Novel SRB design for group RRC messaging

Abstract

A novel SRB design for group RRC messaging is disclosed. A network device may be configured to provide a configuration of a group signaling radio bearer (SRB) to a group of user equipments (UEs), and to transmit at least one group radio resource control (RRC) message dedicated to the group of UEs on the group SRB.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application generally relates to wireless communication systems, including a novel Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB) design for group Radio Resource Control (RRC) messaging. Background Art

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technology uses various standards and protocols to send data between base stations and wireless communication devices. Wireless communication system standards and protocols may include, for example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G), 3GPP New Radio (NR) (e.g., 5G), and the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs) (commonly referred to within industry organizations as WLANs). ).

[0003] As envisioned by 3GPP, different wireless communication system standards and protocols may use various radio access networks (RANs) to communicate between base stations of the RAN (which may also sometimes be referred to as RAN nodes, network nodes, or simply nodes) and wireless communication devices referred to as user equipment (UE). 3GPP RANs may include, for example, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and / or Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN).

[0004] Each RAN may use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) to perform communications between base stations and UEs. For example, GERAN implements GSM and / or EDGE RAT, UTRAN implements Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RAT, E-UTRAN implements LTE RAT (sometimes referred to as LTE), and NG-RAN implements NR RAT (sometimes referred to herein as 5G RAT, 5G NR RAT, or NR). In some deployments, E-UTRAN may also implement NR RAT. In some deployments, NG-RAN may also implement LTE RAT.

[0005] The base stations used by the RAN may correspond to the RAN. An example of an E-UTRAN base station is an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly denoted as an evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB). An example of an NG-RAN base station is a Next Generation Node B (also sometimes referred to as a gNodeB or gNB).

[0006] The RAN provides communication services together with external entities through its connection with the Core Network (CN). For example, E-UTRAN may utilize the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and NG-RAN may utilize the 5G Core Network (5GC).

[0007] The frequency bands of 5G NR may be divided into two or more different frequency ranges. For example, frequency range 1 (FR1) may include frequency bands operating at frequencies below 6 GHz, some of which may be used by previous standards and may potentially be expanded to cover new spectrum products from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. Frequency range 2 (FR2) may include frequency bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. The frequency bands in the millimeter wave (mmWave) range of FR2 may have a smaller range but potentially higher available bandwidth than the frequency bands in FR1. The skilled person will recognize that these frequency ranges, provided by way of example, may change over time or from region to region. Summary of the invention

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a network device, which includes: at least one antenna; at least one radio component, the at least one radio component is coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor, the processor is coupled to the at least one radio component; wherein the processor is configured to: provide a configuration of a group SRB to a group of UEs; and send at least one group RRC message dedicated to the group of UEs on the group SRB.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a first UE, which includes: at least one antenna; at least one radio component, the at least one radio component coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor, the processor coupled to the at least one radio component; wherein the processor is configured to: receive a configuration of a group SRB from a network device; and receive at least one group RRC message dedicated to a group of UEs including the first UE from the network device on the group SRB.

[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method of a network device, the method comprising: providing configuration of a group SRB to a group of UEs; and sending at least one group RRC message dedicated to the group of UEs on the group SRB.

[0011] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method of a first UE, the method comprising: receiving configuration of a group SRB from a network device; and receiving at least one group RRC message dedicated to a group of UEs including the first UE from the network device on the group SRB.

[0012] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of a network device, cause the processor to perform any of the methods disclosed herein for the network device.

[0013] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor of a UE causes the processor to perform any of the methods disclosed herein for the UE.

[0014] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer program product comprising a program which, when executed by a processor of a network device, causes the processor to perform any method disclosed herein for the network device.

[0015] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer program product comprising a program, which, when executed by a processor of a UE, causes the processor to perform any method disclosed herein for the UE.

[0016] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides an apparatus comprising means for performing any of the methods disclosed herein for a network device.

[0017] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides an apparatus comprising means for performing any of the methods disclosed herein for a UE. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or action, the most significant digit(s) in a reference number refers to the drawing number that first introduces the element.

[0019] Figure 1 An example architecture of a wireless communication system according to embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0020] Figure 2 A system for performing signaling between a wireless device and a network device according to embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0021] Figure 3 An example process for the use of a group SRB according to embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0022] Figure 4 An example process for the use of a group SRB according to embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0023] Figure 5 An example process for configuration of a group SRB according to the embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0024] Fig. 6AAn exemplary PTP transmission mode according to the embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0025] Figure 6B Exemplary PMP transmission modes according to embodiments disclosed herein are illustrated.

[0026] Figure 6C An exemplary hybrid transmission mode according to the embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0027] Fig. 7A Illustrated is an example transmission of one or more RRC response messages according to some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0028] Figure 7B Illustrated is an example transmission of one or more RRC response messages according to some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0029] Figure 7C Illustrated is an example transmission of one or more RRC response messages according to some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0030] Fig. 8A Illustrated is an example transmission of one or more RRC response messages according to some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0031] Figure 8B Illustrated is an example transmission of one or more RRC response messages according to some embodiments disclosed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Various embodiments are described with respect to UE. However, reference to UE is provided for illustrative purposes only. The example embodiments may be used with any electronic component that can establish a connection with a network and is configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, UE as described herein is used to represent any suitable electronic component.

[0033] Figure 1 An example architecture of a wireless communication system 100 according to the embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. The description provided below is for an example wireless communication system 100 operating in conjunction with the LTE system standard, 5G or NR system standard, and / or any future cellular communication standard (such as 6G or subsequent generations) as provided in the 3GPP technical specifications.

[0034] like Figure 1As shown, wireless communication system 100 includes UE 102 and UE 104 (although any number of UEs may be used). In this example, UE 102 and UE 104 are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touch screen mobile computing devices capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device configured for wireless communication.

[0035] UE 102 and UE 104 may be configured to be communicatively coupled to RAN 106. In an embodiment, RAN 106 may be NG-RAN, E-UTRAN, etc. UE 102 and UE 104 utilize connections (or channels) (shown as connection 108 and connection 110, respectively) with RAN 106, where each connection (or channel) includes a physical communication interface. RAN 106 may include one or more base stations, such as base station 112 and base station 114, to implement connection 108 and connection 110.

[0036] In this example, connection 108 and connection 110 are air interfaces that enable such communicative coupling and may conform to the RAT used by RAN 106 , such as, for example, LTE and / or NR.

[0037] In some embodiments, UE 102 and UE 104 may also directly exchange communication data via side link interface 116. UE 104 is shown as being configured to access an access point (shown as AP 118) via connection 120. By way of example, connection 120 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection conforming to any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein AP 118 may include In this example, AP 118 may be connected to another network (eg, the Internet) without going through CN 124.

[0038] In an embodiment, UE 102 and UE 104 may be configured to communicate with each other or with base station 112 and / or base station 114 over a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals according to various communication techniques, such as but not limited to orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communication) or single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication), although the scope of the embodiment is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0039] In some embodiments, all or part of base station 112 or base station 114 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network. In addition, or in other embodiments, base station 112 or base station 114 may be configured to communicate with each other via interface 122. In an embodiment where wireless communication system 100 is an LTE system (e.g., when CN 124 is EPC), interface 122 may be an X2 interface. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) connected to EPC and / or between two eNBs connected to EPC. In an embodiment where wireless communication system 100 is an NR system (e.g., when CN 124 is 5GC), interface 122 may be an Xn interface. The Xn interface is defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to 5GC, between base station 112 (e.g., gNB) and eNB connected to 5GC, and / or between two eNBs connected to 5GC (e.g., CN 124).

[0040] The RAN 106 is shown as being communicatively coupled to the CN 124. The CN 124 may include one or more network elements 126 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., UE 102 and users of UE 104) connected to the CN 124 via the RAN 106. The components of the CN 124 may be implemented in one physical device or separate physical devices including components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium).

[0041] In an embodiment, CN 124 may be an EPC, and RAN 106 may be connected to CN 124 via an S1 interface 128. In an embodiment, S1 interface 128 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface that carries service data between base station 112 or base station 114 and a serving gateway (S-GW); and an S1-MME interface that is a signaling interface between base station 112 or base station 114 and a mobility management entity (MME).

[0042] In an embodiment, CN 124 may be a 5GC, and RAN 106 may be connected to CN 124 via an NG interface 128. In an embodiment, NG interface 128 may be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface that carries service data between base station 112 or base station 114 and a user plane function (UPF); and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface that is a signaling interface between base station 112 or base station 114 and an access and mobility management function (AMF).

[0043] Generally speaking, application server 130 may be an element that provides applications (e.g., packet-switched data services) that use Internet Protocol (IP) bearer resources with CN 124. Application server 130 may also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, group communication sessions, etc.) for UE 102 and UE 104 via CN 124. Application server 130 may communicate with CN 124 via IP communication interface 132.

[0044] Figure 2 A system 200 for performing signaling 234 between a wireless device 202 and a network device 218 according to embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. The system 200 may be part of a wireless communication system as described herein. The wireless device 202 may be, for example, a UE of a wireless communication system. The network device 218 may be, for example, a base station (e.g., an eNB or a gNB) of a wireless communication system.

[0045] The wireless device 202 may include one or more processors 204. The processor 204 may execute instructions to perform various operations of the wireless device 202, as described herein. The processor 204 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0046] The wireless device 202 may include a memory 206. The memory 206 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 208 (which may include, for example, instructions executed by the processor 204). The instructions 208 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 206 may also store data used by the processor 204 and results calculated by the processor.

[0047] The wireless device 202 may include one or more transceivers 210, which may include radio frequency (RF) transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that uses an antenna 212 of the wireless device 202 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 234) to and / or from the wireless device 202 and other devices (e.g., network device 218) according to a corresponding RAT.

[0048] The wireless device 202 may include one or more antennas 212 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). For embodiments with multiple antennas 212, the wireless device 202 may utilize the spatial diversity of such multiple antennas 212 to transmit and / or receive multiple different data streams on the same time-frequency resource. This behavior may be referred to as, for example, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) behavior (referring to the multiple antennas used at each of the transmitting device and the receiving device to implement this aspect). MIMO transmission by the wireless device 202 may be implemented based on precoding (or digital beamforming) applied at the wireless device 202, which multiplexes the data streams across the antennas 212 based on known or assumed channel characteristics, so that each data stream is received at an appropriate signal strength relative to the other streams and at a desired location in the spatial domain (e.g., the location of the receiver associated with the data stream). Certain embodiments may use a single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) approach (where the data streams are all directed to a single receiver) and / or a multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) approach (where the individual data streams may be directed to individual (different) receivers in different locations in the spatial domain).

[0049] In certain embodiments with multiple antennas, the wireless device 202 may implement analog beamforming techniques whereby the phases of signals transmitted by the antennas 212 are relatively adjusted so that the (joint) transmissions of the antennas 212 can be directed (this is sometimes referred to as beam steering).

[0050] The wireless device 202 may include one or more interfaces 214. The interfaces 214 may be used to provide input to or output from the wireless device 202. For example, the wireless device 202 (UE) may include an interface 214, such as a microphone, a speaker, a touch screen, buttons, etc., to allow a user of the UE to provide input and / or output to the UE. Other interfaces of such a UE may consist of transmitters, receivers, and other circuits (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 210 / antenna 212 described above) that allow communication between the UE and other devices, and may be based on known protocols (e.g., etc.) to perform the operation.

[0051] The wireless device 202 may include an SRB management module 216. The SRB management module 216 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the SRB management module 216 may be implemented as a processor, circuitry, and / or instructions 208 stored in the memory 206 and executed by the processor 204. In some examples, the SRB management module 216 may be integrated within the processor 204 and / or the transceiver 210. For example, the SRB management module 216 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or a general purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the processor 204 or the transceiver 210.

[0052] The SRB management module 216 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figure 4 The SRB management module 216 is configured to perform any of the steps described herein for configuring a group SRB and / or using a group SRB at the UE side.

[0053] The network device 218 may include one or more processors 220. The processor 220 may execute instructions to perform various operations of the network device 218, as described herein. The processor 204 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0054] The network device 218 may include a memory 222. The memory 222 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 224 (which may include, for example, instructions executed by the processor 220). The instructions 224 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 222 may also store data used by the processor 220 and results calculated by the processor.

[0055] The network device 218 may include one or more transceivers 226, which may include RF transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that uses an antenna 228 of the network device 218 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 234) to and / or from the network device 218 and other devices (e.g., wireless device 202) according to a corresponding RAT.

[0056] The network device 218 may include one or more antennas 228 (eg, one, two, four, or more). In embodiments with multiple antennas 228, the network device 218 may perform MIMO, digital beamforming, analog beamforming, beamsteering, etc. as described.

[0057] The network device 218 may include one or more interfaces 230. The interfaces 230 may be used to provide input to or output from the network device 218. For example, the network device 218 (base station) may include an interface 230 consisting of a transmitter, a receiver, and other circuits (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 226 / antenna 228 already described) that enables the base station to communicate with other equipment in the core network and / or enables the base station to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, etc., for the purpose of performing operations, management, and maintenance of the base station or other equipment operably connected to the base station.

[0058] The network device 218 may include an SRB management module 232. The SRB management module 232 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the SRB management module 232 may be implemented as a processor, circuitry, and / or instructions 224 stored in the memory 222 and executed by the processor 220. In some examples, the SRB management module 232 may be integrated within the processor 220 and / or the transceiver 226. For example, the SRB management module 232 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or a general purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the processor 220 or the transceiver 226.

[0059] The SRB management module 232 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, such as Figure 3 The SRB management module 232 is configured to perform any of the steps described herein for configuring a group SRB and / or using a group SRB on the network side.

[0060] Embodiments contemplated herein provide a novel SRB design for group RRC messaging in a wireless communication system. The SRBs described herein may include a group SRB that may be used to provide RRC messaging to a group of UEs with lower signaling overhead, less signaling congestion, and / or higher security.

[0061] Figure 3 An example process 300 for the use of group SRBs according to the embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. The process 300 may be performed by a network device or a module of a network device. The network device may be a base station of a cellular network. In one example, the network device may be implemented as an instance of the network device 218. In this example, the process 300 may be performed by the processor 220 of the network device 218.

[0062] Process 300 may begin at step 302. In this step, the network device may be configured to provide a configuration of a group SRB to a group of UEs. The group of UEs may be a selected subset of all UEs served by a cell associated with the network device. The selected subset may include multiple UEs.

[0063] Process 300 may then proceed to step 304. In this step, the network device may be configured to send at least one group RRC message dedicated to the group of UEs on the group SRB. The at least one group RRC message dedicated to the group of UEs may include a group RRC signaling message intended for the group of UEs, such as a group RRCReconfiguration message.

[0064] Existing SRBs, such as SRB1, SRB2, SRB3, or SRB4, include a first type of SRB (e.g., SRB1) dedicated to a single UE and a second type of SRB commonly used for all UEs served by a network device. Unlike existing SRBs, the group SRB disclosed herein can be configured to carry transmissions dedicated to a group of UEs, which can be a selected subset of all UEs served by a cell and include more than one UE. Such group transmissions can be sent between a network device and UEs within a group of UEs. In addition, the group transmission can be protected using one or more security mechanisms specific to a corresponding group of UEs. UEs that are not members of the group may not be able to receive or decode the group transmission.

[0065] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the configuration of the group SRB may be based on UE capabilities and / or network capabilities. For example, the network device may be configured to determine whether to enable the group SRB feature for the network or a specific UE based on the UE capabilities and / or network capabilities. Additionally, the network device may be configured to determine how to configure the group SRB (e.g., the content of the configuration of the group SRB) based on the UE capabilities and / or network capabilities.

[0066] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the configuration of the group SRB may be initially provided to each UE in a group of UEs via UE-specific signaling associated with the UEs. In one example, the UE-specific signaling may be SRB1 signaling used exclusively by the corresponding UE. Different SRB1 signaling may be used for different UEs.

[0067] According to embodiments disclosed herein, configuration of a group SRB may include one or more rules configured for transmissions on the group SRB.A network and a group of UEs may be configured to follow one or more rules when performing transmissions on the group SRB.

[0068] In some embodiments, one or more rules configured for transmission on a group SRB may include an indication of a transmission mode associated with the group SRB. The transmission mode may include one or more of the following modes:

[0069] ● a point-to-point (PTP) transmission mode, in which the network device is configured to transmit at least one group RRC message to each UE in a group of UEs in a corresponding transmission;

[0070] ● a point-to-multipoint (PTM) transmission mode, wherein the network equipment is configured to transmit at least one group RRC message to a group of UEs in a common transmission; or

[0071] ●A hybrid mode combining a PTP transmission mode and a PTM transmission mode, wherein the processor is configured to send at least one group RRC message to each UE in a first subset of a group of UEs in the PTP transmission mode, and to send at least one group RRC message to a second subset of a group of UEs in the PTM transmission mode.

[0072] In some embodiments, the one or more rules configured for transmission on the group SRB may also include at least one of the following:

[0073] ● configuration of a Group Radio Network Temporary Identifier (G-RNTI) associated with a group of UEs;

[0074] ● configuration of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and / or Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH); and / or

[0075] • The discontinuous reception (DRX) mode to be used by the UE.

[0076] In some embodiments, the one or more rules configured for transmission on the group SRB may also include a predetermined condition for the UE to start receiving on the group SRB. Thus, the one or more rules may instruct the UE not to start receiving until the predetermined condition is met.

[0077] In some embodiments, one or more rules configured for transmission on a group SRB may include a security configuration associated with the group SRB. The security configuration may be specific to a group of UEs. The security configuration may be used to secure one or more messages on the group SRB. In one example, the security configuration may include one or more group security keys for securely protecting one or more messages on the group SRB. In another example, the security configuration may include at least one group key index for a group of UEs to derive one or more group security keys for securely protecting one or more messages on the group SRB.

[0078] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the network device may also be configured to receive one or more RRC response messages from a group of UEs. Optionally, each of the one or more RRC response messages may carry an RRC transaction identifier of at least one group RRC message.

[0079] In some embodiments, each of the one or more RRC response messages may be received via UE-specific scheduling. For example, each of the one or more RRC response messages may be implemented as one of the following: a response message delivered via UE-specific transmission on a group SRB; a response message carried in a container of an SRB1 message; or a dedicated SRB1 message.

[0080] In other embodiments, the one or more RRC response messages may be received on the group SRB via UE group scheduling. Optionally, each of the one or more RRC response messages may be received according to an uplink grant selected by the corresponding UE based on a predetermined condition. Thus, a first RRC response message in the one or more RRC response messages may be received from a first UE in a group of UEs according to a first uplink grant, and a second RRC response message in the one or more RRC response messages may be received from a second UE in a group of UEs according to a different second uplink grant.

[0081] In some embodiments, one or more RRC response messages may be received only from one or more UEs in a group of UEs that meet a predetermined radio quality condition. Other UEs that do not meet the predetermined radio quality condition may be configured not to send an RRC response message to the network device.

[0082] Figure 4 An example process 400 for the use of group SRBs according to the embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. The process 400 may be performed by a UE device or a module of a UE device. The UE device may be a wireless device connected to a cellular network. In one example, the wireless device may be implemented as an instance of the wireless device 202. In this example, the process 400 may be performed by the processor 204 of the wireless device 202.

[0083] Process 400 may start at step 402. In this step, the UE may be configured to receive a configuration of a group SRB from a network device. The group SRB may be configured to be dedicated to a group of UEs including the UE.

[0084] Process 400 may then proceed to step 404. In this step, the UE may be configured to receive at least one group RRC message dedicated to a group of UEs from a network device on a group SRB.

[0085] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the configuration of the group SRB may be based on the UE capabilities and / or network capabilities of the UE. For example, the UE may be configured to report its UE capabilities to the network device. The UE may also receive an indication from the network device as to whether the group SRB feature is enabled. If the group SRB feature is enabled, the UE may also receive the configuration of the group SRB (e.g., in step 402).

[0086] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the configuration of the group SRB may be initially provided to the UE via UE-specific signaling associated with the UE. For different UEs in the same group, the configuration of the group SRB may be initially provided to the different UE via UE-specific signaling associated with the different UE. The UE-specific signaling may be implemented as SRB1 signaling or any other suitable type of UE-specific signaling.

[0087] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the configuration of the group SRB may include an indication of a transmission mode associated with the group SRB. The transmission mode may include at least one of a PTP transmission mode, a PTM transmission mode, or a hybrid mode combining the PTP transmission mode and the PTM transmission mode. In the PTP transmission mode, the UE may be configured to monitor a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) scheduling for transmissions on the group SRB. In the PTM transmission mode, the UE may be configured to monitor a group radio network temporary identifier (G-RNTI) scheduling for transmissions on the group SRB. In the hybrid transmission mode, the UE may be configured to monitor both C-RNTI scheduling and G-RNTI scheduling for transmissions on the group SRB.

[0088] In some embodiments, the configuration of the group SRB also includes at least one of: configuration of a G-RNTI associated with a group of UEs; configuration of PDCCH, PDSCH, PUCCH and / or PUSCH; or a DRX mode to be used by the UE.

[0089] According to embodiments disclosed herein, the configuration of a group SRB may include a predetermined condition for the UE to start receiving on the group SRB. The UE may be configured not to start receiving until the predetermined condition is met.

[0090] According to embodiments disclosed herein, a configuration of a group SRB may include a security configuration associated with the group SRB. In one example, the security configuration may include one or more group security keys for securing one or more messages on the group SRB. In another example, the security configuration may include at least one group key index for a group of UEs to derive one or more group security keys for securing one or more messages on the group SRB.

[0091] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the UE may also be configured to send an RRC response message to the network device in response to receiving at least one group RRC message. The RRC response message may carry an RRC transaction identifier of the at least one group RRC message.

[0092] In some embodiments, the RRC response message may be sent via a UE-specific scheduling associated with the UE. For example, the RRC response message may be implemented as one of the following: a response message delivered via a UE-specific transmission on a group SRB; a response message carried in a bearer of an SRB1 message; or a dedicated SRB1 message.

[0093] In other embodiments, the RRC response message may be sent on the group SRB via UE group scheduling. Optionally, the UE may be configured to select an uplink grant for sending the RRC response message based on a predetermined condition. Thus, the UE may send the RRC response message according to a first uplink grant, and a different second UE in a group of UEs may send a second RRC response message according to a different second uplink grant.

[0094] In some embodiments, the UE may be configured to send an RRC response message only if the UE meets a predetermined radio quality condition.

[0095] One or more additional details regarding process 300 and process 400 are described below.

[0096] Figure 5 An example process 500 of configuring a group SRB according to embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. Process 500 may be performed by a network device (NW) and a group of UEs. The network device may be implemented as an instance of network device 218. Each UE in a group of UEs may be implemented as an instance of wireless device 202.

[0097] exist Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the UE group may consist of two UEs (UE1 and UE2). According to the embodiments disclosed herein, a group of UEs for which a group SRB will be configured may be a selected subset of all UEs served by a cell of a network device. The selected subset may be determined in a variety of ways. In some embodiments, UEs with the same or similar characteristics may be organized into the same group. For example, multiple UEs that are close to each other (e.g., within a specified area / distance of each other) may be grouped together. In other embodiments, UEs that may be controlled together may be organized into the same group. For example, multiple UEs with the same machine functionality in a manufacturing plant may be grouped together so that the network device can broadcast group commands to all of these UEs. Other criteria for grouping UEs may be available, but are not limited thereto.

[0098] Although a group of UEs in the illustrated embodiment only includes UE1 and UE2, it should be readily understood that a group of UEs in other embodiments may include more UEs. In addition, although a single group of UEs is illustrated, it should be readily understood that the network device may serve one or more other groups of UEs (not shown).

[0099] At step 502, an RRC connection may be established between the network device and each UE in a group of UEs. Specifically, a first RRC connection may be established between the network device and UE1, and a second RRC connection may be established between the network device and UE2. The first RRC connection and the second RRC connection are established within the same step number (i.e., 502) because they belong to the same type of operation. It should be readily understood that these connections do not have to be established at the same time. The same is true for the following steps 504, 506, and 508.

[0100] At step 504, the network device may be configured to exchange capability information with each UE in a group of UEs. For example, the network device may send a capability request to UE1 and UE2. In response to the capability request, each of UE1 and UE2 may report its capability information to the network device.

[0101] The capability information may include the UE's ability to support the group SRB feature. Different UEs may have different support for the group SRB feature. The capability information from a specific UE may indicate whether the specific UE supports the group SRB feature and / or how the specific UE supports the group SRB feature. The UE capabilities for supporting the group SRB feature may be reported at multiple granularities. In one embodiment, the UE capabilities may be reported per UE, indicating whether and / or how the UE supports the group SRB feature. In another embodiment, the UE capabilities may be reported per FR (e.g., FR1 or FR2), indicating whether and / or how the UE supports the group SRB feature within a specific one of FR1 or FR2. In another embodiment, the UE capabilities may be reported per frequency band, indicating whether and / or how the UE supports the group SRB feature in a specific frequency band. In another embodiment, the UE capabilities may be reported per duplex mode (e.g., time division duplex or frequency division duplex), indicating whether and / or how the UE supports the group SRB feature in a specific duplex mode.

[0102] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the configuration of the group SRB may be based on UE capabilities and / or network capabilities. The capabilities of the UE may include, but are not limited to, the capabilities discussed above. The network capabilities may include, but are not limited to, whether the network associated with the network device has the ability to provide the group SRB and / or whether the network chooses to enable the group SRB feature.

[0103] For example, the network device may be configured to determine whether to enable the group SRB feature for a particular UE. The determination may be based at least on the capabilities of the UE and / or the network capabilities. If the network device determines not to enable the group SRB feature for a particular UE, the UE may be configured to receive regular UE-specific RRC signaling on regular signaling (such as SRB1). If the network device determines to enable the group SRB feature for a group of UEs, the network device may determine and provide the configuration of the group SRB to the group of UEs.

[0104] exist Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the network device determines to enable the group SRB feature for the UE1 group and the UE2 group. Therefore, at step 506, the network device may be configured to provide configuration of the group SRB to each of UE1 and UE2.

[0105] According to some embodiments disclosed herein, the configuration of the group SRB may be initially provided to each of UE1 and UE2 via UE-specific signaling. For example, the network device may be configured to provide the configuration of the group SRB to UE1 via a first signaling, and to provide the configuration of the group SRB to UE2 via a second signaling. The first signaling may be dedicated to UE1, and the second signaling may be dedicated to UE2. Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the first signaling may be an rRCReconfiguration message carried on an SRB1 transmission dedicated to UE1, and the second signaling may be an rRCReconfiguration message carried on an SRB1 transmission dedicated to UE2. In other embodiments, in addition to SRB1 transmission, other types of UE-specific transmissions may be used alternatively without limitation.

[0106] According to embodiments disclosed herein, configuration of a group SRB may include one or more rules configured for transmissions on the group SRB.A network and a group of UEs may be configured to follow one or more rules when performing transmissions on the group SRB.

[0107] In some embodiments, one or more rules configured for transmission on the group SRB may include an indication of a transmission mode associated with the group SRB. The indication may be used to indicate how the network device will transmit on the group SRB so that a group of UEs can receive on the group SRB in a corresponding reception mode. Exemplary transmission modes may include, but are not limited to, a PTP transmission mode, a PTM transmission mode, and a hybrid mode combining the PTP transmission mode and the PTM transmission mode.

[0108] In the PTP transmission mode, the network device may be configured to transmit at least one group RRC message to each UE in a group of UEs on the group SRB in a point-to-point manner. Group RRC messages from the network device to individual UEs may rely on individual transmissions. The transmission of group RRC messages from the network device to a particular UE may be scheduled by a corresponding C-RNTI associated with the particular UE. Thus, each UE may be configured to monitor the C-RNTI scheduling for transmissions on the group SRB.

[0109] Fig. 6AAn exemplary PTP transmission pattern 600A according to an embodiment disclosed herein is illustrated. As shown, a first transmission of a group RRC message from a network device to UE1 may be scheduled by C-RNTI-1 and via a group SRB, while a second transmission of a group RRC message from a network device to UE2 may be scheduled by C-RNTI-2 and via a group SRB. C-RNTI-1 may be associated with UE1, and C-RNTI-2 may be associated with UE2. The value of C-RNTI-1 may be different from the value of C-RNTI-2. UE1 may be configured to monitor C-RNTI-1 scheduling for transmissions on the group SRB, while UE2 may be configured to monitor C-RNTI-2 scheduling for transmissions on the group SRB. The first transmission carrying the group RRC message to UE1 may be different from the second transmission carrying the group RRC message to UE2. For example, the first transmission may be directed to the location of UE1, while the second transmission may be directed to the location of UE2.

[0110] In the PTM transmission mode, the network device may be configured to transmit at least one group RRC message to a group of UEs including a plurality of UEs in a point-to-multipoint manner. The transmission of the at least one group RRC message from the network device to all the plurality of UEs may be scheduled by a common G-RNTI. The common G-RNTI may be specific to the UE group and common to all UEs in the group. The configuration of the common G-RNTI may also be part of the configuration of a group SRB from the network device to a group of UEs. Thus, each UE in the group may be configured to monitor the common G-RNTI scheduling for transmission on the group SRB.

[0111] Figure 6B An exemplary PMP transmission pattern 600B according to an embodiment disclosed herein is illustrated. As shown, a group RRC message may be sent from a network device to both UE1 and UE2 via a group SRB, and the transmission may be scheduled by a G-RNTI associated with a group consisting of UE1 and UE2. The transmission of the group RRC message may be carried in a common transmission to both UE1 and UE2. The G-RNTI associated with the group may be allocated to a group of UEs, for example, via the configuration of the group SRB in step 504. UE1 and UE2 may be configured to monitor the G-RNTI scheduling for transmissions on the group SRB.

[0112] Furthermore, UE1 and UE2 in PTM transmission mode may follow a DRX pattern such that these UEs can remain active in the same time window to receive common transmissions on the group SRB. The common DRX pattern may also be assigned to a group of UEs, for example via configuration of the group SRB in step 504.

[0113] In the hybrid transmission mode, the UE may be configured with both the PTP transmission mode and the PTM transmission mode, but the network device delivers data via only one of the PTP transmission mode and the PTM transmission mode at a time. That is, the network device may send a group RRC message to a specific UE in a transmission mode dynamically selected by the network device between the PTP transmission mode and the PTM transmission mode. Therefore, the network device may configure different transmission modes to different UEs in the same group of UEs. For example, the network device may send a group RRC message to each UE in a first subset of a group of UEs in the PTP transmission mode, and send a group RRC message to a second subset of a group of UEs in the PTM transmission mode. The PTP transmission mode and the PTM transmission mode may be the same as described above.

[0114] The transmission mode for each UE may be dynamically selected based on a variety of conditions. In one embodiment, the conditions may include the distribution of a group of UEs. For example, if a first subset of a group of UEs is currently widely distributed in a cell, the network device may determine to send a group RRC message to each UE in the first subset of UEs in the PTP transmission mode, because the common transmission in the PTM transmission mode may not be well received by all the scattered UEs. If the positions of a second subset of a group of UEs are close to each other, the network device may determine to send a group RRC message to a second subset of a group of UEs in the PMP transmission mode, because the common transmission in the PMP transmission mode may be well received by all UEs located close to each other. As the distribution of UEs changes over time (for example, due to UE mobility), the network device may dynamically change the transmission mode selected for each UE. As for the UE, each UE in a group of UEs may need to prepare a PTP transmission mode and a PTM transmission mode, because the UE may not know the transmission mode currently selected for the UE. Specifically, the UE may monitor both the C-RNTI scheduling (associated with the individual UE) and the G-RNTI scheduling (associated with the UE group) for transmission on the group SRB. Upon receiving a corresponding one of the C-RNTI schedule and the G-RNTI schedule, the UE may operate in a corresponding mode of the PTP transmission mode and the PTM transmission mode.

[0115] Figure 6CAn exemplary hybrid transmission mode 600C according to the embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. As shown, the network device may determine that at least one group RRC message may be sent to UE1 in the PTM transmission mode. Therefore, the transmission of at least one group RRC message to UE1 may be scheduled by a common G-RNTI. The network device may also determine that at least one group RRC message may be sent to UE2 in the PTP transmission mode. Therefore, the transmission of at least one group RRC message to UE2 may be scheduled by C-RNTI-2 and via the group SRB. UE1 may not be able to predict the transmission mode currently used by the network device for UE1, so UE1 needs to monitor both C-RNTI scheduling (associated with C-RNTI-1) and G-RNTI scheduling (associated with a common G-RNTI) for transmission on the group SRB. Similarly, UE2 needs to monitor both C-RNTI scheduling (associated with C-RNTI-2) and G-RNTI scheduling (associated with a common G-RNTI) for transmission on the group SRB.

[0116] The network device may select a suitable transmission mode from the transmission modes discussed above. The selection may be based on various conditions. The various conditions may include, but are not limited to, the distribution and / or radio conditions of a group of UEs. For example, if all UEs in a group of UEs have radio conditions above a threshold, the network device may select the PMP transmission mode for the group of UEs. If all UEs in a group of UEs have radio conditions below a threshold, the network device may select the PTP transmission mode for the group of UEs. If the radio conditions vary significantly between a group of UEs, the network device may select a hybrid transmission mode for the group of UEs. The network device may include an indication of the selected transmission mode in the configuration of the group SRB.

[0117] Return to Figure 5 If the indication for the transmission mode relates to the PMP transmission mode (eg, the PMP transmission mode or the hybrid transmission mode), the one or more rules configured for transmission on the group SRB may also include one or more additional rules associated with PMP transmission on the group SRB.

[0118] In one embodiment, one or more additional rules may include configuration of a G-RNTI. The configured G-RNTI may be a common G-RNTI for a corresponding group of UEs. The configured G-RNTI may be used for group scheduling for a group of UEs. Specifically, transmissions on the group SRB may be scheduled by the G-RNTI, so that each UE in the corresponding group of UEs may be configured to monitor the corresponding G-RNIT scheduling for transmissions on the group SRB.

[0119] Alternatively or additionally, the one or more additional rules may include configuration of the PDCCH, PDSCH, PUCCH and / or PUSCH. Each UE in the corresponding group of UEs may perform transmission / reception on the configured PDCCH, PDSCH, PUCCH and / or PUSCH.

[0120] Alternatively or additionally, one or more additional rules may include a DRX mode associated with the PTM transmission mode to be used by each UE. This enables each UE to stay in the same DRX mode in the PTM transmission mode, so that these UEs can remain active in the same time window to receive the common transmission on the group SRB.

[0121] In some embodiments, one or more rules configured for transmission on a group SRB may include a predetermined condition for a UE to begin receiving on the group SRB. A UE in a group of UEs may be configured not to begin receiving on the group SRB until the predetermined condition is met.

[0122] The predetermined condition may be configured in many ways. For example, the predetermined condition may be the passage of a specified time period. In this example, the network device may be configured to begin transmitting on the group SRB after the specified time period has passed, and the UE may be configured to begin receiving after the specified time period has passed. The network device and / or the UE may use a timer to determine whether the predetermined condition has been met. In other examples, other predetermined conditions may be used.

[0123] In some embodiments, the one or more rules configured for transmission on the group SRB may also include a security configuration associated with the group SRB. The security configuration may be used to secure one or more messages on the group SRB. The security configuration may be specific to a group of UEs. Different UE groups may be configured with different security configurations.

[0124] In one embodiment, the security configuration may include one or more group security keys for securing one or more messages on the group SRB. The one or more group security keys may be group specific. Different group security keys may be provided for UEs in different groups, but UEs in the same group may be configured with the same group security key.

[0125] For example (but not limited to this example), the one or more group security keys may include a first key (e.g., K RRCint ) and / or a second key for RRC message encryption (e.g., K RRCenc). The network device may determine these keys and send them explicitly to a group of UEs. A group of UEs may apply any suitable security algorithm based on the received one or more group security keys to secure one or more messages on the group SRB. For example, one or more group security keys may be used to apply an integrity check mechanism and / or an encryption / decryption algorithm to one or more messages on the group SRB. Suitable security algorithms (e.g., integrity check mechanisms and / or encryption / decryption algorithms) may also be configured via security configuration.

[0126] Although one or more group security keys are explicitly sent from the network device to a group of UEs, such sending of group security keys does not present a security risk because they are carried in corresponding UE-specific signaling (such as SRB1 signaling in step 506).

[0127] In another embodiment, the security configuration may include at least one group key index. A group of UEs may use the at least one group key index to derive one or more group security keys for securing one or more messages on the group SRB.

[0128] In this embodiment, the network device is configured to send at least one group key index to a group of UEs instead of explicitly sending one or more group security keys to the UEs. The UE may search for at least one corresponding key in a stored key list based on the received group key index. The at least one corresponding key may be a group root key. A key list containing a list of candidate group root keys may be provided to the UE in advance and stored by the UE. After finding at least one corresponding key in the stored key list, the UE may be configured to derive one or more group security keys (such as K RRCint and / or K RRCenc ). The UE may then be configured to apply any security algorithm based on the derived key for security protection of one or more messages on the group SRB. Similarly, one or more group security keys may be used to apply integrity checking mechanisms and / or encryption / decryption algorithms to one or more messages on the group SRB.

[0129] At least one group key index provided to each group of UEs may be dedicated to the group. Different group key indexes may be provided for UEs of different groups, but UEs in the same group may be configured with the same group key index. In one example, at least one group key index provided to a particular group of UEs may be a group identifier of the particular group, associated with the group identifier, or derived from the group identifier. In another example, at least one group key index provided to a particular group of UEs may be a G-RNTI assigned to the particular group, associated with the G-RNTI, or derived from the G-RNTI. In other examples, at least one group key index may be any other index dedicated to the corresponding group.

[0130] According to some embodiments, a security configuration may be applied to the access spectrum (AS) security of the group SRB disclosed herein. Additionally, if there is any non-access spectrum (NAS) level message supporting the group transmission scheme, the same security configuration may be applied to the NAS group message transmission additionally.

[0131] After receiving the configuration of the group SRB, a group of UEs (UE1 and UE2) may operate according to the configuration of the group SRB at step 508. Specifically, the UE may follow one or more configured rules to perform transmissions on the group SRB.

[0132] For example, the network device may send one or more group RRC messages dedicated to a group of UEs on the group SRB. The one or more group RRC messages may be sent in a transmission mode as indicated in the configuration of step 504. After receiving the configuration of the group SRB, UE1 and UE2 may start monitoring C-RNTI scheduling, G-RNTI scheduling, or both according to the transmission mode as indicated in the configuration of the group SRB. Additionally, if a predetermined condition for the UE to start receiving on the group SRB has been configured, the UE may monitor the predetermined condition and start receiving on the group SRB only after the predetermined condition is met. In addition, transmissions on the group SRB may be protected according to the security configuration discussed above.

[0133] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, in response to a group RRC message from a network device, a group of UEs may be configured to send one or more RRC response messages to the network device. The one or more RRC response messages may be provided as feedback to the group RRC message. For example, when the group RRC message is an RRCReconfiguration message, the one or more RRC response messages may include one or more RRCReconfigurationComplete messages.

[0134] According to some embodiments disclosed herein, each of the one or more RRC response messages may be received via UE-specific scheduling. In some examples, each RRC response message may be a group SRB message delivered to the network device via UE-specific scheduling. In other examples, the RRC response message may be carried in an SRB1 message, which is delivered to the network device via UE-specific scheduling.

[0135] FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C An example transmission of an RRC response message according to embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0136] Fig. 7A An example transmission 700A of one or more RRC response messages according to some embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. In this embodiment, each RRC response message is a response message delivered via a UE-specific transmission on a group SRB. Thus, an RRC response message from a particular UE in a group of UEs may be transmitted on the group SRB, which may be scheduled by a corresponding C-RNTI associated with the particular UE. Fig. 7A As shown, in response to receiving the group RRC message on the group SRB, UE1 is configured to send its RRC response message on the group SRB. The transmission is scheduled by C-RNTI-1 associated with UE1. UE2 is configured to send its RRC response message on the group SRB. The transmission is scheduled by C-RNTI-2 associated with UE2.

[0137] Figure 7B An example transmission 700B of one or more RRC response messages according to some embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. In this embodiment, each RRC response message is a response message carried in a bearer of an SRB1 message. Thus, an RRC response message from a particular UE in a group of UEs may be transmitted in a corresponding SRB1 signaling on a bearer, which may be scheduled by a corresponding C-RNTI associated with the particular UE. Figure 7B As shown, in response to receiving the group RRC message on the group SRB, UE1 is configured to send its RRC response message via a bearer dedicated to SRB1 of UE1, and the transmission is scheduled by C-RNTI-1 associated with UE1. UE2 is configured to send its RRC response message via a bearer dedicated to SRB1 of UE2, and the transmission is scheduled by C-RNTI-2 associated with UE2. In some examples, the bearer used to carry the RRC response message can be ULInformationTransfer of SRB1 signaling. Other suitable bearers may also be used alternatively.

[0138] Figure 7CAn example transmission 700C of one or more RRC response messages according to some embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. In this embodiment, the special SRB1 message may be designed as a dedicated SRB1 message for group feedback purposes. The RRC response message from a specific UE in a group of UEs may be sent on the special SRB1, which may be scheduled by the corresponding C-RNTI associated with the specific UE. Figure 7C As shown, in response to receiving the group RRC message on the group SRB, UE1 may be configured to send its RRC response message via a special SRB1 dedicated to UE1, the transmission of which is scheduled by C-RNTI-1 associated with UE1. UE2 is configured to send its RRC response message via a special SRB1 dedicated to UE2, the transmission of which is scheduled by C-RNTI-2 associated with UE2.

[0139] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, each of the one or more RRC response messages carries an RRC transaction identifier of at least one group RRC message. For one RRC process, the group RRC message (e.g., RRCReconfiguration message) and the RRC response message (e.g., RRCReconfigurationComplete message) may have the same RRC transaction identifier (e.g., RRC-TransactionIdentifier). This enables the network device to identify the corresponding configuration message (e.g., RRCReconfiguration message) based on the RRC transaction identifier received in the RRC response message.

[0140] According to other embodiments disclosed herein, each of the one or more RRC response messages may be received on a group SRB via UE group scheduling rather than UE-specific scheduling. The UE group scheduling may be based on a G-RNTI associated with a corresponding group of UEs. In this embodiment, the network device may allocate uplink resources to the UE via an uplink grant and through the G-RNTI for sending the one or more RRC response messages. The uplink grant may be a group grant for all UEs in a group of UEs.

[0141] According to some embodiments, only one or more UEs in a group of UEs that meet a predetermined radio quality condition may be configured to send one or more RRC response messages. Other UEs in a group of UEs that do not meet the predetermined radio quality condition may not send an RRC response message to the network device. This reduces the concurrent transmission of RRC response messages for uplink resources sharing the same uplink grant, thereby reducing resource contention associated with the RRC response message, and / or avoiding signaling congestion at the network device.

[0142] The predetermined radio quality condition may be provided between the UE and the network device. For example, the predetermined radio quality condition may be configured via the configuration of the group SRB in step 504 .

[0143] The predetermined radio quality condition may include any suitable condition. For example, when the radio quality of the UE is lower than a predetermined threshold, the predetermined radio quality condition may be satisfied. The radio quality may be measured by reference signal received power (RSRP) or any other suitable measurement related to the UE. Under the predetermined radio quality condition, only UEs with relatively poor radio quality are required to provide an RRC response message to explicitly confirm receipt of the group RRC message. A UE with good radio quality may be deemed to have successfully received the group RRC message by default. Alternatively or additionally, other predetermined radio quality conditions may be used without limitation.

[0144] Fig. 8A An example transmission 800A of one or more RRC response messages according to some embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. In this embodiment, in response to receiving a group RRC message on a group SRB, each UE may be configured to determine whether the UE meets a predetermined radio quality condition. Fig. 8A In the example shown, UE1 determines that the predetermined radio quality condition is not met. Therefore, UE1 may not send an RRC response message to the network device. UE2 determines that the predetermined radio quality condition is met. Therefore, UE2 may send an RRC response message to the network device. The RRC response message may be carried on the group SRB, and the RRC response message may be scheduled by the G-RNTI.

[0145] Fig. 8A The mechanism can also be applied to FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C An embodiment of the present invention, wherein the RRC response message is sent via UE-specific scheduling. Fig. 8A When the mechanism FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C UE1 and UE2 may be configured to send an RRC response message only if the UE satisfies a predetermined radio quality condition.

[0146] According to some embodiments disclosed herein, different UEs in the same group of UEs may send RRC response messages according to different uplink grants, so that the concurrent sending of RRC response messages for uplink resources sharing the same uplink grant may be reduced. For example, a first UE in a group of UEs may send a first RRC response message according to a first uplink grant, and a different second UE in the same group of UEs may send a second RRC response message according to a different second uplink grant. Both the first uplink grant and the second uplink grant are associated with the same group of UEs. For example, both the first uplink grant and the second uplink grant may schedule resources through a G-RNTI specific to the group of UEs. The first uplink grant and the second uplink grant may be associated with different uplink resources. For example, the first uplink grant may be associated with a first set of uplink resources, and the second uplink grant may be associated with a second set of uplink resources, and the second set of uplink resources is different from the first set of uplink resources.

[0147] Figure 8B An example transmission of one or more RRC response messages according to some embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated in 800B. In this embodiment, in response to receiving a group RRC message on a group SRB in the downlink, each UE may be configured to select an uplink grant for transmitting an RRC response message uplink grant in the uplink. For example, each UE may select an uplink grant received in a specific time slot and / or a specific frequency resource. Figure 8B As shown in the example of , UE1 can be configured to select a first uplink grant received in an odd time slot (e.g., time slot 3) instead of a second uplink grant received in an even time slot (e.g., time slot 6). In contrast, UE2 can be configured to select a second uplink grant received in an even time slot (e.g., time slot 6) instead of a first uplink grant received in an odd time slot (e.g., time slot 3). Therefore, the transmission of the RRC response message from UE1 can be performed on the group SRB based on the first uplink grant, and the transmission of the RRC response message from UE2 can be performed on the group SRB based on the second uplink grant. In this way, RRC response messages from a group of UEs can be carried on separate transmissions. Therefore, the network device is less likely to be overwhelmed by a large number of concurrent RRC response messages.

[0148] UEs in the same group may select corresponding uplink grants based on a variety of factors. As discussed above, UE1 and UE2 may be configured to select corresponding uplink grants based on whether an uplink grant is received in an even or odd time slot. In this example, the UE may select corresponding uplink grants based on its C-RNTI value. Specifically, a UE with an odd C-RNTI value (such as UE1) may select an uplink grant received in an odd time slot, while a UE with an even C-RNTI value (such as UE2) may select an uplink grant received in an even time slot, or vice versa. Other factors for selecting different uplink grants for a group of UEs may alternatively be used in other implementations.

[0149] Embodiments disclosed herein provide a novel SRB design for group RRC messaging in a wireless communication system. The SRBs described herein include a group SRB that can be used to provide RRC messaging to a group of UEs with lower signaling overhead, less signaling congestion, and / or higher security. The novel SRB design for group RRC messaging can be applicable to various scenarios, especially scenarios where a large number of UEs in the same cell share one or more common RRC messages.

[0150] At least one applicable scenario includes communications in non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In NTNs, airborne vehicles (e.g., high-altitude platforms) or spaceborne vehicles (e.g., satellites) can be used to communicate with UEs. NTN cells can cover very wide geographic areas on the ground. For example, satellites of NTN cells can provide services across multiple countries / regions, thereby providing services to hundreds of thousands of UEs. In this scenario, the cell moves with the satellite, but the UE may remain relatively stationary to the earth, so that a large number of UEs on the ground must perform handovers at the same time due to satellite changes. In addition, when the feeder link is switched, the cell served by the satellite will change, so that all UEs served by the satellite must perform a handover process due to changes in cell information, even if the service link has not changed. Considering the larger cell size of NTNs, many UEs can be served in the same cell. Depending on the constellation assumptions (e.g., propagation delays and satellite speeds) and UE density, there may be a very large number of UEs that need to perform handovers at a given time, resulting in potentially large signaling overhead and service continuity challenges. The group SRB disclosed herein may provide a potential solution to such challenges of NTNs. Specifically, the group SRB allows a cell to send one or more group RRC messages associated with a handover process to a UE group containing a large number of UEs. Conventional UE-specific RRC messages can be replaced with such group RRC messages because the group RRC messages require much less signaling overhead. In addition, the one or more group RRC messages are fully protected by a security configuration specific to the UE group, so even if the one or more group RRC messages may be received by other unrelated devices, they will be safe. Additionally, RRC response messages from a large number of UEs can be scheduled in a variety of ways to avoid overwhelming the cell. Although this article discusses the NTN scenario, it should be easy to understand that the new SRB design for group RRC message transmission can be applied to other scenarios without restriction.

[0151] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of method 400. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as wireless device 202 (UE), as described herein).

[0152] Embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of method 400. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may be, for example, a memory of a UE (such as memory 206 of wireless device 202 (UE), as described herein).

[0153] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logical components, modules, or circuits for performing one or more elements of the method 400. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as the wireless device 202 (UE), as described herein).

[0154] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of the method 400. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as wireless device 202 (UE), as described herein).

[0155] Embodiments contemplated herein include a signal as described in or associated with one or more elements of method 400 .

[0156] Embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product including instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processor causes the processor to perform one or more elements of the method 400. The processor may be a processor of a UE (such as the processor 204 of the wireless device 202 (UE), as described herein). These instructions may be located, for example, in a processor and / or on a memory of the UE (such as the memory 206 of the wireless device 202 (UE), as described herein).

[0157] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of method 300. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a base station (such as network device 218 (base station), as described herein).

[0158] Embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media containing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of method 300. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may be, for example, a memory of a base station (such as memory 222 of network device 218 (base station), as described herein).

[0159] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logical components, modules, or circuits operable to perform one or more elements of method 300. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a base station (such as network device 218 (base station), as described herein).

[0160] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of method 300. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a base station (such as network device 218 (base station), as described herein).

[0161] Embodiments contemplated herein include signals as described in or associated with one or more elements of method 300 .

[0162] Embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product including instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element causes the processing element to perform one or more elements of method 300. The processor may be a processor of a base station (such as processor 220 of network device 218 (base station), as described herein). These instructions may be located, for example, in the processor and / or on a memory of a UE (such as memory 222 of network device 218 (base station), as described herein).

[0163] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components set forth in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described herein. For example, a baseband processor as described herein in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples set forth herein. For another example, a circuit system associated with a UE, a base station, a network element, etc. as described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples set forth herein.

[0164] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. In view of the above teachings, modifications and variations are possible or can be obtained from the practice of various embodiments.

[0165] Embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations that may be embodied in machine executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. A computer system may include one or more general or special purpose computers (or other electronic devices). A computer system may include hardware components that include specific logic components for performing operations; or may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0166] It should be appreciated that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific embodiments. These embodiments may be combined into a single system, partially combined into other systems, separated into multiple systems, or otherwise divided or combined. In addition, it is contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment may be used in one embodiment. For clarity, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. are described only in one or more embodiments, and it should be appreciated that these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. may be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment unless expressly stated herein.

[0167] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0168] Although the foregoing has been described in considerable detail for the sake of clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways to implement both the processes and the apparatus described herein. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and the specification is not limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A network device, comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio component coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio; The processor is configured to: providing configuration of a group signaling radio bearer (SRB) to a group of user equipments (UEs); and At least one group radio resource control (RRC) message dedicated to the group of UEs is sent on the group SRB.

2. The network device of claim 1, wherein the configuration of the set of SRBs is provided to each UE in the set of UEs via UE-specific signaling associated with the each UE.

3. The network device of claim 1, wherein the configuration of the set of SRBs is based on UE capabilities and / or network capabilities.

4. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the configuration of the set of SRBs comprises a transmission mode associated with the set of SRBs, the transmission mode comprising at least one of: a point-to-point (PTP) transmission mode, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the at least one group RRC message to each UE in the group of UEs in a corresponding transmission; or a point-to-multipoint (PTM) transmission mode, wherein the processor is configured to transmit at least one group RRC message to the group of UEs in a common transmission; or A hybrid transmission mode, wherein the processor is configured to send at least one group RRC message to each UE in a first subset of the group of UEs in the PTP transmission mode, and to send at least one group RRC message to a second subset of the group of UEs in the PTM transmission mode.

5. The network device according to claim 4, wherein: For the PTM transmission mode, the configuration of the set of SRBs further includes at least one of the following: configuration of a G-RNTI associated with the set of UEs; configuration of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and / or Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH); or Discontinuous Reception (DRX) mode.

6. The network device of claim 1, wherein the configuration of the group SRB comprises a predetermined condition for the UE to start receiving on the group SRB.

7. The network device of claim 1, wherein the configuration of the set of SRBs comprises a security configuration associated with the set of SRBs.

8. The network device of claim 7, wherein the security configuration associated with the set of SRBs comprises at least one of: one or more group security keys, the one or more group security keys being used to securely protect one or more messages on the group SRB; or At least one group key index, the at least one group key index is used for the group of UEs to derive the one or more group security keys for securing one or more messages on the group SRB.

9. The network device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive one or more RRC response messages from the group of UEs.

10. The network device of claim 9, wherein each of the one or more RRC response messages is received via UE-specific scheduling.

11. The network device of claim 10, wherein each of the one or more RRC response messages is one of: a response message delivered via a UE-dedicated transmission on the group SRB; A response message carried in the payload of an SRB1 message; or Dedicated SRB1 message.

12. The network device according to claim 9, wherein each of the one or more RRC response messages carries an RRC transaction identifier of the at least one group RRC message.

13. The network device according to claim 9, wherein the one or more RRC response messages are received only from one or more UEs in the group of UEs that satisfy a predetermined radio quality condition.

14. The network device of claim 9, wherein the one or more RRC response messages are received on the group SRB via UE group scheduling.

15. The network device of claim 14, wherein each of the one or more RRC response messages is received according to an uplink grant selected by a corresponding UE based on a predetermined condition.

16. A first user equipment (UE), the first user equipment (UE) comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio component coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio; The processor is configured to: receiving a configuration of a group signaling radio bearer (SRB) from a network device; and At least one group radio resource control (RRC) message dedicated to a group of UEs including the first UE is received from the network device on the group SRB.

17. The first UE of claim 16, wherein the configuration of the set of SRBs is received via UE-specific signaling associated with the first UE.

18. The first UE according to claim 16, wherein the configuration of the group SRB is based on UE capabilities and / or network capabilities of the first UE.

19. The first UE of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to operate according to a transmission mode indicated in the configuration of the set of SRBs, the transmission mode comprising at least one of: a point-to-point (PTP) transmission mode, wherein the processor is configured to monitor a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) schedule for transmissions on the set of SRBs; a point-to-multipoint (PTM) transmission mode, wherein the processor is configured to monitor a Group Radio Network Temporary Identifier (G-RNTI) schedule for transmissions on the group SRB; or A hybrid transmission mode, wherein the processor is configured to monitor both the C-RNTI scheduling and the G-RNTI scheduling for transmissions on the set of SRBs.

20. The first UE of claim 19, wherein the configuration of the group SRB further comprises at least one of: configuration of a G-RNTI associated with the set of UEs; Configuration of PDCCH, PDSCH, PUCCH and / or PUSCH; or The DRX mode to be used by the first UE.

21. The first UE of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to start receiving on the set of SRBs after a predetermined condition is met.

22. The first UE of claim 16, wherein the configuration of the set of SRBs comprises a security configuration associated with the set of SRBs.

23. The first UE of claim 22, wherein the security configuration associated with the group SRB comprises at least one of: one or more group security keys, the one or more group security keys being used to securely protect one or more messages on the group SRB; or At least one group key index, where the at least one group key index is used by the first UE to derive the one or more group security keys used to securely protect one or more messages on the group SRB.

24. The first UE of claim 16, wherein in response to receiving the at least one group RRC message, the processor is further configured to send an RRC response message to the network device.

25. The first UE of claim 24, wherein the RRC response message is sent via a UE-specific scheduling associated with the first UE.

26. The first UE according to claim 25, wherein the RRC response message is one of the following: a response message delivered via a UE-dedicated transmission on the group SRB; A response message carried in the payload of an SRB1 message; or Dedicated SRB1 message.

27. The first UE according to claim 24, wherein the RRC response message carries an RRC transaction identifier of the at least one group RRC message.

28. The first UE of claim 24, wherein the processor is configured to send the RRC response message only if the first UE satisfies a predetermined radio quality condition.

29. The first UE of claim 24, wherein the RRC response message is sent on the group SRB via UE group scheduling.

30. The first UE of claim 29, wherein the first UE is configured to select an uplink grant for transmission of the RRC response message based on a predetermined condition.

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