Method and apparatus for determining timing advance in mobile communications

Abstract

Various solutions are described with respect to a device determining a timing advance (TA) in mobile communications. The device can determine a TA based on a TA parameter and a TA parameter offset. The TA parameter can include a first value from negative to positive, and the TA parameter offset can include a second value from negative to positive. The device can send a signal to a network node based on the TA.

Description

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This disclosure is part of a non-provisional application that claims priority to PCT patent application number PCT / CN2024 / 106045, filed on July 17, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to mobile communications, and more specifically, to determining a timing advance (TA) for a device in mobile communications. Background Technology

[0004] Unless otherwise stated, the methods described in this section are not prior art to the following claims and are not considered prior art because they are included in this section.

[0005] In Long-Term Evolution (LTE) or New Radio (NR) mobile communications, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) were introduced to extend coverage to remote areas. In NTNs, the significant distance between space satellites and ground-based User Equipment (UE) can introduce substantial propagation delays in transmissions, such as uplink (UL) transmissions.

[0006] To mitigate such latency and reduce interference between UEs, the UE can be configured to pre-compensate for UL timing errors before initiating UL transmission. The UE can determine the predicted timing advance based on the calculated distance between the UE and network nodes (e.g., serving satellites), which can be derived from the UE's Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) position and satellite-aided information (including satellite position and orientation information received via system signaling). Network nodes can further adjust the timing advance via signaling.

[0007] However, as satellite-aided information becomes outdated and the GNSS position of the mobile UE changes, the accuracy of the timing lead predicted by the UE may decrease over time. Although the UE can update this information periodically, excessively high update frequencies may cause interruptions to ongoing data transmission.

[0008] Furthermore, due to the inherent long propagation delay of NTN, the scheduling offset (e.g., K) between the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) reception and the corresponding UL data transmission (e.g., the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)) is also significant. offset The scheduling offset may increase. Network nodes can broadcast cell-specific scheduling offsets to UEs within the cell. Alternatively, UE-specific scheduling offsets can be assigned based on timing advance reports provided by the UE. However, cell-specific scheduling offsets may lack accuracy across different UE locations, and UE-specific scheduling offsets may not provide sufficient scheduling efficiency.

[0009] Therefore, improving the efficiency and accuracy of timing-related operations has become a crucial issue in next-generation wireless communication networks. Consequently, appropriate solutions are needed to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of timing-related operations. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The following summary is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting. That is, the following summary aims to introduce the concepts, key points, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Some embodiments will be further described in the detailed description below. Therefore, the following summary is not intended to identify the essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to define the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0011] One objective of this disclosure is to propose a solution or method for addressing the aforementioned problems related to determining time advance (TA) in mobile communications.

[0012] In one aspect, a method may include determining a timing advance (TA) by a device based on a TA parameter and a TA parameter offset. The TA parameter may include a first value ranging from negative to positive, and the TA parameter offset may include a second value ranging from negative to positive. The method may also include the device transmitting a signal to a network node based on the TA.

[0013] In one aspect, a method may include sending information related to a TA parameter and a TA parameter offset from a device to a user equipment (UE) to determine a TA based on the TA parameter and the TA parameter offset. The TA parameter may include a first value from negative to positive, and the TA parameter offset may include a second value from negative to positive. The method may also include the device receiving a signal from the UE based on the TA.

[0014] In one aspect, a device may include a transceiver that wirelessly communicates with a wireless network during operation. The device may also include a processor communicatively connected to the transceiver. During operation, operations that the processor can perform include determining a TA based on TA parameters and a TA parameter offset. The TA parameters may include a first value from negative to positive, and the TA parameter offset may include a second value from negative to positive. Further operations that the processor can perform include transmitting a signal to a network node via the transceiver based on the TA.

[0015] It is worth noting that although the descriptions provided herein may be made in the context of certain wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, 5th Generation (5G), New Radio (NR), Internet-of-Things (IoT), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and 6th Generation (6G), the proposed concepts, schemes, and any variations / derivatives thereof can be implemented, used, and implemented by other types of wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the examples described herein. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The accompanying drawings are included in this specification to further understand this disclosure and form part of this disclosure. The drawings illustrate embodiments of this disclosure and, together with the specification, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. It will be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, as some components may be shown out of proportion to actual implementations for clarity of the concepts of this disclosure.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an example scenario under the scheme of the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an example scenario under the scheme of the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of an example communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of an example process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of an example process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0022] This specification discloses detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject matter. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the claimed subject matter, which can be implemented in various forms. This disclosure can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided to make the description of this disclosure thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the following description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

[0023] Overview

[0024] The present disclosure relates to various techniques, methods, schemes, and / or solutions related to determining Timing Advance (TA) in mobile communications. According to the present disclosure, several possible solutions can be implemented individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions are described separately below, two or more of them can be implemented in some combination.

[0025] First, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) can include network nodes and user equipment (UE). The UE can determine the timing advance (TA) (e.g., uplink (UL) TA) based on the following basic formula in Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle (i.e., RRC_IDLE mode), inactive (i.e., INACTIVE mode), and / or RRC connected (i.e., RRC_CONNECTED) modes:

[0026] in, For TA, For TA parameters, The TA (Traffic Aspect Ratio) is estimated by the UE itself for pre-compensating service link latency. For network control public TA, For TA parameter offset, This is the timing unit used to scale timing advance in uplink synchronization calculations.

[0027] Regarding the contents of this disclosure, network nodes can send TA parameters to the UE. and TA parameter offset Relevant information. After receiving this information, the UE can use the TA parameters... and TA parameter offset Determine TA Among them, the determined TA parameters It can include the first value from negative to positive, and the TA parameter offset. It can include a second value ranging from negative to positive.

[0028] Therefore, the UE can be based on TA. A signal is sent to a network node (e.g., an uplink transmission), which the network node can receive from the UE.

[0029] Figure 1 Example scenario 100 of a scheme according to an implementation of this disclosure is shown. Scenario 100 involves at least one network node and a UE, which may be part of a wireless communication network (e.g., an LTE network, a 5G / NR network, an Internet of Things (IoT) network, or a 6G network). Scenario 100 illustrates a current network architecture. The UE may connect to the network side. The network side may include one or more network nodes. It should be noted that in the accompanying drawings of this application, the network node may be illustrated using a space satellite as an example, but this is for illustrative purposes only and is not a limitation. The network node may include at least one space satellite and a ground base station (e.g., an eNB or gNB).

[0030] In some embodiments, the UE may determine the TA based on the following formula:

[0031] in, For TA, For TA parameters, The TA (Traffic Aspect Ratio) is estimated by the UE itself for pre-compensating service link latency. For network control public TA, For TA parameter offset, This is the timing unit used to scale timing advance in uplink synchronization calculations.

[0032] Specifically, the network node can send TA parameters to the UE. and TA parameter offset Relevant information. After receiving this information, the UE can use the TA parameters... and TA parameter offset Determine TA Among them, the determined TA parameters It can include the first value from negative to positive, and the TA parameter offset. It can include a second value ranging from negative to positive.

[0033] In some implementations, the TA parameter offset It can be a predefined value, not a fixed value. This predefined value can be determined based on one or more system attributes, such as different frame structure types (e.g., time division duplex (TDD) or frequency division duplex (FDD)), different systems (e.g., terrestrial network (TN) or NTN), different cells, different UEs, different frequency bands, different combinations of frequency bands, different frequency ranges (e.g., frequency range 1 (FR1) or frequency range 2 (FR2)), etc.

[0034] In some implementations, the TA parameter offset The predefined value can include a second value ranging from negative to positive. For example, for NTN, the second value can be -80Ts or -80Tc, where Ts is the basic time unit derived from the sampling frequency of the LTE or NR system, and Tc is the time unit used for timing advance offset scaling.

[0035] In some implementations, the TA parameter offset Configuration can be performed via system information (e.g., System Information Block (SIB) messages), Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, or the Media Access Control Control Element (MAC CE) sent by the network node to the UE. In some implementations, the TA parameter offset... The UE can be informed using "a" bits.

[0036] For example, TA parameter offset The UE is informed via 2 bits, as shown in the table below:

[0037] For example, TA parameter offset The UE is informed via 3 bits, as shown in the table below:

[0038] For example, TA parameter offset The UE is informed via 4 bits, as shown in the table below:

[0039] In some implementations, the TA parameter The TA parameter transmitted by the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) can be set to 0 only when the timing alignment timer expires, stops, or is not started, instead of setting the TA parameter transmitted by PRACH to 0 regardless of the TA timer state.

[0040] In some embodiments, TA parameters Updates can be made based on the TA command field in message 2 / message B (Msg2 / MsgB) during the Random Access (RA) procedure. In some cases, the TA command field in Msg2 / MsgB may have a fixed number of bits (e.g., 13 bits or 14 bits).

[0041] In some embodiments, TA parameters It can be determined based on the following formula:

[0042] in, The TA value in the TA command field, where 'm' is a configurable value that can be a predefined value or preconfigured by the network node. In some cases, the TA parameter... It can be calculated as the first value from negative to positive. For example, the TA parameter. It can be determined based on the following formula: or .

[0043] In some embodiments, TA parameters During PRACH transmissions in timers (e.g., timer T390) used to time the duration of uplink (UL) transmissions, the transmissions may not be reset to zero, where UL transmissions are permitted when the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) validity period expires.

[0044] In some embodiments, TA parameters Updates can be made based on the TA command field in Msg2 / MsgB during the RA process, where the TA command field in Msg2 / MsgB can have a fixed number of bits (11 bits, 12 bits, 13 bits, or 14 bits). In some cases, if (i.e., the previous TA parameters) If the value is less than the threshold, then the new TA parameter is: The TA command field can indicate the relative value of the TA parameter rather than its absolute value. If... (i.e., the previous TA parameters) If the value is not less than the threshold, then The TA command field can indicate The absolute value. In some cases, This is the TA value in the TA command field; 768 is an example, but other predefined or configured values ​​are also possible. In some cases, this threshold can be configured via system information (e.g., SIB messages), RRC-specific signaling, or it can be set to 0.

[0045] In some embodiments, TA parameters This can include a first value from negative to positive. Specifically, in certain scenarios (e.g., Internet of Things (IoT) non-terrestrial networks (NTN)), the TA may be miscalculated when Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) location information, satellite ephemeris, and public TA are not updated in a timely manner. Errors in the TA may cause premature UL transmission. To compensate for such scenarios, the TA parameter... It can be assigned negative values. For example, the TA parameter. The range is from -20512 to 20512.

[0046] In some embodiments, the network node may send a beam offset to the user equipment (UE). Beam offset It can be associated with the beam index. Specifically, beam offset. It can be a beam-specific uplink scheduling offset, indicating the maximum round-trip time (RTT) between the UE in that beam index and the uplink synchronization reference point (USPR) associated with the network node.

[0047] Figure 2 An example scenario 200 under a scheme according to an embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated. For example, a network node sends a beam offset to a UE. #1, while beam offset #1 is associated with beam index #1. Beam offset. #1 is a beam-specific uplink scheduling offset, indicating the maximum RTT between the UE and the network node's USPR at beam index #1.

[0048] In some embodiments, beam offset for different beam indices The absolute value can be indicated in system information (e.g., SIB messages), RRC dedicated signaling, or MAC CE.

[0049] In some embodiments, beam offset for different beam indices The differential values ​​can be indicated in system information (e.g., SIB messages), RRC dedicated signaling, or MAC CE, where the beam offset... It can be determined based on the following formula:

[0050] in, For beam shift, Cell-specific scheduling offsets. In some cases, the timing relationship between downlink (DL) physical resources (e.g., Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH)) and uplink (UL) physical resources (e.g., Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)) can be achieved through beam offsets. Enhance it.

[0051] In some embodiments, beam offset for different beam indices The validity period can be configured in system information (e.g., SIB messages), RRC dedicated signaling, or MAC CE. In some cases, it is related to beam offset. After the validity period expires, the UE can reacquire the beam offset before UL transmission. In some cases, network nodes can shift the beam after the validity period expires. Assigned to UE.

[0052] In some embodiments, the UE may trigger a location-related information report when a location report event is met. In some cases, a location report event may occur when the UE moves from one beam index area to another, where the beam coverage area is notified to the UE by the network node via system information (e.g., SIB messages), RRC dedicated signaling, or MAC CE. In some cases, a location report event may occur when the distance from the UE to the beam reference point is less than (or not greater than) a threshold. This threshold may be predefined or configured by the network node via system information (e.g., SIB messages), RRC dedicated signaling, or MAC CE. The beam reference point may be the beam center or a point within the beam configured by the network node via system information (e.g., SIB messages), RRC dedicated signaling, or MAC CE.

[0053] After the UE reports location-related information, the UE can update the beam offset. The UE can receive updated beam offsets via system information (e.g., SIB messages), Radio Resource Control (RRC) dedicated signaling, or Media Access Control and Control Unit (MAC CE). In some cases, the updated beam offset It can be activated at time slot (or subframe) n+X, where X is a predefined value (e.g., 3, 4, or 5), and n is the updated beam offset transmitted in the transport block. The end time of the time slot (or subframe). In some cases, this occurs after the UE reports location-related information until the updated beam offset. During the period prior to activation, cell-specific scheduling offsets can be used. Or previous beam shift .

[0054] In some implementations, the UE can update the beam offset based on configuration. For example, different beam offsets corresponding to different beam indices. It can be pre-configured in system information (e.g., SIB messages), RRC dedicated signaling, or MAC CE. In some cases, the updated beam offset... It can be activated at time slot (or subframe) n+X, where X is a predefined value (e.g., X can be the round-trip time (RTT) between the UE and the network node (terrestrial base station) plus a fixed offset of 3 or 1 units), and n is the end time of the time slot (or subframe) of the transmission block reporting location-related information. In some cases, it can be activated after the UE reports location-related information until the updated beam offset. During the period prior to activation, cell-specific scheduling offsets can be used. Or previous beam shift .

[0055] In some implementations, the UE can be based on beam timing advance or beam offset. Determine beam-specific RTT. Specifically, beam-specific RTT can indicate the maximum RTT between the UE and the network node under a specific beam index.

[0056] In some cases, beam-specific RTT for different beam indices can be determined based on the following formula:

[0057] Among them, beam-specific TA parameters The TA is estimated by the UE based on satellite ephemeris and beam coverage information provided by network nodes. equal SCS represents the corresponding subcarrier spacing, and FFT may be the size of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) (i.e., the number of FFT points). The configured offset is approximately equal to the RTT between the uplink synchronization reference point (USPR) and the network node (terrestrial base station).

[0058] In some cases, beam-specific RTT for different beam indices can be determined based on the following formula:

[0059] In some cases, when the UE updates the beam offset At that time, the UE can update the beam-specific RTT.

[0060] In some implementations, the UE can determine two downlink (DL) timings. Specifically, the UE can determine a first DL timing associated with a network node and a second DL timing associated with another network node.

[0061] In some cases, the first DL timing can be used for synchronization signal block (SSB) and / or system information related timing. The UE can periodically or non-periodically track the SSB, system information, and / or cell-specific downlink synchronization related reference signals to maintain the first DL timing.

[0062] In some cases, the second DL timing can be used to connect data and / or signaling. The UE can periodically or non-periodically track UE-specific downlink synchronization-related reference signals and / or beam-specific downlink synchronization-related reference signals to maintain the second DL timing.

[0063] In some implementations, the UE can determine and maintain different DL timings based on post-compensation. Specifically, the UE can determine a DL timing associated with a network node. The UE can then track this DL timing based on the movement of the network node. Based on this tracking of the DL timing, the UE can determine another DL timing associated with another network node.

[0064] More specifically, during the initial cell search, the UE can obtain DL timing based on the detection of the Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS). After obtaining satellite ephemeris from the network node, the UE can periodically or non-periodically track DL timing by post-compensating for timing drift caused by network node and UE movement.

[0065] Therefore, when the UE needs to receive DL signals from another network node (i.e., a satellite), the UE can maintain DL timing by post-compensating for timing drift caused by different network node locations (i.e., different satellite locations). Then, the UE can periodically or non-periodically track DL timing by post-compensating for timing drift caused by network node and UE movement.

[0066] In some implementations, the UE can update the ephemeris associated with the network node. Then, the UE can stop the timing alignment timer and reset the TA parameters. The UE can perform contention-based random access (RA) with network nodes. In some cases, when the TA... Less than the scheduling offset At this time, the UE can make the scheduling offset Invalid.

[0067] More specifically, after the UE updates the satellite ephemeris in RRC connection mode, the UE-specific TA may change significantly, thereby affecting the previously applied TA parameters. This is no longer applicable to continuous uplink transmissions. Therefore, in order to correct the TA parameters... After updating the satellite ephemeris in RRC connection mode, the UE can stop the timing alignment timer and set the TA parameters. Reset to zero (or a pre-configured value) and initiate a competition-based RA process. In some cases, when TA... Less than the scheduling offset At this time, the UE can clear the scheduling offset. .

[0068] In some implementations, when the UE uses preconfigured uplink resources (PUR) for uplink transmission, UE-specific TA parameters... It may become obsolete over time. Therefore, cell-specific TA parameters can be used. Replace UE-specific TA parameters .

[0069] Specifically, the UE can receive cell-specific TA parameters from the network node. The UE can use cell-specific TA parameters. Replace UE TA parameters When using pre-configured uplink resources (PUR) for uplink (UL) transmission, the UE can perform uplink (UL) transmission based on cell-specific TA parameters. Determine TA .

[0070] In some implementations, for certain scenarios (e.g., IoT non-terrestrial networks (IoT NTN)), new cell-specific TA parameters can be introduced. Cell-specific TA parameters Indications can be made through system information (e.g., System Information Block (SIB)), Radio Resource Control (RRC) dedicated signaling, Media Access Control Unit (MAC CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI). Cell-specific TA parameters. The value can be an absolute value or a difference. The UE can use cell-specific TA parameters. Adjust the uplink TA when using PUR for UL transmission.

[0071] In some implementations, the UE can receive a TA Report MAC CE. In some cases, the TA Report MAC CE can indicate the number of time slots, each time slot defined based on a 120 kHz subcarrier spacing (SCS) value greater than or equal to the TA value in frequency range 2 (FR2). More specifically, in FR2, except for air-to-ground (ATG) communication, the TA field in the TA Report MAC CE can indicate the minimum integer number of time slots using a 120 kHz SCS value greater than or equal to the TA value. In some cases, the TA Report MAC CE can indicate the number of time slots, each time slot defined based on a 60 kHz SCS value greater than or equal to the TA value in frequency range 3 (FR3). More specifically, in FR3, except for ATG communication, the TA field in the TA Report MAC CE can indicate the minimum integer number of time slots using a 60 kHz SCS value greater than or equal to the TA value.

[0072] Example Implementation

[0073] Figure 3 An example communication system 300 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown, which has an example communication device 310 and an example network device 320. Each of the communication device 310 and the network device 320 can perform various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes and methods described herein related to determining TA for a UE and a network device in mobile communications, including the scenarios / schemes described above and processes 400 and 500 described below.

[0074] Communication device 310 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a UE (User Equipment), such as a portable or mobile device, wearable device, wireless communication device, or computing device. For example, communication device 310 may be implemented in a smartphone, smartwatch, personal digital assistant, digital camera, or computing device such as a tablet, laptop, or netbook. Communication device 310 may also be part of a machine-type device, which may be an Internet of Things (IoT), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), or Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) device, such as a non-mobile or fixed device, home appliance, wired communication device, or computing device. For example, communication device 310 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, smart refrigerator, smart door lock, wireless speaker, or home control center. Alternatively, communication device 310 may be implemented in the form of one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processors, or one or more Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processors. Communication device 310 may include... Figure 3 The components shown include at least some, such as processor 312. The communication device 310 may also include one or more other components unrelated to the scheme presented in this disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device); therefore, for simplicity and brevity, Figure 3 Such components of the communication device 310 are not shown in the diagram and are not described below.

[0075] Network device 320 may be part of a network device, which may be a network node such as a satellite, base station, cell, router, or gateway. For example, network device 320 may be implemented in an eNodeB in an LTE network, a gNB in ​​a 5G / New Radio (NR) network, an Internet of Things (IoT) network, an NB-IoT or IIoT network, or a satellite or base station in a 6G network. Alternatively, network device 320 may be implemented as one or more IC chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more RISC or CISC processors. Network device 320 may include... Figure 3 The network device 320 may also include at least some of the components shown, such as processor 322. It may also include one or more other components unrelated to the scheme presented in this disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device), therefore, for the sake of simplicity and brevity, Figure 3 Such components of network device 320 are not shown in the diagram and are not described below.

[0076] In one aspect, each of processors 312 and 322 may be implemented as one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more CISC processors. That is, although the singular term "processor" is used herein to refer to processors 312 and 322, each of processors 312 and 322 may include multiple processors, or in other implementations, a single processor, according to certain implementations of this disclosure. In another aspect, each of processors 312 and 322 may be implemented in hardware (and optionally firmware) comprising, for example, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and / or one or more varactor diodes, these electronic components being configured and arranged according to this disclosure to achieve a particular purpose. In other words, in at least some implementations, each of processors 312 and 322 is a dedicated machine specifically designed, arranged, and configured to perform specific tasks, including determining TA, in devices (e.g., represented by communication device 310) and networks (e.g., represented by network device 320), according to various implementations of this disclosure.

[0077] In some embodiments, the communication device 310 may further include a transceiver 316 connected to the processor 312, capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In other words, the processor 312 can transmit and receive data such as configuration information, messages, signals, information, and indications through the transceiver 316. In some embodiments, the communication device 310 may further include a memory 314 connected to the processor 312, accessible by the processor 312 and storing data therein. In some embodiments, the network device 320 may further include a transceiver 326 connected to the processor 322, capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In other words, the processor 322 can transmit and receive data such as configuration information, messages, signals, information, and indications through the transceiver 326. In some embodiments, the network device 320 may further include a memory 324 connected to the processor 322, accessible by the processor 322 and storing data therein. Therefore, the communication device 310 and the network device 320 can communicate wirelessly through the transceiver 316 and transceiver 326, respectively. For better understanding, the following descriptions of the operation, functions and capabilities of communication device 310 and network device 320 are provided in the context of a mobile communication environment, in which communication device 310 is implemented as a communication device or user equipment (UE), and network device 320 is implemented as a network node of a communication network.

[0078] In some embodiments, each of memories 314 and 324 may include a random access memory (RAM), such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), thyristor random access memory (T-RAM), and / or zero-capacitance random access memory (Z-RAM). Alternatively, or additionally, each of memories 314 and 324 may include a read-only memory (ROM), such as mask read-only memory (mask ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), and / or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). Alternatively, or additionally, each of memories 314 and 324 may include a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), and / or phase-change memory.

[0079] Example Process

[0080] Figure 4 An example flow 400 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Flow 400 may be an example implementation of the above-described scenario / scheme, whether in part or in whole, relating to the determination of the TA of this disclosure. Flow 400 may represent one aspect of the implementation of features of communication device 310. Flow 400 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as shown by blocks 410 and 420. Although shown in the form of discrete blocks, the individual blocks of flow 400 may be divided into more blocks, merged into fewer blocks, or omitted, depending on the desired implementation. Furthermore, the blocks of flow 400 may be arranged in... Figure 4 The process can be executed in the order shown, or in a different order. Process 400 can be implemented by communication device 310 or any suitable user equipment (UE) or machine type device. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 400 is described below in the context of communication device 310. Process 400 may begin at block 410.

[0081] In block 410, process 400 may include a processor 312 of communication device 310 determining a TA based on a TA parameter and a TA parameter offset. The TA parameter may include a first value from negative to positive, and the TA parameter offset may include a second value from negative to positive. Process 400 may continue from block 410 to block 420.

[0082] In block 420, process 400 may include the processor 312 of communication device 310 sending signals to network nodes based on the TA.

[0083] In some embodiments, process 400 may further include the processor 312 of communication device 310 receiving a beam offset from the network node. The beam offset may be associated with a beam index and indicate the maximum round-trip time (RTT) between the communication device 310 at that beam index and the uplink synchronization reference point (USRP) associated with the network node.

[0084] In some embodiments, process 400 may further include a processor 312 of communication device 310 determining a beam-specific RTT based on beam timing advance or the beam offset.

[0085] In some embodiments, the TA parameter offset can be predefined or configured by the network node.

[0086] In some embodiments, process 400 may include a processor 312 of communication device 310 determining the TA parameter based on a TA value and a configurable value. The configurable value may be predefined or configured by the network node.

[0087] In some embodiments, process 400 may include a processor 312 of communication device 310 determining a first downlink (DL) timing associated with the network node and a second DL timing associated with another network node.

[0088] In some embodiments, process 400 may include processor 312 of communication device 310 determining downlink (DL) timing associated with the network node. Process 400 may include processor 312 of communication device 310 tracking the DL timing based on the movement of the network node. Process 400 may include processor 312 of communication device 310 determining another DL timing associated with another network node based on the tracking of the DL timing.

[0089] In some embodiments, process 400 may include the processor 312 of communication device 310 updating the ephemeris associated with the network node. Process 400 may include the processor 312 of communication device 310 stopping the timing alignment timer. Process 400 may include the processor 312 of communication device 310 resetting the TA parameter. Process 400 may include the processor 312 of communication device 310 performing contention-based random access with the network node. Process 400 may include the processor 312 of communication device 310 disabling the scheduling offset when the TA is less than the scheduling offset.

[0090] In some embodiments, process 400 may include the processor 312 of the communication device 310 receiving cell-specific TA parameters. Process 400 may include the processor 312 of the communication device 310 replacing the UE-specific TA parameters with the cell-specific TA parameters. Process 400 may include the processor 312 of the communication device 310 determining the TA based on the cell-specific TA parameters when performing pre-configured uplink resources (PUR).

[0091] In some embodiments, process 400 may include a processor 312 of communication device 310 receiving a TA report media access control unit (MAC CE). The TA report MAC CE may indicate: (1) a number of time slots, each time slot defined based on a 120 kHz subcarrier spacing (SCS), the number of time slots being greater than or equal to the TA value in frequency range 2 (FR2), or (2) a number of time slots, each time slot defined based on a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing, the number of time slots being greater than or equal to the TA value in frequency range 3 (FR3).

[0092] Figure 5 An example flow 500 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Flow 500 may be an example implementation of the above-described scenario / scheme, whether in part or in whole, involving determining the timing advance (TA) of this disclosure. Flow 500 may represent one aspect of a feature implementation of network device 320. Flow 500 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as shown in one or more blocks 510 and 520. Although shown in discrete block form, the individual blocks of flow 500 may be divided into more blocks, merged into fewer blocks, or omitted depending on the desired implementation. Furthermore, the individual blocks of flow 500 may be arranged according to... Figure 5 The process can be executed in the order shown, or in a different order. Process 500 can be implemented by network device 320 or any suitable network device or machine type device. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 500 is described below in conjunction with network device 320. Process 500 may begin at block 510.

[0093] In block 510, process 500 may include the processor 322 of network device 320 sending information related to a timing advance (TA) parameter and a TA parameter offset to a user equipment (UE) to determine the TA based on the TA parameter and the TA parameter offset. The TA parameter may include a first value from negative to positive, and the TA parameter offset may include a second value from negative to positive. Process 500 may continue from block 510 to block 520.

[0094] In block 520, process 500 may include the processor 322 of network device 320 receiving signals from the UE based on the TA.

[0095] In some implementations, process 500 may further include the processor 322 of network device 320 sending a beam offset to the UE. The beam offset may be associated with a beam index and indicate the maximum round-trip time (RTT) between the UE and the uplink synchronization reference point (USRP) associated with network device 320 at that beam index.

[0096] In some implementations, process 500 may also include the processor 322 of network device 320 sending a TA value and a configurable value for determining the TA parameter.

[0097] In some implementations, process 500 may also include the processor 322 of network device 320 sending cell-specific TA parameters to replace UE-specific TA parameters, and determining the TA based on the cell-specific TA parameters when performing uplink (UL) transmission using pre-configured uplink resources (PUR).

[0098] In some implementations, process 500 may further include the processor 322 of network device 320 sending a TA report to a media access control unit (MAC CE). The TA report MAC CE may indicate: (1) a number of time slots, each time slot defined based on a 120 kHz subcarrier spacing, the number of time slots being greater than or equal to the TA value in frequency range 2 (FR2); or (2) a number of time slots, each time slot defined based on a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing, the number of time slots being greater than or equal to the TA value in frequency range 3 (FR3).

[0099] Additional Notes

[0100] The topics described in this specification sometimes show different components contained in or connected to other different components. It should be understood that such illustrated architectures are merely examples, and many other architectures can actually be implemented to achieve the same functionality. Conceptually, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” to achieve the desired function. Therefore, any two components combined herein to achieve a particular function can be considered “associated with each other” to achieve the desired function, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two such associated components can also be considered “operationally connected” or “operationally coupled” to achieve the desired function, and any two components that can be suchly associated can also be considered “operationally coupled” to achieve the desired function. Specific examples of operational coupling include, but are not limited to, physically matable and / or physically interactive components and / or wirelessly interactive components and / or logically interactive and / or logically interactive components.

[0101] Furthermore, regarding the use of almost all plural and / or singular terms in this document, those skilled in the art can appropriately convert plural to singular and / or singular to plural depending on the context and / or application. Various singular / plural arrangements are explicitly listed herein for clarity.

[0102] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the terms commonly used herein, particularly in appended claims, such as the body portion of appended claims, are generally intended as “open” terms; for example, “comprising” should be interpreted as “comprising but not limited to,” “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” and “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” etc. Those skilled in the art will also understand that if a specific number of claim elements is explicitly expressed in the claim, then that intention is explicitly expressed in the claim; if it is not expressed, then that intention does not exist. For example, for ease of understanding, the following appended claims may contain the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim elements. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as limiting any particular claim containing that element to containing only one of that element, even if the same claim contains the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a,” for example, “a” should be interpreted as “at least one” or “one or more”; the same applies to definite articles used to introduce claim elements. Furthermore, even when a specific number of elements incorporating a claim is explicitly stated, those skilled in the art will recognize that the expression should be interpreted as at least the stated number. For example, expressing "two elements" without any other modifiers indicates at least two elements, or two or more elements. Additionally, when using conventions such as "at least one A, B, and C, etc.", this structure is generally intended to be interpreted in a manner understood by those skilled in the art. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, and C" includes, but is not limited to, systems with only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and systems with A, B, and C. Similarly, when using conventions such as "at least one A, B, or C, etc.", this structure is generally intended to be interpreted in a manner understood by those skilled in the art. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, systems with only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and systems with A, B, and C. Those skilled in the art will further understand that almost all extractives and / or phrases presenting two or more alternative terms in the specification, claims, or drawings should be understood to include one, any, or both terms. For example, "A or B" should be understood as including the possibility of "A" or "B" or "A and B".

[0103] As can be seen from the foregoing, various embodiments of this disclosure have been described herein for illustrative purposes, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, and the true scope and spirit are indicated by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: The device's processor determines the Timing Advance (TA) parameter and the TA parameter offset, wherein the TA parameter includes a first value from negative to positive, and the TA parameter offset includes a second value from negative to positive; and The processor sends signals to network nodes based on the TA.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The processor receives a beam offset from the network node, wherein the beam offset is associated with a beam index and indicates the maximum round-trip time (RTT) between the device and the uplink synchronization reference point (USRP) associated with the network node at that beam index.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: The processor determines the beam-specific RTT based on the beam timing advance or the beam offset.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The TA parameter offset is either predefined or configured by the network node.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The processor determines the TA parameter based on the TA value and a configurable value, wherein the configurable value is predefined or configured by the network node.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The processor determines the first downlink (DL) timing associated with the network node and the second DL timing associated with another network node.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The processor determines the downlink (DL) timing associated with the network node; The processor uses this to time the DL based on the movement of the network node; as well as The processor determines another DL timing associated with another network node based on the DL timing of tracking the movement of the network node.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The processor updates the ephemeris associated with the network node; The processor stops the timing alignment timer; The processor resets the TA parameter. The processor performs contention-based random access with the network node; as well as When the TA is less than the scheduling offset, the processor invalidates the scheduling offset.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The processor receives cell-specific TA parameters; The processor replaces the TA parameters specific to the user equipment (UE) with the TA parameters specific to that cell. as well as When using preconfigured uplink resources (PUR) for uplink (UL) transmission, the processor determines the TA based on the cell-specific TA parameters.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The processor receives a TA report from the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE), in which the TA report from the MAC CE indicates: A number of time slots, each defined based on a 120 kHz subcarrier spacing, wherein the number of time slots is greater than or equal to the TA value in frequency range 2 (FR2); or A number of time slots, each defined based on a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing, wherein the number of time slots is greater than or equal to the TA value in frequency range 3 (FR3).

11. A method comprising: The device's processor sends information related to a timing advance (TA) parameter and a TA parameter offset to the user equipment (UE) to determine the TA based on the TA parameter and the TA parameter offset, wherein the TA parameter includes a first value from negative to positive, and the TA parameter offset includes a second value from negative to positive; and The processor receives signals from the UE based on the TA.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: The processor sends a beam offset to the UE, wherein the beam offset is associated with a beam index and indicates the maximum round-trip time (RTT) between the UE and the uplink synchronization reference point (USRP) associated with the device at that beam index.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising: The processor sends the TA value and configurable value used to determine the TA parameter.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising: The processor sends cell-specific TA parameters to replace UE-specific TA parameters and to determine the TA based on the cell-specific TA parameters when performing uplink (UL) transmission using pre-configured uplink resources (PUR).

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising: The processor sends a TA report to the Media Access Control Controller (MAC CE), in which the TA reports the MAC CE indicating: A number of time slots, each defined based on a 120 kHz subcarrier spacing, wherein the number of time slots is greater than or equal to the TA value in frequency range 2 (FR2); or A number of time slots, each defined based on a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing, wherein the number of time slots is greater than or equal to the TA value in frequency range 3 (FR3).

16. An apparatus comprising: A transceiver that communicates wirelessly with a wireless network during operation; as well as A processor communicatively connected to the transceiver enables the processor to perform the following operations during operation: The TA is determined based on the TA parameter and the TA parameter offset, wherein the TA parameter includes a first value from negative to positive, and the TA parameter offset includes a second value from negative to positive; and The transceiver sends signals to network nodes based on the TA.

17. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein, During operation, the processor further performs the following operations: The transceiver receives a beam offset from the network node, which is associated with a beam index and indicates the maximum round-trip time (RTT) between the device at that beam index and the uplink synchronization reference point (USRP) associated with the network node.

18. The device as claimed in claim 17, wherein, During operation, the processor further performs the following operations: The beam-specific RTT is determined based on the beam timing advance or the beam offset.

19. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein, During operation, the processor further performs the following operations: The TA parameter is determined based on the TA value and the configurable value, where the configurable value is a predefined value or is configured by the network node.

20. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein, During operation, the processor further performs the following operations: Update the ephemeris data associated with this network node; Stop the timer alignment timer; Reset the TA parameter; This network node performs contention-based random access; and When the TA is less than the scheduling offset, the scheduling offset is invalidated.

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