trackpads, scroll wheels, smart cards, etc. A presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. The sensor may be, for example, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use an interface port of the same type as an input device. For example, a universal serial bus (USB) port may be used to provide input devices and output devices.

[0079] In some embodiments, the power supply 308 is configured as a battery or a battery pack. Other types of power supplies may be used, such as an external power supply (e.g., a power outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a battery. The power supply 308 may also include a power supply circuit for delivering power from the power supply 308 itself and / or an external power supply to various parts of the UE 300 via an input circuit or an interface such as a power cable. The delivered power may be used, for example, to charge the power supply 308. The power supply circuit may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification on the power from the power supply 308 so that the power is suitable for the corresponding components of the UE 300 to which the power is supplied.

[0080] The memory 310 may be or be configured to include a memory such as a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a hard disk, a removable tape, a flash drive, etc. In one example, the memory 310 includes one or more application programs 314, such as an operating system, a web browser application, a widget, a gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 316. The memory 310 may store any of a variety of operating systems or a combination of operating systems used by the UE 300.

[0081] The memory 310 may be configured to include multiple physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), a flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical drive, a built-in hard drive, a Blu-ray optical drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), an external micro DIMM SDRAM, a smart card memory (e.g., a tamper-resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs) such as a universal SIM (USIM) and / or an Internet Protocol Multimedia Services Identity Module (ISIM), other memories, or any combination thereof. The UICC may be, for example, an embedded UICC (eUICC), an integrated UICC (iUICC), or a removable UICC commonly referred to as a “SIM card”. The memory 310 may allow the UE to 300 accesses instructions, applications, etc. stored on a temporary or non-temporary storage medium to offload data or upload data. An article of manufacture (such as an article of manufacture utilizing a communication system) may be tangibly embodied as or in a memory 310, which may be or include a device-readable storage medium.

[0082] The processing circuit 302 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using a communication interface 312. The communication interface 312 may include one or more communication subsystems and may include an antenna 322 or be communicatively coupled to the antenna 322. The communication interface 312 may include one or more transceivers for communication (such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network)). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 318 and / or a receiver 320 suitable for providing network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocation, etc.). In addition, the transmitter 318 and the receiver 320 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 322) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0083] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functionality of the communication interface 312 may include cellular communication, WiFi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, NFC, location-based communication (e.g., using a global positioning system (GPS) to determine location), another type of communication functionality, or any combination thereof. Communication may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards such as IEEE 802.11, code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, new radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / Internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical network (SONET), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), fast user datagram protocol Internet connection (QUIC), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.

[0084] Regardless of the type of sensor, the UE may provide an output of the data captured by its sensor through its communication interface 312 or via a wireless connection to a network node. The data captured by the UE's sensor may be transmitted via another UE through a wireless connection to a network node. The output may be periodic (e.g., every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to balance the load of reports from several sensors), in response to a trigger event (e.g., sending an alarm when humidity is detected), in response to a request (e.g., a user-initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0085] As another example, the UE includes an actuator, motor, or switch associated with a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input, the state of the actuator, motor, or switch can change. For example, the UE can include a motor that adjusts a control surface or rotor of a drone in flight based on the received input, or adjusts a robotic arm performing a medical procedure based on the received input.

[0086] When the UE is in the form of an IoT device, the UE can be a device used in one or more application areas, including but not limited to urban wearable technology, extended industrial applications, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such IoT devices are the following devices or devices embedded in the following devices: connected refrigerators or freezers, televisions, connected lighting devices, electricity meters, robotic vacuum cleaners, voice-controlled smart speakers, home security cameras, motion detectors, thermostats, smoke detectors, door and window sensors, flood / humidity sensors, electronic door locks, connected doorbells, air conditioning systems (such as heat pumps), autonomous vehicles, monitoring systems, weather monitoring devices, vehicle parking monitoring devices, electric vehicle charging stations, smart watches, fitness trackers, head-mounted displays for augmented reality (AR) or VR, wearable devices for tactile enhancement or sensory enhancement, sprinklers, animal tracking or item tracking devices, sensors for monitoring plants or animals, industrial robots, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and any kind of medical equipment (such as heart rate monitors or remote-controlled surgical robots). In addition to the above, Figure 3 In addition to the other components depicted in the illustrated UE 300 , a UE in the form of an IoT device may include circuitry and / or software depending on the intended application of the IoT device.

[0087] As yet another specific example, in an IoT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and sends the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another UE and / or a network node. In this case, the UE may be an M2M device, which may be referred to as an MTC device in the 3GPP context. As a specific example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle (such as a car, bus, truck, ship, and airplane) or other device that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operating status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0088] In fact, for a single use case, any number of UEs may be used together. For example, a first UE may be a drone or integrated in a drone and provide the drone's speed information (obtained via a speed sensor) to a second UE, which is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone's speed. The first UE and / or the second UE may also include more than one of the above functions. For example, a UE may include a sensor and an actuator and handle data communications for both the speed sensor and the actuator.

[0089] Figure 4 A network node 400 according to some embodiments is shown. As used herein, a network node refers to a device capable of, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or devices in a telecommunications network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, APs (e.g., radio APs), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio BSs, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), and NR Node Bs (gNBs)).

[0090] BSs can be classified based on the amount of coverage they provide (or in other words, based on their transmit power level), so depending on the amount of coverage provided, the BS can be called a femto BS, a pico BS, a micro BS, or a macro BS. The BS can be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. The network node can also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio BS, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). These RRUs may or may not be integrated with antennas as antenna-integrated radio devices. Parts of a distributed radio BS may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0091] Other examples of network nodes include a multi-transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access node, a multi-standard radio (MSR) device (such as an MSR BS), a network controller (such as a radio network controller (RNC) or a BS controller (BSC)), a base transceiver station (BTS), a transmission point, a transmission node, a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), an operation and maintenance (O&M) node, an operation support system (OSS) node, a self-organizing network (SON) node, a positioning node (e.g., an evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC)), and / or a minimization of drive tests (MDT).

[0092] The network node 400 includes a processing circuit 402, a memory 404, a communication interface 406, and a power supply 408. The network node 400 may be composed of multiple physically separated components (e.g., NodeB components and RNC components, BTS components and BSC components, etc.), which may have their own corresponding components. In certain scenarios where the network node 400 includes multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more separate components may be shared between several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique "NodeB and RNC pair" may be considered as a single separate network node in some cases. In some embodiments, the network node 400 may be configured to support multiple RATs. In such an embodiment, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 404 exists for different RATs), and some components may be reused (e.g., antenna 410 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 400 may also include multiple sets of the various components shown for different wireless technologies (e.g., GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), or Bluetooth wireless technologies) integrated into the network node 400. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within the network node 400.

[0093] The processing circuit 402 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic that is operable to provide network node 400 functionality alone or in combination with other network node 400 components (e.g., memory 404).

[0094] In some embodiments, processing circuitry 402 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, processing circuitry 402 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 412 and baseband processing circuitry 414. In some embodiments, RF transceiver circuitry 412 and baseband processing circuitry 414 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units (e.g., a radio unit and a digital unit). In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 412 and baseband processing circuitry 414 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit set.

[0095] Memory 404 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including but not limited to permanent storage devices, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, RAM, ROM, mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drive, compact disk (CD) or digital video disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile memory or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data and / or instructions that can be used by processing circuit 402. Memory 404 may store any suitable instructions, data or information, including computer programs, software, applications including one or more of logic, rules, codes, tables, and / or other instructions that can be executed by processing circuit 402 and used by network node 400. Memory 404 may be used to store any calculations performed by processing circuit 402 and / or any data received via communication interface 406. In some embodiments, processing circuit 402 and memory 404 are integrated together.

[0096] The communication interface 406 is used for wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks and / or UEs. As shown, the communication interface 406 includes a port / terminal 416 for, for example, sending data to the network and receiving data from the network via a wired connection. The communication interface 406 also includes a radio front-end circuit 418, which can be coupled to the antenna 410, or in some embodiments, coupled to a part of the antenna 410. The radio front-end circuit 418 includes a filter 420 and an amplifier 422. The radio front-end circuit 418 can be connected to the antenna 410 and the processing circuit 402. The radio front-end circuit 418 can be configured to adjust the signal transmitted between the antenna 410 and the processing circuit 402. The radio front-end circuit 418 can receive digital data to be sent to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit 418 can use a combination of a filter 420 and / or an amplifier 422 to convert the digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signal can then be sent via the antenna 410. Similarly, when data is received, antenna 410 may collect the radio signal, which radio front end circuit 418 may then convert into digital data. The digital data may be passed to processing circuit 402. In other embodiments, communication interface 406 may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0097] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 400 does not include a separate radio front end circuit 418; instead, the processing circuit 402 includes the radio front end circuit and is connected to the antenna 410. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuit 412 is part of the communication interface 406. In yet another embodiment, the communication interface 406 includes one or more ports or terminals 416, the radio front end circuit 418, and the RF transceiver circuit 412 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 406 communicates with the baseband processing circuit 414, which is part of the digital unit (not shown).

[0098] Antenna 410 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 410 may be coupled to radio front end circuit 418 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly sending and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna 410 is separate from network node 400 and may be connected to network node 400 via an interface or port.

[0099] Antenna 410, communication interface 406 and / or processing circuit 402 may be configured to perform any receiving operation and / or certain obtaining operations performed by network node 400 as described herein. Any information, data and / or signal may be received from UE, another network node and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna 410, communication interface 406 and / or processing circuit 402 may be configured to perform any sending operation performed by network node 400 as described herein. Any information, data and / or signal may be sent to UE, another network node and / or any other network device.

[0100] The power supply 408 provides power to the various components of the network node 400 in a form suitable for the various components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each corresponding component). The power supply 408 may also include power management circuitry or be coupled to a power management circuitry to supply power to the components of the network node 400 for performing the functions described herein. For example, the network node 400 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., a power grid or a power outlet) via an input circuit or interface (such as a cable), whereby the external power source supplies power to the power circuit of the power supply 408. As another example, the power supply 408 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack, which is connected to the power circuit or integrated in the power circuit. If the external power source fails, the battery may provide backup power.

[0101] Embodiments of network node 400 may include beyond Figure 4Additional components to the components shown are used to provide certain aspects of the functionality of the network node (including any functionality described herein and / or any functionality required to support the subject matter described herein). For example, the network node 400 may include a user interface device to allow information to be input into the network node 400 and to allow information to be output from the network node 400. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions for the network node 400.

[0102] Figure 5 is a block diagram of a host 500 according to various aspects described herein, which host 500 may be Figure 2 500 is an embodiment of a host 216. As used herein, the host 500 can be or include various combinations of hardware and / or software (including processing resources in a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, a container, or a server cluster). The host 500 can provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0103] Host 500 includes processing circuitry 502, which is operably coupled to input / output interface 506, network interface 508, power supply 510, and memory 512 via bus 504. Other components may be included in other embodiments. The features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to previous figures (such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 ) so that its description is generally applicable to corresponding components of the host 500.

[0104] The memory 512 may include one or more computer programs including data 516 and one or more host applications 514, which may include user data, such as data generated by a UE for the host 500, or data generated by the host 500 for the UE. An embodiment of the host 500 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application 514 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for a variety of different categories, types or implementations of UE (e.g., mobile phones, desktop computers, wearable display systems, and head-up display systems). The host application 514 may also provide user authentication and permission checks, and may periodically report health status, routing, and content availability to a central node (such as a device in a core network or a device on the edge of a core network). Thus, the host 500 can select and / or indicate to the UE a different host for an over-the-top (OTT) service. The host application 514 can support various protocols, such as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH or MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0105] Figure 6 600 in which the functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of an apparatus or device that may include a virtualized hardware platform, storage device, and network resources. As used herein, virtualization may be applied to any device or component thereof described herein, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functions are implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs), which are implemented in one or more virtual environments 600 hosted by one or more of a hardware node (such as a hardware computing device operating as a network node, UE, core network node, or host). In addition, in embodiments where a virtual node does not require a radio connection (e.g., a core network node or host), the node may be fully virtualized.

[0106] Application 602 (which may alternatively be referred to as a software instance, a virtual application, a network function, a virtual node, a virtual network function, etc.) runs in virtualization environment 600 to implement some features, functions and / or benefits of some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0107] Hardware 604 includes processing circuitry, memory storing software and / or instructions that can be executed by the hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices described herein (such as network interfaces, input / output interfaces, etc.). Software can be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 606 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 608a and VMs 608b (one or more of which can be generally referred to as VMs 608), and / or perform any functions, features, and / or benefits described in connection with some embodiments described herein. Virtualization layer 606 can present a virtual operating platform to VM 608 that looks like network hardware.

[0108] VM 608 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual network or interface, and virtual storage, and can be run by corresponding virtualization layer 606. Different embodiments of instances of virtual device 602 can be implemented on one or more VMs 608, and these implementations can be made in different ways. In some contexts, virtualization of hardware is referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to unify many types of network equipment into industry standard high-capacity server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers and customer premises equipment.

[0109] In the context of NFV, a VM 608 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executed on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each VM 608 and the hardware portion of 604 on which it executes (whether it is hardware dedicated to the VM and / or hardware shared by the VM and other VMs 608) form a separate virtual network element. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling a specific network function that runs in one or more VMs 608 on the hardware 604 and corresponds to an application 602.

[0110] Hardware 604 may be implemented in a standalone network node with general or specific components. Hardware 604 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 604 may be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., in a data center or CPE), where many hardware nodes work together and are managed by management and orchestration 610, which in particular oversees the lifecycle management of application 602. In some embodiments, hardware 604 is coupled to one or more radio units, each of which includes one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio unit may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces, and may be used in conjunction with virtual components to provide radio capabilities to virtual nodes (e.g., RAN or BS). In some embodiments, some signaling may be provided by using a control system 612, which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0111] Figure 7 A communication diagram is shown in which a host 702 communicates with a UE 706 via a network node 704 over a partially wireless connection according to some embodiments. Figure 7 Describe the UE discussed in the previous paragraph (such as Figure 2 UE 212A and / or Figure 3 UE 300), network nodes (such as Figure 2 The network node 210A and / or Figure 4 network nodes 400) and hosts (such as Figure 2 Host 216 and / or Figure 5 An example implementation of a host 500 according to various embodiments.

[0112] Similar to the host 500, an embodiment of the host 702 includes hardware, such as a communication interface, a processing circuit, and a memory. The host 702 also includes software that is stored in the host 702 or accessible by the host 702 and executable by the processing circuit. The software includes a host application that is operable to provide services to a remote user, such as a UE 706 connected via an OTT connection 750 extending between the UE 706 and the host 702. In providing services to the remote user, the host application can provide user data sent using the OTT connection 750.

[0113] The network node 704 includes hardware that enables it to communicate with the host 702 and the UE 706 via a connection 760. The connection 760 may be a direct connection or through a core network (such as Figure 2The core network 206 of the present invention and / or one or more other intermediate networks (such as one or more public, private or managed networks) are connected. For example, the intermediate network can be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0114] UE 706 includes hardware and software, which is stored in UE 706 or accessible by UE 706 and can be executed by the processing circuit of UE. The software includes a client application (such as a web browser or operator-specific "application"), which is operable to provide services to human or non-human users via UE 706 with the support of host 702. In host 702, the executing host application can communicate with the executing client application via OTT connection 750, which is terminated at UE 706 and host 702. When providing services to users, the client application of UE can receive request data from the host application of the host and provide user data in response to the request data. OTT connection 750 can send both request data and user data. The client application of UE can interact with the user to generate user data provided to the host application via OTT connection 750.

[0115] The OTT connection 750 may extend via a connection 760 between the host 702 and the network node 704 and via a wireless connection 770 between the network node 704 and the UE 706 to provide a connection between the host 702 and the UE 706. The connection 760 and the wireless connection 770 that may provide the OTT connection 750 have been drawn abstractly to illustrate communication between the host 702 and the UE 706 via the network node 704 without explicitly involving any intermediate devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0116] As an example of sending data via the OTT connection 750, in step 708, the host 702 provides user data, which can be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a specific human user who interacts with the UE 706. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with the UE 706, which shares data with the host 702 without explicit human interaction. In step 710, the host 702 initiates a transmission to the UE 706, which carries the user data. The host 702 may initiate the transmission in response to a request sent by the UE 706. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 706 or by the operation of a client application executed on the UE 706. According to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, the transmission may be delivered via the network node 704. Therefore, in step 712, according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, the network node 704 sends the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the host 702 to the UE 706. In step 714 , UE 706 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executing on UE 706 that is associated with a host application executed by host 702 .

[0117] In some examples, UE 706 executes a client application that provides user data to host 702. User data may be provided as a reaction or response to data received from host 702. Therefore, in step 716, UE 706 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing a client application. When providing user data, the client application may also take into account user input received from a user via an input / output interface of UE 706. Regardless of the specific manner in which user data is provided, in step 718, UE 706 initiates transmission of user data to host 702 via network node 704. In step 720, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, network node 704 receives user data from UE 706 and initiates sending the received user data to host 702. In step 722, host 702 receives user data carried in the transmission initiated by UE 706.

[0118] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to UE 706 using OTT connection 750, in which wireless connection 770 forms the final part. More specifically, the teachings of these embodiments can improve latency, thereby providing benefits such as, for example, reduced user latency and better responsiveness.

[0119] In an example scenario, the host 702 may collect and analyze plant status information. As another example, the host 702 may process audio and video data that may have been retrieved from the UE for creating a map. As another example, the host 702 may collect and analyze real-time data to help control vehicle congestion (e.g., control traffic lights). As another example, the host 702 may store monitoring videos uploaded by the UE. As another example, the host 702 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR, or AR, which may be broadcast, multicast, or unicast to the UE. As other examples, the host 702 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time-critical power loads to balance power generation demand, positioning services, presentation services (e.g., compiling charts based on data collected from remote devices, etc.), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing, and / or sending data.

[0120] In some examples, a measurement process may be provided for monitoring data rate, latency, and other factors that are the object of improvement of one or more embodiments. There may also be an optional network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection 750 between the host 702 and the UE 706 in response to changes in the measurement results. The measurement process and / or the network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection 750 may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 702 and / or the UE 706. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in other devices through which the OTT connection 750 passes, or associated with the other devices; the sensors may participate in the measurement process by providing the values ​​of the monitored quantities shown above, or by providing the values ​​of other physical quantities from which the software can calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguration of the OTT connection 750 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routes, etc.; the reconfiguration does not require direct changes to the operation of the network node 704. Such processes and functions may be known and practiced in the art. In some embodiments, the measurement may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates the host 702 to measure throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. Measurements can be made by software using the OTT connection 750 to send messages (particularly empty or "dummy" messages) while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0121] Although the computing devices (e.g., UE, network node, host) described herein may include a combination of the hardware components shown, other embodiments may include computing devices with different combinations of components. It should be understood that these computing devices may include any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. The determination, calculation, acquisition, or similar operations described herein may be performed by a processing circuit, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information to other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information with the information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information, and making a determination based on the result of the processing. In addition, although the components are depicted as a single box located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in fact, the computing device may include multiple different physical components constituting a single illustrated component, and the functions may be divided between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any component described herein, and / or the functions of the components may be divided between the processing circuit and the communication interface. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any such component may be implemented in software or firmware, and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0122] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein may be provided by a processing circuit that executes instructions stored in a memory, which in some embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by a processing circuit, for example, in a hardwired manner, without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium. In any of these specific embodiments, the processing circuit may be configured to perform the described functions, regardless of whether instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to separate processing circuits or to other components of a computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole and / or are generally enjoyed by end users and wireless networks.

[0123] Some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are as follows: Group A Embodiment

[0124] Embodiment 1: A method performed by a user equipment UE, the method comprising: when in an inactive state: Sending to a network node (e.g., gNB) using a CG opportunity among multiple CG opportunities configured for the UE ( Figure 1 , step 6) RRC recovery request and first data; ·Sure( Figure 1, step 7) one or more criteria for performing a RA have been met, the one or more criteria including a first criterion that a response to the RRC resumption request has not been received from the network node within a first amount of time; In response to determining ( Figure 1 , step 7) one or more criteria for performing RA have been met, perform ( Figure 1 ,Step 7) RA, during which the UE retransmits the RRC recovery request and the first data.

[0125] Embodiment 2: The method according to embodiment 1 further includes: when in a connected state, receiving ( Figure 1 , step 2) an RRC release message, the RRC release message including a CG-SDT configuration for configuring multiple CG opportunities for the UE; and in response to receiving ( Figure 1 , Step 2) RRC release message, conversion ( Figure 1 , step 2) is inactive.

[0126] Embodiment 3: The method according to embodiment 2, wherein the first amount of time is defined by a CG-SDT configuration.

[0127] Embodiment 4: A method according to Embodiment 2 or 3, wherein the one or more criteria for performing RA further includes a second criterion that the amount of time until the next CG opportunity among multiple CG opportunities is greater than a second amount of time, and the second amount of time is defined by a CG-SDT configuration.

[0128] Embodiment 5: A method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 3, wherein the one or more criteria for performing RA further comprises a second criterion that the amount of time until the next CG opportunity among the plurality of CG opportunities is greater than a second amount of time.

[0129] Embodiment 6: A method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the multiple CG opportunities are configured for CG-SDT.

[0130] Embodiment 7: A method according to any one of embodiments 1, 2 or 6, wherein the first amount of time is a function of a period of the plurality of CG opportunities.

[0131] Embodiment 8: The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 7, wherein the RA is a traditional RA, RA-SDT, or a transmission using RA-SDT resources.

[0132] Embodiment 9: A method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 8, wherein a subset of multiple CG opportunities occurring after performing RA cannot be used by the UE.

[0133] Embodiment 10: A method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 8, wherein a subset of multiple CG opportunities occurring at a time after performing a RA can be used by the UE.

[0134] Embodiment 11: A method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 10, wherein the one or more criteria for performing RA also include a criterion that additional data waiting to be transmitted at the UE has at least a specific priority (for example, at least a specific QoS priority or at least an LCH priority).

[0135] Embodiment 12: A method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 11, wherein the TB size of data sent at the CG opportunity (eg, the TB size of the corresponding CG-SDT) matches the TB size of Msg3 of the RA.

[0136] Embodiment 13: A method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 11, wherein the TB size of the data sent at the CG opportunity (for example, the TB size of the corresponding CG-SDT) does not match the TB size of Msg3 of the RA, and the message carrying the data for retransmission is reconstructed to have a TB size that matches the TB size of Msg3 of the RA.

[0137] Embodiment 14: The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 13, wherein the T319a timer is not restarted (eg, not restarted when performing a RA to retransmit the RRC recovery request and the first data).

[0138] Embodiment 15: The method according to any of the preceding embodiments further includes: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via transmission to a network node. Group B Example

[0139] Embodiment 16: A method performed by a network node, the method comprising: sending ( Figure 1 , step 2) an RRC release message, which includes a CG-SDT configuration, which configures the UE with multiple CG opportunities for CG-SDT and one or more parameters related to one or more criteria for the UE to perform RA to retransmit CG-SDT; wherein, the one or more criteria for the UE to perform RA to retransmit CG-SDT include a first criterion that the UE has not received a response to an RRC recovery request for CG-SDT and first data from the network node within a first amount of time.

[0140] Embodiment 17: A method according to Embodiment 16, wherein the one or more criteria for the UE to perform RA to retransmit CG-SDT further includes a second criterion that the amount of time until the next CG opportunity among multiple CG opportunities is greater than the second amount of time.

[0141] Embodiment 18: The method according to embodiment 17, wherein the second amount of time is defined by a CG-SDT configuration.

[0142] Embodiment 19: The method according to any one of embodiments 16 to 18, wherein the RA is a traditional RA, RA-SDT, or a transmission using RA-SDT resources.

[0143] Embodiment 20: A method according to any one of embodiments 16 to 19, wherein a subset of multiple CG opportunities occurring after the UE performs RA cannot be used by the UE.

[0144] Embodiment 21: A method according to any one of embodiments 16 to 19, wherein a subset of multiple CG opportunities occurring after the UE performs a RA can be used by the UE.

[0145] Embodiment 22: A method according to any one of embodiments 16 to 21, wherein the one or more criteria for performing RA also include a criterion that additional data waiting to be transmitted at the UE has at least a specific priority (e.g., at least a specific QoS priority or at least an LCH priority).

[0146] Embodiment 23: The method according to any of the preceding embodiments further includes: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user device. Group C Example

[0147] Embodiment 24: A user device comprises: a processing circuit configured to perform any steps described in any embodiment of Group A; and a power supply circuit configured to supply power to the processing circuit.

[0148] Embodiment 25: A network node comprises: a processing circuit configured to perform any steps described in any embodiment of Group B; and a power supply circuit configured to supply power to the processing circuit.

[0149] Embodiment 26: A user equipment UE comprises: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; a radio front-end circuit connected to the antenna and the processing circuit and configured to adjust the signal transmitted between the antenna and the processing circuit; a processing circuit configured to perform any steps described in any of the embodiments in Group A; an input interface connected to the processing circuit and configured to allow information to be input into the UE for processing by the processing circuit; an output interface connected to the processing circuit and configured to output information that has been processed by the processing circuit from the UE; and a battery connected to the processing circuit and configured to supply power to the UE.

[0150] Embodiment 27: A method implemented by a host, the host being configured to operate in a communication system further comprising a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, receiving user data sent by the UE to the host via the network node, wherein the UE performs any steps described in any embodiment of Group A to send user data to the host.

[0151] Embodiment 28: The method according to the aforementioned embodiment further includes: executing, at a host, a host application associated with a client application executed on a UE to receive user data from the UE.

[0152] Embodiment 29: The method according to the aforementioned embodiment further includes: at the host, sending input data to the client application executed on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

[0153] Embodiment 30: A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: a processing circuit configured to initiate reception of user data; and a network interface configured to receive user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and a processing circuit, the processing circuit of the network node being configured to perform any operation described in any of the embodiments in Group B to receive user data from a user equipment (UE) for the host.

[0154] Embodiment 31: A host according to the two aforementioned embodiments, wherein: the processing circuit of the host is configured to execute a host application to provide user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executed on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0155] Embodiment 32: A host according to any one of the two preceding embodiments, wherein initiating reception of user data comprises requesting user data.

[0156] Embodiment 33: A method implemented by a host, the host being configured to operate in a communication system further comprising a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating reception of user data from the UE, the user data originating from a transmission already received by the network node from the UE, wherein the network node performs any steps described in accordance with any of the embodiments in Group B to receive user data from the UE for the host.

[0157] Embodiment 34: The method according to the aforementioned embodiment further includes: at the network node, sending the received user data to the host.

[0158] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered to fall within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment UE, the method comprising: When inactive: Sending ( FIG. 1 , step 6) a radio resource control RRC resumption request and first data to a network node using a CG opportunity among a plurality of configuration authorization CG opportunities configured for the UE; determining ( FIG. 1 , step 7 ) that one or more criteria for performing random access RA have been met; and In response to determining (FIG. 1, step 7) that the one or more criteria for performing a RA have been met, performing (FIG. 1, step 7) a RA, during which the UE retransmits the RRC recovery request and the first data.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more criteria for performing RA include a criterion that an amount of time until a next CG opportunity among the plurality of CG opportunities is greater than a specific amount of time.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The criterion is a criterion in which the amount of time until the next valid CG opportunity among the plurality of CG opportunities is greater than a specific amount of time.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The next valid CG opportunity is: the next CG opportunity associated with the same synchronization signal block SSB as the CG opportunity for sending the RRC recovery request and the first data, or a CG opportunity associated with an SSB with an SSB reference signal received power RSRP higher than a specific threshold.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more criteria for performing a RA include a criterion that a response to the RRC resumption request has not been received from the network node within a certain amount of time.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The specific amount of time is a function of the period of the multiple CG opportunities.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more criteria for performing RA include: a first criterion that a response to the RRC recovery request has not been received from the network node within a first amount of time, and a second criterion that the amount of time until a next CG opportunity among the multiple CG opportunities is greater than a second amount of time.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: When in a connected state, receiving ( FIG. 1 , step 2) an RRC release message from a network node, the RRC release message including a CG-SDT configuration for configuring the plurality of CG opportunities for the UE; as well as In response to receiving ( FIG. 1 , step 2 ) the RRC release message, transitioning ( FIG. 1 , step 2 ) to the inactive state.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The one or more criteria for performing RA include: a first criterion that a response to the RRC recovery request has not been received from the network node within a first amount of time, a second criterion that the amount of time until the next CG opportunity among the multiple CG opportunities is greater than a second amount of time, or both the first criterion and the second criterion.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The one or more criteria for performing RA include the second criteria, and the second amount of time is defined by the CG-SDT configuration.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The second criterion is a criterion in which the amount of time until the next valid CG opportunity among the plurality of CG opportunities is greater than the second amount of time.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The next valid CG opportunity is: the next CG opportunity associated with the same synchronization signal block SSB as the CG opportunity for sending the RRC recovery request and the first data, or a CG opportunity associated with an SSB with an SSB reference signal received power RSRP higher than a specific threshold.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein: The one or more criteria for performing a RA include the first criteria, and the first amount of time is defined by the CG-SDT configuration.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein: The multiple CG opportunities are configured for CG small data transmission SDT.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein: The RA is a traditional RA, a RA-SDT, or a transmission using RA-SDT resources.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein: A subset of the multiple CG opportunities that occur after performing RA cannot be used by the UE.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein: A subset of the multiple CG opportunities that occur after performing RA can be used by the UE.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein: The one or more criteria for performing a RA include a criterion that additional data awaiting transmission at the UE has at least a certain priority.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein: The at least specific priority is at least a specific quality of service QoS priority or at least a specific logical channel LCH priority.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein: The transport block TB size of the data sent at the CG opportunity matches the TB size of Msg3 of RA.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein: The transport block TB size of the data sent at the CG opportunity does not match the TB size of Msg3 of RA, and the message carrying the data for retransmission is reconstructed to have a TB size matching the TB size of Msg3 of RA.

22. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein: When performing RA to retransmit the RRC recovery request and the first data, the small data transmission failure timer is not restarted.

23. A user equipment UE, suitable for: When inactive: Sending ( FIG. 1 , step 6) a radio resource control RRC resumption request and first data to a network node using a CG opportunity among a plurality of configuration authorization CG opportunities configured for the UE; determining ( FIG. 1 , step 7 ) that one or more criteria for performing random access RA have been met; and In response to determining (FIG. 1, step 7) that the one or more criteria for performing a RA have been met, performing (FIG. 1, step 7) a RA, during which the UE retransmits the RRC recovery request and the first data.

24. The UE according to claim 23, wherein: The one or more criteria for performing RA include a criterion that an amount of time until a next CG opportunity among the plurality of CG opportunities is greater than a specific amount of time.

25. The UE according to claim 24, wherein: The criterion is a criterion in which the amount of time until the next valid CG opportunity among the plurality of CG opportunities is greater than a specific amount of time.

26. The UE according to claim 25, wherein: The next valid CG opportunity is: the next CG opportunity associated with the same synchronization signal block SSB as the CG opportunity for sending the RRC recovery request and the first data, or a CG opportunity associated with an SSB with an SSB reference signal received power RSRP higher than a specific threshold.

27. The UE according to any one of claims 23 to 26, further adapted to perform the method according to any one of claims 5 to 22.

28. A user equipment UE (300), comprising: A communication interface (312) including a transmitter (318) and a receiver (320); as well as A processing circuit (302) is associated with the communication interface (312), and the processing circuit (302) is configured to enable the UE (300): when in an inactive state, Sending ( FIG. 1 , step 6) a radio resource control RRC resumption request and first data to a network node using a CG opportunity among a plurality of configuration authorization CG opportunities configured for the UE; determining ( FIG. 1 , step 7 ) that one or more criteria for performing random access RA have been met; and In response to determining (FIG. 1, step 7) that the one or more criteria for performing a RA have been met, performing (FIG. 1, step 7) a RA, during which the UE retransmits the RRC recovery request and the first data.

29. The UE according to claim 28, wherein: The one or more criteria for performing RA include a criterion that an amount of time until a next CG opportunity among the plurality of CG opportunities is greater than a specific amount of time.

30. The UE according to claim 29, wherein: The criterion is a criterion in which the amount of time until the next valid CG opportunity among the plurality of CG opportunities is greater than a specific amount of time.

31. The UE according to claim 30, wherein: The next valid CG opportunity is: the next CG opportunity associated with the same synchronization signal block SSB as the CG opportunity for sending the RRC recovery request and the first data, or a CG opportunity associated with an SSB with an SSB reference signal received power RSRP higher than a specific threshold.

32. The UE according to any one of claims 28 to 31, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to cause the UE to perform the method according to any one of claims 5 to 22.

33. A method performed by a network node, the method comprising: Sending ( FIG. 1 , step 2) a radio resource control RRC release message to a user equipment UE, wherein the RRC release message includes a configuration grant small data transmission CG-SDT configuration, wherein the CG-SDT configuration configures a plurality of configuration grant CG opportunities for the UE for the CG-SDT and one or more parameters related to one or more criteria for the UE to perform random access RA to retransmit the CG-SDT; Among them, the one or more criteria for the UE to perform RA to retransmit CG-SDT include: a first criterion that the UE has not received a response to an RRC recovery request for CG-SDT and first data from the network node within a first amount of time, a second criterion that the amount of time until the next CG opportunity among the multiple CG opportunities is greater than a second amount of time, or both the first criterion and the second criterion.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein: The one or more criteria for the UE to perform RA to retransmit CG-SDT include the second criterion.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein: The second criterion is a criterion in which the amount of time until the next valid CG opportunity among the plurality of CG opportunities is greater than the second amount of time.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein: The next valid CG opportunity is: the next CG opportunity associated with the same synchronization signal block SSB as the CG opportunity for sending the RRC recovery request and the first data, or a CG opportunity associated with an SSB with an SSB reference signal received power RSRP higher than a specific threshold.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein: The one or more criteria for the UE to perform RA to retransmit CG-SDT include the first criterion.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein: The first amount of time is a function of a period of the plurality of CG opportunities.

39. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 38, wherein: The first amount of time is defined by the CG-SDT configuration, the second amount of time is defined by the CG-SDT configuration, or both the first amount of time and the second amount of time are defined by the CG-SDT configuration.

40. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 39, wherein: The RA is a traditional RA, a RA-SDT, or a transmission using RA-SDT resources.

41. A method according to any one of claims 33 to 40, wherein: A subset of the multiple CG opportunities that occur after the UE performs RA cannot be used by the UE.

42. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 40, wherein: A subset of the multiple CG opportunities that occur after the UE performs RA can be used by the UE.

43. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 42, wherein: The one or more criteria for performing a RA also include a criterion that additional data awaiting transmission at the UE has at least a certain priority.

44. A network node, suitable for: Sending a radio resource control RRC release message to the user equipment UE (Figure 1, step 2), wherein: The RRC release message includes a configuration grant small data transmission CG-SDT configuration, wherein the CG-SDT configuration configures a plurality of configuration grant CG opportunities for the UE for the CG-SDT and one or more parameters related to one or more criteria for the UE to perform random access RA to retransmit the CG-SDT; Among them, the one or more criteria for the UE to perform RA to retransmit CG-SDT include: a first criterion that the UE has not received a response to an RRC recovery request for CG-SDT and first data from the network node within a first amount of time, a second criterion that the amount of time until the next CG opportunity among the multiple CG opportunities is greater than a second amount of time, or both the first criterion and the second criterion.

45. The network node according to claim 44, further adapted to perform the method according to any one of claims 34 to 43.

46. ​​A network node (400), comprising a processing circuit (402), the processing circuit (402) being configured to cause the network node (400): Sending a radio resource control RRC release message to the user equipment UE (Figure 1, step 2), wherein: The RRC release message includes a configuration grant small data transmission CG-SDT configuration, wherein the CG-SDT configuration configures a plurality of configuration grant CG opportunities for the UE for the CG-SDT and one or more parameters related to one or more criteria for the UE to perform random access RA to retransmit the CG-SDT; Among them, the one or more criteria for the UE to perform RA to retransmit CG-SDT include: a first criterion that the UE has not received a response to an RRC recovery request for CG-SDT and first data from the network node within a first amount of time, a second criterion that the amount of time until the next CG opportunity among the multiple CG opportunities is greater than a second amount of time, or both the first criterion and the second criterion.

47. The network node according to claim 46, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to cause the network node to perform a method according to any one of claims 34 to 43.

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