Frequency resource allocation method and device for terminal equipment

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a frequency resource allocation method and device for terminal equipment and a computer program product. A method implemented on a base station supporting coexistence of a first type of terminal device and a second type of terminal device is provided. The second type terminal device does not receive system information in the connected mode, and communication for the first type terminal device and communication for the second type terminal device share the same frequency band. The method comprises: determining whether a frequency resource of a physical uplink control channel to be allocated to a first type of terminal equipment will occupy at least a part of a physical random access channel previously allocated to a second type of terminal equipment or a frequency resource of a physical random access channel of the first type of terminal equipment; and when the frequency resource of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal equipment does not occupy at least a part of the frequency resource of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal equipment or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal equipment, allocating the frequency resource of the physical uplink control channel to the second type of terminal equipment. And keeping the first position of the frequency resource of the physical random access channel allocated to the first type of terminal equipment unchanged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Non-limiting and exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of mobile communication technology, and more particularly to methods, apparatuses, and computer programs for frequency resource allocation for terminal devices. Background Art

[0002] This section introduces some aspects that may help to better understand the present disclosure. Therefore, the statements in this section should be understood on this basis and should not be understood as an admission of the prior art.

[0003] With the development of mobile communications, spectrum resource shortages are becoming increasingly serious. In this context, the coexistence of different communication systems in the same frequency band can be a good way to improve spectrum utilization. For example, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Type-M (CAT-M), New Radio (NR), and / or any other communication systems can coexist. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This summary is intended to introduce some concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the detailed description below. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0005] In any coexistence of different types of communication systems, their communication channels may share the same frequency band. Resource allocation for one type of communication system on that frequency band may impact resource allocation for another type of communication system. Therefore, dynamic resource allocation for uplink channels of these different types of communication systems can be a challenge.

[0006] The various embodiments of the present disclosure are mainly intended to provide a semi-dynamic frequency resource allocation mechanism for a random access channel of a second type of terminal device (e.g., a CAT-M terminal device). The second type of terminal device does not receive system information about channel frequency resource updates and shares the same frequency band with the first type of terminal device. Utilizing the semi-dynamic mechanism, the impact of the dynamic physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) of the first type (e.g., LTE, NR, and / or any other type) of terminal devices on the physical random access channel (PRACH) of the second type of terminal device and / or the physical random access channel (PRACH) of the first type of terminal device can be mitigated. In addition, the ultimate impact on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) of each type (e.g., NR, LTE, CAT-M) of terminal devices can also be minimized.

[0007] Other features and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure may be further understood by reading the following description of the specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the principles of the embodiments of the present disclosure by way of example.

[0008] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method implemented at a base station supporting the coexistence of a first type of terminal device and a second type of terminal device is provided. The second type of terminal device does not receive system information in a connected mode. The communication for the first type of terminal device shares the same frequency band as the communication for the second type of terminal device. The method comprises: determining whether the frequency resources of a physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of a physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device; and in a case where the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel allocated to the first type of terminal device will not occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device, the first position of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of terminal device remains unchanged.

[0009] In some embodiments, the method may further include updating the first position of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of terminal device to the second position of the frequency resources only when the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device will occupy at least a part of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

[0010] In some embodiments, the second position of the frequency resource may be an available position having a minimum displacement from the first position of the frequency resource of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device.

[0011] In some embodiments, the determination may include determining whether the number of frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device is reduced compared to the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel previously allocated to the first type of terminal device. If the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device are reduced, the determination may be made that the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device will not occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

[0012] In some embodiments, the determination may include: determining whether the number of frequency resources to be allocated to the physical uplink control channel of the first type of terminal device is increased compared with the frequency resources previously allocated to the physical uplink control channel of the first type of terminal device; and in the case where the number of frequency resources to be allocated to the physical uplink control channel of the first type of terminal device is increased, determining whether the increased frequency resources will occupy at least a part of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

[0013] In some embodiments, in the case where frequency resources are allocated starting from the lower part of the frequency band, determining whether the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device may include: determining a second position offset (offset) of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device, the second position offset being the minimum position offset available for the frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device; and comparing the second position offset with the first position offset of the corresponding frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

[0014] In some embodiments, determining whether the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device may further include: determining whether the second position offset is less than or equal to the first position offset. When the second position offset is less than or equal to the first position offset, it can be determined that the added frequency resources will not occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

[0015] In some embodiments, determining whether the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device may further include: determining whether the second position offset is greater than the first position offset. When the second position offset is greater than the first position offset, it can be determined that the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device. In some embodiments, the method may further include: updating the first position offset to the second position offset.

[0016] In some embodiments, in the case where frequency resources are allocated starting from the upper part of the frequency band, determining whether the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device may include: determining a second position offset of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device, the second position offset being the maximum position offset available for the frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device; and comparing the second position offset with the first position offset of the corresponding frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

[0017] In some embodiments, determining whether the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device may further include: determining whether the second position offset is greater than or equal to the first position offset. When the second position offset is greater than or equal to the first position offset, it can be determined that the added frequency resources will not occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

[0018] In some embodiments, determining whether the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device may further include: determining whether the second position offset is less than the first position offset. When the second position offset is less than the first position offset, it can be determined that the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device. In some embodiments, the method may further include: updating the first position offset to the second position offset.

[0019] In some embodiments, the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device may share the same frequency resources as the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

[0020] In some embodiments, the frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal equipment are separate from the frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal equipment.

[0021] In some embodiments, the method may further include determining the position of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device based on the position of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of terminal device.

[0022] In some embodiments, the first type of terminal device may include at least one of: a Long Term Evolution (LTE) terminal device; a New Radio (NR) terminal device; or a Narrowband (NB) Internet of Things (IoT).

[0023] In some embodiments, the second type of terminal device may include an LTE Type M (CAT-M) terminal device.

[0024] In some embodiments, the physical uplink control channel of the first type terminal device may include at least one of an LTE PUCCH or an NR PUCCH for a cell associated with the base station.

[0025] In some embodiments, the physical random access channel of the second type terminal device may be a CAT-M PRACH for the cell associated with the base station, and the physical random access channel of the first type terminal device may include at least one of an LTE PRACH, an NR PRACH or an NB IOT PRACH for the cell associated with the base station.

[0026] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus at a base station is provided. The apparatus may include a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory may contain instructions executable by the processor, such that the apparatus is operable to perform any of the steps of the method described in the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0027] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, on which a computer program code is embodied. When the computer program code is executed on a computer, the computer is caused to perform any step of the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0028] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a host is provided, which is configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service. The host includes: a processing circuit configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and a processing circuit, the processing circuit of the network node being configured to perform the following operations to transmit the user data from the host to the UE: determining whether a frequency resource of a physical uplink control channel to be allocated to a first type of UE will occupy at least a portion of a frequency resource of a physical random access channel previously allocated to a second type of UE or a physical random access channel of the first type of UE; and if the frequency resource of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of UE will not occupy at least a portion of the frequency resource of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of UE or the physical random access channel of the first type of UE, maintaining the first position of the frequency resource of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of UE unchanged.

[0029] In some embodiments, the processing circuit of the host may be configured to execute a host application that provides the user data; and the UE may include a processing circuit configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to receive the user data transmission from the host.

[0030] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a method implemented in a host is provided, the host being configured to operate in a communication system further comprising a network node and a user equipment (UE). The method comprises: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node performs the following operations to send the user data from the host to the UE: determining whether a frequency resource of a physical uplink control channel to be allocated to a first type of UE will occupy at least a portion of a frequency resource of a physical random access channel previously allocated to a second type of UE or a physical random access channel of the first type of UE; and, if the frequency resource of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of UE will not occupy at least a portion of the frequency resource of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of UE or the physical random access channel of the first type of UE, maintaining the first position of the frequency resource of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of UE unchanged.

[0031] In some embodiments, the method may further include: sending, at the network node, the user data provided by the host for the UE.

[0032] In some embodiments, the user data may be provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0033] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, which is configured to provide an over-the-top service. The communication system includes the host according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure.

[0034] In some embodiments, the communication system may further include the network node; and / or the user equipment.

[0035] The above aspects and embodiments can better support the coexistence of dynamic physical uplink control channels and access features of different types of terminal devices and radio access technologies, thereby avoiding significant degradation of key performance indicators with as few restrictions as possible. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of various embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent through the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals or letters are used to represent the same or equivalent elements. The accompanying drawings are shown to facilitate a better understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale, wherein:

[0037] Figure 1 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 according to some embodiments;

[0038] Figure 2 An example diagram showing existing Ericsson Spectrum Sharing (ESS) channel frequency allocation;

[0039] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example flow of existing dynamic allocation and deallocation of PUCCH format 1 physical resource blocks (PRBs);

[0040] Figure 4a 、 4b 4c and 4c show example diagrams of channel resource arrangement changing with dynamic allocation and release of PUCCH format 1 PRB pairs;

[0041] Figure 5 shows an exemplary fluctuation pattern of the conventional LTE dynamic PUCCH;

[0042] Figure 6 An example diagram showing semi-dynamic PRACH frequency allocation according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0043] Figure 7 Another example diagram showing semi-dynamic PRACH frequency allocation according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0044] Figure 8 shows yet another example diagram of semi-dynamic PRACH frequency allocation according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0045] Figure 9 Another example diagram showing semi-dynamic PRACH frequency allocation according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0046] Figures 10a to 10g An exemplary change in the PRB structure in a subframe according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown, as well as a comparison with conventional PRACH frequency allocation;

[0047] Figure 11 shows the simulated fluctuations of LTE PUCCH allocation;

[0048] Figure 12 shows a comparison between conventional PRACH frequency allocation and the semi-dynamic PRACH frequency allocation proposed in the present disclosure;

[0049] Figure 13 An exemplary process for semi-dynamic PRACH frequency allocation is shown, compared with static PRACH frequency allocation;

[0050] Figure 14 A flowchart illustrating a method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0051] Figure 15 shows a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 1500 that may be embodied in / as a base station and some components thereof configured according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0052] Figure 16 is a functional block diagram of processing circuitry in a base station operating in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0053] Figure 17 UE QQ 200 is shown according to some embodiments;

[0054] Figure 18 A network node QQ 300 is shown according to some embodiments.

[0055] Figure 19 is a block diagram of a host QQ 400 according to various aspects described herein, which may be Figure 1 An embodiment of the host QQ116;

[0056] Figure 20 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment QQ500 in which functionality implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized; and

[0057] Figure 21 Shown is a communication diagram in which the host QQ602 communicates with the UE QQ606 via a network node QQ604 through a partial wireless connection according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the discussion of these embodiments is only used to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the present disclosure, and does not impose any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure.

[0059] This disclosure focuses on a scheme for uplink channel resource allocation for the coexistence of different types of communication systems (e.g., LTE, NR, and CAT-M).

[0060] Figure 1 An example of a communication system QQ 100 is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0061] In this example, communication system QQ100 includes telecommunications network QQ102, which includes access network QQ104 (e.g., radio access network (RAN)) and core network QQ106, which includes one or more core network nodes QQ108. Access network QQ104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes QQ110a and QQ110b (one or more of which may be collectively referred to as network node QQ110), or any other similar Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. Furthermore, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that network nodes are not necessarily limited to implementations in which the radio portion and baseband portion are provided and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it should be understood that network nodes include decomposed implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, telecommunications network QQ102 includes one or more open RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunications network QQ102 that supports ORAN specifications (e.g., specifications published by the O-RAN Alliance or any similar organization) and can operate alone or in conjunction with other nodes to implement one or more functions of any node in the telecommunications network QQ102, including one or more network nodes QQ110 and / or core network node QQ108.

[0062] Examples of ORAN network nodes include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU) (including an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near real-time or non-real-time) hosting software or software plug-ins (e.g., a near real-time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real-time control application (e.g., rApp)), or any combination thereof (the adjective "open" indicates support for ORAN specifications). The network node may support the specifications by, for example, supporting interfaces defined by the ORAN specifications, such as A1, F1, W1, and F2. 1, E1, E2, X2, Xn interface, open fronthaul user plane interface or open fronthaul management plane interface. In addition, the ORAN access node can be a logical node in a physical node. In addition, the ORAN network node can be implemented in a virtualized environment (further described below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualized environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a service management and orchestration framework through an O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or similar technologies. The network node QQ110 facilitates direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), for example, connecting UE QQ112a, QQ112b, QQ112c and QQ112d (one or more of which may be collectively referred to as UE QQ112) to the core network QQ106 through one or more wireless connections.

[0063] Examples of wireless communications over wireless connections include sending and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other signal types suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Additionally, in various embodiments, the communication system QQ100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals, whether via a wired or wireless connection. The communication system QQ100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunications, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar types of systems.

[0064] UE QQ 112 may be a variety of communication devices, including wireless devices that are arranged, configured, and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with network node QQ 110 and other communication devices. Similarly, network node QQ 110 is arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with UE QQ 112 and / or other network nodes or devices in telecommunication network QQ 102 to enable and / or provide network access (e.g., wireless network access) and / or perform other functions (e.g., management in telecommunication network QQ 102).

[0065] In the illustrated example, core network QQ 106 connects network node QQ 110 to one or more hosts, such as host QQ 116. These connections can be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, the network node can be directly coupled to the host. Core network QQ 106 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node QQ 108) comprised of hardware and software components. The features of these components may be substantially similar to those described for the UE, network node, and / or host, such that the description generally applies to the corresponding components of core network node QQ 108. Example core network nodes include one or more of the following functions: 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 subscriber identifier decryption function (SIDF), a unified data management (UDM), a security edge protection proxy (SEPP), a network exposure function (NEF), and / or a user plane function (UPF).

[0066] The host QQ 116 may be owned or controlled by a service provider other than the operator or provider of the access network QQ 104 and / or the telecommunications network QQ 102, and may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. The host QQ 116 may host various applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services (e.g., retrieving and compiling data on various environmental conditions detected by multiple UEs), analytics functionality, social media, functionality to control or otherwise interact with remote devices, alarm and monitoring center functionality, or any other such functionality performed by a server.

[0067] Overall, Figure 1 The communication system QQ100 enables connectivity between UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In this sense, the communication system can be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards, including but not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standards (e.g., 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, such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0068] In some examples, telecommunication network QQ 102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Therefore, telecommunication network QQ 102 can support network slicing to provide different logical networks for different devices connected to telecommunication network QQ 102. For example, telecommunication network QQ 102 can provide ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) services to some UEs while providing enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or provide massive machine type communication (mMTC) / massive IoT services to yet other UEs.

[0069] In some examples, the UE QQ 112 is configured to send and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the UE can be designed to send information to the access network QQ 104 according to a predetermined schedule, triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to a request from the access network QQ 104. In addition, the UE can be configured to operate in a single RAT, multi-RAT, or multi-standard mode. For example, the UE can operate using any one of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio), and LTE, or a combination thereof, i.e., be configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio-Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0070] In this example, hub QQ 114 communicates with access network QQ 104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE QQ 112c and / or QQ 112d) and a network node (e.g., network node QQ 110b). In some examples, hub QQ 114 can be a controller, a router, a content source, an analysis device, or any other communication device described herein with respect to a UE. For example, hub QQ 114 can be a broadband router that enables UEs to access core network QQ 106. As another example, hub QQ 114 can be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UE. The commands or instructions can be received from the UE, network node QQ 110, or through executable code, scripts, processes, or other instructions in hub QQ 114. As another example, hub QQ 114 can be a data collector that acts as a temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, can perform analysis or other processing on the data. As another example, hub QQ 114 can be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, speaker, or other media delivery device, the hub QQ 114 can retrieve VR resources, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information through a network node, and then the hub QQ 114 provides it directly to the UE (after performing local processing and / or adding additional local content). In another example, the hub QQ 114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UE, especially when one or more of the UEs are low-power IoT devices.

[0071] Hub QQ 114 can maintain a continuous / persistent or intermittent connection with network node QQ 110b. Hub QQ 114 can also allow for different communication schemes and / or schedules between hub QQ 114 and UEs (e.g., UE QQ 112c and / or QQ 112d) and between hub QQ 114 and core network QQ 106. In other examples, hub QQ 114 is connected to core network QQ 106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. In addition, hub QQ 114 can be configured to connect to an M2M service provider via access network QQ 104 and / or to another UE via a direct connection. In some cases, a UE can establish a wireless connection with network node QQ 110 while still connecting via hub QQ 114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, hub QQ 114 can be a dedicated hub, i.e., its primary function is to route communications from network node QQ 110b to UEs / from UEs to network node QQ 110b. In other embodiments, the hub QQ 114 may be a non-dedicated hub, ie, the device may be operable to route communications between UEs and network node QQ 110b, but may also be capable of serving as a communications origin and / or endpoint for certain data channels.

[0072] For example, fifth-generation (5G) networks using Ericsson Spectrum Sharing (ESS) technology will support the coexistence of CAT-M with other radio access technologies such as LTE, NR, NB-IoT, and any other radio access technology. Figure 2 An example arrangement of existing ESS channel frequency allocations is shown.

[0073] For LTE, CAT-M, and NR, their PUCCHs are always allocated first, followed by their PRACHs. After the LTE, CAT-M, and NR PRACHs are allocated, the LTE, CAT-M, and NR PUSCHs are allocated last. Typically, the NR PUCCHs are located at both ends of the frequency band. The CAT-M PUCCH is allocated immediately after the NR PUCCH, while the LTE PUCCH is allocated immediately after the CAT-M PUCCH. The LTE / CAT-M PRACH is always allocated immediately after the LTE PUCCH in the frequency band.

[0074] Figure 2 Two channel frequency allocation patterns are shown. Figure 2 In the channel arrangement 210 on the left, CAT-M / LTE PRACH and NR PRACH are allocated from the top of the frequency band (i.e., from higher frequencies to lower frequencies). Figure 2In the channel arrangement 220 on the right, CAT-M / LTE PRACH and NR PRACH are allocated from the bottom of the frequency band (i.e., from lower frequencies to higher frequencies). Figure 2 In the two modes shown, "CAT-M / LTE PRACH" means that CAT-M PRACH shares the same physical resources with LTE PRACH. Note that in other modes, CAT-MPRACH and LTE PRACH can be allocated separate physical resources. In those modes, LTE PRACH can be allocated next to the LTE PUCCH channel, and CAT-M PRACH can be allocated next to the LTE PRACH channel. Note also that in some embodiments, this is a coexistence of LTE and CAT-M network architectures, and no NR channels (e.g., NR PUCCH, NR PRACH, NR PUSCH, etc.) are present in the frequency band.

[0075] The frequency allocation of PUCCH channels for NR and CAT-M is static. This means that the number of frequency resources (e.g., PRBs) allocated to NR PUCCH and CAT-M PUCCH is static. But the number of frequency resources (e.g., PRBs) allocated to LTE PUCCH (also known as the size of LTE PUCCH) can change dynamically based on the dynamic fluctuations in the number of scheduling requests (SRs) of the UE or terminal. The LTE PUCCH area includes PUCCH formats 1, 2, and 3. PUCCH format 3 contains channel selection (CS), hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) A / N resources, and scheduling request (SR). The LTE dynamic PUCCH feature allows the area "reserved" for PUCCH format 1 to be dynamically expanded or contracted based on the required SR resources in the cell. By reordering the different PUCCH formats and placing the PUCCH SR resources (format 1) next to the PUSCH area, unused PUCCH SR resources can be freed up for use by PUSCH data transmission.

[0076] Figure 3 An example process for the existing dynamic allocation and release of PRB pairs for PUCCH format 1 is shown. According to the existing dynamic LTE PUCCH mechanism, the base station dynamically adjusts the number of frequency resources (e.g., PRB pairs) allocated to PUCCH based on the number of remaining SRs in the cell associated with the base station. For example, when the number of remaining SRs is less than a threshold for a certain period of time (e.g., predefined by a timer), more frequency resources are allocated to PUCCH. Block 310 indicates an example of this situation. Conversely, when the number of remaining SRs is greater than another threshold for a certain period of time (e.g., predefined by another timer), some frequency resources of PUCCH are released, as shown in the situation shown in block 320.

[0077] Since LTE / CAT-M PRACH is always allocated immediately adjacent to LTE PUCCH in the frequency band, dynamic changes in LTE PUCCH frequency allocation affect LTE / CAT-M PRACH frequency allocation. In the case where LTE PRACH is separated from CAT-M PRACH, dynamic changes in LTE PUCCH frequency allocation affect LTE PRACH frequency allocation, which in turn affects CAT-M PRACH frequency allocation. Impacts on LTE / CAT-M PRACH frequency allocation or LTE PRACH frequency allocation ultimately affect NR PRACH and NR PUSCH frequency allocation.

[0078] Figure 4a 、 4b 4c show exemplary diagrams of channel resource placement as a function of dynamic allocation and release of PUCCH format 1 PRB pairs. In these diagrams, channel resource placement is performed starting from the lower portion of the frequency band. Figure 4a A channel resource arrangement for uplink is shown, where the number of PRB pairs used for PUCCH may be the initial PUCCH size. Figure 4b The channel resource arrangement for the uplink is shown, where one additional PRB pair is allocated to the PUCCH relative to the initial PUCCH size. Figure 4c The channel resource arrangement for uplink is shown, where one PRB pair is released from PUCCH relative to the initial PUCCH size. It can be seen that the location of the frequency resources of LTE / CAT-M PRACH will change as the PUCCH size changes. Figure 5 Figure 2 shows an exemplary fluctuation pattern of the traditional LTE dynamic PUCCH. It can be seen that the PRB pairs used for PUCCH may fluctuate continuously as the number of remaining SR resources in the cell changes.

[0079] Regarding frequency location, the frequency resources (e.g., PRBs) used for PRACH are always allocated next to the PRBs of PUCCH, and their frequency location can be determined by the frequency offset (e.g., prach-FreqOffset-r13 in SIB2-BR as defined in 3GPP Release 14). The frequency offset indicates the index of the starting PRB for PRACH. In existing solutions, the frequency offset of LTE / CAT-M PRACH varies with the size of PUCCH. When PRACH allocation is started from the lower part of the frequency band (e.g., Figure 2In the case of a channel arrangement 220 on the right side, when one or more PRB pairs of PUCCH 203 are released, the PRB offset of PRACH 204 will be reduced by the same value; when one or more PRB pairs are allocated for PUCCH 203, the PRB offset of PRACH 204 will be increased by the same value. Figure 2 In the case of a channel arrangement 210 on the left, when one or more PRB pairs of PUCCH 201 are released, the PRB offset of PRACH 202 is increased by the same value; when one or more PRB pairs are allocated to PUCCH 201, the PRB offset of PRACH 202 is reduced by the same value.

[0080] According to existing communication protocols and standards (e.g., as defined in 3GPP TS 36.331 Version 17.2.0, Section 5.2.1.3), a CAT-M UE already in connected mode (also known as a bandwidth-reduced low-complexity UE (BL UE)) is not required to monitor system information (SI) updates. This means that a CAT-M UE that needs to perform connected mode random access may fail the procedure after a PRACH frequency change. For example, when a CAT-M UE in connected mode detects uplink desynchronization, it may need to perform random access as part of the uplink resynchronization procedure. In another example, connected mode random access may also be triggered for a coverage enhancement (CE) profile switching procedure or for SR on the RACH.

[0081] During these connected mode random accesses, the CAT-M UE will use the frequency offset previously maintained in the UE to locate the frequency resource for the CAT-M PRACH channel. If LTE dynamic PUCCH causes the PRACH frequency allocation to dynamically change when the PUCCH size changes, the CAT-M UE cannot correctly determine the frequency resource location for the CAT-M PRACH channel because it cannot obtain the latest frequency offset for the CAT-M PRACH channel from the SI update. Consequently, the connected mode random access will fail due to the incorrect frequency offset for the CAT-M PRACH channel. Eventually, a reestablishment will be performed. This will be successful because the CAT-M UE will have reacquired the SI as part of the reestablishment process, and therefore will use the correct PRACH frequency offset. However, reestablishment can degrade many different CAT-M key performance indicators (KPIs), such as accessibility, connection failure rate, and initial evolved radio access bearer (ERAB) establishment failure rate.

[0082] The present disclosure provides a method to alleviate the aforementioned issues, as well as other issues caused by dynamic PUCCH. The main idea is to reduce PRACH fluctuations by reducing PRB waste and fragmentation. In the present disclosure, for dynamic PUCCH, the base station can determine whether the frequency resources to be allocated to the dynamic PUCCH will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources previously allocated to CAT-M PRACH or LTE PRACH. If the frequency resources to be allocated to the dynamic PUCCH will not occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources previously allocated to CAT-MPRACH or LTE PRACH, the first position of the frequency resources allocated to the CAT-M PRACH channel remains unchanged. This differs from conventional solutions, in which the position of the frequency resources allocated to the CAT-MPRACH channel is updated after any dynamic adjustment of the frequency resources used for LTE PUCCH. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the first position of the frequency resources allocated to the CAT-M PRACH is updated to a second position only if the frequency resources to be allocated to the dynamic PUCCH will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources previously allocated to CAT-MPRACH or LTE PRACH. The second position can be determined using conventional means. In an embodiment, the second position of the frequency resource is an available position having the smallest displacement from the first position of the frequency resource previously allocated to the CAT-M PRACH. For example, the smallest displacement may be equal to the number of PRBs to be occupied.

[0083] The present disclosure provides a semi-dynamic mechanism for PRACH allocation. In this regard, PRACH allocations (e.g., for LTE PRACH, CAT-M PRACH, and NR PRACH) can follow the dynamic PUCCH in an allocation state toward the center of the band, moving toward the center of the band for channel allocation. While the dynamic PUCCH is in a released state, attempting to move backward away from the center of the band, the PRACH allocation can remain unchanged and fixed.

[0084] Figure 6 The following diagram shows an example of a semi-dynamic mechanism for PRACH frequency allocation. In the coexistence of CAT-M and LTE network architectures, the following will be used: Figure 6 The first algorithm is shown. When NR is also supported in the network architecture, the frequency location of the NR PRACH will depend on the locations of the LTE PRACH and CAT-M PRACH.

[0085] like Figure 6As shown in stage a of Figure 1, when dynamic LTE PUCCH allocation occurs, this means that the currently calculated number of PRBs for LTE dynamic PUCCH format 1 is greater than the previously calculated number of PRBs for LTE dynamic PUCCH format 1. During this period, when LTE / CAT-M PRACH allocation begins at the lower portion of the frequency band, if the previously calculated LTE PRACH offset is less than the newly calculated LTE PRACH offset, this means that some of the LTE PRACH frequency resources are occupied by the LTE PUCCH. Therefore, the frequency positions of the LTE PRACH and CAT-M PRACH will shift forward as the number of PRBs for the LTE PUCCH increases. For example, the previously calculated PRACH offset will be updated to the newly calculated PRACH offset, which can be calculated from the LTE PUCCH frequency allocation using conventional methods.

[0086] During this phase a, the LTE / CAT-M PRACH frequency allocation will follow the PUCCH allocation and grow along with the dynamic PUCCH allocation. If, in a potential ESS scenario, the NR and LTE PRACH are located in the same subframe, the NR PRACH will depend on the LTE PRACH frequency allocation and will be equal to the LTE PRACH offset + delta2 + offset. The parameter "delta2" can be a value equal to or greater than the combined size of the LTE PRACH and CAT-M PRACH. The parameter "offset" refers to the offset between the NR and LTE grids and can be set for different bandwidths.

[0087] exist Figure 6 During phase b of the dynamic LTE PUCCH release, the currently calculated number of LTE dynamic PUCCH format 1 PRBs is smaller than the previous number of dynamic PUCCH format 1 PRBs. During this period, the LTE PRACH and CAT-M PRACH are not dropped along with the LTE PUCCH but are suspended at their current frequency resource locations. This means that the previously calculated LTE PRACH offset value is not updated as in traditional solutions.

[0088] During this phase (b), when dynamic PUCCH release occurs, the LTE / CAT-M PRACH frequency allocation will be suspended at the highest frequency point instead of following the dynamic PUCCH drop. If, in a potential ESS scenario, NR and LTE PRACH are located in the same subframe, the NR PRACH will depend on the LTE PRACH frequency allocation and will be equal to the LTE PRACH offset + delta2 + offset. In addition, the NR PRACH frequency allocation will also be suspended at the highest frequency point.

[0089] exist Figure 6 In stage c, when dynamic PUCCH allocation occurs again, LTE / CAT-M PRACH frequency allocation will continue to be suspended at the highest frequency point until the dynamic PUCCH and LTE / CAT-M PRACH frequency allocations are adjacent. In other words, if the previously calculated LTE PRACH offset value is greater than the newly calculated LTE PRACH offset value, or the added PRBs for LTE PUCCH do not exceed the LTE PRACH offset, this means that the LTE PRACH frequency resources are not occupied by the added LTE PUCCH. In this case, the previously calculated PRACH offset value will not be updated. NR PRACH frequency allocation will also be suspended at the highest frequency point.

[0090] After the dynamic PUCCH allocations merge with the LTE / CAT-M PRACH frequency allocations, the LTE / CAT-M PRACH frequency allocations will again follow the PUCCH allocations and grow together with the dynamic PUCCH allocations. Figure 6 As shown in stage a', when the LTE PUCCH is allocated more PRBs, the additional PRBs used for the LTE PUCCH exceed the previous offset of the LTE PRACH. In other words, the previously calculated LTE PRACH offset is smaller than the newly calculated LTE PRACH offset. Consequently, the frequency positions of the LTE PRACH and CAT-M PRACH shift toward the center of the band, following the LTE PUCCH allocation.

[0091] exist Figure 6 In the semi-dynamic mechanism shown, the impact of dynamic PUCCH on CAT-MPRACH and LTE PRACH is mitigated in stages b and c. It is understandable that the impact on NR PRACH, NR PUSCH, LTE PUSCH, and CAT-MPUSCH will also be minimized.

[0092] The first algorithm that will be used to perform this process is as follows:

[0093] If(LTE Dynamic PUCCH==ACTIVATED)&&(Category M device support==ACTIVATED)

[0094] Proposed new function (LTE / NR / CAT-M PRACH allocation starts from the lower part of the band):

[0095]

[0096] return: The new calculation results of Then,

[0097] Sent out through the traditional signal updateCellDataInd (prachFrequencyOffset, pucchResourceSize)

[0098] In the first algorithm, Current Indicates the number of frequency resources allocated to PUCCH after dynamic adjustment, previous Indicates the number of PUCCH frequency resources before dynamic adjustment, is the frequency offset of PRACH (e.g. LTE PRACH), Indicates the frequency offset of CAT-M PRACH. The frequency offset of the newly calculated PRACH is used to dynamically adjust the frequency of the PUCCH (i.e., using the traditional algorithm). Can be obtained from Calculated.

[0099] exist Figure 6 In the process shown, CAT-M PRACH shares the same PRBs with LTE PRACH, and both LTE and CAT-MPRACH frequency allocations start from the lower part of the band.

[0100] It should be noted that in some embodiments of the present disclosure, CAT-M PRACH and LTE PRACH may be allocated separate frequency resources. CAT-M PRACH may be allocated next to LTE PRACH, such as Figure 7 In this case, The value of "delta1" is the offset between LTE PRACH and CAT-MPRACH. For example, the value of "delta1" can be equal to or greater than the size of LTE PRACH (the number of PRBs).

[0101] In some other embodiments, both LTE and CAT-MPRACH frequency allocations start from the upper part of the frequency band. CAT-MPRACH and LTE PRACH share the same PRBs, such as Figure 8 Alternatively, CAT-M PRACH and LTE PRACH can be separated from each other, as shown in Figure 9In these scenarios, when dynamic PUCCH allocation occurs, if the dynamic PUCCH does not border the LTE / CAT-M PRACH frequency allocation, i.e., the previously calculated LTE PRACH offset value is less than the newly calculated LTE PRACH offset value, then the LTE / CAT-M PRACH frequency allocation will continue to be suspended at the lowest frequency point (i.e., using the previously calculated LTE PRACH offset value).

[0102] In prach-FrequencyOffset, and After the new calculation of prach-FrequencyOffset, the NR PRACH frequency allocation can also be determined, for example, alongside the CAT-M PRACH. A second algorithm can be used to calculate the precise NR PRACH PRB index. In this second algorithm, the value nrPrachPrbStart is updated and derived from the new calculation of prach-FrequencyOffset, which also reduces the possibility of NR PRACH changes. The value nrPrachPrbStart indicates the starting PRB index of the NRPRACH.

[0103] ●Calculate accurate NR PRACH PRB index

[0104] ○if (nrPrachSubframe == ltePrachSubframe) / / NR and LTE PRACH are in the same subframe

[0105] ●if(prachPositionAtHighFrequencyEnd==FALSE)

[0106] ■ Place NR PRACH in the lower half of the spectrum; since LTE is in the lower half in the same subframe

[0107] ■ Set nrPrachPrbStart to ltePrachPrbStart+delta2+offset

[0108] ●Else

[0109] ■ Place NR PRACH in the upper half of the spectrum; as LTE is in the upper half in the same subframe

[0110] ■ Set nrPrachPrbStart to ltePrachPrbStart-delta2+offset

[0111] End if

[0112] ○Else

[0113] ●if(prachPositionAtHighFrequencyEnd==FALSE)

[0114] ■ In the lower half of the NR PRACH spectrum;

[0115] ■ Set nrPrachPrbStart to ltePrachPrbStart+offset

[0116] ●Else

[0117] ■ In the upper half of the NR PRACH spectrum;

[0118] ■ Set nrPrachPrbStart to ltePrachPrbStart-delta2+offset

[0119] End if

[0120] ○End if

[0121] The offset in the second algorithm is the offset between the LTE and NR grids and can be set to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. according to different bandwidths. The value "ltePrachPrbStart" indicates the starting PRB index of the LTE PRACH and can be derived from or equal to "prach-FrequencyOffset". The value "ltePrachPrbSize" indicates the total size of the LTE PRACH and CAT-M PRACH.

[0122] Figure 10a 、 10b 10c jointly illustrate an exemplary change process of the PRB structure in a subframe during phase a. When LTE dynamic PUCCH allocation occurs, the number of PRBs used for LTE PUCCH format 2 (CQI) is equal to 7, and the number of PRBs used for LTE PUCCH format 3 (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ)-3 Channel State Set (3CC)) is equal to 3. The sizes of LTE PUCCH formats 2 and 3 remain unchanged, while only the number of PRBs for PUCCH format 1 increases. When the number of LTE PUCCH SR users increases from 400 to 1200 and then to 2340 (from Figure 10a ,arrive Figure 10b , and then Figure 10c), the number of PRBs used for LTE PUCCH (the sum of PUCCH formats 1, 2, and 3) indicated by PPP (physical PRB pairs) will increase from 14 to 16 and then to 19 accordingly. Figure 10a 、 10b As shown in FIG10c , half of the LTE PUCCH 1001 is allocated at the bottom of the PRB structure (light gray PRBs, PRB indices 0 to 7, or to 8, or to 10). The other half of the LTE PUCCH is allocated at a symmetrical position at the top of the PRB structure. For clarity, Figure 10a 、 10b Only a portion of the PRBs is shown in FIG10 and FIG10c, and other portions of the PRBs that are not related to the core idea of the present disclosure are omitted. However, it should be noted that although not shown in the figure, Figures 10a to 10g The PRB architecture in may also include other PRB arrangements for other channels (e.g., PUSCH, NR PRACH, etc.).

[0123] The LTE PRACH frequency allocation 1002 (twill PRB) will change as the number of LTE PUCCH increases. Figure 10a 、 10b As shown in Figures 10c and 10d, the LTE PRACH offset (shown by the dashed line at the bottom of the LTE PRACH PRB) will increase accordingly, for example, from 8 to 9 to 11. The CAT-M PRACH frequency allocation 1003 (shown by the dark gray PRB) will depend on the LTE PRACH frequency allocation, with the CAT-M PRACH offset being equal to (LTE PRACH offset + deltal), increasing from (8 + deltal) to (9 + deltal) to (11 + deltal). The parameter "deltal" refers to a value greater than or equal to the LTE PRACH size. For example, in these figures, deltal is 6.

[0124] If, in a potential ESS scenario, NR and LTE PRACH are located in the same subframe, the NR PRACH (not shown in the figure) will depend on the LTE PRACH frequency allocation and will be equal to (LTE PRACH offset + delta2 + offset), increasing from (8 + delta2 + offset) to (9 + delta2 + offset), and further increasing to (11 + delta2 + offset). The parameter "delta2" refers to a value equal to or greater than the total size of the LTE PRACH and CAT-M PRACH. For example, in these figures, delta2 is 12. The parameter "offset" refers to the offset between the LTE and NR grids and can be set to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc., depending on the bandwidth.

[0125] Figure 10c 、10d 10e and 10e together illustrate an exemplary change process of the PRB structure in a subframe during phase b. When the LTE dynamic PUCCH is released, the number of PRBs for LTE PUCCH format 2 (CQI) remains equal to 7, and the number of PRBs for LTE PUCCH format 3 (HARQ-3CC) remains equal to 3. PUCCH formats 2 and 3 remain unchanged, and only the size of LTE PUCCH format 1 is reduced. When the number of LTE PUCCH SR users decreases from 2340 to 400 (from Figures 10c to 10d or to Figure 10e ), the number of PRBs for LTE PUCCH (the sum of PUCCH formats 1, 2, and 3) PPP will be reduced accordingly, for example, from 19 to 14. However, at the same time, the LTE PRACH frequency allocation 1002 will remain unchanged and continue to be suspended at 11 (such as Figure 10e As shown in ), instead of falling back to the initial value 8 as in traditional resource allocation (as shown in Figure 10d ). Therefore, the CAT-M PRACH frequency allocation 1003 (dark grey PRBs) will not change, and the CAT-M PRACH offset will remain at (11+delta1), where the parameter "delta" is a value equal to or greater than the LTE PRACH size, which is 6 in these figures. If the proposed solution is in a potential ESS scenario, the NR PRACH frequency allocation will also remain unchanged, continuing to pause at (11+delta2+offset).

[0126] Figure 10e 、 10f Figure 10g and Figure 10g show an exemplary change process of the PRB structure in the subframe during phase c. When LTE dynamic PUCCH allocation occurs again, the number of PRBs for LTE PUCCH format 2 (CQI) remains 7, and the number of PRBs for LTE PUCCH format 3 (HARQ-3CC) remains 3. The sizes of LTE PUCCH formats 2 and 3 remain unchanged, and only the number of PUCCH format 1 increases. When the number of LTE PUCCH SR users increases from 400 to 1200 and then to 2340 (from Figures 10e to 10f , and then Figure 10g), the number of PUCCH (the sum of PUCCH formats 1, 2, and 3) PPPs will also increase accordingly, for example, from 14 to 16 and then to 19. The LTE PRACH frequency allocation 1002 remains unchanged throughout the process. The LTE PRACH frequency offset remains equal to the value 11 until the PUCCH allocation borders the PRACH allocation, as shown in Figure 10h. Therefore, the CAT-MPRACH frequency allocation 1003 (shown in dark gray PRBs) will not change, and the CAT-M PRACH offset will remain (11+delta1), where the parameter "delta1" is equal to or greater than the size of the LTE PRACH, in Figures 10a-10g If this proposed solution is in a potential ESS situation, the NR PRACH will also remain unchanged and continue to be paused at (11+delta2+offset).

[0127] Figures 10a-10g Frequency resource allocation in Figure 7 As mentioned above, frequency resource allocation can be performed in several different ways. In general, the embodiments of the present disclosure include the following four scenarios:

[0128] Scenario A: When CAT-M and LTE do not share the same PRBs and the PRACH frequency allocations for both LTE and CAT-M start from the lower part of the band, the PRACH offset is calculated and updated. Figure 7 and Figures 10a-10g An example of such a scenario A is shown.

[0129] Scenario B: When CAT-M shares the same PRBs with LTE and the PRACH frequency allocations for both LTE and CAT-M start from the lower part of the band, the PRACH offset is calculated and updated. Figure 6 An example of scenario B is shown.

[0130] Scenario C: When CAT-M and LTE do not share the same PRBs and the PRACH frequency allocations of both LTE and CAT-M start from the upper part of the band, the PRACH offset is calculated and updated. Figure 9 An example of scenario C is shown.

[0131] Scenario D: When CAT-M shares the same PRBs with LTE and the PRACH frequency allocations for both LTE and CAT-M start from the upper part of the band, the PRACH offset is calculated and updated. Figure 8 An example of scenario D is shown.

[0132] In these scenarios, nrPrachPrbStart for NR PRACH will depend on the LTE and CAT-MPRACH frequency allocations for each scenario.

[0133] An exemplary detailed algorithm for these four scenarios (referred to as the third algorithm) is as follows:

[0134]

[0135]

[0136]

[0137] Similar to the first algorithm, in the third algorithm, is the calculated value of the LTE PRACH frequency offset, The value of "delta" is the offset between LTE PRACH and CAT-MPRACH, which can be 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, etc.

[0138] The third algorithm, along with other embodiments of the present disclosure, provides a semi-dynamic mechanism for PRACH frequency allocation. This mechanism can reduce the likelihood of SI updates by mitigating fluctuations in the frequency locations of LTE PRACH, CAT-M PRACH, and / or NR PRACH. As described above, a characteristic of LTE dynamic PUCCH is that PRACH frequency allocation may be dynamically altered when the PUCCH size is expected to change. This is a side effect of existing systems, where PRACH is always allocated alongside the PUCCH PRB. When the PRACH PRB is updated, the information element (IE) prach-FreqOffset-r13 in the SIB2-BR also changes dynamically. According to 3GPP, CAT-M UEs already in connected mode do not monitor SI updates. This means that CAT-M UEs that need to perform connected mode random access (e.g., as part of an UL resynchronization procedure, a CE profile switch procedure, or a SR on the RACH) will fail this process after a PRACH frequency change and will ultimately need to reestablish, impacting many different CAT-M-related key performance indicators (KPIs). This can negatively impact the user experience, especially during periods of significant traffic fluctuations. Therefore, compared to the traditional approach of LTE / CAT-M / NR PRACH following LTE PUCCH updates, this semi-dynamic mechanism for PRACH frequency allocation can more flexibly and dynamically address the degradation of CAT-M-related KPIs (such as accessibility, connection failure rate, and initial ERAB setup failure rate) for the coexistence of NR, LTE dynamic PUCCH, and CAT-M access. This mechanism also minimizes the probability of significant degradation of related KPIs.

[0139] Reserving static PRBs for dynamic PUCCH is also an optional solution for reducing the fluctuation of the frequency position of PRACH channels (e.g., LTE PRACH, CAT-MPRACH, NR PRACH). In this optional solution, more PRBs can be reserved for dynamic PUCCH. Figures 10a to 10g Taking the exemplary PRB architecture shown in FIG2 as an example, according to this optional solution, PRBs with indices 8 to 10 will be reserved for PUCCH and will not be used by PRACH, and therefore the LTE / CAT-M / NR PRACH position can be fixed as long as the reserved PRBs are sufficient for dynamic PUCCH. However, compared with the semi-dynamic mechanism proposed in the present disclosure, this will result in more uplink PRB waste and fragmentation. This optional solution will also have a negative impact on CAT-MPUSCH and NRPUSCH, resulting in a decrease in CAT-M / NR throughput. In addition, this optional solution cannot be used for frequency bands of different bandwidths because it is difficult to set up an identical static PUCCH for frequency bands of different bandwidths.

[0140] Another similar alternative solution is to fix the static PRACH so that its frequency allocation is more centered and away from the PUCCH channel. Figures 10a to 10g Taking the exemplary PRB architecture shown in FIG. 1 as an example, according to this alternative solution, the frequency resources of LTE PRACH 1002 and CAT-M PRACH 1003 will be arranged in a fixed PRB area, for example, above PRB index 14. Compared with the semi-dynamic mechanism proposed in this disclosure, this alternative solution also results in more uplink PRB waste and fragmentation. In addition, this alternative solution cannot be used for frequency bands of different bandwidths because it is difficult to set up the same static PRACH for frequency bands of different bandwidths.

[0141] Compared to these two alternative solutions, semi-dynamic PRACH frequency allocation provides greater flexibility and can better adapt to timely fluctuations in network resource allocation during different network service periods. It also has a less negative impact on LTE / NR / CAT-M uplink throughput. It also better supports the coexistence of NR, LTE dynamic PUCCH, and CAT-M access features, avoiding significant degradation in NR, LTE, and CAT-M KPIs and minimizing restrictions.

[0142] In addition, the semi-dynamic mechanism can also be used to resolve other channel conflicts under the same radio access technology (RAT), such as PDSCH, PDCCH, etc. for a specific RAT. The semi-dynamic mechanism can also be used to resolve channel conflicts under the coexistence of different RATs, such as CAT-M / LTE / NR in ESS.

[0143] Figures 11 to 13The simulation of this semi-dynamic mechanism is shown and compared with the traditional solution and other alternative solutions. The simulation is performed using a random normal distribution. Figure 11 As shown in Figure 1, a simulation of the LTE PUCCH frequency allocation distribution was performed. The number of LTE dynamic PUCCHs fluctuates over time, from 0 minutes to 720 minutes (simulating 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM). The number of LTE dynamic PUCCH PPPs zigzags every 10 minutes from morning to noon. The number of LTE dynamic PUCCH PPPs zigzags every 10 minutes from noon to afternoon.

[0144] from Figure 12 As can be seen in the figure, the LTE PRACH offset for the semi-dynamic mechanism is shown by the black dotted curve 1202, while the LTE PRACH offset for the traditional solution (shown by curve 1201) fluctuates continuously in response to the release and allocation of the LTE dynamic PUCCH. In this simulation, the LTE dynamic PUCCH PPP offset changed 61 times and remained unchanged 10 times. From the perspective of the traditional solution, the PRACH offset changed 61 times and remained unchanged 10 times. If each PRACH offset change results in a decrease in the CAT-M KPI, the KPI decrease rate is 61 / (10 + 61) * 100% = 85.91%. From the perspective of the semi-dynamic mechanism, the PRACH offset changed only 7 times and remained unchanged 64 times. If each LTE PRACH offset change results in a decrease in the CAT-M KPI, the KPI decrease rate is 7 / (7 + 64) * 100% = 10.93%. The semi-dynamic mechanism can greatly minimize the probability of a KPI decrease.

[0145] from Figure 13 In the example, if the LTE / CAT-M PRACH adopts an optional static frequency allocation strategy, the LTE / CAT-M PRACH offset remains unchanged at a relatively high frequency allocation position, as shown by curve 1305 for "Optional Static LTE / CAT-M PRACHOffset," which is significantly higher than curve 1302 for "Proposed Semi-Dynamic LTE / CAT-M PRACHOffset" and curve 1301 for "Conventional LTE / CAT-M PRACHOffset." Compared to the "Proposed Semi-Dynamic LTE / CAT-M PRACHOffset" solution, the "Optional Static LTE / CAT-M PRACHOffset" solution results in more wasted PRBs (due to the larger PRB gap between PRACH and PUCCH) and has a greater negative impact on LTE single-user uplink peak throughput. The "Optional Static LTE / CAT-M PRACHOffset" solution cannot adaptively fluctuate with changes in the LTE PUCCH.

[0146] Furthermore, if, in a potential ESS scenario, NR and LTE PRACH are located in the same subframe and the PRACH allocation starts from the lower part of the band, the NR PRACH frequency allocation will depend on the LTE PRACH frequency allocation and will be equal to (LTE PRACHOffset + delta2 + offset).

[0147] from Figure 13 In the example, if the LTE / CAT-M PRACH adopts the optional static frequency allocation strategy, the NR PRACH offset will also remain unchanged at a relatively high frequency allocation position, as shown by the "potential static NR PrachOffset" curve 1304, which is much higher than the "potential semi-dynamic NR PrachOffset" blue curve 1303. Compared with the result of the "potential semi-dynamic NR PrachOffset", the "potential static NR PrachOffset" solution will lead to more NR PRB waste (because the continuous NR PUSCH resource area is severely squeezed, as shown in Figure 1). Figure 2 The "optional static NR PrachOffset" solution cannot adapt to changes in LTE PUCCH, lacks flexibility, and has low PRB utilization.

[0148] It should be noted that some embodiments of the present disclosure are described with respect to a 5G communication system, which serves as a non-limiting example of certain exemplary network configurations and system deployments. Therefore, the description of the exemplary embodiments presented herein specifically refers to terms directly related thereto. Such terms are used only in the context of the non-limiting examples and embodiments presented and naturally do not limit the present disclosure in any way. Rather, any other system configuration or radio technology may be used equally, provided that the exemplary embodiments described herein are applicable.

[0149] Figure 14 A flowchart of method 1400 implemented on a base station according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The base station may be a NodeB, eNodeB, gNB, etc. The base station may support coexistence of a first type of terminal device (e.g., LTE UE, NR UE, NB-IoT, etc.) and a second type of terminal device (e.g., CAT-M UE). The second type of terminal device does not receive system information in connected mode. Communications between the first type of terminal device and the second type of terminal device share the same frequency band.

[0150] like Figure 14As shown, method 1400 includes: at block 1410, determining whether frequency resources of a physical uplink control channel (e.g., LTE PUCCH, NR PUCCH, etc.) to be allocated to a first type of terminal device will occupy at least a portion of frequency resources of a physical random access channel (e.g., CAT-M PRACH) previously allocated to a second type of terminal device or a physical random access channel (e.g., LTE PRACH, NR PRACH, NB IOT PRACH, etc.) of the first type of terminal device. Then, as shown in block 1420, if it is determined that the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device will not occupy at least a portion of frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device, maintaining (1420) the first position of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of terminal device unchanged. For example, method 1400 can be performed at the MAC layer of the radio access technology of the first type of terminal device and the second type of terminal device, such as the MAC layer of LTE, NR, NB-IoT, CAT-M, and any other relevant radio access technology.

[0151] In some embodiments, as shown in box 1430, method 1400 may further include: updating the first position of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of terminal device to the second position of the frequency resources only when the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device. For example, the second position of the frequency resources may be an available position with the minimum displacement from the first position of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device. This means that the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device (e.g., CAT-M PRACH) will move closely with the dynamic adjustment of the physical uplink control channel of the first type of terminal device (e.g., dynamic LTE PUCCH). For example, the displacement between the second position of the frequency resources and the first position of the frequency resources may be equal to the number of increased frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel allocated to the first type of terminal device.

[0152] According to some embodiments, the determining step 1410 may include determining whether the number of frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device is reduced compared to the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel previously allocated to the first type of terminal device. When the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device are reduced, it can be determined that the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device will not occupy at least a part of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device. This means that the release process of the physical uplink control channel, for example Figure 6 The stage b shown is shown. Accordingly, the position of the frequency resource of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of terminal equipment may remain unchanged.

[0153] According to some embodiments, the determination step 1410 may include: determining whether the number of frequency resources to be allocated to the physical uplink control channel of the first type of terminal device is increased compared to the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel previously allocated to the first type of terminal device; and in the case where the number of frequency resources to be allocated to the physical uplink control channel of the first type of terminal device is increased, further determining whether the increased frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device. This is an allocation process for the physical uplink control channel. When the increased frequency resources will not occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device, as Figure 6 In the stage c shown, the position of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of terminal device may remain unchanged. In the case where the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 In the stage a shown, the location of the frequency resource of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of terminal equipment will be updated.

[0154] In some embodiments, the allocation of frequency resources is performed starting from the lower part of the frequency band. In this case, determining whether the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device may include: determining a second position offset of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device, the second position offset being the minimum position offset available for the frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device; and comparing the second position offset with the first position offset of the corresponding frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device previously allocated to the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

[0155] Determining whether the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device may also include: determining whether the second position offset is less than or equal to the first position offset. When the second position offset is less than or equal to the first position offset, it can be determined that the added frequency resources will not occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device. Accordingly, the position of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of terminal device can remain unchanged.

[0156] Alternatively or additionally, determining whether the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device may also include: determining whether the second position offset is greater than the first position offset. When the second position offset is greater than the first position offset, it can be determined that the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device. Therefore, the position of the frequency resources allocated to the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device will be updated. For example, the first position offset can be updated to the second position offset.

[0157] In some embodiments, the allocation of frequency resources starts from the upper part of the frequency band. In this case, whether the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device may include: determining a second position offset of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device, the second position offset being the maximum position offset available for the frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device; and comparing the second position offset with the first position offset of the corresponding frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device previously allocated to the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

[0158] Determining whether the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device may also include: determining whether the second position offset is greater than or equal to the first position offset. When the second position offset is greater than or equal to the first position offset, it can be determined that the added frequency resources will not occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device. Therefore, the frequency resource position of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of terminal device can remain unchanged.

[0159] Alternatively or additionally, determining whether the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device may further include: determining whether the second position offset is less than the first position offset. When the second position offset is less than the first position offset, it can be determined that the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

[0160] Otherwise, if the new position offset is less than the position offset of the corresponding frequency resource previously allocated to the physical random access channel of CAT-M or the physical random access channel of LTE, it can be determined that the added frequency resources will cause at least a portion of the frequency resources previously allocated to the physical random access channel of CAT-M or the physical random access channel of LTE to be occupied. Therefore, the position of the frequency resource allocated to the physical random access channel of CAT-M or the physical random access channel of LTE will change to the new position offset. Therefore, the position of the frequency resource allocated to the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device will be updated. For example, the first position offset can be updated to the second position offset.

[0161] In these embodiments, the second position offset may be the position where the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device is located if the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device moves closely with the physical uplink control channel of the first type of terminal device. For example, the second position offset may be the Current Then, the second position offset can be compared with the first position offset of the corresponding frequency resource of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device previously allocated. For example, the first position offset can be the previous The value of .

[0162] In some embodiments, the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device shares the same frequency resources as the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device, for example Figure 6 and Figure 8 In this case, the position offset of the frequency resource of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of terminal device may be equal to the position offset of the frequency resource of the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

[0163] In some other embodiments, the frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device are separate from the frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device, for example Figure 7 and Figure 9 In this case, the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device can be arranged next to the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device. For example, there can be a specific offset (such as delta1 mentioned in the above example algorithm) between the position offset of the CAT-M PRACH and the position offset of the LTE PRACH.

[0164] In some embodiments, the physical random access channel (e.g., LT PRACH, NR PRACH) of the first type of terminal device will be allocated based on the physical random access channel (e.g., CAT-M PRACH) of the second type of terminal device. For example, the location of the frequency resources of the CAT-M PRACH can be located next to the location of the frequency resources allocated to the LTE PRACH; and the location of the frequency resources of the NR PRACH can be located next to the location of the frequency resources allocated to the CAT-M PRACH.

[0165] Now, reference Figure 15 , which shows a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 1500 and some components thereof, which may be embodied in / as a base station (e.g., NodeB, eNB, gNB, etc.) and configured according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0166] like Figure 15 As shown, the apparatus 1500 includes a processing circuit 1502 and a communication circuit 1504. The communication circuit 1504 is configured to send and / or receive information to one or more terminal devices (e.g., UE) via any communication technology. Such information includes, but is not limited to, channels such as the previously described NR PUCCH, LTE PUCCH, LTE PRACH, CAT-M PRACH, NR PRACH, PUSCH, etc. The processing circuit 1502 is used to perform the above-mentioned processing, for example, by executing instructions (e.g., control program) 1508 stored in the memory 1506, and in one embodiment, is configured to implement certain functional devices (means), units or modules, such as the following. Figure 16 Those shown.

[0167] Figure 16 FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a processing circuit in a base station operating according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 16 As shown, base station 1600 implements various functional devices, units, or modules, for example, through processing circuit 1502 and / or through software code. For example, these functional devices, units, or modules for implementing the methods herein include, for example, a determining unit 1602 and a maintaining unit 1604. In some embodiments, these functional devices, units, or modules for implementing the methods herein may further include an updating unit 1606. Each of these units 1602, 1604, and 1606 is configured according to the embodiments disclosed herein to implement the aspects previously described herein.

[0168] Specifically, the determination unit 1602 is configured to determine whether the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel (e.g., LTE PUCCH or NR PUCCH) to be allocated to the first type of terminal device will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel (e.g., CAT-M PRACH) previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel (e.g., LTE PRACH or NR PRACH) of the first type of terminal device.

[0169] Maintaining unit 1604 is configured to keep the first position of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of terminal device unchanged when the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device will not occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

[0170] The updating unit 1606 is configured to update the first position of the frequency resource of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of terminal device to the second position of the frequency resource only when the frequency resource of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resource of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device. For example, the second position of the frequency resource may be an available position with the smallest displacement from the first position of the frequency resource of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device.

[0171] Figure 17 UE QQ200 according to some embodiments is shown. As used herein, UE refers to a device capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with a network node and / or other UEs. Examples of UEs include, but are not limited to, smartphones, mobile phones, cellular phones, voice over IP (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, laptops, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless client equipment (CPE)), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless devices, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UEs, machine type communication (MTC) UEs, and / or enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs.

[0172] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communications, such as 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, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user owning and / or operating the associated device. Rather, a UE may represent a device that is intended to be sold to or operated by a human user but may not be, or may not initially be, associated with a particular human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a 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 meter).

[0173] UE QQ200 includes processing circuitry QQ202 operatively coupled to input / output interface QQ206, power supply QQ208, memory QQ210, communication interface QQ212, and / or any other components or any combination thereof via bus QQ204. Figure 17 All or a subset of the components shown. The level of integration between components may vary from one UE to another. In addition, some UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0174] Processing circuit QQ 202 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute instructions stored as a machine-readable computer program in memory QQ 210. Processing circuit QQ 202 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.); programmable logic and appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs), and appropriate software; or any combination thereof. For example, processing circuit QQ 202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0175] In this example, the input / output interface QQ206 can 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. Input devices can allow users to capture information into the UE QQ200. 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 keys, trackpads, scroll wheels, smart cards, etc. Presence-sensitive displays can include capacitive or resistive touch sensors to sense input from the user. Sensors can be, for example, accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt sensors, force sensors, magnetometers, optical sensors, proximity sensors, biometric sensors, etc., or any combination thereof. Output devices can use the same type of interface port as input devices. For example, a universal serial bus (USB) port can be used to provide input devices and output devices.

[0176] In some embodiments, the power supply QQ208 is configured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources may be used, such as an external power source (e.g., a power outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a battery. The power supply QQ208 may also include a power circuit for delivering power from the power supply QQ208 itself and / or an external power source to various components of the UE QQ200 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 QQ208. The power circuit may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modifications on the power from the power supply QQ208 to make the power suitable for the various components of the UE QQ200 that provide power.

[0177] The memory QQ 210 may be or be configured to include a memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a hard disk, a removable cartridge, a flash drive, etc. In one example, the memory QQ 210 includes one or more application programs QQ 214, such as an operating system, a web browser application, a widget, a gadget engine, or other applications, and corresponding data QQ 216. The memory QQ 210 may store any one of a variety of operating systems or a combination of operating systems for use by the UE QQ 200.

[0178] The memory QQ210 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 disc 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 USIM and / or an 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 QQ210 may allow the UE QQ200 to access instructions, applications, and the like stored on a temporary or non-temporary storage medium to offload or upload data. An article of manufacture, such as an article of manufacture utilizing a communication system, may be tangibly embodied as or in memory QQ 210 , which may be or include a device-readable storage medium.

[0179] The processing circuit QQ202 can be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using a communication interface QQ212. The communication interface QQ212 may include one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna QQ222. The communication interface QQ212 may include one or more transceivers for communication, for example, by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or network node in the access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter QQ218 and / or a receiver QQ220 suitable for providing network communication (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocation, etc.). In addition, the transmitter QQ218 and the receiver QQ220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna QQ222) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or may alternatively be implemented separately.

[0180] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functionality of the communication interface QQ212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication (e.g., using a global positioning system (GPS) to determine location), other similar communication functionality, or any combination thereof. Communication may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards (e.g., IEEE 802.11, code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, new radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical network (SONET), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), QUIC, hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.).

[0181] Regardless of the type of sensor, the UE can provide an output of the data captured by its sensor via a wireless connection to a network node through its communication interface QQ212. The data captured by the UE's sensor can be transmitted to the network node via another UE via a wireless connection. The output can be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to balance the load of reports from multiple sensors), in response to a trigger event (e.g., when humidity is detected, an alarm is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user-initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video stream of a patient).

[0182] As another example, a 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 the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight based on the received input, or adjusts a robotic arm performing a medical procedure based on the received input.

[0183] When in the form of an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a UE may 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 devices embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a television, connected lighting, an electric meter, a robotic vacuum cleaner, a voice-controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / humidity sensor, an electric door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system such as a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smartwatch, a fitness tracker, an augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) head-mounted display, a wearable device for tactile enhancement or sensory enhancement, a sprinkler, an animal or item tracking device, a sensor for monitoring plants or animals, an industrial robot, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and any type of medical device such as a heart rate monitor or a teleoperated surgical robot. In addition to the above, Figure 17 In addition to the other components described in the illustrated UEQQ200, a UE in the form of an IoT device may also include circuitry and / or software depending on the intended application of the IoT device.

[0184] As another specific example, in an IoT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and transmits 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 in the 3GPP context may be referred to as an MTC device. As a specific example, a UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, bus, truck, ship, or airplane, or other device capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operating status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0185] In fact, for a single use case, any number of UEs can be used together. For example, a first UE may be or be integrated into a drone and provide the drone's speed information (obtained via a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller for operating the drone. When the user changes the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone's speed, the first UE can adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) as the user changes from the remote controller. The first and / or second UE can also include more than one of the above functions. For example, the UE can include a sensor and an actuator and handle data communication for both the speed sensor and the actuator.

[0186] Figure 18A network node QQ300 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 other network nodes or devices in a telecommunications network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), and NR Node Bs (gNBs)).

[0187] Base stations can be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or in other words, their transmit power level), and thus, can be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations, based on the amount of coverage provided. A base station can be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node can also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). Such a remote radio unit may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio. Portions of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0188] Other examples of network nodes include a multi-transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access node, a multi-standard radio (MSR) device (e.g., an MSR BS), a network controller (e.g., a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station 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 positioning center (E-SMLC)), and / or minimization of drive tests (MDT).

[0189] Network node QQ300 includes processing circuitry QQ302, memory QQ304, a communication interface QQ306, and a power supply QQ308. Network node QQ300 may be comprised of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and an RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), each of which may have its own components. In certain scenarios where network node QQ300 includes multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such scenarios, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may, in some cases, be considered a single, separate network node. In some embodiments, network node QQ300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be replicated (e.g., separate memory QQ304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna QQ310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node QQ300 may also include multiple sets of various components shown for different wireless technologies, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, radio frequency identification (RFID), or Bluetooth wireless technologies, integrated into the network node QQ300. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within the network node QQ300.

[0190] The processing circuit QQ302 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic, which is operable to provide network node QQ300 functionality alone or in combination with other network node QQ300 components (e.g., memory QQ304).

[0191] In some embodiments, processing circuitry QQ302 comprises a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, processing circuitry QQ302 comprises one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314. In some embodiments, radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may reside on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units (e.g., a radio unit and a digital unit). In alternative embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may reside on the same chip, chipset, board, or unit.

[0192] Memory QQ304 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including, but not limited to, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., a hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., a flash drive, a compact disk (CD), or a digital video disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile storage medium 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 QQ302. Memory QQ304 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including computer programs, software, applications including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions (collectively, computer program product QQ304a) that can be executed by processing circuit QQ302 and used by network node QQ300. Memory QQ304 may be used to store any computations performed by processing circuit QQ302 and / or any data received via communication interface QQ306. In some embodiments, processing circuit QQ 302 and memory QQ 304 are integrated.

[0193] Communication interface QQ306 is used for wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks, and / or UEs. As shown, communication interface QQ306 includes a port / terminal QQ316 for sending and receiving data to and from the network, for example, via a wired connection. Communication interface QQ306 also includes radio front-end circuitry QQ318, which may be coupled to antenna QQ310 or, in some embodiments, be part of antenna QQ310. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 includes a filter QQ320 and an amplifier QQ322. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may be connected to antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may receive digital data to be transmitted via a wireless connection to other network nodes or UEs. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may use a combination of filter QQ320 and / or amplifier QQ322 to convert the digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signal can then be transmitted via antenna QQ310. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna QQ310 can collect the radio signal, which is then converted into digital data by radio front-end circuit QQ318. The digital data can be passed to processing circuit QQ302. In other embodiments, the communication interface can include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0194] In certain alternative embodiments, network node QQ 300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry QQ 318; instead, processing circuitry QQ 302 includes the radio front-end circuitry and is connected to antenna QQ 310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry QQ 312 is part of communication interface QQ 306. In yet another embodiment, communication interface QQ 306 includes one or more ports or terminals QQ 316, radio front-end circuitry QQ 318, and RF transceiver circuitry QQ 312 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and communication interface QQ 306 communicates with baseband processing circuitry QQ 314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0195] Antenna QQ310 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna QQ310 may be coupled to radio front-end circuitry QQ318 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna QQ310 is separate from network node QQ300 and may be connected to network node QQ300 via an interface or port.

[0196] Antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and / or processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain acquisition operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node, and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and / or processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node, and / or any other network device.

[0197] Power supply QQ308 provides power to the various components of network node QQ300 in a form appropriate for the respective components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each respective component). Power supply QQ308 may also include or be coupled to power management circuitry to provide power to the components of network node QQ300 for performing the functions described herein. For example, network node QQ300 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., an electrical grid, a power outlet) via an input circuit or interface (e.g., a cable), whereby the external power source provides power to the power circuitry of power supply QQ308. As a further example, power supply QQ308 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack connected to or integrated into the power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power if the external power source fails.

[0198] Embodiments of the network node QQ300 may include Figure 18Additional components beyond those 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 QQ 300 may include a user interface device to allow information to be input into the network node QQ 300 and to allow information to be output from the network node QQ 300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions for the network node QQ 300.

[0199] Figure 19 is a block diagram of a host QQ 400 according to various aspects described herein, which may be Figure 1 As used herein, host QQ 400 may be or include a combination of various hardware and / or software, including processing resources in a standalone server, blade server, cloud-enabled server, distributed server, virtual machine, container, or server farm. Host QQ 400 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0200] Host QQ400 includes processing circuitry QQ402, which is operatively coupled to input / output interface QQ406, network interface QQ408, power supply QQ410, and memory QQ412 via bus QQ404. Other components may be included in other embodiments. The features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures (e.g., Figures QQ2 and QQ3), so that their descriptions are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host QQ400.

[0201] Memory QQ412 may include one or more computer programs, including one or more host applications QQ414 and data QQ416, which may include user data, such as data generated by a UE for host QQ400 or data generated by host QQ400 for a UE. An embodiment of host QQ400 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. Host application QQ414 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), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for a variety of different categories, types, or UEs (e.g., mobile phones, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). Host application QQ414 may also provide user authentication and permission checks, and may periodically report health, routing, and content availability to a central node (e.g., a device in the core network or on the edge). Therefore, the host QQ 400 can select and / or instruct different hosts for the UE to use for over-the-top (over-the-top) services. The host application QQ 414 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 (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0202] Figure 20 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualized environment QQ500 in which the functions implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of a device or appliance, which may include a virtualized hardware platform, storage devices, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can 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 can be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs), which are implemented in one or more virtual environments QQ500 hosted by one or more hardware nodes (e.g., hardware computing devices running as network nodes, UEs, core network nodes, or hosts). In addition, in embodiments where the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), the node can be fully virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualized environment QQ500 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a service management and orchestration framework via an O-2 interface.

[0203] Application QQ502 (which may alternatively be referred to as a software instance, virtual appliance, network function, virtual node, virtual network function, etc.) runs in virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions and / or advantages of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0204] Hardware QQ 504 includes processing circuitry, memory storing software and / or instructions (collectively, computer program product QQ 504 a) executable by the hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices described herein, such as network interfaces, input / output interfaces, and the like. The software can be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers QQ 506 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VM QQ 508 a and QQ 508 b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VM QQ 508), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in connection with some embodiments described herein. Virtualization layer QQ 506 can present a virtual operating platform that appears to be networking hardware to VM QQ 508.

[0205] VM QQ 508 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networks or interfaces, and virtual storage devices, and can be run by a corresponding virtualization layer QQ 506. Different embodiments of instances of virtual device QQ 502 can be implemented on one or more of VM QQ 508 and can be implemented in different ways. Hardware virtualization is referred to as network function virtualization (NFV) in some contexts. NFV can be used to consolidate many network device types onto industry-standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage devices, which can be located in data centers and client devices.

[0206] In the context of NFV, VM QQ 508 can be a software implementation of a physical machine running programs, just as if they were executed on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each VM QQ 508 and the portion of hardware QQ 504 on which it executes (whether dedicated to that VM and / or shared with other VMs) form a separate virtual network unit. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions running in one or more VM QQ 508 on hardware QQ 504 and corresponds to an application QQ 502.

[0207] Hardware QQ504 can be implemented in a standalone network node with general or specific components. Hardware QQ504 can implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware QQ504 can be part of a larger hardware cluster (for example, in a data center or CPE), where many hardware nodes work together and are managed by management and orchestration QQ510, which in particular oversees the lifecycle management of application QQ502. In some embodiments, hardware QQ504 is coupled to one or more radio units, each of which includes one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that can be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio units can communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces, and can be used in conjunction with virtual components to provide radio capabilities to virtual nodes (for example, radio access nodes or base stations). In some embodiments, a control system QQ512 can be used to provide some signaling, which can alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0208] Figure 21 A communication diagram is shown in which a host QQ 602 communicates with a UE QQ 606 via a network node QQ 604 over a partially wireless connection according to some embodiments. Figure 21 Describe the UE discussed in the previous paragraph (such as Figure 1 UEQQ112a and / or Figure 17 UE QQ200), network nodes (such as Figure 1 QQ110a and / or QQ300 of FIG. QQ2), and a host (e.g. Figure 1 Host QQ116 and / or Figure 19 An example implementation of the host QQ400) according to various embodiments.

[0209] Similar to the host QQ 400, an embodiment of the host QQ 602 includes hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host QQ 602 also includes software, which is stored in the host QQ 602 or accessible by the host QQ 602 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that can be used to provide services to a remote user (e.g., a UE QQ 606 connected via an over-the-top (OTT) connection QQ 650 extending between the UE QQ 606 and the host QQ 602). In providing services to the remote user, the host application can provide user data sent using the OTT connection QQ 650.

[0210] The network node QQ 604 includes hardware that enables it to communicate with the host QQ 602 and the UE QQ 606. The connection QQ 660 can be direct or through a core network (such as Figure 1The core network QQ106) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private or managed networks. For example, the intermediate network can be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0211] UE QQ 606 includes hardware and software that is stored in or accessible by UE QQ 606 and can be executed by the processing circuitry of the UE. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or an operator-specific "app," that is operable to provide services to human or non-human users via UE QQ 606 with the support of host QQ 602. In host QQ 602, the executing host application can communicate with the executing client application via an OTT connection QQ 650 that terminates between UE QQ 606 and host QQ 602. When providing services to the user, the UE's client application can receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection QQ 650 can transmit both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application can interact with the user to generate user data that it provides to the host application via the OTT connection QQ 650.

[0212] The OTT connection QQ650 may extend via a connection QQ660 between the host QQ602 and the network node QQ604 and via a wireless connection QQ670 between the network node QQ604 and the UE QQ606 to provide connectivity between the host QQ602 and the UE QQ606. The connection QQ660 and the wireless connection QQ670 over which the OTT connection QQ650 may be provided have been drawn abstractly to illustrate communications between the host QQ602 and the UE QQ606 via the network node QQ604 without explicit reference to any intermediate devices and the precise routing of messages through those devices.

[0213] As an example of transmitting data via OTT connection QQ650, in step QQ608, host QQ602 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 interacting with UE QQ606. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with UE QQ606, which shares data with host QQ602 without explicit human interaction. In step QQ610, host QQ602 initiates a transmission carrying the user data to UE QQ606. Host QQ602 may initiate the transmission in response to a request sent by UE QQ606. The request may be caused by human interaction with UE QQ606 or by an operation performed by a client application executing on UE QQ606. In accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the transmission may be delivered via network node QQ604. Therefore, in step QQ612, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, network node QQ604 transmits the user data carried in the transmission initiated by host QQ602 to UE QQ606. In step QQ614 , UE QQ606 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executing on UE QQ606 that is associated with the host application executed by host QQ602 .

[0214] In some examples, UE QQ 606 executes a client application that provides user data to host QQ 602. The user data may be provided in response to or in reaction to data received from host QQ 602. Therefore, in step QQ 616, UE QQ 606 may provide the user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. When providing the user data, the client application may also consider user input received from the user via the input / output interface of UE QQ 606. Regardless of the specific method of providing the user data, UE QQ 606 initiates transmission of the user data to host QQ 602 via network node QQ 604 in step QQ 618. In step QQ 620, network node QQ 604 receives the user data from UE QQ 606 and initiates transmission of the received user data to host QQ 602, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step QQ 622, host QQ 602 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by UE QQ 606.

[0215] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of an OTT service provided to a UE QQ 606 using an OTT connection QQ 650 in which a wireless connection QQ 670 forms the last leg. More specifically, the teachings of these embodiments can reduce fluctuations in the frequency positions of random access channels (e.g., LTE PRACH, CAT-M PRACH, and / or NR PRACH) for various types of terminal devices while reducing resource waste, thereby providing benefits such as avoiding significant degradation in KPIs for these types of terminal devices (e.g., NR, LTE, and / or CAT-M UEs) and minimizing restrictions.

[0216] In an example scenario, plant status information may be collected and analyzed by host QQ602. As another example, host QQ602 may process audio and video data that may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating a map. As another example, host QQ602 may collect and analyze real-time data to help control vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, host QQ602 may store surveillance videos uploaded by a UE. As another example, host QQ602 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR, or AR that it may broadcast, multicast, or unicast to a UE. As other examples, host QQ602 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time-critical power loads to balance power generation demand, positioning services, presentation services (such as compiling charts based on data collected from remote devices, etc.), or any other function that collects, retrieves, stores, analyzes, and / or sends data.

[0217] In some examples, a measurement process may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency, and other factors that one or more embodiments improve upon. Optional network functionality may also be present for reconfiguring the OTT connection QQ650 between the host computer QQ602 and the UE QQ606 in response to changes in measurement results. The measurement process and / or network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection QQ650 may be implemented in software and hardware on the host computer QQ602 and / or the UE QQ606. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with other communication devices that the OTT connection QQ650 traverses. Sensors may participate in the measurement process by providing values for the monitored quantities exemplified above or other physical quantities from which the software can calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. Reconfiguration of the OTT connection QQ650 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routing, and the like; reconfiguration does not require direct changes to the operation of the network node QQ604. Such processes and functionality are known in the art and can be practiced. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation time, latency, and the like by the host computer QQ602. Measurements can be implemented so that the software prompts the OTT connection QQ650 to send messages (especially empty or "dummy" messages) while monitoring message propagation time, errors, etc.

[0218] 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 processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information with 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 as a result of the processing. In addition, although the components are depicted as being located within a larger box or as a single box nested within multiple boxes, in reality, the computing device may include multiple different physical components that constitute the single illustrated component, and functionality may be divided between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or functionality of the component may be divided between the processing circuitry 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.

[0219] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality 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 functionality may be provided by a processing circuit without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium (e.g., in a hardwired manner). In any of those particular embodiments, the processing circuit may be configured to perform the described functionality 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 other components of a computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole and / or generally by end users and wireless networks.

Claims

1. A method (1400) implemented in a base station, the base station supporting coexistence of a first type of terminal device and a second type of terminal device, wherein: The second type of terminal device does not receive system information in the connected mode, and communication for the first type of terminal device and communication for the second type of terminal device share the same frequency band, and the method includes: determining (1410) whether frequency resources of a physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal devices will occupy at least a portion of frequency resources of a physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal devices or a physical random access channel of the first type of terminal devices; In a case where the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device will not occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device, the first position of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of terminal device is maintained (1420) unchanged.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Only when the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device will occupy at least a part of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device, the first position of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of terminal device will be updated (1430) to the second position of the frequency resources.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The second position of the frequency resource is an available position having a minimum displacement from the first position of the frequency resource of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The determining (1410) includes: determining whether the number of frequency resources to be allocated to the physical uplink control channel of the first type of terminal device is reduced compared to the frequency resources previously allocated to the physical uplink control channel of the first type of terminal device; and In which, when the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device are reduced, it is determined that the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device will not occupy at least a part of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The determining (1410) includes: determining whether the number of frequency resources to be allocated to the physical uplink control channel of the first type of terminal device is increased compared to the frequency resources previously allocated to the physical uplink control channel of the first type of terminal device; and In the event that the number of frequency resources to be allocated to the physical uplink control channel of the first type of terminal device increases, determine whether the increased frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources previously allocated to the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: In a case where frequency resources are allocated from a lower portion of the frequency band, determining whether the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device includes: Determine a second position offset of a frequency resource of a physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or a physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device, wherein the second position offset is a minimum position offset available for a frequency resource of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device; and The second position offset is compared with a first position offset of a corresponding frequency resource of a physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: Determining whether the added frequency resources will occupy the at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device further includes: determining whether the second position offset is less than or equal to the first position offset; and In which, when the second position offset is less than or equal to the first position offset, it is determined that the added frequency resources will not occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources previously allocated to the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: Determining whether the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device further includes: determining whether the second position offset is greater than the first position offset; and When the second position offset is greater than the first position offset, it is determined that the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources previously allocated to the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein: In a case where frequency resources are allocated from an upper portion of the frequency band, determining whether the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device includes: Determine a second position offset of a frequency resource of a physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or a physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device, wherein the second position offset is a maximum position offset available for a frequency resource of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device; and The second position offset is compared with a first position offset of a corresponding frequency resource of a physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: Determining whether the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device further includes: determining whether the second position offset is greater than or equal to the first position offset; and In which, when the second position offset is greater than or equal to the first position offset, it is determined that the added frequency resources will not occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources previously allocated to the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein: Determining whether the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device further includes: determining whether the second position offset is less than the first position offset; and Among them, when the second position offset is smaller than the first position offset, it is determined that the added frequency resources will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources previously allocated to the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device.

12. The method according to claim 8 or 11, further comprising: The first position offset is updated to the second position offset.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein The physical random access channel of the second type of terminal equipment shares the same frequency resources as the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal equipment.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein The frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the second type of terminal equipment are separated from the frequency resources of the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal equipment.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, further comprising: The position of the frequency resource of the physical random access channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal equipment is determined according to the position of the frequency resource of the physical random access channel allocated to the second type of terminal equipment.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein The first type of terminal device includes at least one of the following: Long Term Evolution (LTE) terminal equipment; New Radio (NR) terminal equipment; or Narrowband NB Internet of Things IOT.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein The second type of terminal equipment includes Long Term Evolution LTE Type M, CAT-M, terminal equipment.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein The physical uplink control channel of the first type terminal device includes at least one of an LTE PUCCH or an NR PUCCH for a cell associated with the base station.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein The physical random access channel of the second type terminal device is a CAT-M PRACH for the cell associated with the base station, and the physical random access channel of the first type terminal device includes at least one of an LTE PRACH, an NR PRACH or a NB IOTPRACH for the cell associated with the base station.

20. An apparatus at a base station, the base station supporting coexistence of a first type of terminal device and a second type of terminal device, wherein: The second type terminal device does not receive system information in the connected mode, and communication for the first type terminal device and communication for the second type terminal device share the same frequency band, and the apparatus includes: one or more processors; and one or more memories including computer program code, The one or more memories and the computer program code are configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: determining whether the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device will occupy at least a portion of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device; and In a case where the frequency resources of the physical uplink control channel to be allocated to the first type of terminal device will not occupy at least a part of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel previously allocated to the second type of terminal device or the physical random access channel of the first type of terminal device, the first position of the frequency resources of the physical random access channel allocated to the first type of terminal device remains unchanged.

21. The device according to claim 20, wherein The one or more memories and the computer program code are further configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform a method according to any one of claims 2 to 19.

22. A computer readable medium comprising computer program code which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

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