Mobile devices, access network nodes, methods

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a method performed by an access network node, the method comprising sending an indication to user equipment (UE) of at least one communication resource for use by the UE for uplink transmissions, and receiving from the UE an uplink transmission transmitted using at least one communication resource, wherein the at least one communication resource overlaps in a time domain with a first period during which the access network node operates in discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode, and the access network node selects at least one communication resource such that the uplink transmission during the first period at least partially overlaps with another uplink transmission in the time domain.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a communication system. This disclosure has a particular, though not exclusive, relevance to wireless communication systems and their devices operating in accordance with 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP (registered trademark)) standards or equivalent standards or derivative standards thereof, including (LTE Advanced, Next Generation or 5G networks, future generations, and thereafter). This disclosure has a particular, though not exclusive, relevance to "New Radio" systems (also referred to as "next generation" systems), and to network energy saving (NES) in similar systems.

Background Art

[0002] Recent developments in 3GPP standards are referred to as Long Term Evolution (LTE) of the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network and the Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and are generally also referred to as "4G". Also, the terms "5G" and "new radio" (NR) refer to evolving communication technologies expected to support various applications and services. Various details of 5G networks are described in the "NGMN 5G White Paper" V1.0 by the Next Generation Mobile Network (NGMN) Alliance, which can be obtained, for example, from https: / / www.ngmn.org / 5g-white-paper.html. 3GPP intends to support 5G with so-called 3GPP Next Generation (NextGen) radio access network (RAN) and 3GPP NextGen core network.

[0003] Under the 3GPP standard, a NodeB (or eNB in ​​LTE, gNB in ​​5G) is a radio access network (RAN) node (or simply an “access node,” “access network node,” or “base station”) through which communication devices (user equipment, i.e., “UE”) connect to the core network and communicate with other communication devices or remote servers. For simplicity, this application uses the terms RAN node, base station, or access network node to refer to any such access node.

[0004] Improved wireless communication networks with enhanced energy efficiency (sometimes referred to when using Network Energy Saving (NES) techniques) are needed. Reducing the amount of energy required to operate the communication network will beneficially reduce the environmental impact of system operation and lower operating costs. For example, the energy consumption of base stations and other similar access network nodes represents a significant operating cost for network operators, in addition to raising concerns about the environmental impact of operating communication systems.

[0005] One way to achieve more efficient communication networks is to reduce the energy requirements of the radio access network portion of a system. Much of the energy consumption in modern networks is related to the radio access network, particularly the Active Antenna Unit (AAU). The energy consumption of a radio access network includes a dynamic portion associated with the transmission and reception of data, and a static portion associated with the operation of radio access devices that occur even when there is no ongoing data transmission or reception. Energy-saving modes can be configured for one or more devices in a system (e.g., access network nodes, or UEs). For example, a UE or access network node may be configured to operate in an energy-saving mode (also called sleep mode) in which the device performs transmissions less frequently, or the device may be configured not to attempt to transmit or receive signals for a certain period of time. Such operation is commonly referred to as DRX / DTX, representing Discontinuous Reception (DRX) and Discontinuous Transmission (DTX).

[0006] Many proposals have been made regarding UE DTX / DRX operation, and currently, attention is focused on such discontinuous operation of one or more base station cells, known as "cell DTX / DRX." In cell DTX / DRX, a cell (RAN node) stops transmitting and receiving for a certain period of time. Improved methods for cell DTX / DRX are needed. For example, a more reliable communication method is needed that allows the UE to reliably transmit high-priority transmissions (e.g., ultra-reliable and low latency communication (URLLC)) to the base station even when the base station is using DTX / DRX. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0007] [Non-Patent Document 1] The "NGMN 5G White Paper" V1.0 by the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance is available from https: / / www.ngmn.org / 5g-white-paper.html. [Non-Patent Document 2] TS38.331 V 17.4.0 [Non-Patent Document 3] TS38.321 V 17.4.0 [Non-Patent Document 4] TS38.212 V 17.5.0 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] More generally, there is a need for more efficient and reliable methods and devices to improve the energy efficiency of wireless communication systems. Therefore, there is a need for improved devices and methods to conserve network energy while providing reliable and efficient communication. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a method performed by an access network node, the method comprising sending an indication to user equipment (UE) of at least one communication resource for use by the UE for uplink transmissions, and receiving from the UE an uplink transmission transmitted using at least one communication resource, wherein the at least one communication resource overlaps in a time domain with a first period during which the access network node operates in discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode, and the access network node selects at least one communication resource such that the uplink transmission during the first period at least partially overlaps with another uplink transmission in the time domain.

[0010] Uplink transmission may be physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission, and at least one communication resource may include time and frequency resources for PUCCH transmission. Uplink transmissions can include uplink control information (UCI) transmitted using PUCCH.

[0011] Uplink transmissions may include scheduling requests (SRs), channel state information (CSI) reports, or hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback. Uplink transmissions may include SR or CSI, which may be associated with uplink transmissions for beam management procedures, radio link failure procedures, beam failure procedures, or handover procedures. The display of at least one communication resource may include a display of the periodicity of uplink transmissions. An access network node may operate in DRX active mode during a second period distinct from the first period, and the display of at least one communication resource may include a display of the difference between at least one communication resource and the communication resource used for uplink transmission during the second period. The display of at least one communication resource may include a display of the periodicity or time offset difference of the uplink transmission. This method may further include sending a message to the UE indicating that the uplink transmission configuration for use in the second period should be disabled during the first period. An uplink transmission may include HARQ feedback for a downlink transmission, and a representation of at least one communication resource used by the UE for the uplink transmission may include a representation of the period between the reception of the downlink transmission and the transmission of the HARQ feedback at the UE.

[0012] The time between receiving a downlink transmission and sending HARQ feedback in the UE may be longer than 15 slots. The period between receiving a downlink transmission at the UE and sending HARQ feedback during the first period may be longer than the period between receiving a downlink transmission at the UE and sending HARQ feedback supported when the access network node is operating in DRX active mode. Another uplink transmission may include uplink control information transmitted by another UE. Another uplink transmission may be sent by the UE. An uplink transmission may include HARQ feedback related to a first downlink transmission, and another uplink transmission may include HARQ feedback related to a second downlink transmission. This method may include transmitting to the UE an indication of one or more PUCCH configurations used by the UE for uplink transmission in the first period, rather than in the second period.

[0013] This method may include sending a notification to the UE during the first period indicating a configuration for transmitting physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) that is different from the PUSCH transmission configuration during the second period. This method may include sending information to the UE indicating whether sending a scheduling request is permitted during the first period. Information indicating whether sending scheduling requests is permitted during the first period may be provided for each scheduling request or for each logical channel, indicating whether sending scheduling requests is permitted during the first period.

[0014] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides a method performed by user equipment (UE) which includes receiving an indication from an access network node of at least one communication resource to be used by the UE for uplink transmissions, and transmitting an uplink transmission to the access network node using at least one communication resource, wherein the at least one communication resource overlaps in a time domain with a first period during which the access network node operates in discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode, and the at least one communication resource is selected such that the uplink transmission at least partially overlaps with another uplink transmission in a time domain during the first period. Uplink transmission may be PUCCH transmission, and at least one communication resource may include time and frequency resources for PUCCH transmission. Uplink transmissions can include uplink control information (UCI) transmitted using PUCCH. Uplink transmissions may include scheduling requests (SRs), channel state information (CSI) reports, or hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback. Uplink transmissions may include SR or CSI, which may be associated with uplink transmissions for beam management procedures, radio link failure procedures, beam failure procedures, or handover procedures.

[0015] The display of at least one communication resource may include a display of the periodicity of uplink transmissions. An access network node may operate in DRX active mode during a second period distinct from the first period, and the display of at least one communication resource may include a display of the difference between at least one communication resource and the communication resource used for uplink transmission during the second period. The indication of at least one communication resource may include an indication of the periodicity of uplink transmission or the difference in time offset. The method may further include receiving, from an access network node, an indication that the configuration of the uplink transmission for use in a second period should be invalidated during a first period. The uplink transmission may include a HARQ feedback for downlink transmission, and the indication of at least one communication resource used by the UE for the uplink transmission may include an indication of a period between the reception of the downlink transmission and the transmission of the HARQ feedback in the UE. The period between the reception of the downlink transmission and the transmission of the HARQ feedback in the UE may be longer than 15 slots. The period between the reception of the downlink transmission and the transmission of the HARQ feedback during a first period in the UE may be longer than the period between the reception of the downlink transmission and the transmission of the HARQ feedback supported when the access network node is operating in DRX active mode. Another uplink transmission may include uplink control information transmitted by another UE.

[0016] Another uplink transmission may be transmitted by the UE. The uplink transmission may include a HARQ feedback related to a first downlink transmission, and another uplink transmission may include a HARQ feedback related to a second downlink transmission.

[0017] The method may include receiving, from an access network node, an indication of one or more PUCCH configurations used by the UE for uplink transmission in a first period rather than in a second period.

[0018] This method may include receiving from an access network node a display of the configuration for transmitting physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) in the first period, which is different from the configuration for transmitting PUSCH in the second period.

[0019] This method may include receiving information from the access network node indicating whether it is permitted to send scheduling requests during the first period. Information indicating whether sending scheduling requests is permitted during the first period may be provided for each scheduling request or for each logical channel, indicating whether sending scheduling requests is permitted during the first period.

[0020] This method further includes sending a scheduling request to an access network node when the access network node is operating in discontinuous transmission (DTX) inactive mode, and monitoring the transmission of downlink control information corresponding to the scheduling request during the period allocated for the access network node to operate in DTX inactive mode.

[0021] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides a method performed by user equipment (UE) which includes deciding to initiate a random access procedure, which involves sending a physical random access channel (PRACH) to an access network node; determining whether sending on the PRACH is permitted during a first period in which the access network node is operating in discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode; if it is determined that sending on the PRACH is not permitted during the first period, delaying the transmission of the PRACH until the access network node is operating in DRX active mode; and if it is determined that sending on the PRACH is permitted during the first period, transmitting the PRACH to the access network node during the first period.

[0022] The decision to initiate the random access procedure may be made before the first period if the access network node is operating in DRX active mode, but the first time opportunity available for sending PRACH overlaps with the first period. The decision to initiate the random access procedure may be made during the first period. In another aspect, the Disclosure provides a method performed by an access network node, the method comprising: receiving a scheduling request from a UE using a first DRX configuration during a first period for the access network node to operate in discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode; and, based on the scheduling request, deciding to use a second DRX configuration that defines a second set of periods in which the access network node will operate in DRX inactive mode and a third set of periods in which the access network node will operate in DRX active mode, the second and third periods being shorter than the first period. The decision to use the second DRX configuration can be based on the uplink transmission priority associated with the scheduling request.

[0023] This method may further include configuring a set of grant resources that are configured to overlap with a third period in the time domain. The second set of periods and the third set of periods may be placed within the first period. This method may further include sending a message to the UE indicating that the uplink transmission corresponding to the scheduling request should be sent during the first period. This method may further include sending a signal to the UE indicating that the access network node should use the second DRX configuration.

[0024] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides a method performed by user equipment (UE) which includes sending a scheduling request to an access network node during a first period in which the access network node is operating in discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode using a first DRX configuration; receiving an indication from the access network node that an uplink transmission corresponding to the scheduling request should be sent during the first period; and sending an uplink transmission to the access network node during the first period. In another embodiment, the Disclosure provides an access network node comprising means for transmitting to user equipment (UE) an indication of at least one communication resource for use by UE for uplink transmissions, and means for receiving uplink transmissions transmitted from UE using at least one communication resource, wherein the at least one communication resource overlaps in a time domain with a first period during which the access network node operates in a discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode, and the access network node is configured to select at least one communication resource during the first period such that the uplink transmission at least partially overlaps with another uplink transmission in the time domain.

[0025] In another embodiment, the Disclosure provides user equipment (UE) comprising means for receiving from an access network node an indication of at least one communication resource to be used by the UE for uplink transmissions, and means for transmitting uplink transmissions to the access network node using at least one communication resource, wherein the at least one communication resource overlaps in a time domain with a first period during which the access network node operates in a discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode, and the at least one communication resource is selected such that the uplink transmission at least partially overlaps with another uplink transmission in a time domain during the first period.

[0026] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides user equipment (UE) comprising means for determining to initiate a random access procedure, which includes sending a physical random access channel (PRACH) to an access network node, and means for determining whether sending on the PRACH is permitted during a first period in which the access network node is operating in discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode, wherein if it is determined that sending on the PRACH is not permitted during the first period, the UE is configured to delay sending the PRACH until the access network node is operating in DRX active mode, and if it is determined that sending on the PRACH is permitted during the first period, the UE sends the PRACH to the access network node during the first period.

[0027] In another aspect, the Disclosure comprises means for receiving a scheduling request from a UE during a first period for the operation of an access network node in inactive mode using a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, and means for deciding to use a second DRX configuration that defines a second set of periods in which the access network node will operate in DRX inactive mode and a third set of periods in which the access network node will operate in DRX active mode, wherein the second and third periods are shorter than the first period.

[0028] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides user equipment (UE) comprising means for sending scheduling requests to an access network node using a first DRX configuration during a first period in which the access network node is operating in a discontinued reception (DRX) inactive mode; means for receiving an indication from the access network node that an uplink transmission corresponding to the scheduling request should be transmitted during the first period; and means for transmitting an uplink transmission to the access network node during the first period. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0029] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram illustrating a mobile ("cellular" or "wireless") telecommunications system. [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows a typical frame structure that can be used in a telecommunications system. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of the DU that can be used as part of the RAN node 5 for the communication system 1. [Figure 4]Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of a CU that can be used as part of a RAN node 5 for communication system 1. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the mobility procedure that occurs when a handover occurs from a source (R)AN node to a target (R)AN node. [Figure 6] This figure shows the random access (RA) procedures that can be executed in the system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of HARQ feedback being sent by the UE. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of downlink control information related to HARQ feedback being sent from the (R)AN node to the UE. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of a DRX cycle or pattern. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of how PUCCH resources are scheduled during a period when the base station is in a DRX inactive state. [Figure 11] This figure shows a further example of how PUCCH resources are scheduled during periods when the base station is in a DRX inactive state. [Figure 12] This figure illustrates an example where the number of time opportunities for a base station to receive uplink transmissions during DRX inactivity is beneficially reduced. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of delaying the transmission of HARQ feedback during the base station's DRX inactive period. [Figure 14] This figure illustrates an example where the communication resources for sending PUCCH differ between the DRX active period and the DRX inactive period. [Figure 15] This figure shows an example where RACH transmission is not permitted during the base station's DRX inactive period. [Figure 16] This figure shows an example of allowing RACH transmission during the DRX inactive period of the base station. [Figure 17]This figure shows an example where RACH is triggered by SR during a DRX active period, but the first available PRACH opportunity falls within a DRX inactive period. [Figure 18] This figure shows an example of a base station that may have a long-cell DRX configuration or a short-cell DRX configuration. [Figure 19] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of the UE for the communication system. [Figure 20] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the main components of a base station for the communication system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 21] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of the core network nodes or functions of the communication system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0030] overview Here, for illustrative purposes only, we will describe an exemplary communication system in general terms, referring to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a mobile ("cellular" or "wireless") communication system 1, to which embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0031] In communication system 1, user equipment (UE) 3-1, 3-2, 3-3 (such as mobile phones and / or other mobile devices) can communicate with each other via radio access network (RAN) nodes 5 operating according to one or more compatible radio access technologies (RATs). In the illustrated example, the RAN node 5 comprises a base station 5 or "gNB" 5 operating one or more associated cells 9. Communication via the base station 5 is typically routed through a core network 7 (e.g., a 5G / 6G core network or an evolved packet core network (EPC)).

[0032] As those skilled in the art will understand, three UE3s and one base station 5 are shown in Figure 1 for illustrative purposes, but the system, when implemented, typically includes other base stations 5 and UE3s.

[0033] Each base station 5 controls one or more associated cells 9, either directly or indirectly through one or more other nodes (e.g., home base stations, repeaters, remote radio heads, distributed units, etc.). It will be understood that base stations 5 may be configured to support 4G, 5G, 6G, and / or later generations, and / or any other 3GPP or non-3GPP communication protocols.

[0034] The UE3s and their serving base stations 5 are connected via appropriate air interfaces (such as the so-called "Uu" interface). Nearby base stations 5 can be connected to each other via appropriate inter-base station interfaces (such as the so-called "X2" interface, "Xn" interface, etc.).

[0035] The core network 7 includes several logical nodes (or "functions") for communication in the communication system 1. In this example, the core network 7 comprises a control plane function (CPF) 10 and one or more network node entities for the communication of user data (e.g., user plane function (UPF)) 11. The CPF 10 includes one or more network node entities for the communication of control signaling (e.g., Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF)) 10-1, one or more network node entities for session management (e.g., Session Management Function (SMF)) 10-2, and several other functions 10-n.

[0036] Base station 5 is connected to the core network nodes via appropriate interfaces (or "reference points"), such as the N2 reference point between base station 5 and AMF 10-1 for control signaling communications, and the N3 reference point between base station 5 and each UPF 11 for user data communications. Each UE3 is connected to AMF 10-1 via a logical non-access stratum (NAS) connection via an appropriate interface (or "reference point"), such as the N1 reference point (similar to the S1 reference point in LTE). It will be understood that N1 communications are routed transparently through base station 5.

[0037] One or more UPF 11s are connected to an external data network (such as an IP network like the Internet) via an appropriate interface (or “reference point”), such as an N6 reference point for communication of user data. The AMF 10-1 performs mobility management-related functions, maintains NAS connectivity with each UE3, and manages UE registration. The AMF10-1 also manages paging. The SMF10-2 provides session management functions (which form part of the MME function in LTE) and also incorporates several control plane functions (provided by the service delivery gateway and packet data network gateway in LTE). The SMF10-2 also allocates IP addresses to each UE3.

[0038] The base station 5 of communication system 1 is configured to operate at least one cell 9 on an associated TDD carrier operating in a non-paired spectrum. It will also be understood that base station 5 can operate at least one cell 9 on an associated FDD carrier operating in a paired spectrum.

[0039] Base station 5 is also configured to transmit control information and user data via several downlink (DL) physical channels and to transmit several physical signals, and UE3 is configured to receive control information and user data via several DL physical channels and to transmit several physical signals. DL physical channels correspond to resource elements (REs) that carry information emitted from higher layers, and DL physical signals correspond to REs used in the physical layer that do not carry information emitted from higher layers.

[0040] Physical channels may include, for example, a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The PDSCH carries data that shares the PDSCH's capacity on a time and frequency basis. The PDSCH can carry various data items, including, for example, user data, UE-specific upper-layer control messages mapped down from higher channels, system information blocks (SIBs), and paging. The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI) to support several functions, including, for example, scheduling downlink transmissions on the PDSCH and uplink data transmissions on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The PBCH provides the Master Information Block (MIB) to the UE3. The PBCH also works in conjunction with the PDCCH to support time and frequency synchronization, which helps with cell acquisition, selection, and reselection. UE3 can receive Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs), and UE3 may assume that opportunities to receive PBCH, primary synchronization signal (PSS), and secondary synchronization signal (SSS) are within a consecutive symbol, forming an SS / PBCH block. Base station 5 may transmit several synchronization signal (SS) blocks corresponding to different DL beams. The total number of SS blocks may be limited, for example, to a duration of 5 ms as an SS burst. The periodicity of SSB transmissions may be communicated to the UE using any appropriate signaling (e.g., per service-providing cell using ssb-periodicityServingCell). The periodicity value of the SSB may be, for example, 20 ms or more. In the case of initial cell selection, UE3 may be configured to assume that SS bursts occur with a periodicity of 2 frames.UE3 may also provide notification of which SSBs are being sent within a 5ms duration (for example, using ssb-PositionsInBurst).

[0041] DL physical signals may include, for example, a reference signal (RS) and a synchronization signal (SS). The reference signal (sometimes known as a pilot signal) is a signal with a predefined special waveform known to both the UE3 and the base station 5. Reference signals may include, for example, a cell-specific reference signal, a UE-specific reference signal (UE-RS), a downlink demodulation signal (DMRS), and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0042] Similarly, UE3 is configured to transmit control information and user data via several uplink (UL) physical channels corresponding to REs that carry information emitted from higher layers, and UL physical signals used in the physical layer that correspond to REs that do not carry information emitted from higher layers. Base station 5 is configured to receive control information and user data via several UL physical channels corresponding to REs that carry information emitted from higher layers, and UL physical signals used in the physical layer that correspond to REs that do not carry information emitted from higher layers. The physical channels may include, for example, PUSCH, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), and / or physical random-access channel (PRACH). The UL physical signals may include, for example, demodulation reference signals (DMRS) and / or sounding reference signals (SRS) for UL control / data signals.

[0043] When UE3 first establishes a radio resource control (RRC) connection with base station 5 via cell 9, UE3 registers with the appropriate core network node (e.g., AMF, MME). UE3 is in a so-called RRC connected state, and the associated UE context is maintained by the network. When UE3 is in a so-called RRC idle or RRC inactive state, UE3 selects an appropriate cell for camping so that the network knows UE3's approximate location (though not necessarily at the cell level).

[0044] A base station 5 may be a base station 5 divided between one or more distributed units (DUs) 50 and a central unit (CU) 60, where the CU 60 typically performs higher-level functions and communication with the next-generation core, and the DU 50 performs lower-level functions and communication via an air interface with neighboring UEs 3 (i.e., within the cell operated by the base station 5). This type of base station 5 may be called a “distributed” base station 5 or gNB5. A distributed gNB5 includes the following functional units: The gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU) is a logical node that hosts the gNB's Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer (or the RRC and PDCP layers of en-gNB), controlling the operation of one or more gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU terminates the so-called F1 interface connected to the gNB-DUs. A gNB Distributed Unit (gNB-DU) is a logical node that hosts the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and Physical (PHY) layer of a gNB or en-gNB, and its operation is partially controlled by a gNB-CU. A single gNB-DU supports one or more cells. A single cell is supported by only one gNB-DU. A gNB-DU terminates an F1 interface connected to a gNB-CU. The gNB-CU-Control Plane (gNB-CU-CP) is a logical node that hosts the control plane portion of the RRC and PDCP protocols for the gNB-CU for en-gNB or gNB. The gNB-CU-CP terminates the so-called E1 interface connected to the gNB-CU-UP, and the F1-C (F1 control plane) interface connected to the gNB-DU. The gNB-CU-User Plane (gNB-CU-UP) is a logical node that hosts the user plane portion of the gNB-CU's PDCP protocol for en-gNB, as well as the user plane portions of the gNB-CU's PDCP protocol and SDAP protocol for gNB. The gNB-CU-UP terminates the E1 interface connected to the gNB-CU-CP and the F1-U (F1 user plane) interface connected to the gNB-DU.

[0045] When a distributed base station or a similar control plane-user plane (CP-UP) partition is employed, it will be understood that each of the control plane entity and the user plane entity may include associated transceiver circuits, antennas, network interfaces, control units, memory, operating systems, and communication control modules. When base station 5 comprises a distributed base station, the network interfaces also include E1 and F1 interfaces (F1-C for the control plane and F1-U for the user plane) for communicating signals between the respective functions of the distributed base station.

[0046] Frame structure Referring to Figure 2, which shows a typical frame structure that may be used in communication system 1, the base station 5 and UE3 of communication system 1 communicate with each other in the time domain using resources organized into frames of length 10 ms. Each frame consists of 10 equally sized subframes of length 1 ms. Each subframe is divided into one or more slots, each containing 14 Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of equal length.

[0047] As shown in Figure 2, communication system 1 supports multiple different numerologies (subcarrier spacing (SCS), slot length, and consequently OFDM symbol length). Specifically, each numerology is identified by the parameter μ, where μ=0 represents 15kHz (corresponding to LTE SCS). Currently, SCS for other values ​​of μ can actually be derived from μ=0 by scaling up by a power of 2 (i.e., SCS = 15 × 2μkHz). The relationship between the parameter μ and SCS(Δf) is shown in Table 1. [Table 1] Table 1-5G Numerology

[0048] RAN node DU Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of DU50, which may be used as part of RAN node 5 for communication system 1 shown in Figure 1. As shown, DU50 has a radio unit (RU) and a transceiver circuit 451 for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from communication devices (such as UE3) via the associated DU-RU interface 453, and for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from CU 60 of RAN node 5 via the CU interface 454 (which includes an F1 interface, which may be divided into F1-U and F1-C interfaces for user plane and control plane signaling, respectively). DU50 has a controller 457 for controlling the operation of DU50. Controller 457 is associated with memory 459. Software may be pre-installed in memory 459 and / or may be downloaded, for example, via communication network 1 or from a removable data storage device (RMD). In this example, controller 457 is configured to control the overall operation of DU50 by program instructions or software instructions stored in memory 459.

[0049] As shown in the figure, these software instructions include, among other things, the operating system 461, the communication control module 463, the F1 module 465, the DU-RU module 468, the DU management module 472, the UE profile management module 473, and the mobility module 475.

[0050] The communication control module 463 is operable to control communication between DU50 and one or more RUs (and thus between DU50 and UE3), and between DU50 and CU60. The communication control module 463 is configured to have overall control over the reception of signals corresponding to uplink communication from UE3 and to handle the transmission of downlink communication to UE3.

[0051] The F1 module 465 is responsible for the proper processing of signals received from or transmitted to the CU60 via one or more CU (e.g., F1) interfaces 454. These signals can be separated into user plane signals received from or transmitted to the CU-UP portion of the CU60 via the F1-U interface, and control plane signals received from or transmitted to the CU-CP portion of the CU60 via the F1-C interface.

[0052] The DU-RU module 468 is responsible for the proper processing of signals received from or transmitted to one or more RUs (e.g., DU-RU) interfaces 453. The DU management module 472 is responsible for managing the overall operation of the DU50 and the overall performance of the tasks required of the DU50. These tasks include, among other things, generating MAC signaling for interpretation and transmission of received MAC signaling, and generating MAC signaling for transmission, as well as generating and transmitting appropriate messages using the appropriate signaling application protocol, depending on the functional division between the RU, DU50, and CU60. The DU management module 472 can, if necessary, control the overall operation of the DU50 in one of the ways described below.

[0053] The UE Profile Management Module 473 is responsible for performing functions related to the UE profile, which include (where applicable) receiving and storing the UE profile or associated assistance / preference information from the UE3 or other locations in the network, (where applicable) determining an appropriate mobility-specific configuration based on the UE profile / assistance / preference information for implementation on the UE3 and / or (R)AN node 5, and / or (where applicable) providing configuration information for appropriately configuring the UE in a mobility-based configuration. The UE Profile Management Module 473 can also store previous mobility information for the UE3 (e.g., previous movements of the UE3 between different communication cells in the network). Depending on the implementation, it will be understood that the DU50 may not have to implement at least some of these functions. The Mobility Module 475 is responsible for controlling mobility procedures for one or more UE3s. For example, the Mobility Module 475 may be configured to perform one or more measurements of UE3 mobility or to select candidate cells for handover.

[0054] CU Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of CU 60 of RAN node 5 for the communication system 1 shown in Figure 1. As shown, CU 60 has transceiver circuits 551 for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from DU 50 via one or more DU interfaces 554 (for example, having an F1 interface which can be divided into F1-U and F1-C interfaces for user plane and control plane signaling, respectively), and for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from functions of core network 7 via one or more core network interfaces 555 (for example, including N2 and N3 interfaces, etc.).

[0055] CU60 has a controller 557 for controlling the operation of CU60. Controller 557 is associated with memory 559. Software may be pre-installed in memory 559 and / or may be downloaded, for example, via communication network 1 or from a removable data storage device (RMD). In this example, controller 557 is configured to control the overall operation of CU60 by program instructions or software instructions stored in memory 559.

[0056] As shown in the figure, these software instructions include, among other things, the operating system 561, the communication control module 563, the F1 module 565, the E1 module 566, the N2 module 568, the N3 module 569, the CU-UP management module 571, the CU-CP management module 572, the UE profile management module 573, and the mobility module 575. The function of the mobility module 575 was previously described with reference to Figure 3.

[0057] The communication control module 563 is operable to control communication between CU60 and one or more DU50 (and therefore between CU60 and UE3), and between CU60 and the core network 7. The communication control module 563 is configured to have overall control over the reception of signals corresponding to uplink communication from UE3 and to control the transmission of downlink communication.

[0058] The F1 module 565 is responsible for the proper processing of signals received from or transmitted to the DU 50 via one or more DU (e.g., F1) interfaces 554. These signals include user plane signals received or transmitted by the CU-UP portion of the CU 60 via the F1-U interface, and control plane signals received or transmitted by the CU-CP portion of the CU 60 via the F1-C interface.

[0059] The E1 module 566 is responsible for the proper processing of signals transmitted between the CU-UP portion and the CU-CP portion of the CU60 via the corresponding internal CU interface (such as E1).

[0060] The N2 module 568 is responsible for the proper processing of signals received from or transmitted to the AMF10-1 via one or more corresponding core network interfaces 555 (such as N2). The N3 module 569 is responsible for the appropriate processing of signals received from or sent to core network user plane functions via one or more corresponding core network interfaces 555 (such as N3).

[0061] The CU-UP management module 571 is responsible for managing the overall operation of the CU-UP portion of the CU60 and the overall performance of the tasks required for CU-UP. The CU-CP management module 572 is responsible for managing the overall operation of the CU-CP portion of the CU60 and the overall performance of the tasks required of the CU-CP. These tasks include, among other things, generating and transmitting appropriate messages using the appropriate signaling application protocol, depending on the functional division between the RU, DU50, and CU60, such as generating RRC signaling for the interpretation and transmission of received RRC signaling.

[0062] The UE profile management module 573 is responsible for performing functions related to UE (mobility) profiles, which include receiving and storing UE profiles or associated assistance / preference information from UE3 or other locations in the network (where applicable), determining appropriate mobility-specific configurations based on UE profile / assistance / preference information for implementation on UE3 and / or RAN node 5, and / or providing configuration information for properly configuring the UE in a mobility-based configuration. The UE profile management module 573 can also store previous mobility information about UE3 (e.g., previous movements of UE3 between different communication cells in the network). Depending on the implementation, it will be understood that CU60 may not have to implement at least some of these functions.

[0063] System information and SIB It will be understood that transmissions in cell 9 of base station 5 may include one or more broadcast transmissions, one or more unicast transmissions for reception by UE3, and / or one or more multicast transmissions for reception by a group of UE3. System information (SI) transmitted in a cell may include "minimum SI" (MSI) and "other SI" (OSI). OSI may be broadcast on demand, for example, using a downlink shared channel (DL-SCH). OSI may be broadcast when requested by a UE3 that is in a radio resource control (RRC) idle or RRC inactive state. OSI may also be requested by a UE3 that is in an RRC connected state, for example, via one or more dedicated RRC transmissions.

[0064] The System Information Block (SIB) may include information that enables the UE3 to complete cell selection (for example, by configuring it to complete it), information that enables the UE3 to complete a cell re-selection procedure, or information that enables the UE3 to receive one or more paging messages transmitted within a cell. The SI may be broadcast using a Master Information Block (MIB) and one or more System Information Blocks (SIBs).

[0065] The MSI comprises an MIB and a system information block 1 (SIB1). The MIB includes information for UE3 to use to receive SIB1, such as the subcarrier interval of SIB1. The MIB provides information corresponding to the Control Resource Set (CORESET) and the search space. SIB1 may be called the “remaining MSI” (RMSI). SIB1 may be transmitted in a dedicated RRC message, and other SIBs (such as SIB2-SIB9) may be transmitted using one or more other appropriate RRC transmissions (such as another dedicated RRC message). The MIB and SIB1 may provide UE3 with notification of scheduling information for receiving and decoding other SIBs such as SIB2-SIB9, and may provide information for UE3 to use to receive one or more paging messages. The OSI may include, for example, SIB2-SIB9 transmitted using DL-SCH in SI messages. The mapping of SIB2-SIB9 to their corresponding SI messages may be provided to UE3 by the base station 5. MIBs and SIB1-SIB9 are described in more detail, for example, in 3GPP TS 38.331. SIB2 provides information on intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-system cell reselection. SIB3 provides cell-specific information for intra-frequency cell reselection. SIB4 provides information on inter-frequency cell reselection. SIB5 provides information on inter-system cell reselection for 4G (LTE). SIB6 and SIB7 provide information on earthquake and tsunami warning systems (ETWS). SIB8 provides information on commercial mobile alert service (CMAS) notifications, for example, to provide warning text messages to UE3. SIB9 includes information on harmonized universal time (UTC), global positioning system (GPS) time (for example, for GPS initial setup), and local time.

[0066] SIBs may be broadcast periodically (for example, according to a predetermined periodic pattern), or alternatively, they may be provided "on demand" upon request from, for example, UE3. For example, MIBs may be transmitted with a periodicity of 80ms and repetitions occurring within 80ms, while SIB1 may be transmitted with a periodicity of 160ms and a variable transmission repetition periodicity (e.g., 20ms) within 160ms. SIB1 may be used to indicate to UE3 which SIBs are transmitted periodically and which SIBs are available on demand upon request from UE3. UE3 may be configured to request on-demand SIBs using message 1 (MSG1), which may be called an MSG1-based on-demand SI request, or message 3 (MSG3), which may be called an MSG3-based on-demand SI request.

[0067] A physical broadcast channel (PBCH) may be used to broadcast the MIB. Base station 5 can transmit the PBCH in an SS / PBCH block along with synchronization signals (SS) (e.g., primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS)). An SS / PBCH block comprises four orthogonal frequency-division multiplexed (OFDM) symbols that map to the PSS, SSS, and PBCH associated with a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS). In the frequency domain, an SS / PBCH block contains 240 consecutive subcarriers. When UE3 is in an RRC connection state, base station 5 can provide UE3 with notification of the resources used for the SS / PBCH, for example, using dedicated signaling. SIB1 may be transmitted using a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). OSI may similarly be transmitted using a PDSCH, for example. If one or more beamformed transmissions are transmitted in a cell provided by base station 5, only some of the SIs (such as some SIBs) may be transmitted using specific beams or using specific transmission / reception points (TRPs).

[0068] UE Mobility Figure 5 shows an overview of a mobility procedure that can be performed in the type of communication system 1 shown in Figure 1. In this example, a handover of UE3 from source base station 5 to target base station 5 is performed.

[0069] In the optional step S501, UE3 performs a measurement. The measurement may be a measurement of the signal transmitted by source(R)AN node 5, or a measurement of the signal transmitted by target(R)AN node 5. The measurement may be a measurement of signal strength, which may be used as part of the decision that UE3 should be handed over from source(R)AN node 5 to target(R)AN node 5. In the optional step S502, UE3 sends a measurement report to source(R)AN node 5 providing notification of the measurement results. The measurement report may be sent from UE3 to source base station 5 in an RRC message. In this example, source(R)AN node 5 uses the information provided in the measurement report to decide that UE3 should be handed over to target(R)AN node 5. However, it will be understood that the decision that a handover to target(R)AN node 5 should be performed may, alternatively (or additionally), be based on a measurement performed at source(R)AN node 5 or target(R)AN node 5. Alternatively, the decision to perform a UE3 handover may be based on factors other than signal measurement, such as the congestion level of the cells operated by source(R)AN node 5.

[0070] In step S503, Source(R)AN node 5 sends a handover request to Target(R)AN node 5, requesting a handover of UE3 from Source(R)AN node 5 to Target(R)AN node 5. The handover request may include, for example, notification of Source(R)AN node 5's identity, the cause of the handover, the target cell's identity, UE3 context information (such as the UE3's maximum bitrate or security capabilities), and UE history information. If the handover was triggered by a measurement report received by Source(R)AN node 5 in step S502, the cause could indicate, for example, that the handover is desirable for radio reasons. Alternatively, if the handover was triggered to reduce the load on Source(R)AN node 5, the cause could indicate that the handover is to reduce the load on the service-providing cell. The handover request message may also include notification of the AMF10-1 providing services to the UE3.

[0071] In step S504, the target (R) AN node 5 sends an acknowledgment of receipt of the handover request (which may be referred to as the “Handover Request Acknowledgment” message). The handover request acknowledgment message includes a notification of handover configuration information for the handover to be forwarded to the UE3. The handover request acknowledgment message may also include configuration information that enables the source (R) AN node 5 to begin forwarding user plane data for the UE3 to the target (R) AN node 5.

[0072] The transmissions in steps S503 and S504 may be performed via the Xn interface between the source (R)AN node 5 and the target (R)AN node 5 (therefore, the handover procedure in this example may be called an Xn-based handover procedure). Steps S501 to S504 may be referred to as the "handover preparation phase".

[0073] In step S505, source (R)AN node 5 sends handover configuration information to UE3. The configuration information for the handover may be, for example, an RRC configuration sent in an RRC configuration message or an RRC reconfiguration message. In step S506, UE3 applies the received configuration for the handover and sends a notification to target (R)AN node 5 that the configuration for the handover is complete. The message sent in step S505 may be, for example, an RRC reconfiguration complete message. Steps S505 to S506 may be referred to as the "handover execution phase".

[0074] Following the handover execution phase, UE3 can operate to send uplink transmissions to target(R)AN node 5 (e.g., uplink data) and receive downlink transmissions from target(R)AN node 5 (e.g., downlink data).

[0075] It will be understood that the mobility methods and handover procedures for UE3 are not limited to the example shown in Figure 5. For example, UE3 may be configured to perform a conditional handover (CHO) in which UE3 decides whether or not to hand over UE3 to a candidate cell based on one or more execution conditions. It will also be understood that handovers can be performed where DU50 changes but CU60 remains the same (inter-DU intra-CU handover), where both DU50 and CU60 change (inter-DU inter-CU handover), or between two cells operating with the same DU50.

[0076] Random access Figure 6 shows a random access (RA) procedure that can be performed in the system of Figure 1. The RA procedure can be used, for example, for initial access by UE3 in RRC idle mode or for transitioning from RRC inactive mode to RRC connected mode. The RA procedure may also be used during the handover of UE3 from the source base station to the target base station (for example, as in the handover procedure described above with reference to Figure 5) for initial access to the target base station 5.

[0077] In step S601, UE3 transmits a random access preamble to base station 5. In this example, UE3 selects a random access preamble to transmit from a group of random access preambles shared with other UE3s. The transmission in step S601 may also be referred to as message 1 (MSG1) and is transmitted using PRACH.

[0078] In step S602, base station 5 sends a random access response to UE3. The transmission in step S602 may also be referred to as message 2 (MSG2). The random access response indicates the time and / or frequency resources (e.g., resource blocks and / or symbols) that UE3 will use to send a subsequent transmission to base station 5. The random access response may also include further information for UE3 to use for communication with base station 5, such as a timing advance (TA) value.

[0079] In step S603, UE3 transmits a transmission to base station 5 using the notified time and / or frequency resources. The transmission in step S603 may also be referred to as message 3 (MSG3). The transmission in step S603 may be a layer 2 (L2) or layer 3 (L3) message. The transmission in step S603 may include, for example, an RRC setup request, an RRC resume request, an RRC re-establishment request, or an RRC reconfiguration completion message.

[0080] If two UE3s select and transmit the same random access preamble in step S601, and receive and decode MSG2 transmitted by base station 5 in step S602, the two UEs can transmit MSG3 using the same time and / or frequency resources. This situation may be called a “conflict” or “collision”. To resolve the conflict, in step S604, base station 5 sends a content resolution message to the UE3s. The transmission in step S604 may also be referred to as message 4 (MSG4). MSG4 indicates to the UE3s whether the base station successfully received and decoded the MSG3 transmitted by the UE3s in step S603. If base station 5 decodes an MSG3 transmitted by another UE3 that is in conflict with the UE3, or if interference occurs between the MSG3s transmitted by the two UE3s, the MSG3 transmitted in step S603 may not have been successfully received or decoded by base station 5. If MSG3 transmitted by UE3 has not been decoded by base station 5 (UE3 can determine this if it has not received MSG4 from base station 5), UE3 returns to step S601 of the method and transmits another MSG1 to base station 5 (for example, after selecting a different random access preamble).

[0081] The procedure shown in Figure 6 is an example of a conflict-based RA procedure in which UE3 selects a random access preamble from a group of preambles that are also available to other UE3s (thus a conflict can occur if two UE3s select the same random access preamble). Alternatively, base station 5 may send the random access preamble assignment to UE3 before UE3 sends MSG1 to base station 5, in which case the RA procedure is conflict-free (and the conflict resolution in step S604 does not need to be performed). The random access preamble assignment may be sent to UE3 using an RRC message or layer 1 (L1) signaling (e.g., using DCI carried by PDCCH). In the method shown in Figure 5, in step S505, the random access preamble assignment for communicating with target base station 5 may be sent to UE3. MSG1 and / or MSG3 may be used by UE3 to request on-demand SI from base station 5.

[0082] Scheduling Request (SR) and Buffer Status Report (BSR) UE3 may send a Buffer Status Report (BSR) to base station 5 indicating the amount of uplink data in UE3's buffer. The network can then determine, based on the BSR received from UE3, which uplink communication resources to allocate to UE3 for transmitting uplink data (e.g., radio resources including frequency and / or time resources). The allocated uplink communication resources can be indicated to UE3 using a corresponding uplink grant message sent to UE3.

[0083] A BSR can use several different possible formats. The format used for a BSR (for example, the number of bits used to indicate the amount of uplink data in the UE3 buffer) may depend on how the BSR transmission is triggered, which may differ for regular BSRs, periodic BSRs, and padded BSRs. A BSR can indicate the amount of uplink data in the UE3 buffer for a particular logical channel (LCH) or logical channel group (LCG), and the format of the BSR may depend on the number of LCGs that have uplink data available for transmission. In the case of a padded BSR, which is transmitted when a large number of padding bits are available for transmission, the format of the BSR may depend on the number of available padding bits.

[0084] A logical channel may be identified using a corresponding logical channel ID (LCID), which may be used to indicate the format of the BSR. An extended LCID (eLCID) may also be provided, which extends the range of the LCID field (for example, by using several bits following the LCID, e.g., 8 bits). For example, an LCID value of 61 may indicate that the BSR is a short-term BSR, a value of 62 may indicate that the BSR is a long-term BSR, a value of 59 may indicate that the BSR is a short-term truncated BSR, and a value of 60 may indicate that the BSR is a long-term truncated BSR. The LCID may be included in the MAC subheader of the transmission from UE3 to base station 5.

[0085] The BSR is received at base station 5 and may be used by base station 5 to configure and / or schedule uplink resources for transmitting uplink data from UE3 to base station 5. For example, in configured grant type 1, the uplink grant is provided via RRC transmission and stored as a configured uplink grant. In configured grant type 2, the uplink grant is provided via the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and stored as a configured uplink grant or cleared (e.g., deactivation) based on L1 signaling indicating activation or deactivation of the configured uplink grant. Types 1 and 2 are configured by RRC for each serving cell per bandwidth part (BWP). Multiple configurations can be activated simultaneously in the same BWP. In the case of type 2, activation and deactivation are independent between serving cells. For the same BWP, MAC entities can be configured for both type 1 and type 2. Base station 5 can also perform (or alternatively) semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) or dynamic grant (DG). Further examples of BSRs are provided in Technical Specification (TS) 38.321 V17.0.0.

[0086] Scheduling Request (SR) A further mechanism for requesting uplink resources for use by UE3 is the transmission of a Scheduling Request (SR) from UE3 to base station 5. UE3 may transmit the SR using PUCCH or with UCI in PUSCH. The SR is a physical layer transmission requesting the network to transmit a UL grant so that UE3 can continue to transmit the corresponding uplink data (e.g., using PUSCH). The SR may be used to request uplink resources to transmit a BSR.

[0087] If UE3 has uplink data to transmit but does not have a configured UL grant, UE3 can transmit an SR to base station 5. Alternatively, UE3 can transmit an SR to base station 5 periodically (for example, based on a timer). The periodicity of SR transmissions from UE3 to base station 5 may be configured using RRC transmissions from base station 5 to UE3.

[0088] If the PUCCH resource is not configured for UE3 to send an SR, UE3 can use a random access procedure to request the PUCCH resource. SR transmission can be triggered by uplink data when a specific logical channel enters a queue in UE3's buffer. The SR can then be transmitted using a configured PUCCH resource for that logical channel or for a group of logical channels. The SR remains in a pending state after transmission and is canceled after the corresponding uplink resource (e.g., a PUSCH resource) has been allocated to UE3.

[0089] The time resources (time resources for PUCCH) for UE3 to transmit SRs may be configured by base station 5. Base station 5 can transmit indications of the periodicity (e.g., SR periodicity) and time offset (e.g., SR offset) of the SR transmissions. The periodicity configured for the SR may be, for example, between 2 symbols and 640 slots, depending on the specific latency requirements and the available communication resources in the time and frequency domains. For example, the minimum time between consecutive SR transmissions may also be configured for UE3 by base station 5 using a timer (e.g., sr-ProhibitTimer).

[0090] HARQ Feedback During wireless communication, some transmitted packets may be lost or affected by errors introduced by noise or interference. The Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) procedure can be used to mitigate such packet loss and errors by retransmitting (or selectively retransmitting) data packets. For example, UE3 may receive a transmission from a base station that contains errors or missing packets. UE3 may attempt to correct the errors in the received transmission where possible, and may provide feedback to base station 5 regarding the received transmission, including, for example, an acknowledgment (ACK) or negative acknowledgment (NACK). Based on the feedback, base station 5 may decide to retransmit some or all of one or more of the original transmission. The HARQ procedure can include several concurrent HARQ processes, each used for a specific part of one or more transmissions. Therefore, while base station 5 is awaiting feedback from UE3 corresponding to a particular HARQ process (and thus for a specific part of the transmission), base station 5 can continue transmitting data for other HARQ processes.

[0091] Figure 7 shows an example of the procedure for UE3 to send HARQ feedback. In step S701, a downlink transmission from base station 5 is received by UE3. After receiving the downlink transmission, UE3 performs the HARQ procedure and in step S702, sends HARQ feedback to base station 5. Based on the feedback received from UE3 in step S702 (e.g., ACK or NACK), base station 5 can decide to retransmit part or all of the original transmission.

[0092] Figure 8 shows an example of sending downlink control information (DCI) to UE3 to enable HARQ feedback. In this example, UE3 may initially be configured to disable HARQ feedback, and the downlink control information is used to enable HARQ feedback for downlink transmission. Alternatively, UE3 may initially be configured to enable HARQ feedback, and the downlink control information may be used to disable HARQ feedback for downlink transmission.

[0093] In step S801, base station 5 transmits downlink control information to UE3. The downlink control information includes an indication that HARQ feedback should be enabled / disabled for the HARQ process. If HARQ feedback should be enabled, in response to receiving the downlink control information, UE3 enables HARQ feedback for the HARQ process. In step S802, UE3 receives a downlink transmission from base station 5. In step S803, UE3 transmits the corresponding HARQ feedback to base station 5. Base station 5 may allow HARQ feedback to be transmitted by UE3 even if it was initially disabled; therefore, in this example, UE3 may initially be configured to disable HARQ feedback (to reduce power consumption of UE3) and then enable HARQ feedback in response to the signaling received from base station 5. For example, base station 5 may decide to transmit downlink control information to enable HARQ feedback if the communication link between base station 5 and UE3 is particularly unreliable. Similarly, to disable HARQ feedback, UE3 disables HARQ feedback for the HARQ process in response to the reception of downlink control information. In this case, the UE does not need to send HARQ feedback to the base station. Alternatively, the UE can send a NACK to the base station corresponding to the HARQ process whose feedback has been disabled, regardless of the decoding result of the corresponding PDSCH.

[0094] The downlink control information transmitted in step S801 can enable / disable HARQ feedback for a specific downlink transmission or set of downlink transmissions. For example, base station 5 can transmit downlink control information 51 to enable / disable HARQ feedback for a specific type of transmission from base station 5 to UE3. For example, base station 5 can transmit downlink control information to enable HARQ feedback to be sent to UE3 for important or essential messages (and therefore feedback is desirable to increase the likelihood that the message will be successfully received at the UE). For example, base station 5 can transmit downlink control information to enable HARQ feedback for a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) transmission carrying a radio resource control (RRC) message, or for a downlink transmission including a medium access control element (MAC CE). The MAC CE may be, for example, a Buffer Status Report (BSR) or a timing advance command.

[0095] DCI Here, we will explain in more detail the types of DCI that may be transmitted from base station 5 to UE3.

[0096] DCI 4_0 DCI format 4_0 is used for scheduling PDSCH for broadcasts in a cell. In other words, DCI format 4_0 is DCI for broadcasts. Alternatively, DCI format 4_0 may simply be called DCI 4_0. DCI 4_0 and the corresponding PDCCH configuration can be used to send broadcasts to UE3 in RRC connected state, RRC inactive state, or RRC idle state. DCI 4_0 can be sent by cyclic redundancy check scrambled by MBMS point-to-multipoint Control Channel (MCCH) radio network temporary identifier (RNTI), MCCH-RNTI, or group-RNTI (G-RNTI) of a multicast traffic channel (MTCH) configured with MBS session information (e.g., MBS-SessionInfo). DCI 4_0 includes frequency domain resource allocation.

number

[0097] DCI 4_0 includes time-domain resource allocation. Time-domain resource allocation is used to indicate the slot offset, PDSCH mapping type, starting symbol, and the number of symbols allocated. This information can be shown using a lookup table (time-domain resource allocation may include a pointer to the lookup table). DCI 4_0 includes mapping from virtual resource block (VRB) to physical resource block (PRB). VRB to PRB mapping is a field used to indicate whether PDSCH uses non-interleaved VRB to PRB mapping or interleaved VRB to PRB mapping. In non-interleaved mapping, the index of a particular VRB is mapped to the PRB that has the same index. In interleaved mapping, a function is used to map the index of a particular VRB to the corresponding PRB index.

[0098] DCI 4_0 includes a representation of the modulation and coding scheme (MCS), which may take the form of a pointer to a lookup table. DCI 4_0 includes a redundancy version (RV) indicating the corresponding puncturing pattern. If the CRC of DCI 4_0 is scrambled by MCCH-RNTI, DCI 4_0 includes an MCCH change notification.

[0099] It should be understood that, if necessary, a modified version of DCI 4_0 may be used, with some of the above information (such as MCCH change notifications) omitted.

[0100] In contrast to DCI 4_1 and DCI 4_2, which will be discussed later, DCI 4_0 does not include fields indicating HARQ scheduling information for UE3 in RRC connected state. For example, DCI 4_0 does not include a new data indicator (NDI), HARQ process number, or display of HARQ frequency or time resources.

[0101] DCI 4_1 DCI format 4_1 (and the corresponding PDCCH configuration) is used for multicast transmission. Alternatively, DCI format 4_1 may simply be referred to as DCI 4_1. When DCI 4_1 is used, the same transmission configuration index (TCI) states as those of a unicast PDCCH may be used. DCI 4_1 includes frequency domain resource allocation, time domain resource allocation, VRB to PRB mapping, MCS, and RV, as described above for DCI 4_0.

[0102] DCI 4_1 also includes a HARQ process number indicating the corresponding HARQ process. DCI 4_1 may include a new data indicator (NDI) used to indicate whether the resource allocation is for retransmission or new transmission. DCI 4_1 includes a PUCCH resource indicator indicating that UE3 uses a specific PUCCH resource when returning a HARQ acknowledgment. If UE3 is configured with dedicated PUCCH resources, the PUCCH resource indicator may indicate one of these resources. The PUCCH resource indicator may be in the form of a 3-bit field. DCI 4_1 includes a HARQ feedback timing indicator from PDSCH, indicating the number of slots between PDSCH reception and HARQ feedback transmission. The HARQ feedback timing indicator from PDSCH may be in the form of a 3-bit field.

[0103] It should be understood that, if necessary, a modified version of DCI 4_1 with some of the above information omitted may be used.

[0104] DCI 4_2 DCI format 4_2 is used for PDSCH scheduling. Alternatively, DCI format 4_2 is sometimes simply referred to as DCI 4_2. DCI 4_2 for multicast MBS includes TCI states for PDSCH reception. DCI 4_2 can be transmitted via cyclic redundancy checks scrambled by G-RNTI, cyclic redundancy checks configured with G-RNTI configuration information (e.g., G-RNTI-Config), or group-configured scheduling-RNTI (G-CS-RNTI).

[0105] DCI 4_2 includes frequency domain resource allocation, time domain resource allocation, VRB to PRB mapping, PRB bundling size indicator, rate matching indicator, zero power channel status information reference signal (ZP-CSI-RS) trigger, HARQ process number, downlink allocation index, PUCCH resource indicator, PDSCH to HARQ feedback timing indicator, and antenna port display, transmit configuration display, demodulation reference signal (DMRS) sequence initialization, priority indicator, and enable / disable HARQ-ACK feedback display (in this case, a value of 1 indicates HARQ-ACK feedback is enabled, and a value of 0 indicates HARQ-ACK feedback is disabled).

[0106] It should be understood that, if necessary, a modified version of DCI 4_2 with some of the above information omitted may be used. The size of DCI 4_2 is configurable and may be, for example, 20 bits to 140 bits. DCI 4_0, DCI 4_1, and DCI 4_2 are described in more detail in 3GPP TS 38.212 V17.3.0.

[0107] CSI and CSI-RS Base station 5 is operable to transmit reference signals (RS) in one or more cells 9 on which base station 5 operates. These reference signals include channel state information RS (CSI-RS). CSI-RS may be used by UE3 for several different purposes, including CSI reporting, in which UE3 derives channel state information (CSI) from CSI-RS measurements, including one or more channel quality indicators (CQI), rank indicators (RI), and / or precoding matrix indicators (PMI), and reports them to base station 5 in the CSI report. CQI is an index (usually 4 bits) value representing the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR). The CQI value also corresponds to the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) used per layer. RI indicates the number of MIMO transmit layers requested by UE3 (however, base station 5 is not required to use the requested number of MIMO transmit layers). PMI is used by UE3 to report parameters that define the preferred precoding matrix to be applied to downlink transmissions (however, base station 5 is not required to use the requested precoding). To identify the strongest layer from the set of layers indicated by the RI, a layer indicator (LI) may be included in the CSI report.

[0108] CSI-RS may also be used by UE3 for beam management, including improvements to initial beam selection based on SSB. For example, base station 5 can use a relatively wide beamset for SSB transmission and a narrower (more directive) beamset for CSI-RS. UE3 can be configured by base station 5 to measure each CSI-RS transmission to identify the best CSI-RS beam and report this to base station 5 (e.g., by a CSI report including a CSI-RS indicator (CRI) that identifies the strongest CSI-RS, and therefore the CSI-RS beam). UE3 may also be configured to report the (Layer 1) RSRP measured for the strongest CSI-RS.

[0109] The CSI reporting configuration for CSI can be periodic (P-CSI) using PUCCH, aperiodic (A-CSI) using PUSCH, or semi-permanent (SP-CSI) using PUCCH and DCI-activated PUSCH. In periodic CSI reporting, the reporting period (i.e., the period defining the reporting point) is determined at the upper layer using RRC signaling, and with appropriate junctive, CSI data is transmitted by UE3 to the scheduler (base station 5) using PUCCH, while in aperiodic reporting, CSI feedback is triggered by base station 5 as needed using DCI on PDCCH. In this case, CSI data is transmitted by UE3 via PUSCH. A-CSI may form the primary CSI feedback framework of the communication system or be a supplementary configuration, for example, to address failed detection of P-CSI or SP-CSI reporting.

[0110] CSI-RS can be either zero-power (ZP-CSI-RS) or non-zero-power (NZP-CSI-RS). ZP-CSI-RS is an empty resource element primarily used for interference measurements. NZP-CSI-RS is used for most procedures, including channel measurements, beam management, beam measurements, and connected-mode mobility. Non-zero-power CSI-RS can be configured, for example, using the NZP-CSI-RS-Resource information element (IE) or the CSI-RS-Resource-Mobility field of the CSI-RS-ResourceConfigMobility IE. NZP-CSI-RS can be used in interference measurement (IM), for example, as part of determining the Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR). CSI IM resources may be used when interference is likely to be primarily due to inter-cell interference. These resources may be used to measure background interference originating from neighboring cells. UE3 may be provided with a configuration for receiving (and measuring) CSI-RS from base station 5 (for example, using a CSI-ReportConfig sent from base station 5 to UE3). For example, there are several other ways in which CSI-RS can be used, including connection mode mobility, radio link failure (RLF) detection, beam fault detection / recovery, and precise timing of time and / or frequency synchronization.

[0111] CSI report Base station 5 can configure how UE3 measures CSI-RS and how UE3 sends corresponding reports to base station 5 using appropriate measurement configuration signaling. Base station 5 can configure UE3 to measure and report specific resources used for CSI-RS (e.g., using CSI-ReportConfig IE) using measurement configuration signaling (e.g., using CSI-measconfig IE). Multiple different reporting configurations can be configured and identified by appropriate identifiers (e.g., CSI-ReportConfigID IE).

[0112] Base station 5 can be configured to provide different types of CSI reports (e.g., using CSI-ReportConfig IE) that provide different information depending on the requirements of the use case, by appropriately setting the report quantity parameter (e.g., reportQuantity IE). For example, UE3 may be configured to report only RI and CQI for one or more associated CRIs by appropriately setting the report quantity parameter (e.g., for cri-RI-CQI), to report RI, PMI, and CQI for one or more associated CRIs by appropriately setting the report quantity parameter (e.g., for cri-RI-PMI-CQI), or to report RI, LI, PMI, and CQI for one or more associated CRIs by appropriately setting the report quantity parameter (e.g., for cri-RI-LI-PMI-CQI). Similarly, in the case of beam management procedures, UE3 may be configured to report the RSRP or SINR of one or more relevant CRIs by appropriately setting the reporting count parameter (for example, for cri-RSRP or cri-SINR), and to report the RSRP or SINR of one or more relevant SSBs by appropriately setting the reporting count parameter (for example, for ssb-Index-RSRP or ssb-Index-SINR).

[0113] Base station 5 can also be configured UE3 to provide CSI reports based on different reporting timing configurations (e.g., using CSI-ReportConfig IE). For example, UE3 may be configured for persistent reporting, semi-persistent reporting on PUSCH, semi-persistent reporting on PUCCH, or aperiodic reporting. Aperiodic and semi-persistent reporting on PUSCH can be triggered using PUSCH DCI. For example, a DCI (e.g., using DCI format 0_1) can trigger aperiodic reporting by providing a CSI request that points to the index of each of one or more corresponding aperiodic trigger states (e.g., configured in CSI-AeriodicTriggerStateList IE). Each of these trigger states is associated with one or more corresponding CSI reporting configurations (e.g., identified by one or more associated CSI-ReportConfig IE). Semi-persistent reporting on PUSCH can be triggered in a similar manner (e.g., by identifying one or more CSI-ReportConfig IE of one or more CSI-SemiPersistentOnPUSCH-TriggerState). Semi-persistent reporting in PUCCH can be triggered using MAC CE.

[0114] Each CSI reporting configuration can identify a CSI resource configuration for measurement (e.g., using a CSI-ResourceConfigId IE) (e.g., for channel measurement). The identified CSI resource configuration is defined by a corresponding IE (e.g., using a CSI-ResourceConfigId IE) containing a list of identifiers and associated configuration information for one or more sets of CSI resources (e.g., a list of one or more NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSetIDs for non-zero-power CSI-RS). For example, the associated configuration information can identify the associated bandwidth portion (e.g., by a bandwidth portion ID, BWP ID) and the resource type (e.g., by a resourceType IE). The identified resource type can identify a CSI-RS resource as periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic type. Each resource set includes one or more specific CSI resource configurations represented by relevant identifiers (e.g., one or more NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceIDs for non-zero-power CSI-RS), each of which refers to specific configuration information (e.g., defined by NZP-CSI-RS-Resource IE for non-zero-power CSI-RS) for that CSI resource configuration. Thus, base station 5 can configure multiple CSI reporting configuration instances and CSI resource configuration instances. For aperiodic CSI RS resources, it will be understood that multiple resource sets can be configured for each CSI resource configuration. In this way, reporting of a specific CSI resource set for a particular use case can be configured. For example, a CSI-RS resource set containing CSI-RS resources for different beams can be configured for beam management purposes. For channel estimation purposes, a CSI-RS resource set containing a single CSI-RS resource for N ports can be configured.

[0115] In the case of multiple transmission reception points (TRPs), different resource sets may also be configured for each resource configuration. In this scenario, the different resource sets may be part of the same CSI resource configuration for aperiodic CSI reporting, or part of different CSI resource configurations for periodic / semi-persistent CSI reporting. Nevertheless, given the same number of ports for all TRPs, it will be understood that it is possible to configure CSI-RS resources belonging to different TRPs within the same resource set.

[0116] In another example, CSI reporting from multiple secondary cells (SCells) can be triggered together by including the CSI reporting configurations of different SCells within the information that defines a single CSI aperiodic trigger state.

[0117] Base station 5 can also configure UE3 to provide either wideband or subband granularity for reporting (for example, by using reportFreqConfiguration IE in CSI-ReportConfig IE). For example, CQI and / or partial PMI can be reported on a per-subband basis (for example, for widebandCQI or subbandCQI, and / or widebandPMI or subbandPMI) by setting up the corresponding indicators (for example, cqi-FormatIndicator IE and / or pmi-FormatIndicator IE, respectively).

[0118] UE3 may need to send a considerable number of CSI reports (based on the CSI configuration), but it should be understood that the available space in the uplink control information (UCI) portion of PUCCH or PUSCH may be limited. Furthermore, the CSI report payload size can increase significantly in the presence of subband-based reporting. Therefore, prioritization rules may be used to indicate which CSI report parameters should be sent with the highest priority.

[0119] For CSI reports of RI, CQI, and PMI, a CSI report for a single CSI resource may be divided into two parts: a first part containing the RI, CRI, and CQI for the first codeword, and a second part containing the PMI and CQI for the second codeword. The first part can be transmitted as a whole, but parts of the second part may be omitted (depending on the allowable size of the UCI). For UCI coding, the first part of each CSI report can be coded into UCI, and then the second part of the CSI report can be coded based on the amount of available space.

[0120] UE3 may be configured to select a set of CSIs to be reported to base station 5. UE3 may be configured to decide to select the best m CSIs to report to base station 5 in the measurement report. The value of m may be configurable by the base station (e.g., using any appropriate transmission from base station 5 to UE3).

[0121] Discontinuous Reception (DRX) Discontinuous reception (DRX) and / or discontinuous transmission (DTX) methods may be implemented in UE3 or base station 5. For example, UE3 or access network node 5 may be configured to operate in an energy-saving mode (also known as sleep mode) in which the device performs transmissions less frequently, or the device may be configured not to attempt to transmit or receive signals for a certain period of time.

[0122] UE3 may be configured to operate using a DRX method. In the DRX method, UE3 consists of a DRX pattern and periodicity (DRX cycle), as well as a DRX configuration that optionally includes several DRX cycles. The DRX pattern defines an "on duration" in which UE3 is configured to receive transmissions (may be called a DRX active state) and an "off duration" in which UE3 is configured not to receive transmissions, e.g., transmissions from base station 5 (may be called a DRX inactive state). During the off duration, physical layer processing within UE3 may be turned off. Advantageously, the energy consumption of UE3 is reduced during the periods when UE3 is configured not to receive transmissions.

[0123] The on-duration is sometimes called the "DRX active time," and the off-duration is sometimes called the "sleep period" or "DRX inactive time." Figure 9 shows an example of a DRX pattern with on-duration t1 and off-duration t2 that repeats according to the DRX cycle.

[0124] UE3 is typically provided with its DRX configuration by or via base station 5. The DRX configuration provided to UE3 (e.g., using a DRX configuration information element (IE) included in a transmission from base station 5 to UE3) may include an indication of the period during which UE3 should be configured not to receive and decode downlink transmissions (off duration) and an indication of the period during which UE3 should be configured to receive downlink transmissions (e.g., multicast or unicast transmissions from base station 5) (on duration). The DRX configuration may also include a time offset, which may be useful for controlling the relative timing of DRX configurations of different UE3s (e.g., to synchronize or offset DRX patterns). The DRX configuration may also include an indication of the period during which UE should remain configured to receive transmissions after receiving a PDCCH.

[0125] DRX may be configured per UE3 by the network (e.g., via any appropriate signaling from base station 5). For example, the timing and / or duration of the on-duration in a DRX cycle may differ for each UE3. During the off-duration, a UE3 may be configured not to monitor PDCCH, but can initiate configured resource uplink transmissions (e.g., using a scheduling request (SR) based on PUCCH, random access channel (RACH), or configured grant PUSCH (CG-PUSCH)). During the off-duration, the system may be configured to have no transmit / receive between a UE3 and base station 5 in the corresponding cell. However, base station 5 may be configured to reduce or limit transmit / receive in a cell during the off-duration of a DRX cycle. For example, base station 5 may be configured to transmit only a subset of periodic signals or channels, such as common channels / signals that would normally be transmitted within the cell or UE-specific channels / signals.

[0126] DRX can be used when UE3 is in RRC idle mode or when UE3 is in RRC connected mode. For example, DRX may be used to control monitoring of paging messages transmitted by base station 5 when UE3 is in RRC idle mode. This advantageously prevents UE3 from monitoring all PDCCH transmission opportunities, thereby reducing UE3's energy consumption. Similarly, DRX can be used to reduce UE3's energy consumption when UE3 is in an RRC connected state (called C-DRX) by configuring periods when UE3 does not need to monitor PDCCH, for example.

[0127] Within a C-DRX cycle, when UE3 is in an RRC connected state, UE3 periodically monitors PDCCH during its on-duration and does not monitor PDCCH outside of its on-duration (i.e., during DRX inactive periods), thus favorably reducing UE3's power consumption. Currently, during C-DRX inactive periods, UE3 can initiate uplink transmissions based on configured resources (e.g., using PUCCH, random access channel (RACH), scheduling request (SR), or configured grant PUSCH (CG-PUSCH)).

[0128] The DRX configuration can include long-term DRX cycles with relatively long on-duration times (t2 is relatively long in Figure 9) and short-term DRX cycles with relatively short on-duration times (t2 is relatively short in Figure 9). Long-term DRX cycles improve the energy efficiency of the system (because the overall proportion of time UE3 is ON is smaller), but communication latency may increase because base station 5 cannot communicate with UE3 via downlink transmission when UE3 is in sleep mode (DRX inactive state). If UE3 is configured to use DRX after an inactive period following data transfer, UE3 may initially be configured to use a short-term DRX cycle configuration, and after a further period (which may be defined by a short-term DRX cycle timer), UE3 can operate using a long-term DRX cycle configuration. For example, short-term and long-term DRX configurations can be indicated to UE3 using any appropriate signaling from base station 5 (or may be pre-configured in UE3).

[0129] While DRX is described above in relation to discontinuous reception performed by UE3, similar DTX / DRX patterns can be defined to control discontinuous data transmission / reception by base station 5. Discontinuous operation of one or more base station cells is called "cell DTX / DRX".

[0130] Cell DTX / DRX can operate in substantially the same way as UE DTX / DRX, namely, stopping base station transmission and reception during periods when base station 5 is inactive or sleepy ("DRX inactive state") (off duration), and resuming transmission and reception with UE3 during periods when base station 5 is active ("DRX active state") (on duration). The cell DTX / DRX configuration can be defined by several parameters, including periodicity (DRX cycles), start slot / offset, on duration (t1), off duration (t2), and number of cycles.

[0131] UE3 may be configured not to transmit (or to transmit less frequently) during the off-duration of base station 5. For example, if the period during which a Scheduling Request (SR) would normally be transmitted by UE3 to base station 5 falls within the DRX inactive period of base station 5, UE3 may be configured to delay (or "postpone") the transmission of the SR (without triggering any random access procedures, including RACH) until base station 5 enters DRX active mode (UE3 will keep the SR pending until base station 5 enters DRX active). Other transmissions that UE3 may decide not to transmit when base station 5 is in a DRX inactive state include periodic or semi-persistent CSI reports, periodic or semi-persistent sounding reference signals (SRS), or HARQ feedback for semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) PDSCH. A set of transmissions or types of transmissions that UE3 is configured not to transmit when base station 5 is in a DRX inactive state may be configurable by the network (e.g., via any appropriate transmission from base station 5 to UE3).

[0132] However, as will be described in more detail later, UE3 may nevertheless be configured to transmit certain transmissions during the off-duration of base station 5. For example, UE3 may be configured to transmit one or more high-priority transmissions during periods when base station 5's DRX is inactive. High-priority transmissions may include, for example, URLLC transmissions, transmissions for beam management reports (e.g., RSRP-based CSI reports), radio link failure (RLF) and / or beam fault-related transmissions, and transmissions for handover procedures (e.g., measurement reports). To enable UE3 to transmit high-priority transmissions when base station 5 is in a DRX inactive state, UE3 may be configured to transmit corresponding scheduling requests, CSI reports, PRACH transmissions, and / or configured grant transmissions during the DRX inactive period. Particularly advantageous ways of scheduling and transmitting uplink transmissions during periods when base station 5 is in a DRX inactive state will be described in more detail later.

[0133] Uplink WUS To "wake up" base station 5, UE3 can send a wakeup signal (WUS) to base station 5 (for example, to request a transition from a state of no or reduced cell transmit / receive activity to active transmit or receive of a channel / signal). This type of WUS is sometimes called an uplink WUS. An uplink WUS may be sent from UE3 to base station 5 to trigger or request, for example, the transmission of SSB, SIB1 and / or reference signals by base station 5. For example, base station 5 may be configured to perform discontinuous transmit and receive, and an uplink WUS may be used to request or trigger the transmission or reception of signals that base station 5 would not normally transmit or receive during discontinuous transmit and receive.

[0134] PUCCH and Cell DRX Figure 10 shows an example of PUCCH resources being scheduled during a period when base station 5 is in a DRX inactive state. Figure 10 shows resources for uplink transmission by UE3 in the time and frequency domains. It should be understood that the time units shown in Figure 10 can be any appropriate time unit (e.g., slots or symbols). Similarly, it should be understood that the frequency units in Figure 10 can be any appropriate frequency unit (e.g., resource blocks). In the example in Figure 10, resources for sending scheduling requests by UEs 1-4 and channel state information for UEs 1 and UE3 are shown.

[0135] PUCCH can be used by UE3 to transmit uplink control information (UCI). UCI can include HARQ acknowledgments (feedback), scheduling requests (SRs), and periodic or semi-persistent CSI reports. PUCCH can have various formats depending on the information to be included in the PUCCH transmission. For example, PUCCH formats 0 and 1 are designed for smaller payloads and may be used to transmit one or two HARQ acknowledgments and scheduling requests. PUCCH formats 2, 3, and 4 may be used to transmit larger payloads and may be used to transmit HARQ acknowledgments, SRs, and CSI reports. In the time domain, PUCCH format 0 may have a duration of one or two symbols, PUCCH format 1 may have a duration of four to fourteen symbols, and PUCCH format 2 may have a duration of one or two symbols. PUCCH format 3 may have durations of 4 to 14 symbols, and PUCCH format 4 may also have durations of 4 to 14 symbols. In the frequency domain, one resource block may be used for PUCCH formats 0, 1, and 4. For PUCCH formats 3 and 4, 4 to 14 resource blocks may be used. It will be understood that UE3 will use the appropriate PUCCH format depending on whether UE3 transmits HARQ feedback, SR or CSI reports, or any combination thereof. The time and frequency resources for transmitting PUCCH (which may be cell-specific PUCCH configuration information) may be indicated by base station 5 to UE3 using any appropriate transmission (e.g., via PUCCH configuration information contained in SIB1 using SIB).

[0136] As illustrated, base station 5, receiving transmissions from UE3, has periods of DRX active state and periods of DRX inactive state. However, in this example, the base station nevertheless decides to receive uplink transmissions from UE3 during the DRX inactive period (for example, because the transmissions correspond to high-priority transmissions, as mentioned above). In this example, the configuration of time and frequency resources for scheduling requests and channel station information transmissions is the same in both the DRX inactive and DRX active periods. This makes it possible to perform high-priority uplink transmissions, while there are relatively many time opportunities for base station 5 to receive transmissions from UE3 (in other words, there are very few empty columns in the communication resource grid shown in Figure 10). This can occur due to the relatively short periodicity of uplink control information (UCI) transmissions and the sparse distribution of UCIs from different UE3s in the time domain (which may be done to improve load balancing).

[0137] In the example in Figure 10, the duration of the period during which base station 5 is configured to be in the DRX active state is the same as the duration of the period during which base station 5 is configured to be in the DRX inactive state, although this is not necessarily required. It will also be understood that when base station 5 is in the DRX inactive state, base station 5 will nevertheless use the uplink resources configured by base station 5 to receive uplink transmissions as shown in Figure 10 during the DRX inactive period. In other words, the DRX inactive period is a period during which base station 5 is normally in the DRX inactive state (and not receiving uplink transmissions from UE3), but is designated as a period during which base station 5 can receive scheduled uplink transmissions (by temporarily entering a state during the DRX inactive period in which base station 5 is configured to receive uplink transmissions). Since the timing of uplink transmissions is based on the PUCCH scheduling information provided to UE3 by base station 5, the time resources for receiving uplink transmissions using PUCCH during the DRX inactive period are known at the base station.

[0138] Figure 11 shows a modified version of Figure 10, in which the resources used for uplink transmissions during DRX inactivity periods have been reallocated for improved energy savings. As shown in Figure 11, in this example, uplink transmissions during DRX inactivity periods are scheduled to overlap in the time domain (e.g., within a single slot). This is advantageous because the duration for which base station 5 receives uplink transmissions from UE3 during DRX inactivity periods is reduced (minimized in the example in Figure 11), resulting in improved energy savings. In other words, in the example in Figure 11, there is less interruption (in the time domain) in base station 5 receiving uplink transmissions during DRX inactivity periods.

[0139] PUCCH configuration Base station 5 can configure UE3 for uplink transmission using a set of N PUCCH resources (in the time domain and frequency domain, as shown in Figures 10 and 11). An indication of the PUCCH resources configured for UE3 may include the PUCCH resource ID, PUCCH frequency allocation (e.g., the starting resource block and the number of resource blocks), and PUCCH format type. Based on the indication of the PUCCH resources, UE3 can determine how many bits can be carried by the configured PUCCH resources. The indication of the PUCCH resources may also include an indication of the number of slot repetitions for the PUCCH transmission, an indication of whether frequency hopping is enabled, and an indication of the symbols in one or more slots in which the PUCCH is configured.

[0140] For scheduling request (SR) and channel state information (CSI) reports, which may be periodic or semi-persistent, base station 5 may provide uplink control information (UCI) configuration information to UE3. UCI configuration information may be provided for each type of report (e.g., per report type). A first number of PUCCH resources may be configured for SRs, and a second number of resources may be configured for CSI reports. Multiple PUCCH resource configurations may be provided for SRs on different logical channels. Similarly, multiple PUCCH resource configurations may be provided for CSI reports of different CSI report types. Each PUCCH resource configuration includes an allocation in the time domain (e.g., slot offset and periodicity) on which SRs and / or CSI reports should be transmitted. UE3 is configured to transmit SRs and / or CSIs using the allocated resources.

[0141] As described above with reference to Figure 7, UE3 may be configured to transmit HARQ feedback corresponding to downlink transmissions (e.g., PDSCH) received from base station 5. Examples in Figures 10 and 11 show uplink transmissions corresponding to SR and CSI, but uplink transmissions can also include HARQ feedback. In the case of HARQ feedback for PDSCH, base station 5 can provide a representation indicating the PUCCH resource in the time domain and frequency domain for the uplink transmission of the feedback. The PUCCH resource for HARQ feedback may be indicated to UE3, for example, via RRC configuration information transmitted from base station 5 to UE3. The network can configure a set of DL data values ​​in the ACK field within the RRC configuration of the HARQ report (e.g., via a transmission from base station 5 to UE3). One of the values ​​in the set is selected by DCI. During initial UE setup, the network can configure N parameter values ​​for "DL data to HARQ ACK delay" for UE3 via the RRC configuration. To dynamically indicate the actual timing of HARQ feedback transmissions (in relation to PDSCH reception) to UE3, base station 5 can select one of N delay values ​​and send a display of the selected value to the UE in DCI that schedules the corresponding PDSCH.

[0142] A PUCCH configuration for UE3 can be presented to UE3 using PUCCH configuration information (e.g., PUCCH-Config). PUCCH configuration information may include lists for adding and releasing PUCCH resource sets (e.g., resourceSetToAddModList). PUCCH configuration information can include lists for adding and releasing PUCCH resources applicable to the serving cell defined by UL BWP and PUCCH-Config, and defined resources may be referenced by other parts of the configuration to determine which resources UE3 uses for which reports. PUCCH configuration information may include parameters common to all PUCCH resources of a particular format (e.g., formats 1-4). PUCCH configuration information can provide a display showing the time between the PDSCH and the transmission of the corresponding ACK transmission. PUCCH configuration information may also include a display of the spatial relationship between a reference RS and a PUCCH, where the reference RS may be an SSB, CSI-RS, or SRS.

[0143] PUCCH configuration information may also include a display of a PUCCH resource set (e.g., PUCCH-ResourceSet). Resource sets may be indicated using their corresponding resource set IDs. A display of a PUCCH resource set may include a list of PUCCH resources, and UE3 may be configured to select one of the PUCCH resources from the list for uplink transmission. PUCCH configuration information may also include a display of the maximum payload size that UE3 can transmit using a PUCCH resource set. In the event of a PUCCH, UE3 may be configured to select a first PUCCH resource from the PUCCH resource set that supports the number of bits that the UE should transmit.

[0144] PUCCH configuration information may also include a display of the starting PRB, a display of whether in-slot frequency hopping is enabled, and, in the case of frequency hopping, the index of the starting PRB for the second hop of the PUCCH.

[0145] MAC SR Procedure For each SR configuration, base station 5 can configure a set of logical channels associated with the SR configuration. If a BSR is triggered for one of the logical channels, UE3 is configured to use the SR configuration for transmitting an SR to that logical channel (for example, during a period when base station 5's DRX is inactive). An SR may be triggered if a BSR is triggered and no PUCCH is available for UE3. The SR configuration may also be applied to recovery procedures, such as listen before talk (LBT) failures or secondary cell (Scell) beam recovery. For each SR, UE3 may be configured to continue transmitting SR transmissions on PUCCH based on a timer, for example, after the expiration of an "SR ban" timer. UE3 may decide to stop transmitting SRs on PUCCH if the configured maximum number of SR transmissions have been performed or if a BSR has been transmitted by UE3. When an SR is triggered, UE3 may initiate a random access procedure (as described earlier with reference to Figure 6), including a RACH transmission, if UE3 does not have access to a PUCCH resource for transmitting the SR. Furthermore, UE3 can initiate a random access procedure, including RACH transmission, if it reaches the maximum number of SR transmission attempts without receiving a UL grant from base station 5.

[0146] SR Resource Configuration Base station 5 is configured to transmit SR resource configuration information to UE3. The SR resource configuration information may include the ID of the scheduling request configuration that uses the scheduling request resource (e.g., schedulingRequestID). The SR resource configuration information may include a representation of the scheduling request resource ID (e.g., schedulingRequestResourceID). The SR resource configuration information may include a representation of the SR periodicity and slot number offset. The configured periodicity may be determined by the selected subcarrier spacing. For example, for a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing (SCS), the periodicity could be 2 symbols, 7 symbols, 1 slot, 2 slots, 4 slots, 5 slots, 8 slots, 10 slots, 16 slots, 20 slots, 40 slots, or 80 slots. Similarly, for example, for a 120 kHz SCS, the periodicity could be 2 symbols, 7 symbols, 1 slot, 2 slots, 4 slots, 8 slots, 16 slots, 40 slots, 80 slots, 160 slots, 320 slots, or 640 slots.

[0147] UCI and Cell DRX inactive - Physical Channel Configuration Here, we describe a particularly advantageous method for reducing the number of time opportunities for base station 5 to receive uplink transmissions during DRX inactivity periods. Figure 12 illustrates an example where the configuration of communication resources for uplink transmissions during the DRX active period differs from the configuration of communication resources for uplink transmissions during the DRX inactive period. This configuration disables some uplink transmissions during the DRX inactive period, beneficially improving network energy savings during the DRX inactive period while still enabling reliable communication for high-priority transmissions. In the illustrated example, uplink communication resources are scheduled in the time and frequency domains during the DRX active period for SR transmissions using the first SR configuration (SR config-1) and the second SR configuration (SR config-2), and for CSI transmissions using the first CSI configuration (CSI Config-1) and the second CSI configuration (CSI Config-2). In contrast, only uplink transmissions for SRs corresponding to the first SR configuration and CSIs corresponding to the first CSI configuration are scheduled during the DRX inactive period. As illustrated in Figure 12, the number of time opportunities during which base station 5 receives uplink transmissions during DRX inactivity is beneficially reduced (compared to DRX active periods), resulting in improved energy savings.

[0148] The configuration of uplink transmissions during DRX inactivity periods (e.g., display of time and frequency resources) can be explicitly or implicitly shown to the UE3. For example, base station 5 can provide an explicit display of time and frequency resources for SR or CSI transmissions (or any other appropriate UCI or uplink transmission, including, for example, HARQ feedback) during DRX inactivity periods. Alternatively, the time and frequency resources for uplink transmissions during DRX inactivity periods can be shown as a so-called "delta configuration" in relation to the time and frequency resources configured for the corresponding uplink transmissions during DRX active periods. Only certain parts of the physical channel configuration (e.g., time / frequency resources) during DRX inactivity periods can be changed, while other parameters remain the same as during DRX active periods. This approach is more data-efficient than when a complete configuration (including all parameters) for SR and CSI reporting is provided for the DRX inactivity state.

[0149] Configuration information for uplink transmissions during DRX inactive periods may include a representation of the periodicity and / or the difference in time offset values ​​(e.g., SR or CSI) to the values ​​of the parameters used for the corresponding transmissions during DRX active periods. Similarly, frequency resources for uplink transmissions during DRX inactive periods may be indicated by providing a representation of the difference to the frequency resources used for the corresponding uplink transmissions during DRX active periods. For example, as shown in Figure 12, the frequency resources allocated by base station 5 for CSI transmissions using CSI Config-1 during DRX active periods may differ from the frequency resources allocated by base station 5 for CSI transmissions during DRX inactive periods, and base station 5 may indicate this frequency difference (e.g., the number of resource blocks) to UE3.

[0150] In the example shown in Figure 12, during the DRX inactive period, the transmission of SRs using the second SR configuration (SR config-2) and the transmission of CSIs using the second CSI configuration (CSI config-2) are disabled (e.g., not configured by base station 5). SRs and / or CSIs may be disabled during the DRX inactive period based on any appropriate control signaling from base station 5 to UE3. For example, a particular uplink transmission may be disabled by explicitly indicating whether UCI transmissions are permitted during the DRX inactive period. Alternatively, an implicit indication that uplink transmissions will not be transmitted during the DRX inactive period may be provided, for example, by not providing parameter values ​​for transmissions during the DRX inactive period (e.g., periodicity and offset, or PUCCH resource configurations).

[0151] UE3 can be configured to treat each SR or CSI configuration as disabled during DRX inactivity unless it receives an indication from base station 5 that an SR or CSI should be transmitted during DRX inactivity. In other words, SRs and / or CSIs may be disabled by default during DRX inactivity unless base station 5 activates transmission (for example, by using an explicit indication that an SR or CSI should be transmitted during DRX inactivity).

[0152] HARQ ACK / NACK feedback timing Figure 12 shows the case where SR and CSI are transmitted during a DRX inactive period, but HARQ ACK / NACK feedback may also be transmitted during a DRX inactive period. Advantageously, this example supports a larger time difference (e.g., more than 15 slots) between DL data transmission and the transmission of the corresponding ACK / NACK feedback, providing greater flexibility to delay the transmission of feedback based on the base station 5's DRX schedule. For example, the ACK / NACK feedback may be delayed so as not to fall within a DRX inactive period. Alternatively, as will be discussed in more detail later, the resources for transmitting the ACK / NACK feedback may be configured to overlap in the time domain with other uplink transmissions (e.g., CSI, SR, additional HARQ feedback from the same UE3 or another UE3 in the same UE3 or another UCI in the base station 5's cell), reducing the overall number of time opportunities for base station 5 to receive uplink transmissions during a DRX inactive period, and thus improving energy savings.

[0153] The time offset for HARQ feedback may be explicitly configured by base station 5 using any appropriate signaling transmitted from base station 5 to UE3. UE3 is configured to add the time offset to a previously configured time resource for uplink transmission of feedback in order to determine one or more time resources to use for transmitting the feedback. Alternatively, UE3 may be configured to derive the time offset for transmitting HARQ feedback. For example, UE3 may determine the time offset for transmitting HARQ feedback based on the remaining duration of the DRX inactivity period. The time resource corresponding to the DRX inactivity period of base station 5 (or more generally, the DRX / DTX schedule of base station 5) may be indicated to UE3 by base station 5. Alternatively, for example, the time offset for transmitting HARQ feedback may be indicated to UE3 within a DCI that schedules the corresponding PDSCH.

[0154] The maximum time difference between the transmission of downlink data and the transmission of the corresponding ACK / NACK feedback by UE3 during a DRX inactive period may be greater than the maximum time difference between the transmission of downlink data and the transmission of the corresponding ACK / NACK feedback during a DRX active period.

[0155] The time delay in sending HARQ feedback can be configured by updating the HARQ-ACK codebook generation rules. The HARQ ACK codebook defines the format used to signal the set of HARQ feedback to base station 5. The HARQ codebook may be a semi-static (Type 1) codebook whose size is fixed by the information provided via RRC signaling, or a dynamic (Type 2) codebook whose size changes depending on the number of resource allocations. The use of a particular codebook by UE3 (and base station 5) is configured by base station 5.

[0156] If the HARQ-ACK codebook corresponds to feedback entering within a DRX inactive period of base station 5 (for example, based on the PDSCH-HARQ feedback timing indicator field or provided by the dl-DataToUL-ACK information element), the HARQ-ACK feedback may be delayed to use the next available PUCCH resource that does not enter within a DRX inactive period, or to overlap in the time domain with another uplink transmission during a DRX inactive period. The first uplink symbol of the PUCCH for carrying the HARQ-ACK information may also be defined using an assigned HARQ-ACK timing parameter K1, where K1 indicates the time gap between the down transmission and the time resource for transmitting the corresponding HARQ feedback. The value of K1 may be configured by base station 5 using RRC signaling and / or DCI. The value of K1 may be increased (e.g., up to 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, or 15 slots) to delay the transmission of HARQ feedback, or the K1 value can be shown to the UE3 using more bits (compared to the value used by cells not operating on the NES). The value of K1 is configurable by base station 5 for each UE3 and, advantageously, can be used to overlap HARQ feedback from different UE3s in the time domain of the DRX inactivity period, reducing the number of time opportunities for base station 5 to receive HARQ feedback during the DRX inactivity period (e.g., if the delay required to delay HARQ feedback until after the DRX inactivity period has ended is too large). Alternatively, for example, base station 5 may provide a representation of a common time resource (e.g., such as a PUCCH time slot) used by a group of UE3s (e.g., all UE3s in a cell) for transmitting HARQ feedback during base station 5's DRX inactivity period. In this case, the UE3 may be configured to determine the value of K1 so that HARQ feedback transmitted by the UE3 is transmitted using the common time resource.The display of common time resources can be provided to UE3 by base station 5 using any appropriate transmission (e.g., via DCI or RRC transmission).

[0157] Figure 13 illustrates an example where the transmission of HARQ feedback is delayed during the DRX inactive period of base station 5 to reduce the number of time opportunities for base station 5 to receive uplink transmissions during the DRX inactive period. As shown in Figure 13, a first PDSCH (PDSCH-1) for a first UE3 is transmitted during the first time resource. Then, the HARQ feedback corresponding to the first PDSCH is transmitted during the DRX active period of base station 5. A delay is introduced between the transmission of the first PDSCH-1 and the uplink transmission of the corresponding feedback, as shown as “Delay 1” in Figure 13. Then, a second PDSCH (PDSCH-2) is transmitted to UE3. As shown in Figure 13, the delay between the second PDSCH and the uplink transmission of the corresponding feedback (shown as “Delay 2” in Figure 13) is greater than the delay used during the DRX active period. Advantageously, this allows the time resources used for HARQ feedback during the DRX inactive period to overlap with the time resources used for other uplink transmissions. In the example shown in Figure 13, the time resources used to transmit the HARQ feedback to the second PDSCH are the same as the time resources used to transmit the UCI to another UE3. The HARQ feedback can be configured to overlap in the time domain with any other suitable uplink transmission during the DRX inactive period to reduce the number of time opportunities for base station 5 to receive uplink transmissions during the DRX inactive period, thereby improving energy savings. In the example shown in Figure 13, the second PDSCH is also transmitted during the DRX inactive period, but this is not necessarily required. For example, the PDSCH is transmitted during the DRX active period, and the feedback for the PDSCH is transmitted during the DRX inactive period (and configured to overlap in the time domain with another uplink transmission during the DRX inactive period).Alternatively, the PDSCH may be transmitted during a DRX active period, and the transmission of the corresponding HARQ feedback may be delayed until after the end of the base station's next DRX inactive period (the HARQ feedback may be transmitted during a different DRX active period of the base station, rather than the DRX active period in which the PDSCH is transmitted). The example in Figure 13 shows how HARQ feedback and UCI to other UE3s use the same time resources during a DRX inactive period, although the time resources do not have to be exactly the same and may instead partially overlap, and it will be understood that this still reduces the duration for which base station 5 receives uplink transmissions during a DRX inactive period.

[0158] Base station 5 can configure the time resources used for uplink transmissions during DRX inactivity periods so that HARQ feedback for different PDSCHs of one UE3 (or various UE3s) is transmitted using the same or partially overlapping time resources. Base station 5 can provide UE3 within the DCI of the first PDSCH an indication of whether the HARQ feedback for the first PDSCH should be transmitted using the HARQ feedback time resources corresponding to the second PDSCH (resulting in HARQ feedback for potentially first and second PDSCHs directed to the same UE3 being transmitted using the same time resources during DRX inactivity periods). Transmission of HARQ ACK / NACK feedback may be delayed until the next time resource (e.g., a slot) used for a periodic UCI transmission (e.g., SR / CSI) to be transmitted by the UE3. The HARQ feedback bits can then be multiplexed with the bits of the periodic UCI transmission.

[0159] As described above, base station 5 can increase energy savings during the base station's DRX inactive period by configuring the uplink communication resources used for UCI transmission to overlap in the time domain. Base station 5 may be configured to disable one or more PUCCH resource configurations typically used by UE3 (for example, during the DRX active period). For example, disabling a PUCCH resource or a subset of PUCCH resource sets associated with a high payload size can increase resource availability to achieve overlap in the time domain during the DRX inactive period. If the PUCCH resources for SR are deactivated, UE3 can initiate RACH for SR during cell DRX.

[0160] Base station 5 may enable additional PUCCH resource configurations (e.g., configure or allocate to UE3) that should only be used during periods of DRX inactivity. The indication from base station 5 to UE3 that a PUCCH resource configuration should only be used during periods of DRX inactivity may be provided within the PUCCH resource configuration or within the relevant configuration of the UCI (e.g., SR or CSI) by indicating that a different PUCCH resource configuration should be used during periods of DRX inactivity.

[0161] The network can also provide a display of a set of parameters for each PUCCH resource to be used during the DRX inactivity period of base station 5 (e.g., via transmission from base station 5 to UE3). The displayed parameters may include the allocation of time and frequency resources and / or the PUCCH format. The PUCCH configuration ID may remain the same.

[0162] For semi-persistent CSIs transmitted using PUSCH, the PUSCH resources used during the DRX active period of base station 5 may not be required during the DRX inactive period, and therefore a mechanism can be defined to reduce the number of PUSCH resources configured for uplink transmissions during the DRX inactive period. Thus, PUSCH transmission parameters (e.g., frequency resource allocation) may differ between the DRX active and DRX inactive periods. Alternatively, base station 5 may provide UE3 with an indication that CSI reports normally transmitted using PUSCH should be transmitted using PUSCH resources during the DRX inactive period, in which case base station 5 provides UE3 with an indication of PUSCH resources. In a further alternative, CSI reports associated with PUSCH may be disabled during the DRX inactive period. CSI reports may be explicitly disabled by base station 5 by providing UE3 with an explicit indication using configuration information, or the disabling of CSIs during the DRX inactive period may be predefined in UE3.

[0163] Figure 14 illustrates an example where the communication resources for PUCCH transmission differ between the DRX active period and the DRX inactive period, with some PUCCHs being disabled during the DRX inactive period and some PUCCHs being used only during the DRX inactive period. As illustrated in Figure 14, during the DRX active period, the first PUCCH, the second PUCCH, and the third PUCCH (PUCCH resource-1, PUCCH resource-2, and PUCCH resource-3) are configured. The frequency resources allocated (configured) for transmitting the first PUCCH during the DRX active period are the same as the frequency resources allocated for transmitting the first PUCCH during the DRX inactive period of base station 5. However, the frequency resources used for transmitting the second PUCCH during the DRX active period are different from the frequency resources used for transmitting the second PUCCH during the DRX inactive period. Furthermore, the third PUCCH is disabled during the DRX inactive period. In this example, the third PUCCH is disabled because it carries a relatively large UCI size (and uses a relatively large amount of frequency resources during the DRX active period). As shown in Figure 14, the fourth and fifth PUCCHs (PUCCH resource-4 and PUCCH resource-5) are configured only during the DRX inactive period. Advantageously, by configuring the resources available for each PUCCH transmission, base station 5 can enable a higher level of multiplexing for UCI transmission during the DRX inactive period.

[0164] Upper-level procedure Base station 5 can provide UE3 with an indication of which SRs are permitted to be transmitted by UE3 during the base station's DRX inactive period (e.g., configured or allocated). For example, base station 5 can provide an indication within the SR configuration whether SRs can be transmitted during base station 5's DRX inactive period. Base station 5 can be configured to permit the transmission of certain SRs during the DRX inactive period. For example, base station 5 can provide UE3 with an indication that the transmission of SRs for SCell beam fault recovery or LBT fault (or other high-priority transmissions) is permitted during the DRX inactive period. Alternatively, base station 5 can provide an indication within the logical channel configuration whether SRs are permitted to be transmitted during the DRX inactive period (e.g., with respect to SRs triggered by BSR triggers associated with logical channels). Transmission of SRs during the DRX inactive period may also be permitted for certain RRC procedures (e.g., mobility procedures such as handovers described above with reference to Figure 5). For example, SR transmissions resulting from measurement report transmissions associated with measurement report triggers may be permitted. Base station 5 can configure a measurement event that allows the transmission of the corresponding SR during the base station's DRX inactive period (by providing any appropriate indication to UE3).

[0165] Base station 5 may be in a DTX inactive state when an SR is transmitted by UE3, in which case UE3 may not monitor cell RNTI (C-RNTI) based transmissions from the network. In this case, the inventors have recognized that an improved method can be used for UE3 to receive UL grants after SR transmission. In the first option, UE3 is configured to monitor C-RNTI based DCI transmissions or UL grants from the network after an SR is transmitted by UE3 during a DTX inactive period of the base station. In the second option, UE3 is configured to assume that the DTX inactive state has ended (or is not enabled) and, if an SR is transmitted by UE during a DTX inactive period, monitor all DL transmissions from base station 5 based on the DTX active state.

[0166] Some configured grant (CG) resources may be needed during DRX inactive periods (for example, with regard to scheduling high-priority transmissions such as transmissions related to handovers, radio link failures, or beam failures), so base station 5 may maintain these resources available for uplink transmissions during DRX inactive periods (and temporarily disable the DRX inactive state to receive uplink transmissions). A representation of the transmission parameters of the CG configuration during DRX inactive periods (transmission configuration information), such as periodicity and offset values, may be provided, and the parameters may differ from those used during DRX active periods. As described above with reference to SR and CSI, the parameters may be explicitly or implicitly indicated from base station 5 to UE3 for DRX active and DRX inactive periods.

[0167] MAC SR Procedure UE3 may be configured not to initiate random access procedures, including RACH transmissions triggered by SRs, during periods of DRX inactivity on base station 5. However, if no PUCCH resources are available to UE3 for transmitting SRs (for example, configured for use by UE3 on base station 5), it may be advantageous to allow the initiation of random access procedures during periods of DRX inactivity.

[0168] Figure 15 shows an example where RACH transmission is not permitted during the DRX inactive period of base station 5, and RACH transmission is performed during the subsequent DRX active period. As shown in Figure 15, in this example, RACH is triggered by SR during the DRX inactive period of base station 5, but since the corresponding PRACH transmission is not permitted during the DRX inactive period, the PRACH transmission is delayed until the DRX active period of base station 5. The corresponding RAR or MSG3 (as explained earlier with reference to Figure 6) is also shown during the DRX active period of base station 5.

[0169] Figure 16 shows an example where, if the SR that triggered RACH corresponds to an authorized transmission (e.g., a high-priority transmission), RACH transmission is permitted during the DRX inactivity period of base station 5. As shown in Figure 16, in this example, RACH is triggered by an SR corresponding to a transmission permitted during the DRX inactivity period, and PRACH, RAR, MSG3, etc., are transmitted during the DRX inactivity period of base station 5. Therefore, advantageously, high-priority transmissions can be received at base station 5 even during the DRX inactivity period.

[0170] Figure 17 shows an example where a RACH is triggered by an SR during a DRX active period, but the first available PRACH opportunity falls within a DRX inactive period. In this example, the RACH trigger by the SR occurs during the DRX active period of base station 5. However, the first available PRACH opportunity to transmit the corresponding PRACH falls within the DRX inactive period of base station 5. Therefore, UE3 decides to delay transmitting the PRACH until a subsequent PRACH opportunity occurs within the base station's DRX active period. In other words, UE3 waits until the end of the DRX inactive period of base station 5 following the RACH trigger by the SR before transmitting the PRACH. Thus, there is the advantage of avoiding the transmission of the PRACH during the DRX inactive period of base station 5.

[0171] In a further alternative, RACH transmissions may be permitted during DRX inactivity only if base station 5 provides UE3 with an indication (explicit or implicit) that the RACH resource should be used for SR (e.g., corresponding to high-priority transmissions) during the period when base station 5's DRX is inactive.

[0172] UCI multiplexing If the SR associated with the corresponding SR configuration cannot be transmitted during the DRX inactivity period of base station 5, the SR bit may not be included in the UCI if the SR is invalidated by the higher layer. During periods when the base station's DRX is inactive, CSI reports may be multiplexed with SR and / or HARQ feedback. CSIs may be multiplexed in order of priority. CSI reports may include, for example, tracking reference signal (TRS), radio link monitoring (RLM), beam fault detection / recovery, radio resource management (RRM), or beam management. The priority of multiplexing may be, for example, 1) Tracking (TRS) 2) RLM 3) Beam fault detection / recovery 4) RRM 5) Beam management, Therefore, CSI reports corresponding to tracking (TRS) have the highest priority for multiplexing with SR and / or HARQ feedback during base station DRX inactivity periods, and CSI reports corresponding to beam management have the lowest priority for multiplexing with SR and / or HARQ feedback during base station DRX inactivity periods. CSI reports, including A-CSI for data transmission and scheduling, may be configured to be "deactivated" (e.g., by signaling from base station 5) during base station 5's DRX inactivity periods.

[0173] Overlap between PUCCH and Cell DRX inactivity periods If a base station is configured to have DRX inactive and DRX active periods, UE3 can be configured using higher-layer signaling to not transmit using PUCCH during base station 5's DRX inactive period. However, the configured PUCCH resources may not necessarily coincide with the boundaries of the DRX inactive and DRX active periods. The configured PUCCH resources may also overlap with each other. In this case, multiplexing of high-priority and low-priority data such as SR and HARQ-ACK may be performed on high-priority PUCCHs, and transmissions on low-priority PUCCHs may be canceled. If a PUCCH during a base station's DRX active period overlaps in the time domain with a PUCCH of an invalidated CSI during base station 5's DRX inactive period, UE3 will not perform transmissions during the DRX inactive period and will not perform UCI multiplexing. Alternatively, if a PUCCH during a cell DRX inactive period ends before an overlapping PUCCH during a cell DRX active period, UE3 may perform UCI multiplexing first, and transmissions may occur during the cell DRX active period.

[0174] Short-term cell DRX cycle As described above, an SR may be transmitted during the base station's DRX inactive period. For example, UE3 may decide to transmit an SR when it corresponds to high-priority uplink data. Following the transmission of the SR, the exchange of PDSCH, PUSCH, and control information between the network and UE3 may be required, which may typically require base station 5 to be in a DRX active state. One option is to configure a configured grant (CG) for use only during the base station's DRX inactive period. However, the inventors have recognized that there are other advantageous ways in which UL transmissions (such as CGs) from UE3 can be configured during the base station 5's DRX inactive period.

[0175] When certain UCIs are received during a DRX inactive period (e.g., SRs corresponding to high-priority uplink data, measurement reports for mobility, or beam fault-related information), base station 5 may be configured to “wake up” and use a shorter DRX cycle. As described above with reference to Figure 9, the on-duration t1 of a DRX cycle (i.e., a DRX active period) does not necessarily have to be a constant duration and may have a variable duration, and can be different from the duration of an off-duration (e.g., a DRX inactive period).

[0176] Figure 18 shows an example where base station 5 may be in either a long-term or short-term cell DRX configuration. Advantageously, base station 5 can decide to use the short-term cell DRX configuration during periods when it would normally be in a DRX inactive period in a long-term cell DRX configuration, for example, based on the decision that high-priority uplink transmissions should be received.

[0177] Figure 18 also shows time opportunities where SR time opportunities are available but not being used, time opportunities where SR time opportunities are available and being used, and time opportunities where CG resources are available. As shown in Figure 18, base station 5 is configured to activate the short-term cell DRX configuration and schedule CG resources during the DRX active period of the short-term cell DRX configuration. The DRX active period of the short-term DRX cycle (or the fact that base station 5 has decided to use the short-term cell DRX configuration) does not need to be known to all UE3 in base station 5's cell. As shown in Figure 18, base station 5 can send an indication to one or more UE3s that it has decided to use the short-term cell DRX configuration (for example, during the DRX inactive period of the long-term cell DRX configuration). The indication may be sent to UE3s that transmit a specific UCI (for example, corresponding to a high-priority transmission).

[0178] In the first option, after UE3 transmits an initial UL signal (e.g., SR), base station 5 transmits an acknowledgment or other appropriate type of transmission indicating that base station 5 has decided to use a short-term cell DRX configuration. The signaling may be UE-specific, or it may be a display transmitted to a group of UE3s (group UE-based control signaling), or it may be provided within a UL grant of UE3s. In the second option, after UE3 transmits an initial UL signal (e.g., SR), UE3 may be configured to assume (e.g., automatically determine) that base station 5 is using a short-term cell DRX configuration and transmit subsequent uplink transmissions accordingly.

[0179] In a third option, the network may provide UE3 with an L1 / L2 indication that the DRX inactive period of a long-term cell DRX configuration is disabled for a specific period of time. Upon receiving the indication, UE3 performs a normal UL / DL transmission, as would be performed when base station 5 is in a DRX / DTX active state.

[0180] During the DRX active period of a short-term cell DRX configuration, configured UL resources that fall within the DRX active period can be used. This method may include unmasking or disabling. Base station 5 can provide indication to UE3 in the activation signaling for the short-term DRX configuration (signaling that base station 5 is using the short-term cell DRX configuration) or in the RRC configuration where the UL signaling channel should be activated (for transmission) during the short-term DRX period.

[0181] Optionally or alternatively, short-term DTX cycles may be configured and applied during the DTX inactivity period of a normal cell DTX. This is similar to the DRX case described above, except that the shorter cycle is applied to the DTX operation rather than the DRX operation. During cell DRX inactivity, UL transmissions may be performed using dynamic scheduling, and therefore, in a shorter DTX cycle, base station 5 can send UL grants to UE3 via DCI even during the normal cell DTX inactivity period, thereby enabling subsequent PUSCH transmissions from UE3 even during the cell DRX inactivity state. Signaling indicating the start or activation of a short-term cell DTX state can be similar to the signaling for the start of activation of a short-term cell DRX state described above. However, it will be understood that the signaling does not have to be exactly the same, and the start or activation of a short-term cell DTX state can be indicated using a first set of signaling, and the start or activation of a short-term cell DRX state can be indicated using a similar but separate set of signaling. During the active period of the short-term DTX cycle, UE3 is configured to monitor DCI, identified by C-RNTI, to receive any UL grants from base stations.

[0182] User equipment Figure 19 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of UE3 as shown in Figure 1. As shown in the figure, UE3 has a transceiver circuit 310 capable of transmitting signals to and receiving signals from base station 5 via one or more antennas 330 (e.g., having one or more antenna elements). UE3 has a controller 370 that controls the operation of UE3. The controller 370 is associated with memory 390 and coupled to the transceiver circuit 310. Although not necessarily required for its operation, UE3 can, of course, have all the usual features of a conventional UE3 (e.g., a user interface 350 such as a touchscreen / keypad / microphone / speaker to enable direct control and interaction with the user), which can be provided, as appropriate, by one or any combination of hardware, software, and firmware. The software may be pre-installed in memory 390 and / or downloaded, for example, via communication system 1 or from a removable data storage device (RMD).

[0183] In this example, the controller 370 is configured to control the overall operation of the UE3 by program instructions or software instructions stored in memory 390. As shown in the figure, these software instructions include, among other things, the operating system 410, the communications control module 430, the UCI module 450, the HARQ module 470, and the NES module 490.

[0184] The communication control module 430 is operable to control communication between the UE3 and one or more of its serving base stations 5 (and other communication devices connected to the base station 5, e.g., further UEs and / or core network nodes). The communication control module 430 is configured to handle uplink communication in general via associated uplink channels (e.g., via the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), random access channel (RACH), and / or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)), including both dynamic and quasi-static signaling (e.g., such as SRS). The communication control module 430 is also configured to handle the reception of downlink communication in general via associated downlink channels (e.g., via the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and / or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)), including both dynamic and quasi-static signaling (e.g., such as CSI-RS). The communication control module 430 is responsible for, for example, determining where to monitor downlink control information (such as the locations of CSS / USS, CORESET, and associated PDCCH candidates to be monitored); determining which resources should be used by UE3 for transmitting / receiving UL / DL communications (including interleaved resources and resources subject to frequency hopping); managing frequency hopping on the UE side; determining how slots / symbols are configured (for example, for UL, DL, or SBFD communications); determining which one or more bandwidth portions are configured for UE3; determining how uplink transmissions should be encoded; and appropriately applying any SBFD-specific communication configurations. The UCI module 450 may be configured to control communications (for example, transmitting UCIs based on control information received from a base station) in any of the methods described above.The HARQ module 470 may be configured to control communications to send HARQ feedback in accordance with any of the methods described above. Similarly, the NES module 490 may control communications to perform any of the network energy saving methods described above (for example, by controlling UE3 to enter a DRX or DTX state).

[0185] base station Figure 20 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of base station 5 for the communication system 1 shown in Figure 1. As shown, base station 5 has transceiver circuits 510 for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from communication devices (such as UE3) via one or more antennas 530 (e.g., single or multi-panel antenna arrays / large antennas), and core network interfaces 550 (e.g., with N2, N3, and other reference points / interfaces) for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from network nodes in the core network 7. Not shown, base station 5 may also be coupled to other base stations via appropriate interfaces (e.g., the so-called "Xn" interface in NR). Base station 5 has a controller 570 that controls the operation of base station 5. Controller 570 is associated with memory 590. Software may be pre-installed in memory 590 and / or downloaded, for example, via the communication network 1 or from a removable data storage device (RMD). In this example, the controller 570 is configured to control the overall operation of the base station 5 by program instructions or software instructions stored in memory 590. As shown in the figure, these software instructions include, among other things, the operating system 610, the communications control module 630, and the NES module 650.

[0186] The communication control module 630 is operable to control communication between the base station 5, the UE3, and other network entities connected to the base station 5. The communication control module 630 is configured to generally control the reception and decoding of uplink communications over associated uplink channels (e.g., via the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), random-access channel (RACH), and / or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)), including both dynamic and quasi-static signaling (e.g., SRS). The communication control module 630 is also configured to generally handle the transmission of downlink communications over associated downlink channels (e.g., via the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and / or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)), including both dynamic and quasi-static signaling (e.g., CSI-RS). The communication control module 630 is also responsible for managing full-duplex communications (e.g., SBFD), including the separation of UL and DL communications over different physical antenna elements, as needed. The communication control module 630 may perform, for example, the following roles: determining where the UE3 should be configured to monitor downlink control information (such as the locations of CSS / USS, CORESET, and associated PDCCH candidates to be monitored); determining resources to be scheduled for UE transmission / reception of UL / DL communications (including interleaved resources and resources subject to frequency hopping); managing frequency hopping on the base station side; appropriately configuring slots / symbols (for example, UL, DL, or SBFD communications); configuring one or more bandwidth portions for the UE3; and providing relevant configuration signaling to the UE3. The communication control module 630 may be configured to control communications in any of the methods described above.The NES module 650 may be configured to control communications in any of the above-described ways (for example, to control base station 5 to enter a DTX or DRX state, or to transmit control information to UE3 to configure time resources or frequency resources for uplink transmission during the DTX or DRX period of base station 5).

[0187] Core network nodes / functions Figure 21 is a block diagram showing the main components of a core network node or function such as AMF, CPF, UPF, SMF, or OAM. As shown in the figure, the core network function includes a transceiver circuit 710 that can operate to transmit signals to and receive signals from other nodes (including UE3, base station 5, and other core network nodes) via the network interface 720. The controller 730 controls the operation of the core network function according to software stored in memory 740. The software may be pre-installed in memory 740 and / or downloaded, for example, via communication system 1 or from a removable data storage device (RMD). The software includes, among other things, an operating system 750 and a communication control module 760.

[0188] The communication control module 760 is responsible for handling (generating / transmitting / receiving) signaling between the core network functions and other nodes such as UE3, base station 5, and other core network nodes. The communication control module 760 may be configured to perform communication control in any of the methods described above.

[0189] Variations and alternative examples As those skilled in the art will understand, the above embodiments can be modified and substituted in multiple ways, while still benefiting from the present disclosure as embodied therein. For example, to clarify, specific terms may be used for generations of cellular communication (such as 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, and 6G) ​​to refer to a particular communication entity, but it should be understood that the technical features described for a given entity are not limited to devices of that particular communication generation. Technical features can be implemented in any functionally equivalent communication entity, regardless of the differences in the terminology used to refer to them.

[0190] In the above description, the UE and base station are described as having several separate functional components or modules for the sake of ease of understanding. These modules may thus be provided in certain applications, for example, where an existing system is modified to implement the present disclosure, but in other applications, for example, systems designed from the outset with the features of the present invention in mind, these modules may be incorporated into the overall operating system or code, and therefore these modules may not be identified as separate entities.

[0191] In the exemplary embodiments described above, several software modules have been explained. As those skilled in the art will understand, software modules may be provided in compiled or uncompiled form and may be supplied as signals over a computer network or on a recording medium. Furthermore, some or all of the functions performed by this software may be performed using one or more dedicated hardware circuits. However, the use of software modules is preferred because it facilitates updating the base station or UE to update the functions of the base station or UE.

[0192] Each control unit may include, for example, one or more hardware-implemented computer processors, microprocessors, central processing units (CPUs), arithmetic logic units (ALUs), input / output (IO) circuits, internal memory / cache (programs and / or data), processing registers, communication buses (such as control buses, data buses, and / or address buses), direct memory access (DMA) functions, hardware or software-implemented counters, pointers, and / or timers, and any other suitable form of processing circuitry. Various other modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art and will not be described in further detail here. A base station may comprise a "distributed" base station having a central unit "CU" and one or more individual distributed units (DU). In this disclosure, User Equipment (or “UE,” “Mobile Station,” “Mobile Device,” or “Radio Device”) is an entity connected to a network via a radio interface.

[0193] Please note that this disclosure is not limited to dedicated communication devices, but can be applied to any device having communication functions as described in the following paragraphs.

[0194] The terms “User Equipment” or “UE” (as used by 3GPP), “Mobile Station,” “Mobile Device,” and “Radio Device” are generally intended to be synonymous with each other and include standalone mobile stations such as terminals, cell phones, smartphones, tablets, cellular IoT devices, IoT devices, and machines. The terms “Mobile Station” and “Mobile Device” will be understood to also include devices that remain stationary for extended periods.

[0195] UE may be items of equipment for production or manufacturing and / or items of energy-related machinery, such as equipment or machinery (for example, boilers, engines, turbines, solar panels, wind turbines, hydroelectric generators, thermal generators, nuclear generators, batteries, nuclear systems and / or related equipment, heavy electrical machinery, pumps including vacuum pumps, compressors, fans, blowers, hydraulic equipment, pneumatic equipment, metalworking machinery, manipulators, robots and / or their application systems, tools, molds or dies, rolls, conveying equipment, elevators, material handling equipment, textile machinery, sewing machinery, printing and / or related machinery, paper conversion machinery, chemical machinery, mining machinery and / or construction machinery and / or related equipment, machinery and / or equipment for agriculture, forestry and / or fisheries, safety and / or environmental protection equipment, tractors, precision bearings, chains, gears, power transmission systems, lubrication equipment, valves, pipe fittings and / or application systems for any of the aforementioned equipment or machinery, etc.).

[0196] UE may be an item of transport equipment, for example (such as transport equipment such as railway cars, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, trains, buses, carts, rickshaws, ships and other watercraft, aircraft, rockets, satellites, drones, balloons, etc.). UE may also be an item of information and communication equipment, for example (such as information and communication equipment such as electronic computers and related equipment, communication and related equipment, electronic components, etc.).

[0197] UE may include, for example, refrigerators, refrigerator applications, commercial and / or service industry equipment items, vending machines, automated service machines, office machines or equipment, and household appliances and electronic devices (such as audio equipment, video equipment, loudspeakers, radios, televisions, microwave ovens, rice cookers, coffee machines, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, electronic fans or related equipment, vacuum cleaners, etc.).

[0198] UE may be an electrical application system or device, for example, (such as an electrical application system or device, such as an X-ray system, particle accelerator, radioisotope device, sound wave device, electromagnetic application device, power application device, etc.).

[0199] UE may include, for example, electronic lamps, lighting fixtures, measuring instruments, analyzers, testers, or measuring or detecting equipment (such as smoke detectors, human alarm sensors, motion sensors, wireless tags, etc.), watches or clocks, laboratory equipment, optical devices, medical equipment and / or systems, weapons, tableware, hand tools, etc.

[0200] The UE may be, for example, a wireless-equipped personal digital assistant or related device (such as a wireless card or module designed to be attached to or inserted into another electronic device, such as a personal computer or electrical measuring instrument).

[0201] The UE may be part of a device or system that uses various wired and / or wireless communication technologies to provide the following applications, services, and solutions related to the Internet of Things (IoT). Internet of Things (or "things") may be equipped with appropriate electronics, software, sensors, network connectivity, etc., that enable these devices to collect and exchange data with each other and with other communication devices. IoT devices may include automated devices that follow software instructions stored in internal memory. IoT devices may operate without requiring human supervision or interaction. IoT devices may also remain stationary and / or inactive for extended periods. IoT devices may be implemented as part of (generally) stationary equipment. IoT devices may also be incorporated into non-stationary equipment (such as a vehicle) or attached to animals or people being monitored / tracked.

[0202] It will be understood that IoT technology can be implemented on any communication device that can connect to a communication network to send / receive data, regardless of whether such communication device is controlled by human input or by software instructions stored in memory.

[0203] It will be understood that IoT devices are sometimes called Machine-Type Communication (MTC) devices or Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication devices. It will be understood that a UE may support one or more IoT or MTC applications. Some examples of MTC applications are listed in the table below. This list is not exhaustive and is intended to show some examples of machine-type communication applications.

[0204] [Table 2]

[0205] Applications, services, and solutions may include MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) services, emergency radio communication systems, PBX (Private Branch eXchange) systems, PHS / digital cordless telecommunications systems, POS (Point of Sale) systems, incoming advertising systems, MBMS (Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Service), V2X (Vehicle to Everything) systems, train radio systems, location-related services, disaster / emergency radio communication services, community services, video streaming services, femtocell application services, VoLTE (Voice over LTE) services, billing services, wireless on-demand services, roaming services, activity monitoring services, telecommunications carrier / communication network selection services, function restriction services, PoC (Proof of Concept) services, personal information management services, ad hoc network / DTN (Delay Tolerant Networking) services, and others.

[0206] Furthermore, the aforementioned UE categories are merely examples of applications of the technical concepts and exemplary embodiments described in this document. Needless to say, these technical concepts and exemplary embodiments are not limited to the aforementioned UEs and are subject to various modifications. Various other modifications are obvious to those skilled in the art and will not be described in further detail here.

[0207] This application claims the benefit of priority under UK Patent Application No. 2307044.4, filed on 11 May 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0208] All or part of the exemplary embodiments disclosed above may be described, but are not limited to, as follows: (Note 1) A method performed by an access network node, The steps include sending a representation of at least one communication resource used by the UE for uplink transmission to the user equipment (UE), The process includes the step of receiving an uplink transmission from the UE that was sent using at least one communication resource, At least one communication resource overlaps in the time domain with a first period during which the access network node operates in discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode. A method for an access network node to select at least one communication resource such that an uplink transmission at least partially overlaps with another uplink transmission in the time domain during a first period. (Note 2) The uplink transmission is a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission, and at least one communication resource includes time and frequency resources for the PUCCH transmission, as described in Appendix 1. (Note 3) Uplink transmission is as described in Appendix 2, including uplink control information (UCI) transmitted using PUCCH. (Note 4) Uplink transmission is as described in any one of the items in Appendix 1 to 3, including scheduling request (SR), channel state information (CSI) report, or hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback. (Note 5) The method described in Appendix 4, wherein the uplink transmission includes an SR or CSI, and the SR or CSI is associated with the uplink transmission for a beam management procedure, radio link failure procedure, beam failure procedure, or handover procedure. (Note 6) The method described in any one of the appendices 1 to 5, wherein the display of at least one communication resource includes a display of the periodicity of uplink transmissions. (Note 7) The access network node operates in DRX active mode during a second period, which is different from the first period. The display of at least one communication resource includes a display of the difference between at least one communication resource and the communication resource used for uplink transmission during the second period. The method described in any one of the appendices 1 to 6. (Note 8) The method according to Appendix 7, wherein the display of at least one communication resource includes a display of the periodicity or time offset difference of uplink transmissions. (Note 9) The method according to Appendix 7 or Appendix 8, further comprising the step of sending a message to the UE indicating that an uplink transmission configuration for use in a second period should be deactivated during the first period. (Note 10) Uplink transmission includes HARQ feedback for downlink transmission. The representation of at least one communication resource used by the UE for uplink transmission includes a representation of the period between the reception of a downlink transmission and the transmission of HARQ feedback in the UE. The method described in any one of the appendices 1 to 9. (Note 11) The time between receiving a downlink transmission and sending HARQ feedback in the UE is greater than 15 slots, as described in Appendix 10. (Note 12) The method as described in Appendix 10 or 11, wherein the period between the reception of a downlink transmission at the UE and the transmission of HARQ feedback during the first period is longer than the period between the reception of a downlink transmission at the UE and the transmission of HARQ feedback supported when the access network node is operating in DRX active mode. (Note 13) Another uplink transmission is the method described in any one of the appendices 1 to 12, which includes uplink control information transmitted by another UE. (Note 14) Another uplink transmission is transmitted by the UE as described in any one of the items in Appendix 1 to 12. (Note 15) The method as described in Appendix 14, wherein an uplink transmission includes HARQ feedback related to a first downlink transmission, and another uplink transmission includes HARQ feedback related to a second downlink transmission. (Note 16) The method described in any one of the appendices 1 to 15, comprising the step of sending a representation of one or more PUCCH configurations to the UE, which are used by the UE for uplink transmission in the first period but not used in the second period. (Note 17) The method described in any one of the appendices 1 to 16, comprising the step of sending a UE a representation of the configuration of transmission for the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) during the first period, which is different from the configuration of transmission for PUSCH during the second period. (Note 18) The method described in any one of the appendices 1 to 17, comprising the step of sending information to the UE indicating whether the submission of a scheduling request is permitted during a first period. (Note 19) Information indicating whether the transmission of scheduling requests is permitted during the first period is provided in the manner described in Appendix 18, indicating whether the transmission of scheduling requests is permitted for each scheduling request or for each logical channel during the first period. (Note 20) A method performed by user equipment (UE), The steps include receiving an indication from an access network node of at least one communication resource for use by the UE for uplink transmission, The steps include sending an uplink transmission to an access network node using at least one communication resource, At least one communication resource overlaps in the time domain with a first period during which the access network node operates in discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode. A method by which at least one communication resource is selected such that an uplink transmission during a first period at least partially overlaps with another uplink transmission within the time domain. (Note 21) The uplink transmission is a PUCCH transmission, and at least one communication resource includes time and frequency resources for the PUCCH transmission, as described in Appendix 20. (Note 22) The method described in Appendix 21, wherein the uplink transmission includes uplink control information (UCI) transmitted using PUCCH. (Note 23) The method described in any one of the appendices 20 to 22, wherein the uplink transmission includes a scheduling request (SR), channel state information (CSI) report, or hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback. (Note 24) The method as described in Appendix 23, wherein the uplink transmission includes an SR or CSI, and the SR or CSI is associated with an uplink transmission for a beam management procedure, radio link failure procedure, beam failure procedure, or handover procedure. (Note 25) Display of at least one communication resource, including a display of the periodicity of uplink transmissions, as described in any one of the appendices 20 to 24. (Note 26) The access network node operates in DRX active mode during a second period, which is different from the first period. The display of at least one communication resource includes a display of the difference between at least one communication resource and the communication resource used for uplink transmission during the second period. The method described in any one of the appendices 20 to 25. (Note 27) The method according to Appendix 26, wherein the display of at least one communication resource includes a display of the periodicity or time offset difference of uplink transmissions. (Note 28) The method as described in Appendix 26 or 27, further comprising the step of receiving a notification from an access network node that an uplink transmission configuration for use in a second period should be disabled during the first period. (Note 29) Uplink transmission includes HARQ feedback for downlink transmission. The representation of at least one communication resource used by the UE for uplink transmission includes a representation of the period between the reception of a downlink transmission and the transmission of HARQ feedback in the UE. The method described in any one of the appendices 20 to 28. (Note 30) The time between receiving a downlink transmission and sending HARQ feedback in the UE is greater than 15 slots, as described in Appendix 29. (Note 31) The method described in Appendix 29 or 30, wherein the period between the reception of a downlink transmission at the UE and the transmission of HARQ feedback during the first period is longer than the period between the reception of a downlink transmission at the UE and the transmission of HARQ feedback supported when the access network node is operating in DRX active mode. (Note 32) Another uplink transmission is the method described in any one of the appendices 20 to 31, which includes uplink control information transmitted by another UE. (Note 33) Another uplink transmission is transmitted by the UE in the manner described in any one of the appendices 20 to 32. (Note 34) The method as described in Appendix 33, wherein an uplink transmission includes HARQ feedback related to a first downlink transmission, and another uplink transmission includes HARQ feedback related to a second downlink transmission. (Appendix 35) Receiving, from an access network node, an indication of one or more Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) configurations for use by a User Equipment (UE) for uplink transmission in a first period rather than a second period, the method according to any one of Appendices 20 to 34. (Appendix 36) Receiving, from an access network node, an indication of the configuration of transmission of a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) in a first period, which is different from the configuration of transmission of the PUSCH in a second period, the method according to any one of Appendices 20 to 35. (Appendix 37) Receiving, from an access network node, information indicating whether transmission of a scheduling request is permitted during a first period, the method according to any one of Appendices 20 to 36. (Appendix 38) The information indicating whether transmission of a scheduling request is permitted in a first period indicates, for each scheduling request or for each logical channel in the first period, whether transmission of the scheduling request is permitted, the method according to Appendix 37. (Appendix 39) When an access network node is operating in a discontinuous transmission (DTX) non-active mode, transmitting a scheduling request to the access network node and Monitoring, during a period allocated for operation of the access network node in the DTX non-active mode, for transmission of downlink control information corresponding to the scheduling request, further comprising the method according to any one of Appendices 20 to 38. The method according to any one of Appendices 20 to 38. (Appendix 40) A method performed by a User Equipment (UE), comprising Determining to initiate a random access procedure including transmission on a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) to an access network node During a first period in which an access network node operates in a discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode, determining whether transmission on a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) is permitted; If it is determined that transmission on the PRACH is not permitted during the first period, delaying the transmission of the PRACH until the access network node operates in the DRX active mode; If it is determined that transmission on the PRACH is permitted during the first period, transmitting the PRACH to the access network node during the first period, a method comprising. (Appendix 41) The decision to initiate a random access procedure is made before the first period when the access network node operates in the DRX active mode but a first time opportunity available for transmission on the PRACH overlaps with the first period, the method according to Appendix 40. (Appendix 42) The decision to initiate a random access procedure is made during the first period, the method according to Appendix 40. (Appendix 43) A method performed by an access network node, comprising: Receiving a scheduling request from a User Equipment (UE) during a first period in which the access network node operates in a discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode using a first DRX configuration; Based on the scheduling request, determining to use a second DRX configuration to define a set of second periods during which the access network node will operate in the DRX inactive mode and a set of third periods during which the access network node will operate in the DRX active mode; The second and third periods are shorter than the first period, a method. (Appendix 44) The decision to use the second DRX configuration is based on an uplink transmission priority associated with the scheduling request, the method according to Appendix 43. (Appendix 45) The method according to Appendix 43 or 44, further comprising the step of configuring a set of grant resources configured to overlap with a third period in the time domain. (Note 46) The second set of periods and the third set of periods are arranged within the first period, as described in any one of the appendices 43 to 45. (Note 47) The method according to any one of the appendices 43 to 46, further comprising the step of sending a UE an indication that an uplink transmission corresponding to a scheduling request should be transmitted during the first period. (Note 48) The method described in any one of the appendices 43 to 47, further comprising the step of sending a signal to the UE indicating that the access network node should use a second DRX configuration. (Note 49) A method performed by user equipment (UE), The steps include sending a scheduling request to an access network node during a first period in which the access network node is operating in discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode using a first DRX configuration, The steps include receiving an indication from an access network node that an uplink transmission corresponding to a scheduling request should be transmitted during the first period, A method comprising the step of sending an uplink transmission to an access network node during a first period. (Note 50) Access network node, Means for transmitting to user equipment (UE) an indication of at least one communication resource for use by the UE for uplink transmission, A means for receiving an uplink transmission from a UE that has been transmitted using at least one communication resource, At least one communication resource overlaps in the time domain with a first period during which the access network node operates in discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode. An access network node is configured to select at least one communication resource such that an uplink transmission in a first period at least partially overlaps with another uplink transmission in the time domain. (Note 51) User equipment (UE), Means for receiving from an access network node an indication of at least one communication resource for use by the UE for uplink transmission, The system comprises means for sending an uplink transmission to an access network node using at least one communication resource, At least one communication resource overlaps in the time domain with a first period during which the access network node operates in discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode. At least one communication resource is selected such that, during a first period, the uplink transmission at least partially overlaps with another uplink transmission within the time domain, in user equipment (UE). (Note 52) User equipment (UE), Means for deciding to initiate a random access procedure, including transmission over a physical random access channel (PRACH) to an access network node, The access network node includes means for determining whether transmission in PRACH is permitted during a first period in which it operates in discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode, UE is If it is determined that transmission via PRACH is not permitted during the first period, the transmission of PRACH will be delayed until the access network node is operating in DRX active mode. If it is determined during the first period that transmission in PRACH is permitted, the user equipment (UE) is configured to transmit PRACH to the access network node during the first period. (Note 53) Access network node, A means for receiving scheduling requests from a UE during a first period for the operation of an access network node in discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode using a first DRX configuration, The system includes means for determining, based on a scheduling request, to use a second DRX configuration that defines a second set of periods during which an access network node will operate in DRX inactive mode and a third set of periods during which an access network node will operate in DRX active mode, The second and third periods are shorter than the first period and consist of access network nodes. (Note 54) User equipment (UE), Means for sending a scheduling request to an access network node during a first period in which the access network node is operating in discontinuous reception (DRX) inactive mode using a first DRX configuration, Means for receiving an indication from an access network node that an uplink transmission corresponding to a scheduling request should be transmitted during the first period, User equipment (UE) comprising means for transmitting uplink transmissions to access network nodes during the first period. [Explanation of symbols]

[0209] 3-1, 3-2, 3-3 User Equipment (UE) 5 Base Stations / Radio Access Network (RAN) Nodes 7 Core Network 9 Cells 10 Control Plane Function(CPF) 11 User Plane Function(UPF) 50 DU 60 CU 310 Transceiver Circuit 330 Antenna 350 User Interface 370 Controller 390 Memory 410 Operating System 430 Communication Control Module 450 UCI Module 470 HARQ Module 490 NES Module 451 Transceiver Circuit 453 DU-RU Interface 454 CU Interface 457 Controller 459 Memory 461 Operating System 463 Communication Control Module 465 F1 Module 468 DU-RU Module 472 DU Management Module 473 UE Profile Management Module ] 475 Mobility Module 530 Antenna 550 Core Network Interface 570 Controller 590 Memory 551 Transceiver Circuit 554 DU Interface 555 Core Network Interface 557 Controller 559 Memory 561 Operating System 563 Communication Control Module 565 F1 Module 566 E1 module 568 N2 module 569 N3 module 571 CU-UP Management Module 572 CU-CP Management Module 573 UE Profile Management Module 575 Mobility Module 610 Operating Systems 630 Communication control module 650 NES Modules 710 Transmitter / Receiver Circuit 720 Network Interfaces 730 Controller 740 memory 750 Operating Systems 760 Communication Control Module

Claims

1. A method performed by user equipment (UE), Receiving configuration information for transmitting uplink control information from an access network node, The configuration information indicates a first resource in the cell discontinuous reception (DRX) / discontinuous transmission (DTX) inactive state of the access network node. The first resource includes a portion of the second resource in the cell DRX / DTX active state of the access network node, and is received. A method comprising transmitting the uplink control information to the access network node based on the configuration information.

2. The configuration information includes parameters indicating periodicity or offset values ​​for determining the opportunity for the first resource, The method according to claim 1.

3. The UE is configured such that the transmission of the uplink control information is disabled in the opportunity of the first resource unless the parameter indicates the value of the periodicity or offset for determining the opportunity. The method according to claim 2.

4. The configuration information includes, for each type of uplink control information, first information indicating whether to enable or disable the transmission of the uplink control information. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The UE is configured such that the transmission of the uplink control information is disabled unless the first information indicates that the transmission of the uplink control information is enabled. The method according to claim 4.

6. The configuration information includes delta information showing the difference between the first resource and the second resource. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. Multiple uplink control information is bundled and transmitted using one or more of the first resources, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The aforementioned multiple uplink control information is transmitted from the UE. The method according to claim 7.

9. One of the aforementioned uplink control information is transmitted from another UE. The method according to claim 7.

10. The uplink control information includes Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback for downlink transmission. The configuration information includes delay information indicating the period between the reception of the downlink transmission by the UE and the transmission of the HARQ feedback for the cell DRX / DTX inactive state. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The aforementioned period is longer than the period between the reception of the downlink transmission by the UE and the transmission of the HARQ feedback for the cell DRX / DTX active state. The method according to claim 10.

12. The aforementioned period is derived based on the period and offset between the reception of the downlink transmission by the UE and the transmission of the HARQ feedback in the cell DRX / DTX active state. The method according to claim 11.

13. The offset has a value specific to UE. The method according to claim 12.

14. The aforementioned period is greater than 15 slots. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13.

15. The configuration information includes, for each resource within the second resource, second information indicating whether each resource is disabled for transmitting the uplink control information. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. The second piece of information indicates that at least one resource with a payload size greater than a certain value has been disabled for transmitting the uplink control information. The method according to claim 15.

17. If the resources for transmitting the uplink control information are disabled, the procedure further includes initiating a random access procedure during the cell DRX / DTX inactive state. The method according to claim 15 or 16.

18. The first resource includes certain resources that are not included in the second resource. The aforementioned specific resource is used only while the cell DRX / DTX is inactive. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

19. The uplink control information is, scheduling request (SR), Channel State Information (CSI) report, or Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback, including at least one of the following: The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. The further includes receiving third information indicating whether the transmission of scheduling requests is permitted during the cell DRX / DTX inactive state, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

21. The third piece of information indicates, for each scheduling request or for each logical channel, whether the transmission of the scheduling request is permitted while the cell DRX / DTX is inactive. The method according to claim 20.

22. The first resource is, Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), or For at least one of the Physical Uplink Shared Channels (PUCH), The method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

23. A method performed by user equipment (UE), Receiving information from the access network node indicating whether sending scheduling requests is permitted while the cell is in an inactive state of discontinuous reception (DRX) / discontinuous transmission (DTX), A method comprising determining, based on the aforementioned information, whether to initiate a random access procedure for sending the scheduling request.

24. The aforementioned information is, Scheduling request configuration information, Logical channel configuration information, or At least one of the configuration information of the measurement by the UE is included in: The method according to claim 23.

25. If the UE decides to initiate the random access procedure, it further includes monitoring downlink transmissions from the access network node after sending the scheduling request, The method according to claim 23 or 24.

26. If there are no resources available to send the aforementioned scheduling request, the decision to make is: Notwithstanding the aforementioned information, it is decided not to initiate the random access procedure. Deciding to initiate the random access procedure based on the aforementioned information, or This is performed by at least one of the following: deciding to delay initiating the random access procedure until the cell DRX / DTX inactive state ends. The method according to claim 24 or 25.

27. A method performed by user equipment (UE), Sending a scheduling request to an access network node while the access network node is in an inactive state for discontinuous reception (DRX) / discontinuous transmission (DTX), Receiving information from the access network node indicating that the uplink transmission corresponding to the scheduling request should be transmitted during a short-term DRX / DTX period shorter than the period of the cell DRX / DTX inactive state, A method comprising transmitting the uplink transmission to the access network node during the short-term DRX / DTX period.

28. A method performed by an access network node, This involves transmitting configuration information for sending uplink control information to user equipment (UE), The configuration information indicates a first resource in the cell discontinuous reception (DRX) / discontinuous transmission (DTX) inactive state of the access network node. The first resource includes a portion of the second resource in the cell DRX / DTX active state of the access network node, and is to transmit. A method comprising receiving the uplink control information from the UE based on the configuration information.

29. A method performed by an access network node, This includes sending information to user equipment (UE) indicating whether the transmission of scheduling requests is permitted in a cell discontinuous reception (DRX) / discontinuous transmission (DTX) inactive state. A method for causing the UE to determine whether to initiate a random access procedure for sending the scheduling request based on the information.

30. A method performed by an access network node, The access network node receives a scheduling request from user equipment (UE) while the cell discontinuous reception (DRX) / discontinuous transmission (DTX) is inactive. Sending information to the UE indicating that the uplink transmission corresponding to the scheduling request should be transmitted during a short-term DRX / DTX period shorter than the period of the cell DRX / DTX inactive state, A method comprising receiving the uplink transmission from the UE during the short-term DRX / DTX period.

31. User mode (UE), A means for receiving configuration information for transmitting uplink control information from an access network node, The configuration information indicates a first resource in the cell discontinuous reception (DRX) / discontinuous transmission (DTX) inactive state of the access network node. The first resource includes a receiving means that includes a portion of the second resource in the cell DRX / DTX active state of the access network node, User equipment (UE) comprising means for transmitting the uplink control information to the access network node based on the configuration information.

32. User mode (UE), Means for receiving information from an access network node indicating whether the transmission of scheduling requests is permitted while the cell is in an inactive state of discontinuous reception (DRX) / discontinuous transmission (DTX), User equipment (UE) comprising means for determining whether to initiate a random access procedure for sending the scheduling request based on the aforementioned information.

33. User mode (UE), Means for sending scheduling requests to an access network node while the access network node is in an inactive state for discontinuous reception (DRX) / discontinuous transmission (DTX), Means for receiving information from the access network node indicating that an uplink transmission corresponding to the scheduling request should be transmitted during a short-term DRX / DTX period shorter than the period of the cell DRX / DTX inactive state, User equipment (UE) comprising means for transmitting the uplink transmission to the access network node during the short-term DRX / DTX period.

34. Access network node, A means for transmitting configuration information for transmitting uplink control information to user equipment (UE), The configuration information indicates a first resource in the cell discontinuous reception (DRX) / discontinuous transmission (DTX) inactive state of the access network node. The first resource includes a means for transmitting, which includes a portion of the second resource in the cell DRX / DTX active state of the access network node. An access network node comprising means for receiving the uplink control information from the UE based on the configuration information.

35. Access network node, The system includes means for transmitting information to user equipment (UE) indicating whether the transmission of scheduling requests is permitted in a cell discontinuous reception (DRX) / discontinuous transmission (DTX) inactive state. The information causes the UE to decide whether to initiate a random access procedure to send the scheduling request based on the information to the access network node.

36. Access network node, Means for receiving scheduling requests from user equipment (UE) when the access network node's cell discontinuous reception (DRX) / discontinuous transmission (DTX) is inactive, Means for transmitting information to the UE indicating that an uplink transmission corresponding to the scheduling request should be transmitted during a short-term DRX / DTX period shorter than the period of the cell DRX / DTX inactive state, An access network node comprising means for receiving the uplink transmission from the UE during the short-term DRX / DTX period.

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