System and method for adjusting uplink transmission timing difference at user equipment
By reconfiguring the timer at the UE using TTD, the timing advance difference between serving cells is monitored and adjusted, thus solving the problem of uplink transmission timing difference exceeding MTTD in wireless communication systems and ensuring the stability and efficiency of the communication system.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202380097794.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-05-05
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-06
AI Technical Summary
In wireless communication systems, when a UE communicates on different cells, there is a problem where the uplink transmission timing difference exceeds the maximum transmission timing difference (MTTD), causing the communication system to fail to operate as expected.
By reconfiguring the timer at the UE using TTD, the timing advance difference (TTD) between different serving cells is monitored and adjusted. When the TTD exceeds a threshold, the timer is started and the network is notified to reconfigure, so as to ensure that the UL transmission timing meets the MTTD requirements.
It effectively solves the problem of timing difference between UEs in different cells exceeding MTTD, ensuring that uplink signals arrive at the network simultaneously, and improving the stability and efficiency of the communication system.
Smart Images
Figure CN121286084A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates in general to wireless communication systems, including wireless communication systems for UEs that support communication with a network on multiple cells with different tags. Background Technology
[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to transmit data between base stations and wireless communication devices. For example, wireless communication system standards and protocols may include, for instance, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G), 3GPP New Radio (NR) (e.g., 5G), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) (often referred to as Wi-Fi within the industry organization). ® ).
[0003] As envisioned by 3GPP, different wireless communication system standards and protocols can use various radio access networks (RANs) for communication between RAN base stations (sometimes also commonly referred to as RAN nodes, network nodes, or simply nodes) and wireless communication equipment called user equipment (UEs). 3GPP RANs can include, for example, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rate GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and / or Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN).
[0004] Each RAN can use one or more Radio Access Technologies (RATs) to perform communication between the base station and the UE. For example, GERAN implements the GSM and / or EDGE RAT, UTRAN implements the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RATs, E-UTRAN implements the LTE RAT (sometimes simply referred to as LTE), and NG-RAN implements the NR RAT (this NR RAT is sometimes referred to herein as the 5G RAT, 5G NR RAT, or simply NR). In some deployments, E-UTRAN may also implement the NR RAT. In some deployments, NG-RAN may also implement the LTE RAT.
[0005] The base stations used by a RAN can correspond to that RAN. An example of an E-UTRAN base station is an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly referred to as Evolved Node B, Enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB). An example of an NG-RAN base station is a Next Generation Node B (sometimes also called gNodeB or gNB).
[0006] The RAN provides communication services to external entities through its connection with the core network (CN). For example, E-UTRAN can utilize the evolved packet core (EPC), while NG-RAN can utilize the 5G core network (5GC).
[0007] 5G NR frequency bands can be divided into two or more distinct frequency ranges. For example, Frequency Range 1 (FR1) may include bands operating at frequencies below 6 GHz, some of which are available for previous standards and can potentially be extended to cover new spectrum offerings from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. Frequency Range 2 (FR2) may include bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. It should be noted that in some systems, FR2 may also include bands from 52.6 GHz to 71 GHz (or higher). Bands in the millimeter-wave (mmWave) range of FR2 may have smaller coverage areas but potentially higher available bandwidth than bands in FR1. Those skilled in the art will recognize that these frequency ranges, presented by way of example, may change over time or in different regions. Attached Figure Description
[0008] To facilitate the identification of any particular element or action in the discussion, one or more of the most significant digits in the figure reference numerals refer to the figure number in which the element was first introduced.
[0009] Figure 1A An illustration is provided of the implementation of the scheme discussed herein, showing a UE transmitting a first UL with PCell and a second UL with SCell, wherein PCell and SCell are provided by separate (non-co-located) TRPs.
[0010] Figure 1B The communication timeline is illustrated, showing the effects of using different TAs for different cells.
[0011] Figure 2A A table of MTTD values applicable to various frequency range scenarios in the case of inter-band NR CA is provided, which may be used in some wireless communication systems.
[0012] Figure 2B A table of MTTD values applicable to various SCS scenarios in the case of inter-band asynchronous NE-DC is provided, which may be used in some wireless communication systems.
[0013] Figure 3 An illustration is shown of a UE using each of the PCell of the first TRP and the SCell of the second TRP, wherein the UE moves from the first position to the second position at any time.
[0014] Figure 4A table illustrating the UE behavior relative to the use of the TTD reconfiguration timer, as described in detail in the implementation scheme of this document.
[0015] Figure 5 A method for a UE according to the implementation scheme of this document is illustrated.
[0016] Figure 6 An example of a RAN method according to the implementation scheme described herein is given.
[0017] Figure 7 An example of a RAN method according to the implementation scheme described herein is given.
[0018] Figure 8 An example architecture of a wireless communication system according to the implementation scheme disclosed herein is illustrated.
[0019] Figure 9 A system for performing signaling between a wireless device and a network device according to an embodiment disclosed herein is illustrated. Detailed Implementation
[0020] Various implementations are described with respect to the UE. However, references to the UE are provided for illustrative purposes only. The example implementations can be used with any electronic component capable of establishing a connection to a network and configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, the UE as described herein is used to represent any suitable electronic component.
[0021] In some wireless communication systems, it is expected that a UE can communicate with the network simultaneously on multiple serving cells provided by non-co-located Transmitter-Receiver Points (TRPs). Figure 1A Figure 102 illustrates the implementation of the scheme discussed herein with a first UL transmission 110 of primary cell (PCell) 106 and a second UL transmission 112 of secondary cell (SCell) 108, wherein PCell 106 and SCell 108 are provided by separate (non-co-located) TRPs.
[0022] The network can anticipate various UL transmissions from one or more UEs arriving simultaneously at PCell 106 and SCell 108. To meet such timing requirements, UE 104 can be able to apply one or more timing advances (TAs) to one or both of the first UL transmission 110 and the second UL transmission 112. From the perspective of UE 104, the TA for the corresponding UL transmission adjusts the transmission time of the UL transmission so that, from the network's perspective, the propagation time for the UL transmission is taken into account, and ultimately the UL transmission is seen on the corresponding cell at the appropriate time.
[0023] Due to the differences in distance (and therefore propagation time) between UE 104 and PCell 106 and between UE 104 and SCell 108, UE 104 may apply a first TA to a first UL transmission 110 with PCell 106 and apply a second different / independent TA to a second UL transmission 112 with SCell 108.
[0024] Figure 1B Communication timeline 114 is illustrated, demonstrating the effect of using different TAs for different cells. Communication timeline 114 can correspond to, for example... Figure 1A The example shown in Figure 102 illustrates the situation between UE 104, PCell 106, and SCell 108.
[0025] The network can simultaneously perform downlink (DL) transmissions from each of PCell 106 and SCell 108, which have the same DL transmission (Tx) timing 116. However, from the UE's perspective, since the distance (and therefore the propagation time) between UE 104 and PCell 106 is different from the distance / propagation time between UE 104 and SCell 108, DL transmissions are received at different times (first DL receive (Rx) timing 118 and second DL Rx timing 120).
[0026] The corresponding aspect applies to the uplink (UL) direction. Therefore, as illustrated, in order for the first transmission transmitted by UE 104 on PCell 106 and the second transmission transmitted by UE 104 on SCell 108 to arrive at the network simultaneously at UL Rx timing 126 (which may be an assumed constraint of network UL reception within the wireless communication system), the UE may need to transmit the first transmission on PCell 106 at a first transmission timing 122, and also transmit the second transmission on SCell 108 at a second transmission timing 124 different from the first transmission timing 122.
[0027] In such cases, each of the first transmission timing 122 and the second transmission timing 124 can be determined based on the (independent) TA used for the timing advance group (TAG) to which the corresponding cell belongs. For example, the first transmission timing 122 can be determined based on the TA used for the first TAG including PCell 106, while the second transmission timing 124 can be determined based on the (independent) TA used for the second TAG including the second transmission timing 124.
[0028] Therefore, in general, it can be understood that the wireless communication system coordinates the configuration of TAs used by the UE for various TAGs in various cells, so that all ULs transmitted by the UE for those TAGs and in those cells arrive at the network simultaneously.
[0029] Figure 1B The transmission timing difference (TTD) 128 existing between the first transmission timing 122 and the second transmission timing 124 due to the arrangement just described is further identified. In contrast to this TTD, it is possible that the UE of the wireless communication system is expected to be able to handle TTDs up to a value defined within the wireless communication system (and applied, for example, between two serving cells) as the maximum transmission timing difference (MTTD). Various examples of such MTTDs expected to be defined / assumed within the wireless communication system are now provided. It should be noted that in some uses related to the UL context herein, MTTD may also be referred to as the "maximum uplink transmission timing difference".
[0030] In the first example, it is expected that the UE will be able to handle TTDs up to MTTD between the subframe timing boundary of the E-UTRA PCell and the nearest slot timing boundary of the primary cell of the secondary cell group (PSCell) to be aggregated in the context of E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) operation.
[0031] In the second example, it is expected that the UE will be able to handle TTDs up to MTTDs between the nearest time slot timing boundaries of different carriers in FR1 and / or frequency range 2-1 (FR2-1) to be aggregated in the context of NR carrier aggregation.
[0032] In the third example, it is expected that the UE will be able to handle TTDs up to MTTDs within the nearest subframe timing boundaries of different carriers to be aggregated in FR1 and frequency range 2-2 (FR2-2) in the context of NR inter-band carrier aggregation.
[0033] In the fourth example, it is expected that the UE will be able to handle TTDs up to MTTD between the slot timing boundary of the PCell and the subframe timing boundary of the E-UTRA PSCell to be aggregated in the context of NR-E-UTRA dual connectivity (NE-DC) operation.
[0034] In the fifth example, it is expected that the UE will be able to handle a TTD up to the MTTD between the slot timing boundary of the PCell in FR1 or FR2-1 and the nearest slot timing boundary of the PSCell in FR1 or FR2-1, which are to be aggregated in the context of NR dual connectivity (DC) operation.
[0035] In the sixth example, it is expected that the UE will be able to handle a TTD up to the MTTD between the subframe timing boundary of the PCell in FR1 and the nearest subframe timing boundary of the PSCell in FR2-2, which are to be aggregated in the context of NR DC operation.
[0036] Figure 2ATable 202 illustrates MTTD values applicable to various frequency range scenarios in the case of inter-band NR carrier aggregation (CA), as may be used in some wireless communication systems.
[0037] Figure 2B Table 204 illustrates MTTD values applicable relative to various subcarrier spacing (SCS) scenarios in the case of inter-band asynchronous NE-DC, which may be used in some wireless communication systems.
[0038] Note that after the UE moves or rotates, the applicable TTD (and the timing difference of reception (RTD)) between the two serving cells may change because the UE's movement / rotation may change the applicable distance (and therefore the propagation delay) between the UE's Rx hardware and one or both serving cells.
[0039] Figure 3 Figure 302 illustrates a UE 304 using each of the first TRP (Transmission Point Representation) PCell 306 and the second TRP SCell 308, wherein the UE moves 310 from a first location 312 to a second location 314 at any time. As illustrated, the movement 310 of UE 304 causes the effective distance between UE 304 and PCell 306 to change from a first distance 316 to a second distance 318 (which results in a corresponding change in the effective propagation time of signaling between UE 304 and PCell 306). Furthermore, the movement 310 of UE 304 also causes the effective distance between UE 304 and SCell 308 to change from a third distance 320 to a third distance 322 (which results in a corresponding change in the effective propagation time of signaling between UE 304 and SCell 308).
[0040] As discussed herein, in order to provide the expected uplink demodulation performance at the network, it is anticipated that uplink signals from all UEs using the network will arrive at the applicable TRP of the network simultaneously. Therefore, it is possible that, to handle UE movement and / or rotation, the wireless communication system can implement a UL timing adjustment mechanism that compensates for the altered signal propagation time applied after such movement / rotation. One or more of these possible UL timing adjustment mechanisms can be used in various wireless communication systems.
[0041] The first example of a usable UL timing adjustment mechanism is the Timing Advance Command (TAC) mechanism. Under the TAC mechanism, when the network becomes aware that the UL transmission timing at the UE has deviated from the expected timing, the network can send a TAC to the UE, which instructs the UE to adjust the UL transmission timing (e.g., instructing the UE to adjust one or more TAs used at the UE for those UL transmissions).
[0042] A second example of a usable UL timing adjustment mechanism is the autonomous UE UL timing adjustment mechanism. Under this mechanism, when the UL transmission is not the first transmission in a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle or when no DRX cycle exists, and when the UL transmission is one of a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) transmission, a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission, or a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) transmission, the UE can change the used UL transmission timing (e.g., change the applied TA value) based on information inferred from the Rx timing of the downlink frames experienced at the UE's location. It should be noted that in some cases, it is possible that the autonomous UE UL timing adjustment mechanism is not used when the TAC is provided by the network (in such cases, the TAC can be preferentially used to control any adjustments).
[0043] Therefore, the following situation may occur: the ULTTD between different UL transmission timings of two serving cells used by the UE is greater than / becomes greater than the applicable MTTD (e.g., through iterative application of one or more UL timing adjustment mechanisms). Furthermore, it is possible that while the UL TTD between different UL transmission timings may be understandable / known / calculated at the UE, this information may be unknown at the network (meaning the network does not know when the applicable MTTD condition is exceeded at the UE). The UE and / or network behavior in cases where the applicable MTTD condition is exceeded may not be defined for various wireless communication systems, meaning that the wireless communication system may fail to operate as expected.
[0044] These problematic situations can be addressed by using a TTD reconfiguration timer at the UE. The TTD reconfiguration timer is initiated in response to the UE determining that the TTD between two serving cells has exceeded a certain threshold (where the threshold is, for example, the applicable MTTD between the two serving cells, or a value derived at the UE based on such an applicable MTTD). Once the TTD exceeds this threshold (e.g., while the TTD reconfiguration timer is running), the UE can stop / discard any specific implementation of any UL timing adjustments. The UE can also notify the network that the TTD reconfiguration timer is running. After notifying the network that the TTD reconfiguration timer is running, the UE can expect the network to provide some new configuration for the UE to use, thereby reducing or making the TTD of interest inapplicable. If no such new configuration is provided, the UE can stop using UL transmissions for one of the serving cells when the TTD timer expires.
[0045] Compared to some embodiments described herein, it can be assumed that the existence of independent UL transmission timings at the UE for different serving cells is ultimately due to the fact that different serving cells belong to different TAGs applying different TAs. Therefore, it should be understood that the various UL transmission timings discussed herein may relate to corresponding TAGs. Thus, in the embodiments described herein, these various UL transmission timings may be referred to / distinguished according to their correspondence with those TAGs.
[0046] Furthermore, it should be understood that in such cases, the applicable TTD between the two serving cells of the UE (and any corresponding TTD reconfiguration timers used in response to the UE determination of those TTDs) can be referenced / identified accordingly based on the two UL transmission timings of the two different TAGs used by the two serving cells.
[0047] Therefore, the implementation schemes described herein for handling situations where any reconfiguration or other actions are implemented to address the issue that the TTD at the UE may exceed the applicable MTTD can be performed / described / understood on a per-TAG basis. For example, in cases where there is concern that the TTD at the UE may exceed the applicable MTTD, a responsive reconfiguration from the network may cause the UE to cease using UL transmission on a TAG within a TAG of a serving cell corresponding to the TTD.
[0048] Figure 4 Table 400 illustrates UE behavior relative to the use of TTD reconfiguration timer 402, as described in detail in the embodiments described herein. It should be noted that in some cases, the UE may use a single TTD reconfiguration timer 402 relative to all TAGs used by the UE (e.g., TTD reconfiguration timer 402 may be started / maintained when any TTD between any two TAGs of any two serving cells of the UE is of interest). In other cases, the UE may be configured to use a separate TTD reconfiguration timer 402 between each individual TAG pair, such that the individual TTDs between individual TAG pairs within these TAG pairs can be monitored separately. For example, in the case where the UE uses three serving cells on three different TAGs (TAG 1, TAG 2, and TAG 3), the UE may be configured to concurrently use (up to) three independent TTD reconfiguration timers (e.g., a first TTD reconfiguration timer for the TAG 1 and TAG 2 pair, a second TTD reconfiguration timer for the TAG 2 and TAG 3 pair, and a third TTD reconfiguration timer for the TAG 1 and TAG 3 pair).
[0049] The start condition 404 for TTD reconfiguration timer 402 can be that the UE determines that the applicable actual / current TTD between two serving cells using two different TAGs for the timer is greater than a threshold. In start condition 404, the applicable threshold is equal to the applicable MTTD minus a margin value. M1 As described herein, the UE can notify the network when it initiates the TTD reconfiguration timer 402. Therefore, as illustrated, a margin value is used. M1 Lowering this threshold relative to the applicable MTTD value configures the UE to initiate TTD reconfiguration timer 402 before the applicable TTD actually exceeds the applicable MTTD (e.g., when the TTD is close to but has not yet exceeded the MTTD). This provides the network with some time to react to the initiation of TTD reconfiguration timer 402 before the applicable TTD actually exceeds the applicable MTTD value.
[0050] The first (independent) stop condition 406 for TTD reconfiguration timer 402 can be that the UE determines that the actual / current TTD applicable between two serving cells for two different TAGs used for the timer is less than a threshold (or, in the case of a single shared TTD timer and more than two serving cells, the stop condition 406 can be that all TTDs between all serving cells are less than the corresponding threshold). In stop condition 406, the applicable threshold is equal to the applicable MTTD minus a margin value. M2 Use margin values M2 Lowering this threshold relative to the applicable MTTD provides a level of confidence that the TTD is no longer approaching a point exceeding the MTTD before stopping the TTD reconfiguration timer 402. As described herein, the UE can notify the network when it stops the TTD reconfiguration timer 402.
[0051] In some cases, the margin value can be M1 and M2 Set different values to prevent TTD from reconfiguring timer 402 to an unwanted level of on / off "bounce".
[0052] Margin values can be set in various ways. M1 and M2 One or both. In the first case, a margin value is predefined in the specification defining the behavior of the wireless communication system. M1 and M2 One or both of these margin values. For example, for 3GPP NR wireless communication systems, one or both of these margin values may be defined as any of the following: 1 microsecond (μs); one-quarter of the applicable cyclic prefix (CP); The value of T, where T c It is the physical layer time unit of the system; etc.
[0053] In the second case, the margin value M1 and M2 One or both of these are configured by the network. For example, the network may provide the UE with radio resource control (RRC) signaling that enumerates information elements corresponding to various possible values (e.g., {1μs, 2μs, …}).
[0054] In the third case, the margin value M1 and M2 One or both of these can be based on the UE's capabilities and / or the UE's tolerance to margin values. M1 and M2 The statement (e.g., its corresponding UE capability).
[0055] The second (independent) stop condition 406 of the TTD reconfiguration timer 402 may be receiving a new configuration from the network (e.g., changing the effect of the applicable TTD that triggers the TTD reconfiguration timer 402 in a manner described herein and / or making that effect inapplicable).
[0056] The UE's expiration behavior 408 corresponding to the expiration of the TTD reconfiguration timer 402 (e.g., in the case where the stop condition 406 is not met) can be that the UE stops one of the two TAGs corresponding to the problematic TTD. UL transmission usage on [the platform / system]. In such cases, various mechanisms can be used to identify specific [issues / activities] that require UL transmission to be stopped. In the first case, the network can instruct the UE to stop using the specific TAG for UL transmission. For example, assuming the problematic TTD corresponds to TAG 1 and TAG 2 and PCell is in TAG 1 while SCell is in TAG 2, the network can instruct the UE to stop using UL transmission on TAG 2 (e.g., the UE's use of PCell takes precedence over the UE's use of SCell).
[0057] In another case, stop using UL transmission. It can be identified as any of the TAGs (e.g., as determined by the UE).
[0058] As described herein, the UE may notify the network when it has started and / or stopped the TTD reconfiguration timer. This information may be signaled from the UE to the network via one or more of Random Access Channel (RACH) signaling, Media Access Control (MAC) layer signaling, and / or Uplink Control Information (UCI).
[0059] As described herein, the UE may refuse to implement any UL transmission timing adjustment mechanism for either TAG with respect to the presence of a running TTD timer in either of the two TAGs.
[0060] An implementation scheme is now provided that provides a new network configuration in response to an indication from the UE that a TTD reconfiguration timer is running. As described herein, after receiving an indication from the UE that the TTD reconfiguration timer has started, the network can provide the UE with a new configuration that reduces or renders the applicable TTD of concern inapplicable.
[0061] In one scenario of the new network configuration, the network may stop scheduling UL transmissions for one of the TAGs.
[0062] It should be noted that the following example of a new network configuration is given in the context of the problematic TTD between the first TAG used by the primary cell group (MCG) used by the UE and the second TAG used by the secondary cell group (SCG) used by the UE.
[0063] In the first example of a new network configuration in this situation, the network can stop scheduling UL transmissions on the SCG.
[0064] In another example of a new network configuration in such a situation, the network may provide the UE with reconfiguration information that causes the UE to stop using UL transmission in the SCG (e.g., the UE falls back to a single UL operation on the MCG).
[0065] In another example of a new network configuration in this situation, the network may disable the SCG relative to the UE. In some such cases, the network may then proceed to attempt to activate another SCG relative to the UE.
[0066] If the SCG has been deactivated but not replaced and the network receives an indication from the UE that the TTD reconfiguration timer has stopped (e.g., due to the corresponding TTD at the UE falling back below a threshold), the network may attempt to restore the SCG relative to the UE's use of the SCG.
[0067] Figure 5 A method 500 for a UE according to an embodiment of this document is illustrated. Method 500 includes: determining 502 that a first UL TTD between a first UL transmission timing for a first TAG and a second UL transmission timing for a second TAG is higher than a first threshold at a first time. Method 500 further includes: in response to determining that the first UL TTD between the first UL transmission timing for the first TAG and the second UL transmission timing for the second TAG is higher than the first threshold, initiating 504 a first TTD reconfiguration timer at the UE. Method 500 further includes: transmitting 506 a first message to the network indicating that the UE has initiated the first TTD reconfiguration timer.
[0068] In some implementations, method 500 further includes: determining that a first TTD reconfiguration timer has expired, and discarding the UL transmission usage used by the UE for the second TAG. In some such implementations, method 500 further includes: when the first TTD reconfiguration timer expires, receiving from the network a second message identifying the discarded second TAG used for UL transmission.
[0069] In some implementations, method 500 further includes: determining, while the first TTD reconfiguration timer is running, that the first UL TTD between the first UL transmission timing for the first TAG and the second UL transmission timing for the second TAG is lower than the second threshold at a second time; stopping the first TTD reconfiguration timer in response to determining that the UL TTD between the first UL transmission timing for the first TAG and the second UL transmission timing for the second TAG is lower than the second threshold; and transmitting a second message to the network indicating that the UE has stopped the first TTD reconfiguration timer. In some such implementations, the second threshold is equal to the MTTD for the UE minus a margin value. In some of these cases, the margin value is one of the following: pre-configured to the UE; configured to the UE by the network; and determined at the UE based on UE capabilities.
[0070] In some implementations of method 500, the first threshold is equal to the MTTD used for the UE minus a margin value. In some of these cases, the margin value is one of the following: pre-configured to the UE; configured to the UE by the network; and determined at the UE based on UE capabilities.
[0071] In some implementations, method 500 further includes: determining that a second UL TTD between a first UL transmission timing for a first TAG and a third UL transmission timing for a third TAG is higher than a second threshold at a second time; in response to determining that the second UL TTD between the first UL transmission timing for a first TAG and the third UL transmission timing for a third TAG is higher than the second threshold, initiating a second TTD reconfiguration timer at the UE; and transmitting a second message to the network indicating that the UE has initiated the second TTD reconfiguration timer.
[0072] Figure 6A method 600 for a RAN according to an embodiment of this document is illustrated. Method 600 includes: receiving from a UE a first message 602 indicating that the UE has started a first TTD reconfiguration timer corresponding to a first TAG and a second TAG. Method 600 further includes: in response to the first message indicating that the UE has started a first TTD reconfiguration timer, performing one or more of the following 604: stopping the use of UL scheduling for the second TAG; transmitting a first instruction to the UE to stop the use of UL transmission for the second TAG; and disabling a first cell group for the second TAG relative to the UE.
[0073] In some implementations, method 600 further includes: identifying the primary cell (PCell) used by the UE in a first TAG; and transmitting a second message to the UE identifying a discarded second TAG used for UL transmission when the first TTD reconfiguration timer expires.
[0074] In some implementations, method 600 further includes: receiving from the UE a second message indicating that the UE has started a second TTD reconfiguration timer corresponding to the first TAG and the third TAG; and in response to the second message indicating that the UE has started a second TTD reconfiguration timer, performing one or more of the following: stopping the use of UL scheduling for the third TAG; transmitting a second instruction to the UE to stop the use of UL transmission for the third TAG; and disabling a second cell group for the third TAG relative to the UE.
[0075] Figure 7 A method 700 of the RAN according to an embodiment of this document is illustrated. Method 700 includes: receiving from a UE 702 a message indicating that the UE has stopped the TTD reconfiguration timer corresponding to a first TAG and a second TAG. Method 700 further includes: in response to the message indicating that the UE has stopped the TTD reconfiguration timer, restoring 704 the cell group in the first TAG and the second TAG previously disabled by the RAN relative to the UE in response to an indication from the UE that the UE has started the TTD reconfiguration timer.
[0076] Figure 8 An example architecture of a wireless communication system 800 according to an embodiment disclosed herein is illustrated. The following description is provided for an example wireless communication system 800 operating in conjunction with LTE system standards and / or 5G or NR system standards provided by 3GPP technical specifications.
[0077] like Figure 8As shown, the wireless communication system 800 includes UE 802 and UE 804 (but any number of UEs may be used). In this example, UE 802 and UE 804 are exemplified as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device configured for wireless communication.
[0078] UE 802 and UE 804 can be configured to be communicatively coupled to RAN 806. In an implementation, RAN 806 can be NG-RAN, E-UTRAN, etc. UE 802 and UE 804 utilize connections (or channels) with RAN 806 (shown as connection 808 and connection 810, respectively), where each connection (or channel) includes a physical communication interface. RAN 806 may include one or more base stations (such as base station 812 and base station 814) implementing connection 808 and connection 810.
[0079] In this example, Connection 808 and Connection 810 are air interfaces that implement this type of communication coupling and can conform to the RAT used by RAN806, such as LTE and / or NR, for example.
[0080] In some implementations, UE 802 and UE 804 may also exchange communication data directly via sidelink interface 816. UE 804 is shown configured to access an access point (shown as AP 818) via connection 820. By way of example, connection 820 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection conforming to any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein AP 818 may include Wi-Fi. ® Router. In this example, AP 818 may connect to another network (e.g., the Internet) without using CN 824.
[0081] In the implementation, UE 802 and UE 804 may be configured to communicate with each other or with base station 812 and / or base station 814 on a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals according to various communication technologies, such as, but not limited to, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication technology (e.g., for downlink communication) or single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication technology (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication) , but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.
[0082] In some implementations, all or part of base station 812 or base station 814 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network. Furthermore, or in other implementations, base station 812 or base station 814 may be configured to communicate with each other via interface 822. In implementations where wireless communication system 800 is an LTE system (e.g., when CN 824 is an EPC), interface 822 may be an X2 interface. This X2 interface may be defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) connected to the EPC and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC. In implementations where wireless communication system 800 is an NR system (e.g., when CN 824 is a 5GC), interface 822 may be an Xn interface. This Xn interface is defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to the 5GC, between a base station 812 (e.g., a gNB) connected to the 5GC and an eNB, and / or between two eNBs connected to the 5GC (e.g., CN 824).
[0083] RAN 806 is shown communicatively coupled to CN 824. CN 824 may include one or more network elements 826 configured to provide various data and telecommunications services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE 802 and UE 804) connected to CN 824 via RAN 806. Components of CN 824 may be implemented in a single physical device or a separate physical device, including components for reading and executing instructions from machine-readable or computer-readable media (e.g., non-transitory machine-readable storage media).
[0084] In the implementation scheme, CN 824 can be an EPC, and RAN 806 can be connected to CN 824 via S1 interface 828. In the implementation scheme, S1 interface 828 can be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface, which carries service data between base station 812 or base station 814 and the service gateway (S-GW); and an S1-MME interface, which is the signaling interface between base station 812 or base station 814 and the mobility management entity (MME).
[0085] In the implementation scheme, CN 824 may be a 5GC, and RAN 806 may be connected to CN 824 via NG interface 828. In the implementation scheme, NG interface 828 may be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface, which carries service data between base station 812 or base station 814 and user plane function (UPF); and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface, which is the signaling interface between base station 812 or base station 814 and access and mobility management function (AMF).
[0086] Generally, application server 830 can be an element that provides Internet Protocol (IP) bearer resources (e.g., packet-switched data services) for use with CN 824. Application server 830 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, group communication sessions, etc.) for UE 802 and UE 804 via CN 824. Application server 830 can communicate with CN 824 via IP communication interface 832.
[0087] Figure 9 A system 900 for executing signaling 934 between a wireless device 902 and a network device 918 according to an embodiment disclosed herein is illustrated. System 900 may be part of a wireless communication system as described herein. Wireless device 902 may be, for example, a UE (User Equipment) of a wireless communication system. Network device 918 may be, for example, a base station (e.g., an eNB or gNB) of a wireless communication system.
[0088] Wireless device 902 may include one or more processors 904. Processor 904 may execute instructions to perform various operations of wireless device 902 as described herein. Processor 904 may include one or more baseband processors, which may be implemented using, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), controller, field-programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.
[0089] Wireless device 902 may include memory 906. Memory 906 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 908, which may include, for example, instructions executed by processor 904. Instructions 908 may also be referred to as program code or computer program. Memory 906 may also store data used by processor 904 and results calculated by the processor.
[0090] Wireless device 902 may include one or more transceivers 910, which may include radio frequency (RF) transmitter circuitry and / or receiver circuitry, which use antenna 912 of wireless device 902 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 934) to and / or from wireless device 902 and other devices (e.g., network device 918) in accordance with a corresponding RAT.
[0091] Wireless device 902 may include one or more antennas 912 (e.g., one, two, four or more). In embodiments with multiple antennas 912, wireless device 902 may fully utilize the spatial diversity of these multiple antennas 912 to transmit and / or receive multiple different data streams on the same time-frequency resource. This behavior may be referred to as, for example, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) behavior (referring to multiple antennas used at each of the transmitting and receiving devices to implement this aspect). MIMO transmission by wireless device 902 may be implemented according to pre-decoding (or digital beamforming) applied to wireless device 902, which multiplexes the data streams among antennas 912 based on known or assumed channel characteristics, such that each data stream is received with appropriate signal strength relative to the other streams at a desired location in the spatial domain (e.g., the location of the receiver associated with that data stream). Some embodiments may use a single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) method (where all data streams are directed to a single receiver) and / or a multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) method (where individual data streams may be directed to individual (different) receivers at different locations in the spatial domain).
[0092] In some implementations with multiple antennas, the wireless device 902 can implement analog beamforming technology, whereby the phase of the signal transmitted by the antenna 912 is relatively adjusted so that the (joint) transmission of the antenna 912 can be directed (this is sometimes referred to as beam control).
[0093] Wireless device 902 may include one or more interfaces 914. Interfaces 914 can be used to provide input to or output to wireless device 902. For example, wireless device 902 (UE) may include interfaces 914 such as microphones, speakers, touchscreens, and buttons to allow users of the UE to make inputs and / or outputs to the UE. Other interfaces of such UEs may consist of transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry that allow communication between the UE and other devices (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 910 / antenna 912 described), and may be configured according to known protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi). ® ,Bluetooth ® (etc.) to perform the operation.
[0094] Wireless device 902 may include a TTD modulation module 916. The TTD modulation module 916 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the TTD modulation module 916 may be implemented as a processor, circuitry, and / or instructions 908 stored in memory 906 and executed by processor 904. In some examples, the TTD modulation module 916 may be integrated within processor 904 and / or transceiver 910. For example, the TTD modulation module 916 may be implemented via a combination of software components (e.g., software components executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within processor 904 or transceiver 910.
[0095] The TTD adjustment module 916 can be used in various aspects of this disclosure, for example, Figures 1A to 7 The TTD adjustment module 916 can be configured to, for example: determine that the UL TTD between the first UL transmission timing for the first TAG and the second UL transmission timing for the second TAG is higher than a threshold at a first time; in response to determining that the first UL TTD between the first UL transmission timing for the first TAG and the second UL transmission timing for the second TAG is higher than the first threshold, start a TTD reconfiguration timer at the UE; transmit a first message to the network indicating that the UE has started the first TTD reconfiguration timer; determine that the first TTD reconfiguration timer has expired and discard the UL transmission usage by the UE for the second TAG; while the TTD reconfiguration timer is running, determine that the UL TTD between the first UL transmission timing for the first TAG and the second UL transmission timing for the second TAG is lower than a second threshold at a second time; in response to determining that the UL TTD between the first UL transmission timing for the first TAG and the second UL transmission timing for the second TAG is lower than the second threshold, stop the TTD reconfiguration timer; and / or transmit a second message to the network in a manner described herein indicating that the UE has stopped the first TTD reconfiguration timer (and performs one or more of the actions relative to the multiple TTD reconfiguration timers for individual TAG pairs).
[0096] Network device 918 may include one or more processors 920. Processor 920 may execute instructions to perform various operations of network device 918 as described herein. Processor 920 may include one or more baseband processors, which may be implemented using, for example, a CPU, DSP, ASIC, controller, FPGA device, another hardware device, firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.
[0097] Network device 918 may include memory 922. Memory 922 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 924, which may include, for example, instructions executed by processor 920. Instructions 924 may also be referred to as program code or computer program. Memory 922 may also store data used by processor 920 and results calculated by the processor.
[0098] Network device 918 may include one or more transceivers 926, which may include RF transmitter circuitry and / or receiver circuitry that uses the antenna 928 of network device 918 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 934) to and / or from network device 918 and other devices (e.g., wireless device 902) in accordance with the corresponding RAT.
[0099] Network device 918 may include one or more antennas 928 (e.g., one, two, four or more). In embodiments having multiple antennas 928, network device 918 may perform MIMO, digital beamforming, analog beamforming, beam control, etc., as described.
[0100] Network device 918 may include one or more interfaces 930. Interfaces 930 can be used to provide input to or output to network device 918. For example, network device 918 as a base station may include interfaces 930 consisting of transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 926 / antenna 928 already described), which enable the base station to communicate with other equipment in the core network and / or to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, etc., for the purpose of operating, managing, and maintaining the base station or other equipment operably connected to the base station.
[0101] Network device 918 may include a TTD regulation module 932. The TTD regulation module 932 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the TTD regulation module 932 may be implemented as a processor, circuitry, and / or instructions 924 stored in memory 922 and executed by processor 920. In some examples, the TTD regulation module 932 may be integrated within processor 920 and / or transceiver 926. For example, the TTD regulation module 932 may be implemented via a combination of software components (e.g., software components executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within processor 920 or transceiver 926.
[0102] The TTD adjustment module 932 can be used in various aspects of this disclosure, for example, Figures 1A to 7The TTD adjustment module 932 can be configured, for example, to: receive from the UE a message indicating that the UE has started a first TTD reconfiguration timer corresponding to the TAG and the second TAG; in response to the first message indicating that the UE has started the first TTD reconfiguration timer, to perform one or more of the following: stop the use of UL scheduling for the second TAG; transmit a first instruction to the UE to stop the use of UL transmission for the second TAG; and deactivate a first cell group of the second TAG relative to the UE; receive from the UE a message indicating that the UE has stopped the TTD reconfiguration timer corresponding to the first TAG and the second TAG; and / or in response to the message indicating that the UE has stopped the TTD reconfiguration timer, to restore, in the manner described herein, the cell group of the first TAG and the second TAG that was previously deactivated by the RAN relative to the UE in response to the instruction from the UE that the UE has started the TTD reconfiguration timer.
[0103] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising components for performing one or more elements of method 500. This apparatus may be, for example, a UE (such as wireless device 902 (UE), as described herein).
[0104] The embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions for causing the electronic device to perform one or more elements of method 500 when executed by one or more processors of the electronic device. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may be, for example, the memory of a UE (such as memory 906 of a wireless device 902 (UE), as described herein).
[0105] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logic components, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of method 500. This apparatus may be, for example, a UE (such as wireless device 902 (UE), as described herein).
[0106] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of method 500. The apparatus may be, for example, a UE (such as wireless device 902 (UE), as described herein).
[0107] The implementation scheme envisioned herein includes a signal as described in or associated with one or more elements of method 500.
[0108] The embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processor will cause the processor to perform one or more elements of method 500. The processor may be a processor of the UE (such as processor 904 of wireless device 902 (UE), as described herein). These instructions may, for example, reside in the processor and / or in the memory of the UE (such as memory 906 of wireless device 902 (UE), as described herein).
[0109] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising components for performing one or more elements of either method 600 or method 700. The apparatus may be, for example, a base station (such as network device 918 (base station), as described herein).
[0110] The embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, which include instructions for causing the electronic device to perform one or more elements of either method 600 or method 700 when executed by one or more processors of the electronic device. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may be, for example, the memory of a base station (such as memory 922 of network device 918 (base station), as described herein).
[0111] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logic components, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of either method 600 or method 700. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus for a base station (such as network device 918 (base station), as described herein).
[0112] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of any of methods 600 or 700. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus for a base station (such as network device 918 (base station), as described herein).
[0113] The implementation scheme envisioned herein includes a signal as described or associated with one or more elements of either method 600 or method 700.
[0114] The embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product comprising instructions, wherein execution by a processing element causes the processing element to perform one or more elements of either method 600 or method 700. The processor may be a processor of a base station (such as processor 920 of network device 918 (base station), as described herein). These instructions may, for example, reside in the processor and / or in the memory of the base station (such as memory 922 of network device 918 (base station), as described herein).
[0115] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components set forth in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described herein. For example, a baseband processor as described herein in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples set forth herein. Similarly, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc., as described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples set forth herein.
[0116] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific embodiments provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. In view of the teachings above, modifications and variations are possible, or modifications and variations may be derived from practice of various embodiments.
[0117] Implementations and specific embodiments of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations embodied in machine-executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. The computer system may include one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers (or other electronic devices). The computer system may include hardware components, including specific logical parts for performing the operations; or may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.
[0118] It should be recognized that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific implementations. These implementations may be combined into a single system, partially integrated into other systems, divided into multiple systems, or otherwise partitioned or combined. Furthermore, it is contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., of one implementation may be used in one implementation. For clarity, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., are described only in one or more implementations, and it should be recognized that, unless expressly stated herein, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., may be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., of another implementation.
[0119] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.
[0120] Although the foregoing has been described in considerable detail for clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that many alternative ways exist to implement both the processes and apparatus described herein. Therefore, embodiments of the invention should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and this specification is not limited to the details given herein, but can be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A method of a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: determining that a first uplink (UL) transmission timing difference (TTD) between a first UL transmission timing for a first timing advance group (TAG) and a second UL transmission timing for a second TAG is above a first threshold at a first time; in response to determining that the first UL TTD between the first UL transmission timing for the first TAG and the second UL transmission timing for the second TAG is above the first threshold, starting, at the UE, a first TTD reconfiguration timer; and transmitting, to a network, a first message indicating that the UE has started the first TTD reconfiguration timer.
2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising: determining that the first TTD reconfiguration timer has expired; and discarding, by the UE, UL transmission usage of the second TAG.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: receiving, from the network, a second message identifying the second TAG for the UL transmission usage of the discarding when the first TTD reconfiguration timer expires.
4. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising: determining, while the first TTD reconfiguration timer is running, that the first UL TTD between the first UL transmission timing for the first TAG and the second UL transmission timing for the second TAG is below a second threshold at a second time; in response to the determination that the UL TTD between the first UL transmission timing for the first TAG and the second UL transmission timing for the second TAG is below the second threshold, stopping the first TTD reconfiguration timer; and transmitting, to the network, a second message indicating that the UE has stopped the first TTD reconfiguration timer.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second threshold is equal to a maximum transmission timing difference (MTTD) for the UE minus a margin value.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the margin value is one of: pre-configured to the UE; configured to the UE by the network; and determined at the UE based on UE capability.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first threshold is equal to a maximum transmission timing difference (MTTD) for the UE minus a margin value.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the margin value is one of: pre-configured to the UE; configured to the UE by the network; and determined at the UE based on UE capability.
9. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising: determining that a second UL TTD between the first UL transmission timing for the first TAG and a third UL transmission timing for a third TAG is above a second threshold at a second time; starting, at the UE, a second TTD reconfiguration timer in response to determining that the second UL TTD between the first UL transmission timing for the first TAG and the third UL transmission timing for the third TAG is higher than the second threshold; and transmitting, to the network, a second message indicating that the UE has started the second TTD reconfiguration timer.
10. A method of a radio access network (RAN), the method comprising: receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a first message indicating that the UE has started a first transmission timing difference (TTD) reconfiguration timer corresponding to a first timing advance group (TAG) and a second TAG; and in response to the first message indicating that the UE has started the first TTD reconfiguration timer, performing one or more of: stopping use of UL scheduling for the second TAG; transmitting, to the UE, a first instruction to stop UL transmission use for the second TAG; and deactivating, with respect to the UE, a first cell group of the second TAG.
11. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising: identifying, in the first TAG, a primary cell (PCell) used by the UE; and when the first TTD reconfiguration timer expires, transmitting, to the UE, a second message identifying the second TAG for UL transmission use that is dropped.
12. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising: receiving, from the UE, a second message indicating that the UE has started a second TTD reconfiguration timer corresponding to the first TAG and a third TAG; and in response to the second message indicating that the UE has started the second TTD reconfiguration timer, performing one or more of: stopping use of UL scheduling for the third TAG; transmitting, to the UE, a second instruction to stop UL transmission use for the third TAG; and deactivating, with respect to the UE, a second cell group of the third TAG.
13. A method of a radio access network (RAN), the method comprising: receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a message indicating that the UE has stopped a TTD reconfiguration timer corresponding to a first timing advance group (TAG) and a second TAG; and in response to the message indicating that the UE has stopped the TTD reconfiguration timer, resuming, with respect to the UE, a cell group of one of the first TAG and the second TAG that was previously deactivated by the RAN with respect to the UE in response to an indication from the UE that the UE has started the TTD reconfiguration timer.
14. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising means for performing a method of any of claims 1-13.
15. A computer-readable medium, the computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform a method of any of claims 1-13. 16. An apparatus comprising logic, means, or circuitry for performing any of the methods of claims 1-13.