Handling conflicts between remote user equipment reporting procedures and connection release

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method, a computer readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The device may be a user equipment (user equipment). The user equipment sends a remote user equipment report message to the network. The user equipment starts a timer when sending the remote user equipment report message. The user equipment detects a release of an N1 non-access stratum (NAS) signaling connection prior to receiving a remote user equipment report response message. The user equipment retransmits the remote user equipment report message based on detecting the release of the N1 non-access stratum signaling connection.

Description

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This application claims priority to Indian Patent Application Serial No. 202321051427, entitled “Method for Conflicts Between Remote User Equipment Reporting Procedure and Connection Release”, filed on July 31, 2023, the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to wireless communications, and more specifically, to techniques for handling conflicts between remote user equipment reporting processes and N1 non-access stratum (NAS) signaling connection releases in 5G Proximity Services (ProSe) relay scenarios. Background Technology

[0004] The statements in this section provide only background information in relation to this disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

[0005] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunications services, such as telephone, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies to support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of these multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0006] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunications standards to provide a universal protocol enabling different wireless devices to communicate at the city, national, regional, and even global levels. One example is the 5G New Radio (NR) telecommunications standard. 5G NR is part of the ongoing evolution of mobile broadband driven by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements related to latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., the Internet of Things (IoT)), and other requirements. Some aspects of 5G NR may be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. Further improvements to 5G NR technology are needed. These improvements may also apply to other multiple access technologies and telecommunications standards that adopt them. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The following provides a simplified summary of one or more aspects to provide a basic understanding of them. This summary is not a comprehensive overview of all hypothetical aspects, nor is it intended to identify key or important elements of all aspects, nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description thereafter.

[0008] In one aspect of this disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may be a user equipment (UE). The UE sends a remote UE report message to a network. The UE starts a timer when sending the remote UE report message. The UE detects the release of an N1 non-access stratum signaling connection before receiving a remote UE report response message. Based on the detection of the release of the N1 non-access stratum signaling connection, the UE retransmits the remote UE report message.

[0009] To achieve the foregoing and related objectives, one or more aspects include the following features, which will be described in detail below and specifically pointed out in the claims. The following description and figures list in detail certain illustrative features of one or more aspects. However, these features are only a small subset of the various approaches that demonstrate how the principles of the various aspects can be applied, and this description is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and access network.

[0011] Figure 2It is a schematic diagram illustrating the communication between a base station and user equipment in an access network.

[0012] Figure 3 An example logical architecture for a distributed access network is shown.

[0013] Figure 4 An example physical architecture of a distributed access network is shown.

[0014] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a downlink-centric timeslot example.

[0015] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a time slot centered on the uplink.

[0016] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a 5G proximity service scenario.

[0017] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating the remote user equipment reporting process between user equipment and the network.

[0018] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating the conflict handling between remote user equipment reporting messages and N1 non-access stratum signaling connection release.

[0019] Figure 10 It is a flowchart illustrating a method for transmitting report messages from one or more remote user equipment. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The detailed description below, taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, is intended to describe various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configuration in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring these concepts.

[0021] Several aspects of a telecommunications system will now be introduced with reference to various devices and methods. These devices and methods will be described in detail below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various modules, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively, “elements”). These elements can be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination of both. Whether these elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0022] For example, an element, any part of an element, or any combination of elements can be implemented as a "processing system" containing one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on a chip (SoCs), baseband processors, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other hardware suitable for performing the various functions described in this disclosure. One or more processors in a processing system can execute software. Software should be understood broadly as instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subroutines, software components, application programs, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or others.

[0023] Therefore, in one or more example aspects, the described functionality can be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination of both. If implemented in software, these functions can be stored or encoded as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media. Storage media can be any available medium that is accessible to a computer. For example, and not limited to, such computer-readable media can include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of computer-readable media of the types described above, or any other medium that can be used to store computer-executable code in the form of instructions or data structures and is accessible to a computer.

[0024] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of an example wireless communication system and access network 100. The wireless communication system (also known as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) includes a base station 102, user equipment 104, an evolved packet core (EPC) 160, and another core network 190 (e.g., a 5G core (5GC)). Base station 102 may include macrocells (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cells (low-power cellular base stations). Macrocells include base stations. Small cells include femtocells, picocells, and microcells.

[0025] Base station 102 configured as 4G LTE (collectively referred to as Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) can connect to EPC 160 via backhaul link 132 (e.g., SI interface). Base station 102 configured as 5G NR (collectively referred to as Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) can connect to core network 190 via backhaul link 184. In addition to other functions, base station 102 may perform one or more of the following functions: user data transmission, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, radio access network (RAN) sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), user and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, location, and warning message delivery. Base station 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC 160 or core network 190) via backhaul link 134 (e.g., X2 interface). Backhaul link 134 may be wired or wireless.

[0026] Base station 102 can wirelessly communicate with user equipment 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. Overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 may exist. For example, small cell 102' may have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage areas 110 of one or more macro base stations 102. A network containing small cells and macro cells can be called a heterogeneous network. Heterogeneous networks may also include Home Evolved Node Bs (HeNBs), which can provide services to a restricted group called a closed subscriber group (CSG). The communication link 120 between base station 102 and user equipment 104 may include uplink (UL) (also called reverse link) transmission from user equipment 104 to base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also called forward link) transmission from base station 102 to user equipment 104. Communication link 120 may use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link may be carried out via one or more carriers. Base station 102 / user equipment 104 may use up to 7 MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400 MHz) of spectrum allocated to each carrier, transmitting using a total of up to Yx MHz (x component carriers) in carrier aggregation in each direction. Carriers may be adjacent or non-adjacent. Carrier allocation may be asymmetrical in terms of DL and UL (e.g., DL may be allocated more or fewer carriers than UL). Component carriers may include one primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be referred to as the primary cell (PCell), and the secondary component carriers may be referred to as secondary cells (SCells).

[0027] Some user equipment 104 can communicate with each other using device-to-device (D2D) communication links 158. D2D communication links 158 can use DL / UL WWAN spectrum. D2D communication links 158 can use one or more sidelink channels, such as physical sidelink broadcast channels (PSBCH), physical sidelink discovery channels (PSDCH), physical sidelink shared channels (PSSCH), and physical sidelink control channels (PSCCH). D2D communication can be performed through various wireless D2D communication systems, such as FlashLinQ, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0028] The wireless communication system may also include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 in the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum via a communication link 154. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the STA 152 / AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) before communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0029] Cell 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, cell 102' can employ NR and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as Wi-Fi AP 150. Employing NR in unlicensed spectrum can enhance the coverage and / or increase the capacity of the access network.

[0030] Base station 102, whether a small cell 102' or a large-area (e.g., a macro base station), may include an eNB, gNodeB (gNB), or other types of base stations. Some base stations, such as gNB 180, can communicate with user equipment 104 in the conventional sub-6 GHz spectrum, millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies, and / or near-millimeter wave frequencies. When gNB 180 operates in millimeter wave or near-millimeter wave frequencies, gNB 180 may be referred to as a millimeter wave base station. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a radio frequency component of the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF ranges from 30 GHz to 300 GHz, with wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-millimeter waves can extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz with wavelengths of 100 mm. The ultra-high frequency (SHF) band is between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, also known as centimeter waves. Communication using millimeter wave / near millimeter wave radio frequency bands (e.g., 3 GHz - 300 GHz) suffers from extremely high path loss and short range. Millimeter wave base station 180 can utilize beamforming 182 to communicate with user equipment 104 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range.

[0031] Base station 180 can transmit beamforming signals to user equipment 104 in one or more transmission directions 108a. User equipment 104 can receive beamforming signals from base station 180 in one or more reception directions 108b. User equipment 104 can also transmit beamforming signals to base station 180 in one or more transmission directions. Base station 180 can receive beamforming signals from user equipment 104 in one or more reception directions. Base station 180 / user equipment 104 can perform beam training to determine the optimal reception and transmission directions for base station 180 / user equipment 104. The transmission and reception directions of base station 180 may be the same or different. The transmission and reception directions of user equipment 104 may be the same or different.

[0032] EPC 160 may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a Serving Gateway 166, a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Gateway 168, a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) 170, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 172. MME 162 can communicate with the Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 174. MME 162 is the control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and EPC 160. Typically, MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted through Serving Gateway 166, which is itself connected to PDN Gateway 172. PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. PDN gateway 172 and BM-SC 170 are connected to IP service 176. IP service 176 may include the Internet, intranet, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), PS streaming service, and / or other IP services. BM-SC 170 provides and delivers MBMS user services. BM-SC 170 can act as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmissions, authorizing and initiating MBMS bearer services within the public land mobile network (PLMN) and scheduling MBMS transmissions. MBMS gateway 168 can distribute MBMS traffic to base station 102 within a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area for broadcast-specific services, and is responsible for session management (start / stop) and collecting eMBMS-related billing information.

[0033] The core network 190 may include an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, a Location Management Function (LMF) 198, a Session Management Function (SMF) 194, and a User Plane Function (UPF) 195. AMF 192 can communicate with Unified Data Management (UDM) 196. AMF 192 is the control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and the core network 190. Typically, SMF 194 provides QoS flow and session management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted through UPF 195. UPF 195 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. UPF 195 connects to IP service 197. IP services 197 may include the Internet, intranet, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), PS streaming services and / or other IP services.

[0034] A base station may also be referred to as a gNB, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), access point, base transceiver station, wireless base station, wireless transceiver station, transceiver function, basic serviceset (BSS), extended services set (ESS), transmit reception point (TRP), or other suitable terms. Base station 102 provides UE 104 with access to EPC 160 or core network 190. Examples of UE 104 include cellular phones, smartphones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radios, GPS devices, multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, tablets, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, electricity meters, gas pumps, large or small kitchen appliances, medical devices, implants, sensors / actuators, displays, or any other similarly functional device. Some UE 104 devices may be referred to as Internet of Things (IoT) devices (e.g., parking meters, gas pumps, toasters, vehicles, heart monitors, etc.). UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, mobile station, user station, mobile unit, user unit, radio unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile user station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, mobile phone, user agent, mobile client, client, or other suitable terms.

[0035] Although this disclosure may refer to 5G New Radio (NR), it may also apply to other similar fields, such as LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), or other radio / radio frequency access technologies.

[0036] Figure 2This is a block diagram illustrating communication between base station 210 and user equipment 250 in the access network. In the downlink, IP packets from the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) 160 can be provided to the controller / processor 275. The controller / processor 275 implements Layer 3 and Layer 2 functions. Layer 3 includes the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, and Layer 2 includes the Packet Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The controller / processor 275 provides RRC layer functions related to system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)) broadcasting, RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT) mobility, and measurement configuration for user equipment measurement reports; PDCP layer functions related to header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support; RLC layer functions related to upper-layer Packet Data Unit (PDU) transmission, error correction via Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ), RLC Service Data Unit (SDU) connection, segmentation and reassembly, RLC data PDs resegmentation, and RLC data PDU reordering; and mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MACSDU to Transport Block (TB), and demultiplexing MAC from TB. SDU, scheduling information reporting, error correction via Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), priority handling, and MAC layer functions related to logical channel priority.

[0037] Transmit (TX) processor 216 and receive (RX) processor 270 implement Layer 1 functions related to various signal processing functions. Layer 1 includes the physical (PHY) layer, which may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna processing. TX processor 216 processes signal constellation mapping according to various modulation schemes (e.g., Binary Phase-Shift Keying (BPSK), Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying (QPSK), M-Phase-Shift Keying (M-PSK), and M-Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (M-QAM)). The encoded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can be mapped to an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time and / or frequency domains, and then combined using an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel carrying a time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM streams are spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from channel estimator 274 can be used to determine coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimates can be derived from the reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by user equipment 250. Each spatial stream can then be provided to different antennas 220 via a separate transmitter 218TX. Each transmitter 218TX can modulate a radio frequency (RF) carrier to transmit the corresponding spatial stream.

[0038] At user equipment 250, each receiver 254RX receives a signal via its corresponding antenna 252. Each receiver 254RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the receive (RX) processor 256. The TX processor 268 and RX processor 256 implement Layer 1 functions related to various signal processing functions. The RX processor 256 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial stream for user equipment 250. If multiple spatial streams are for user equipment 250, they can be combined by the RX processor 256 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The RX processor 256 then uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to convert the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal consists of individual OFDM symbol streams for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols and reference signals on each subcarrier are recovered and demodulated by determining the most probable signal constellation points transmitted by base station 210. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by channel estimator 258. The soft decision is then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals initially transmitted by base station 210 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to controller / processor 259, which implements Layer 3 and Layer 2 functions.

[0039] Controller / processor 259 may be associated with memory 260, which stores program code and data. Memory 260 may be referred to as computer-readable medium. In the uplink, controller / processor 259 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from Evolved Packet Core (EPC) 160. Controller / processor 259 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operation.

[0040] Similar to the functions described for base station 210 in downlink transmission, controller / processor 259 provides RRC layer functions related to system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions related to header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions related to upper-layer PDU transmission, error correction via ARQ, connection, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions related to mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs to TBs, demultiplexing MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, priority processing, and logical channel priority.

[0041] The channel estimate derived by channel estimator 258 from the reference signal or feedback transmitted by base station 210 can be used by TX processor 268 to select appropriate coding and modulation schemes and facilitate spatial processing. The spatial stream generated by TX processor 268 can be provided to different antennas 252 via individual transmitters 254TX. Each transmitter 254TX can modulate an RF carrier to transmit the corresponding spatial stream. Uplink transmission is processed at base station 210 in a manner similar to the reception function at user equipment 250. Each receiver 218RX receives the signal through its corresponding antenna 220. Each receiver 218RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to RX processor 270.

[0042] Controller / processor 275 may be associated with memory 276, which stores program code and data. Memory 276 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the uplink, controller / processor 275 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from user equipment 250. IP packets from controller / processor 275 may be provided to Evolved Packet Core (EPC) 160. Controller / processor 275 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) operation.

[0043] New Radio (NR) can refer to a radio configured to operate under a new air interface (e.g., a non-Orthogonal Frequency Divisional Multiple Access (OFDMA) air interface) or a fixed transport layer (e.g., a non-Internet Protocol (IP) layer). NR can use Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix on both the uplink and downlink, and may include support for half-duplex operation using Time Division Duplexing (TDD). NR can include Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services for broadband (e.g., above 80 MHz), millimeter wave (mmW) services for high carrier frequencies (e.g., 60 GHz), massive machine type communication (mMTC) for non-backward compatible machine type communication technologies, and / or ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) services for mission-critical applications.

[0044] It can support a single component carrier bandwidth of 100 MHz. In one example, an NR resource block (RB) can span 12 subcarriers with a subcarrier bandwidth of 60 kHz and a duration of 0.25 ms, or a bandwidth of 30 kHz and a duration of 0.5 ms (similarly, for a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing (SCS), the bandwidth is 50 MHz within a 1 ms duration). Each radio frame can consist of 10 subframes (10, 20, 40, or 80 NR slots) with a length of 10 ms. Each slot can indicate the link direction of data transmission (i.e., downlink or uplink), and the link direction of each slot can be dynamically switched. Each slot can include downlink / uplink data and downlink / uplink control data. NR uplink and downlink slots can be configured as follows: Figure 5 and Figure 6 A more detailed description is provided below.

[0045] The Radio Access Network (RAN) can include a Central Unit (CU) and Distributed Units (DUs). NR base stations (e.g., gNB, 5G Node B, Node B, Transmission Reception Point (TRP), Access Point (AP)) can correspond to one or more base stations. NR cells can be configured as Access Cells (ACells) or Data Cells (DCells). For example, the RAN (e.g., a Central Unit or a Distributed Unit) can configure cells. DCells can be cells used for carrier aggregation or dual connectivity and may not be used for initial access, cell selection / reselection, or handover. In some cases, DCells may not transmit synchronization signals (SS); in others, they may transmit SS. NR base stations can send downlink signals indicating the cell type to user equipment (UEs). Based on the cell type indication, UEs can communicate with NR base stations. For example, UEs can determine which NR base stations to consider for cell selection, access, handover, and / or measurement based on the indicated cell type.

[0046] Figure 3 An example logical architecture of a distributed RAN 300 is illustrated according to aspects of this disclosure. A 5G access node 306 may include an Access Node Controller (ANC) 302. The ANC may be the central unit of the distributed RAN. The backhaul interface to the Next Generation Core Network (NG-CN) 304 may terminate at the ANC. The backhaul interface to the neighboring Next Generation Access Node (NG-AN) 310 may terminate at the ANC. The ANC may include one or more TRPs 308 (also referred to as base stations, NR base stations, node Bs, 5G node Bs, APs, or other terms). As mentioned above, TRPs can be used interchangeably with "cells".

[0047] TRP 308 can be a distributed unit (DU). A TRP can connect to one ANC (ANC 302) or multiple ANCs (not shown). For example, for RAN sharing, Radio as a Service (RaaS) deployments, and service-specific ANC deployments, the TRP can connect to multiple ANCs. A TRP can include one or more antenna ports. A TRP can be configured to provide traffic services to user equipment individually (e.g., dynamically selected) or jointly (e.g., jointly transmitted).

[0048] The local architecture of the distributed RAN 300 can be used to illustrate the fronthaul definition. The architecture can be defined as supporting fronthaul solutions across different deployment types. For example, the architecture can be based on transport network capabilities (e.g., bandwidth, latency, and / or jitter). The architecture can share features and / or components with Long Term Evolution (LTE). Depending on the aspect, the Next Generation Access Node (NG-AN) 310 can support dual connectivity with NR. The NG-AN can share a common fronthaul for LTE and NR.

[0049] This architecture enables cooperation between TRPs 308. For example, cooperation can be pre-defined within and / or across TRPs via ANC 302. Depending on various aspects, inter-TRP interfaces may be unnecessary or nonexistent.

[0050] Depending on various factors, the architecture of a distributed RAN 300 may involve dynamic configuration of segmentation logic functions. PDCP, RLC, and MAC protocols can be adaptively placed in the ANC or TRP.

[0051] Figure 4 An example physical architecture of a distributed RAN 400 according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. A centralized core network unit (C-CU) 402 can host core network functions. The C-CU can be centrally deployed. C-CU functions can be offloaded (e.g., to advanced wireless service (AWS)) to handle peak capacity. A centralized RAN unit (C-RU) 404 can host one or more ANC functions. Optionally, the C-RU can host core network functions locally. The C-RU can be distributed. The C-RU may be located closer to the network edge. A distributed unit (DU) 406 can host one or more TRPs. The DU may be located at the network edge with radio frequency (RF) capabilities.

[0052] Figure 5 Figure 500 illustrates an example of a DL center timeslot. The DL center timeslot may include a control section 502. The control section 502 may be present in the initial or beginning portion of the DL center timeslot. The control section 502 may include various scheduling and / or control information corresponding to different portions of the DL center timeslot. In some configurations, the control section 502 may be a physical DL control channel (PDCCH), such as... Figure 5 As shown. The DL center timeslot may also include a DL data portion 504. The DL data portion 504 may sometimes be referred to as the payload of the DL center timeslot. The DL data portion 504 may include communication resources for communicating DL data from a scheduling entity (e.g., a user equipment or base station) to a subordinate entity (e.g., a user equipment). In some configurations, the DL data portion 504 may be a physical DL shared channel (PDSCH).

[0053] The DL center timeslot may also include a common UL portion 506. The common UL portion 506 may sometimes be referred to as a UL burst, a common UL burst, and / or various other suitable terms. The common UL portion 506 may include feedback information corresponding to other portions of the DL center timeslot. For example, the common UL portion 506 may include feedback information corresponding to the control portion 502. Non-limiting examples of feedback information may include ACK signals, NACK signals, HARQ indicators, and / or various other suitable types of information. The common UL portion 506 may include additional or alternative information, such as information related to random access channel (RACH) procedures, scheduling requests (SRs), and various other suitable types of information.

[0054] like Figure 5 As shown, the end of DL data section 504 may be time-separated from the start of common UL section 506. This time separation may sometimes be referred to as a gap, protection period, protection interval, and / or various other suitable terms. This separation provides the switching time from DL communication (e.g., reception operation of a dependent entity (e.g., user equipment)) to UL communication (e.g., transmission of a dependent entity (e.g., user equipment)). Those skilled in the art will understand that the above is merely one example of a DL central timeslot, and alternative structures with similar characteristics may exist without departing from the various aspects described herein.

[0055] Figure 6Figure 600 illustrates an example of a UL center time slot. A UL center time slot may include a control section 602. The control section 602 may be present at the beginning or start portion of the UL center time slot. Figure 6 The control section 602 in the reference may be similar to the one mentioned above. Figure 5 The control section 502 is described above. The UL center timeslot may also include a UL data section 604. The UL data section 604 may sometimes be referred to as the payload of the UL center timeslot. The UL section may refer to the communication resources used for communicating UL data from a subordinate entity (e.g., a user equipment) to a scheduling entity (e.g., a user equipment or a base station). In some configurations, the control section 602 may be a physical DL control channel (PDCCH).

[0056] like Figure 6 As shown, the end of control section 602 may be time-separated from the start of UL data section 604. This time separation may sometimes be referred to as a gap, protection period, protection interval, and / or various other suitable terms. This separation provides the switching time from DL communication (e.g., receiving operations of a scheduling entity) to UL communication (e.g., transmissions of a scheduling entity). The UL central time slot may also include common UL section 606. Figure 6 The public UL section 606 in the reference above may be similar to the one mentioned above. Figure 5 The common UL portion 506 is described above. Common UL portion 606 may additionally or alternatively include information related to the channel quality indicator (CQI), sounding reference signal (SRS), and various other suitable types of information. Those skilled in the art will understand that the above is merely one example of a UL center slot, and alternative structures with similar characteristics may exist without departing from the various aspects described herein.

[0057] In some cases, two or more dependent entities (e.g., user equipment) may communicate using sidelink signaling. Practical applications of such sidelink communication may include public safety, proximity services, user equipment-to-network relay, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, Internet of Everything (IoE) communication, Internet of Things (IoT) communication, mission-critical mesh, and / or various other suitable applications. Typically, sidelink signaling may refer to signaling communication from one dependent entity (e.g., user equipment 1) to another dependent entity (e.g., user equipment 2) without relaying the communication through a scheduling entity (e.g., user equipment or base station), even if the scheduling entity may be used for scheduling and / or control purposes. In some examples, sidelink signaling may use licensed spectrum for communication (unlike wireless LANs, which typically use unlicensed spectrum).

[0058] Figure 7 Example 700 illustrates a 5G proximity service scenario. In this example, user equipment 704 is within the coverage area of ​​base station 702, which is connected to network 710. User equipment 706 is located outside the coverage area of ​​base station 702. User equipment 704 acts as a Layer 3 VART-LTE user equipment in the 5G proximity service, and 5G procedures can be used to connect user equipment 706, located outside the coverage area of ​​base station 702, to network 710. Base station 702 may have the same physical structure as base station 210. User equipment 704 may have the same physical structure as user equipment 250.

[0059] Specifically, User Equipment 704 first performs service provisioning to obtain authorization to act as a relay. Then, User Equipment 704 establishes a PDU session with Network 710 to relay traffic. Subsequently, User Equipment 706 discovers User Equipment 704 and learns about the connectivity services offered by User Equipment 704. After selecting User Equipment 704 as its relay, User Equipment 706 establishes a connection with User Equipment 704. User Equipment 704 may initiate a new PDU session establishment process if necessary. QoS flows may be configured, and the network may consider relay factors when initiating its configuration. User Equipment 704 determines the PDU session type and performs relay functions at the appropriate layer (IP, Ethernet, or unstructured).

[0060] In some scenarios, initially, User Equipment 704, acting as a Layer 3 UE to network relay in 5G proximity service, may need to transmit initial non-access stratum messages, such as a Remote UE Report. User Equipment 704 requests the lower layer to establish an RRC connection with Base Station 702. Once the RRC connection is established, User Equipment 704 considers the N1 non-access stratum signaling connection established and enters 5GMM-connected mode.

[0061] Once the N1 non-access stratum signaling connection is established, user equipment 704 can send a remote user equipment report message to network 710 to notify the network of information about the connected user equipment 706.

[0062] Figure 8 Example 800 illustrates the remote UE reporting process between User Equipment 704 and Network 710. In operation 852, User Equipment 704 sends a remote UE reporting message to Network 710 (via Base Station 702). This message contains information about newly connected or disconnected 5G proximity serving remote UEs, specifically their identifiers, within either the Remote UE context connected or Remote UE context disconnected information element. In operation 854, after sending the remote UE reporting message, User Equipment 704 starts timer T3586. This timer controls the duration for which User Equipment 704 waits for a response from Network 710.

[0063] In operation 856, network 710 responds by sending a Remote User Equipment Report Response message to user equipment 704. This message acknowledges receipt of the remote user equipment report and may contain additional information or instructions for user equipment 704. In operation 858, upon receiving the remote user equipment report response message, user equipment 704 stops timer T3586.

[0064] This process allows a user equipment (e.g., user equipment 704) acting as a 5G proximity service Layer 3 user equipment to network relay to notify the network about the connection status of a remote user equipment (e.g., user equipment 706) that uses it as a relay to access the network.

[0065] However, problems arise when an N1 non-access stratum signaling connection is released before the user equipment receives a report response from a remote user equipment, if the user equipment's behavior in this situation is not clearly defined. It becomes unclear whether the user equipment should retry the process, abort it, or take other actions after the connection is released. This ambiguity can lead to inconsistent behavior between different user equipment and networks.

[0066] Figure 9 Example 900 illustrates conflict resolution between a Remote User Equipment Report message and an N1 Non-Access Stratum signaling connection release. In operation 952, user equipment 704 sends a Remote User Equipment Report message to network 710. This message contains information about the newly connected or disconnected 5G proximity serving remote user equipment, specifically their identifiers, within either the Remote User Equipment Context Connection Information element or the Remote User Equipment Context Disconnection Information element.

[0067] In operation 954, after sending the remote user equipment report message, user equipment 704 starts timer T3586. This timer controls the duration for which user equipment 704 waits for a response from network 710.

[0068] In operation 956, network 710 releases the N1 non-access stratum signaling connection before user equipment 704 receives a remote user equipment report response. This creates a conflict scenario where user equipment 704 must decide how to handle the incomplete process.

[0069] User equipment 704 checks whether the original remote user equipment report message procedure (in operation 952) was initiated via an existing N1 non-access stratum signaling connection. User equipment 704 further checks whether the previous remote user equipment report message transmission was not initiated due to the expiration of timer T3586. In other words, user equipment 704 checks whether the remote user equipment report message procedure in operation 952 is a new attempt to send a remote user equipment report message, rather than a retransmission due to timeout or other reasons (such as in a collision scenario).

[0070] When the above two conditions are met, in operation 958, user equipment 704 establishes a new N1 non-access stratum (NAS) signaling connection with network 710. Therefore, user equipment 704 can retransmit the Remote UE Report message and receive the corresponding response. In operation 960, user equipment 704 retransmits the Remote UE Report message to network 710 through the newly established N1 non-access stratum signaling connection.

[0071] In operation 962, user equipment 704 stops timer T3586. In operation 964, user equipment 704 resets timer T3586 to its original value, preparing for a new countdown. In operation 966, user equipment 704 restarts timer T3586, restarting the countdown.

[0072] In operation 968, in this example, network 710 responds by sending a Remote UE Report Response message to user equipment 704, acknowledging receipt of the remote user equipment report. In operation 970, upon receiving the remote user equipment report response message, user equipment 704 stops timer T3586.

[0073] This process resolves the conflict between the remote VIP report message and the N1 non-access stratum signaling connection release. VIP 704 can stop, reset, and restart timer T3586 and resend the remote VIP report message. This can lead to consistent behavior across different VIP devices and networks.

[0074] Figure 10 This is a flowchart 1000 of a method for transmitting one or more remote user equipment (ROA) report messages. This method can be performed by a user equipment (e.g., user equipment 704). In operation 1002, the user equipment sends a ROA report message to the network. In some configurations, the ROA report message includes information about newly connected or disconnected 5G Proximity Service (ProSe) remote user equipment. In some configurations, this information includes the identifier of the 5G Proximity Service remote user equipment in the ROA Context Connection Information Element (IE) or the ROA Context Disconnection Information Element.

[0075] In operation 1004, the user equipment starts a timer when sending a remote user equipment report message. In operation 1006, the user equipment detects the release of the N1 non-access stratum signaling connection before receiving a remote user equipment report response message. In operation 1008, the user equipment retransmits the remote user equipment report message based on the detected release of the N1 non-access stratum signaling connection. In some configurations, the remote user equipment report message is retransmitted when it was initially sent via an existing N1 non-access stratum signaling connection and was not initially sent due to timer expiration.

[0076] In operation 1010, the user equipment stops the timer after retransmitting the remote user equipment report message. In operation 1012, the user equipment resets the timer to its original value. In operation 1014, the user equipment restarts the timer.

[0077] In some configurations, the UE establishes a new N1 non-access stratum signaling connection with the network before retransmitting the remote UE report message. In some configurations, the UE receives a remote UE report response message from the network. The UE stops its timer upon receiving the remote UE report response message. In some configurations, the UE acts as a 5G proximity service Layer 3 UE-to-network relay UE.

[0078] It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the disclosed process / flowchart is an illustration of exemplary methods. Based on design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the process / flowchart can be rearranged. Furthermore, some blocks can be merged or omitted. The appended method claims present the elements of the various blocks in an illustrative order and are not intended to limit one to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0079] The foregoing description is provided to any person skilled in the art for implementing the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to limit them to the aspects shown herein, but should be given a full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein a reference to a single element does not mean “only one,” but rather “one or more,” unless otherwise stated. The term “exemplary” as used herein means “as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or superior to other aspects. Unless otherwise stated, the term “some” means one or more. Combinations such as “at least one A, B, or C,” “one or more A, B, or C,” “at least one A, B, and C,” “one or more A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” include any combination of A, B, and / or C, and may include multiple A, multiple B, or multiple C. Specifically, combinations such as "at least one A, B, or C", "one or more A, B, or C", "at least one A, B, and C", "one or more A, B, and C", and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" can be A only, B only, C only, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, wherein any such combination may include one or more members of A, B, or C. All structural and functional equivalences of elements to the various aspects described herein, known or to be learned by one of ordinary skill in the art, are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be included in the claims. Furthermore, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be made public, whether or not such disclosure is expressly recited in the claims. The terms "module," "mechanism," "element," "device," etc., may not be substitutes for the term "means." Therefore, unless an element expressly uses the term "means for," no claim element should be construed as means plus function.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method for a user equipment, comprising: Send remote user equipment report messages to the network; Start the timer when the remote user equipment report message is sent; The release of the N1 non-access stratum signaling connection was detected before a remote user equipment report response message was received; as well as Based on the detection of the release of the N1 non-access stratum signaling connection, the remote user equipment report message is resent.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Stop the timer after resending the remote user equipment report message.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: Reset the timer to its original value; as well as Restart the timer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein retransmitting the remote user equipment report message is performed in the following circumstances: The remote user equipment report message was initially sent via the existing N1 non-access stratum signaling connection; and The remote user equipment report message was not initially sent due to the expiration of the timer.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Establish a new N1 non-access stratum signaling connection with the network before retransmitting the remote user equipment report message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote user equipment reporting message includes information about a newly connected or disconnected 5G proximity service remote user equipment.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the information includes an identifier of the 5G proximity service remote user equipment in a remote user equipment context connection information element or a remote user equipment context disconnection information element.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user equipment serves as a 5G proximity service Layer 3 user equipment to network relay user equipment.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Receive remote user equipment report response messages from the network; as well as The timer stops when the remote user equipment reports a response message.

10. A device for wireless communication, the device being a user equipment, comprising: Memory; as well as At least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor being configured to: Send remote user equipment report messages to the network; Start the timer when the remote user equipment report message is sent; The release of the N1 non-access stratum signaling connection was detected before a remote user equipment report response message was received; as well as The remote user equipment report message is resent based on the detection of the release of the N1 non-access stratum signaling connection.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Stop the timer after resending the remote user equipment report message.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Reset the timer to its original value; and Restart the timer.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is configured to retransmit the remote user equipment report message in the following circumstances: The remote user equipment report message was initially sent via the existing N1 non-access stratum signaling connection; and The remote user equipment report message was not initially sent due to the expiration of the timer.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Establish a new N1 non-access stratum signaling connection with the network before retransmitting the remote user equipment report message.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein the remote user equipment reporting message includes information about a newly connected or disconnected 5G proximity service remote user equipment.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the information includes an identifier of the 5G proximity serving remote user equipment in a remote user equipment context connection information element or a remote user equipment context disconnection information element.

17. The device of claim 10, wherein the device is configured as a 5G proximity service Layer 3 user equipment to network relay user equipment.

18. The device of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Receive remote user equipment report response messages from the network; and The timer stops when the remote user equipment reports a response message.

19. A computer-readable medium for wireless communication of a user equipment, storing computer-executable code for: Send remote user equipment report messages to the network; Start the timer when the remote user equipment report message is sent; The release of the N1 non-access stratum signaling connection was detected before a remote user equipment report response message was received; as well as The remote user equipment report message is resent based on the detection of the release of the N1 non-access stratum signaling connection.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the code further comprises: Stop the timer after resending the remote user equipment report message.

Images