UL grant allocation for primary paths for pre-scheduling.

Abstract

The first network node includes program code comprising: a first receive code configured to cause at least one of at least one processors to receive a UE context change request from the second network node; a first transmit code configured to cause at least one of at least one processors to send a context change response to the second network node in response to receiving the context change request; an allocation code configured to cause at least one of at least one processors to allocate one or more pre-configured grants to the UE in response to the UE context change request; and a second receive code configured to cause at least one of at least one processors to send a scheduling request to the base station in response to one or more pre-configured grants and to receive first uplink data from the UE before receiving a corresponding UL scheduling grant.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Devices and methods consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure relate to UL grant allocation for a primary path for pre-scheduling.

Background Art

[0002] Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) generalizes E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access) Dual Connectivity (DC). Here, a UE capable of multiple receivers / transmitters (RX / TX) may be configured to utilize resources provided by two different nodes connected via a non-ideal backhaul. One of the nodes may provide NR (New Radio) access, and the other of the nodes may provide E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access) or NR access. One of the nodes may function as a Master Node (MN), and the other of the nodes may function as a Secondary Node (SN). The MN and SN are connected via a network interface. Here, at least one of the nodes (e.g., the MN) is connected to a Core Network (CN).

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] MR-DC may be connected to an EPC (Evolved Packet Core) or a 5G core (5GC). Based on these connections, there are several possible variants, including E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity (EN-DC); NG-RAN E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity (NGEN-DC), NR-E-UTRA dual connectivity (NE-DC), and NR-NR dual connectivity (NR-DC). While MR-DC may provide improved data capacity, existing MR-DC architectures do not provide primary path configuration information to gNB-DU, leading to unoptimized packet scheduling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] Improvements are presented here. These improvements are also applicable to other Multi-Radio Access Technologies (RATs) and communication standards that employ these technologies.

[0005] The following provides a simplified summary of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure to give a basic understanding of such embodiments. This summary is not intended to be an exhaustive overview of all possible embodiments, nor is it intended to identify key or important elements of all embodiments, nor is it intended to define the scope of any or all embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed descriptions that will be presented later.

[0006] A method, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable medium for assigning UL grants to a primary path for pre-scheduling.

[0007] According to one or more embodiments, the first network node includes at least one memory configured to store computer program code, and at least one processor configured to access at least one memory and to operate as directed by the computer program code. The computer program code includes a first receive code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to receive an F1:UE context change request or similar message from the second network node, which includes (i) a first parameter indicating that the UE requests at least one pre-configured uplink scheduling grant on the primary path, and (ii) a second parameter including configuration information relating to the primary path, and a first transmit code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to send a context change response to the second network node in response to receiving the UE context change request. The computer program code includes an assign code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to assign one or more pre-configured grants to the UE in response to the UE context change request, so that UL data can be transmitted on the primary path of the split bearer. The computer program code further includes receiving first uplink data from the UE on the primary path, depending on one or more pre-configured grants.

[0008] According to one or more embodiments, a method performed by at least one processor in a first network node includes receiving a UE context change request from a second network node, which is associated with a splitbearer that provides a primary and secondary path to a UE, and includes a first parameter indicating that the UE requests at least one pre-configured uplink scheduling grant on the primary path, and (ii) a second parameter including configuration information regarding the primary path of the splitbearer. The method includes sending a context change response to the second network node in response to receiving the context change request. The method includes allocating one or more pre-configured grants to the UE in response to the UE context change request so that the UE can send UL data on the primary path before sending a scheduling request to obtain UL scheduling grants. The method includes receiving first uplink data from the UE in response to one or more pre-configured grants.

[0009] According to one or more embodiments, a non-temporary computer-readable medium stores instructions that, when executed by a processor at a first network node, cause the processor to perform the following actions: receive a UE context change request or similar message from a second network node, which includes (i) a first parameter indicating that the UE requests at least one uplink scheduling grant, and (ii) a second parameter including configuration information regarding the primary path of the split bearer, in response to receiving the context change request, send a context change response to the second network node, allocate one or more pre-configured grants to the UE in response to the UE context change request, and receive first uplink data from the UE before the UE sends a scheduling request to the network node in order to obtain a UL scheduling grant in response to one or more pre-configured grants.

[0010] Additional embodiments are presented in the following description, may be partially revealed from the description, and / or may be learned by practicing the embodiments presented in the disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] The above and other aspects, features, and aspects of the embodiments of disclosure will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0012] Figure 1 is a diagram of an example of a network device according to various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0013] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of a RAN communication system according to various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0014] Figure 3 illustrates an example of an EN-DC variant architecture of MR-DC according to various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0015] Figure 4(A) illustrates an example of a control plane architecture for EN-DC according to various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0016] Figure 4(B) illustrates an example of a control plane architecture for an MR-DC with 5GC according to various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0017] Figure 5(A) illustrates an example of a C-plane architecture for EN-DC according to various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 5(B) illustrates an example of a C-plane architecture for MR-DC with 5GC according to various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 6(A) illustrates an example of a U-plane architecture for EN-DC according to various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 6(B) illustrates an example of a U-plane architecture for MR-DC with 5GC according to various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 7 illustrates an example of a signaling diagram for a process for UL grant allocation based on primary path configuration information, according to various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 8 illustrates a flowchart of one embodiment of the process for assigning UL grants based on primary path configuration information, according to various embodiments of this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0023] The following detailed descriptions of embodiments refer to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.

[0024] The foregoing disclosure provides illustrations and descriptions, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit implementations to the exact forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the foregoing disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the implementations. Further, one or more features or components of one implementation may be integrated with or combined with those of other implementations (or one or more features of other implementations). Additionally, in the flowcharts and operation descriptions provided below, one or more operations may be omitted, one or more operations may be added, one or more operations may be executed simultaneously (at least partially), and the order of one or more operations may be interchanged.

[0025] It becomes apparent that the systems and / or methods described herein may be implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or combinations of hardware and software. The actual special control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods is not a limitation of the implementation. For this reason, the operations and behaviors of the systems and / or methods are described herein without reference to specific software code. It is understood that software and hardware may be designed to implement the systems and / or methods based on the descriptions herein.

[0026] Even if specific combinations of features are recited in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of possible implementations. In fact, many of these features may be combined in different manners than specifically recited in the claims and / or specifically disclosed in the specification. Each of the dependent claims listed below may depend directly on only one claim, but the disclosure of possible implementations includes each dependent claim in combination with all other claims in the claim group.

[0027] Any element, act, or instruction used herein should not be construed as important or essential unless explicitly described. Also, as used herein, the articles "a" and "an" are intended to include one or more items and may be used interchangeably with "one or more". When only one item is intended, the term "one" or a similar term is used. Also, as used herein, the terms "has", "have", "having", "include", "including", etc. are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, the phrase "based on" means "at least partially based on" unless explicitly stated otherwise. Further, expressions such as "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" are understood to include only A, only B, or both A and B.

[0028] Throughout this specification, references to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", or similar language mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the solution. Thus, throughout this specification, phrases such as "in one embodiment", "in an embodiment", similar language may not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.

[0029] Furthermore, the features, advantages, and characteristics described in this disclosure may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize, in light of the description herein, that the disclosure may be implemented without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages that may not be presented in all embodiments of the disclosure may be realized in a particular embodiment.

[0030] Figure 1 shows an example of device 100 for implementing the method of the present disclosure. Device 100 may implement the rApp, O-RAN RIC (Ran Intelligent Controller), and AI / ML framework disclosed herein. Device 100 may correspond to any type of known computer, server, or data processing device. For example, device 100 may comprise a printed circuit board (PCB) with a processor, personal computer (PC), or computing device, minicomputer, mainframe computer, microcomputer, telephone computing device, wired / wireless computing device (e.g., smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA)), laptop, tablet, smart device, or any other similar functional device.

[0031] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 1, the device 100 may include a set of components such as a processor 120, memory 130, storage component 140, input component 150, output component 160, and communication interface 170.

[0032] Bus 110 may comprise one or more components that enable communication between sets of components of device 100. For example, bus 110 may be a communication bus, a crossover bar, a network, etc. In Figure 1, bus 110 is shown as a single line, but bus 110 may be implemented using multiple (two or more) connections between sets of components of device 100. The disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0033] Device 100 may comprise one or more processors, such as a processor 120. The processor 120 may be implemented as hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software. For example, the processor 120 may comprise a central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), acceleration unit (APU), microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), FPGA (field-programmable gate array), ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), general-purpose single-chip or multi-chip processor, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination of these designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor 120 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors with DSP cores, or any other such configuration. In some embodiments, specific processes and methods may be performed by circuits specialized for a given function.

[0034] The processor 120 may control the overall operation of device 100 and / or a set of components of device 100 (e.g., memory 130, storage component 140, input component 150, output component 160, communication interface 170).

[0035] Device 100 may further comprise memory 130. In some embodiments, memory 130 may comprise random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, magnetic memory, optical memory, and / or other types of dynamic or static storage devices. Memory 130 may store information and / or instructions for use (e.g., execution) by processor 120.

[0036] The storage component 140 of device 100 may store information and / or computer-readable instructions and / or code related to the operation and use of device 100. For example, the storage component 140 may include, along with a corresponding drive, a hard disk (e.g., magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, and / or solid-state disk), a compact disk (CD), a digital multipurpose disk (DVD), a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive, a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) card, a floppy disk, a cartridge, a magnetic tape, and / or other types of non-temporary computer-readable media.

[0037] Device 100 may further comprise an input component 150. The input component 150 may include one or more components that enable Device 100 to receive information via user input (e.g., a touchscreen, keyboard, keypad, mouse, stylus, button, switch, microphone, camera, etc.). Alternatively or in addition, the input component 150 may include sensors for measuring information (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) component, accelerometer, gyroscope, actuator, etc.).

[0038] The output component 160 of device 100 may include one or more components that provide output information from device 100 (e.g., a display, liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED), organic light-emitting diode (OLED), haptic feedback device, speaker, etc.).

[0039] Device 100 may further include a communication interface 170. The communication interface 170 may include a receiver component, a transmitter component, and / or a transceiver component. The communication interface 170 may enable device 100 to establish connections with other devices (e.g., a server, other devices) and / or to forward communications with other devices. The communications may be enabled via a wired connection, a wireless connection, or a combination of wired and wireless connections. The communication interface 170 may enable device 100 to receive information from other devices and / or provide information to other devices. In some embodiments, the communication interface 170 may provide communication with other devices via a network (local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), private network, ad hoc network, intranet, internet, fiber optic network, cellular network (e.g., 5G network, LTE (long-term evolution) network, 3G network, CDMA (code division multiple access) network, etc.), public land mobile network (PLMN), telephone network (e.g., PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), etc., and / or a combination of these or other types of networks, etc.). Alternatively or in addition, the communication interface 170 may provide communication with other devices via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link such as FlashLinQ, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi, LTE, 5G, etc. In other embodiments, the communication interface 170 may include an Ethernet interface, optical interface, coaxial interface, infrared interface, radio frequency (RF) interface, etc.

[0040] Device 100 may be included in O-CU240 and may execute one or more processes described herein. Device 100 may perform operations based on a processor 120 that executes computer-readable instructions and / or code which may be stored in a non-temporary computer-readable medium such as memory 130 and / or storage component 140. The computer-readable medium may represent a non-temporary memory device. The memory device may include a memory space within a single physical storage device and / or a memory space distributed across multiple physical storage devices.

[0041] Computer-readable instructions and / or code may be read into the memory 130 and / or storage component 140 from other computer-readable media or from other devices via the communication interface 170. When the computer-readable instructions and / or code stored in the memory 130 and / or storage component 140 are executed by the processor 120, or at times, one or more of the processes described herein may be executed by the device 100.

[0042] Alternatively, or in addition, wired circuits may be used instead of, or in combination with, software instructions to perform one or more of the processes described herein. Thus, the embodiments described herein are not limited to any particular combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0043] The number and arrangement of components shown in Figure 1 are provided as an example. In practice, additional components, fewer components, different components, or components in different arrangements may be provided in addition to those shown in Figure 1. Furthermore, two or more components shown in Figure 1 may be implemented within a single component, and a single component shown in Figure 1 may be implemented as multiple distributed components. In addition or alternatively, one or more sets of components shown in Figure 1 may perform one or more functions described as being performed by other sets of components shown in Figure 1.

[0044] Figure 2 illustrates an example of a RAN communication system 200 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The RAN communication system 200 may include one or more user equipment (UE) 210, one or more O-RAN radio units (O-RU) 220 including one or more antennas 220A, one or more O-RAN distributed units (O-DU) 230, and one or more O-RAN aggregation units (O-CU) 240. A base station may be composed of O-RU 220, O-DU 230, and O-CU 240.

[0045] Examples of UE210 may include cellular phones, smartphones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radios, global positioning systems (GPS), multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, tablets, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, electric meters, gas pumps, large or small kitchen appliances, healthcare devices, implants, sensors / actuators, displays, or any other similarly functioning devices. Some of one or more UE210 may be described as Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices (e.g., parking meters, gas pumps, toasters, vehicles, cardiac monitors, etc.). One or more UE210s may be referred to as a station, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile agent, client, or some other appropriate expression.

[0046] One or more antennas 220A of the O-RU220 may communicate wirelessly with one or more UEs 210. Each of the one or more base stations 220A may provide communication coverage to one or more UEs 210 located within the geographical coverage area of ​​the base station 220A. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 2, one or more antennas 220A may transmit one or more beamformed signals to one or more UEs 210 in one or more transmit directions. One or more UEs 210 may receive beamformed signals from one or more antennas 220A in one or more receive directions. Alternatively or in addition, one or more UEs 210 may transmit beamformed signals to the base station 220 in one or more transmit directions. One or more antennas 220A may receive beamformed signals from one or more UEs 210 in one or more receive directions.

[0047] One or more antennas 220A may include macrocells (e.g., high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cells (e.g., low-power cellular base stations). Small cells may include femtocells, picocells, and microcells. One or more antennas 220A, which are macrocells or large cells, may include and / or be called access points (APs), evolved (or evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN)) Node B (eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB), or any other type of base station known to those skilled in the art.

[0048] In some embodiments, O-RU220 may be connected to O-DU230 via a fronthaul (FH) link 224. The FH link 224 may also be a 25 Gbps line through which user plane (U-plane) and control plane (C-plane) packets are downloaded from O-DU230 to O-RU220. In some embodiments, O-DU230 may be connected to O-CU240 via a midhaul link 234. The O-CU240 may include an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) packet generator 240A and an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP) packet generator 240B. C-plane and U-plane packets may be generated by the O-CU-CP packet generator 240A and the O-CU-UP packet generator 240B, respectively.

[0049] Figure 3 illustrates an example of architecture 300 of the EN-DC variant of MR-DC. As illustrated in Figure 3, E-UTRAN is connected to EPC.

[0050] Figure 4(A) illustrates an example of control plane architecture 400A for EN-DC, where the UE is connected to a master eNodeb (MeNB) and a secondary gNB (SgNB) via their respective Uu interfaces, the MeNB and SgNB are connected via an X2-C interface, and the MeNB is connected to the core network via an S1 interface. Figure 4(B) illustrates an example of control plane architecture 400B for MR-DC, where the UE is connected to a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN) via their respective Uu interfaces, the MN and SN are connected via an Xn-C interface, and the master node is connected to the 5G core network via a next-generation control plane (NG-C) interface.

[0051] Figure 5(A) illustrates an example of C-plane architecture 500A for EN-DC, where MeNB is connected to en-gNB via the X2-C interface, and MeNB is connected to MME via the S1-MME interface. Figure 5(B) illustrates an example of C-plane architecture 500B, where MN is connected to SN via the Xn-C interface, and MN is connected to Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) via the NG-C interface.

[0052] Figure 6(A) illustrates an example of U-plane architecture 600A for EN-DC, where MeNB is connected to en-gNB via the X2-U interface, and MeNB and en-gNB are connected to S-GW via their respective S1-U interfaces. Figure 6(B) illustrates an example of U-plane architecture 600B for MR-DC with 5GC, where MN is connected to SN via the Xn-U interface, and User Plane Functions (UPF) are connected to MN and SN via their respective NG-U interfaces.

[0053] Dual connectivity may be configured to have more than one RLC entity associated with a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity (for example, in the case of a split bearer). In this type of configuration, there is a primary radio link control (RLC) path and a secondary RLC path. However, currently, the primary path setting for a signaling radio bearer (SRB) is always set to the MCG cell group ID, and for a data radio bearer (DRB), the primary path setting may be the ID of a master cell group (MCG) or secondary cell group (SCG) cell group.

[0054] The NR-DC variant of MR-DC is used to illustrate the following problems, but these problems also exist for other variants of MR-DC. MAC-PS (Packet Scheduler) is a Layer 2 RRM algorithm and is inherently vendor-specific. Specific optimizations for MAC-PS may be performed by the gNB-DU to better serve the UE. For example, the UE may be allowed to send UL data faster. Before the UE can send uplink data, it requires a UL scheduling grant. A scheduling grant may be requested by the UE by sending a scheduling request to the gNB-DU, after which the grant is allocated.

[0055] To support MAC-PS scheduler optimization, the gNB-DU needs to be aware of the primary path configuration information for the UE's split bearers. However, there is currently no provision on the F1-C interface for sharing primary path configuration information about the UE, so the gNB-DU currently does not have information about the primary path configuration. When the UE has a small amount of data, or until a certain data rate threshold is exceeded, it is preferable to use the primary path (e.g., the path associated with SN) because the secondary path (e.g., the path associated with SN) has additional delays. Since the UE may have multiple split bearers (e.g., DC configured), it is necessary to identify which split bearers require scheduler optimization.

[0056] Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward providing a primary path configuration between two nodes (e.g., gNB-CU and gNB-DU), wherein a pre-configured grant may be assigned to the primary path of a UE. In this regard, a UE context change request sent from gNB-CU to gNB-DU may include (i) a parameter indicating that a UE having a splitbearer has requested a scheduled grant for uplink data, and (ii) a parameter providing primary path configuration information for the splitbearer. The primary path configuration information may indicate the primary path.

[0057] According to one or more embodiments, when a UE is configured with any variant of an MR-DC, primary path configuration information from gNB-CU to gNB-DU is included in the F1:UE context setup / modification procedure on the F1-C interface. The primary path configuration information is optional and may depend on the DRB. Thus, the presence of this primary path information for a split bearer on F1-C may indicate a scheduling optimization request from the CU.

[0058] According to one or more embodiments, primary path information shared by the gNB-CU may be used by the gNB-DU to ensure that an advanced UL scheduling grant is allocated to the UE (e.g., a pre-configured grant) in each cell in the RRC connection state, in order to enable faster UL data transmission. The UE may use the pre-configured grant to transmit UL data before sending a scheduling request to the gNB-DU. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide the significantly advantageous feature of faster UL data transmission on the UE's primary path.

[0059] Figure 7 illustrates an example of a signaling diagram for process 700 for UL grant allocation based on primary path configuration information in various embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 700 is implemented for the NR-DC variant, but as will be understood by those skilled in the art, process 700 may also be implemented for all other MR-DC variants. For example, embodiments of the present disclosure including process 700 are also applicable to other DC variants different from NR-DC, where the role of MN may be assumed by the same or other gNB-CU controlling SN.

[0060] In Operation 702, the UE has an RRC connection and at least one MCG bearer.

[0061] In Operation 704, RRC measurement (L3) is performed between the UE and the gNB-CU.

[0062] In Operation 706, the gNB-CU makes a decision to add a SN.

[0063] In Operation 708, the gNB-CU sends an S-Node addition request to the SN. In Operation 710, the gNB-CU receives confirmation of the S-Node addition from the SN.

[0064] In Operation 712, the gNB-CU sends a context change request or similar message to the gNB-DU. The context change request may also be a Fl:UE context change request provided on the F1 interface. The context change request may include as a payload the RRC Reconfiguration() message to be sent to the UE. The context change request may further include primary path configuration information for consumption in the gNB-DU. The context change request may further include parameters indicating that the UE is requesting a pre-configured scheduling grant to send uplink data before sending a scheduling request. Furthermore, the primary path configuration may be shown for each split bearer configured for the UE. For example, if the UE has multiple split bearers, the primary path configuration may be shown for one or more of the multiple split bearers for which the UE is requesting a pre-configured scheduled grant. If the UE does not have any split bearers for which it is requesting a scheduled grant, the remaining operations in Figure 7 (e.g., Operations 714-740) may be skipped.

[0065] In Operation 714, the gNB-DU sends an RRC Reconfiguration() message to the UE.

[0066] In Operation 716, the gNB-DU sends a context change response to the gNB-CU. The context change response may be provided on the F1 interface.

[0067] In Operation 718, the UE sends an RRC Reconfiguration Complete() message to the gNB-CU.

[0068] In Operation 720, the gNB-CU sends an S-Node reconfiguration complete message to the SN.

[0069] In Operation 722, the gNB-DU assigns a pre-configured grant for the UE's splitbearer. The grant assigned in Operation 722 may be a pre-configured grant separate from the grants attributable to the UE requesting the scheduled grant.

[0070] In Operation 724, the gNB-DU transmits a scheduling grant to the UE on the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). The scheduling grant may be a pre-configured grant allocated in Operation 722. The scheduling grant may also be transmitted on the PDCCH when the UE establishes a split bearer or when the UE receives a serving cell change.

[0071] In Operation 726, the UE uses a pre-configured grant to transmit uplink data. In Operation 728, the UE transmits uplink data to the gNB-DU. The uplink data may be transmitted over a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). In Operation 730, the gNB-DU transmits the received uplink data to the gNB-CU over the F1 interface.

[0072] In Operation 732, the UE may request a scheduled grant to send additional uplink data. In Operation 734, the UE sends a scheduling request to the gNB-DU. The scheduling request may be sent over the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH). In Operation 736, the gNB-DU sends a scheduling grant over the PDCCH. Operation 736 may be performed in response to receiving a scheduling request from the UE, compared to Operation 724, which is performed without receiving a scheduling request. In Operation 738, the UE sends additional uplink data to the gNB-DU over the PUSCH. In Operation 740, the gNB-DU sends the received UL data to the gNB-CU over the F1 interface.

[0073] According to one or more embodiments, primary path configuration information may be included in the Xn:Handover Request message from the source MN to the target MN to address handover use cases. Including primary path configuration information in the handover request ensures that a pre-configured grant allocation to the UE may be performed after the inter-MN HO, i.e., in the new serving MN.

[0074] According to one or more embodiments, a pre-configured grant may be valid (e.g., applicable) only in the current serving cell of the UE. Thus, in one or more embodiments, a pre-configured grant may be assigned to a serving cell when the UE makes a change to a new serving cell or performs a HO (e.g., a pre-configured grant is assigned to the UE during all gNB-DU, inter-gNB-DU, or inter-MN HOs). The validity of a pre-configured grant in a serving cell may be signaled to the UE.

[0075] Next, if there is UE mobility and the UE changes its MN, the new target MN may also require this information. Here, the new target gNB-DU is configured with primary path information (for example, primary path information may be used to assign pre-configured grants in the new MN). Thus, in one or more embodiments, primary path configuration information may be included in the MN-MN interface. The MN-MN interface may be X2 or Xn.

[0076] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, primary path configuration information may also be available on (i) an F1-C interface between gNB-CU and gNB-DU, (ii) an Xn-C interface between MN and SN, or between MN and MN, or (iii) an X2-C interface between MN and SN, or between MN and MN.

[0077] Figure 8 illustrates a flowchart of one embodiment of process 800 for UL grant allocation based on primary path configuration information, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 800 may be executed by a first network node such as a gNB-DU.

[0078] The process may begin in Operation S802, in which the first network node receives a UE context change request associated with a split bearer from the second network node. The UE context change request may correspond to a UE context change request in Operation 712, and may include parameters indicating that the UE is requesting a scheduled grant and parameters providing primary path configuration information.

[0079] The process proceeds to Operation S804, in which the first network node, upon receiving a context change request, sends a context change response to the second network node. The context change response may correspond to the response in Operation 716.

[0080] The process proceeds to Operation S806, in which the first network node, in response to a context change request, allocates one or more pre-configured grants to the UE. This allocation of pre-configured grants may include Operations 722 and 724.

[0081] The process proceeds to Operation S808, in which the first network node receives first uplink data from the UE in accordance with one or more pre-configured grants. This uplink data may also be received in accordance with Operations 726 and 728. The first uplink data may correspond to different data transmissions from uplink data transmitted based on scheduled grant requests from the UE, such as the uplink data transmitted in Operation 738.

[0082] The prior disclosure provides examples and descriptions, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit implementations to the exact forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosures or may be obtained from the execution of the implementation.

[0083] The specific order or hierarchical structure of blocks in the processes / flowcharts disclosed herein is understood to be illustrative of an example approach. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchical structure of blocks in the processes / flowcharts may be rearranged. Furthermore, some blocks may be combined or omitted. The accompanying method claims present elements of various blocks in a sample order and are not intended to be limited to the specific order or hierarchical structure presented.

[0084] Some embodiments may also relate to systems, methods, and / or computer-readable media at a technical level of any possible integration. Furthermore, one or more of the above components may be implemented as instructions that are stored on a computer-readable medium and are executable by at least one processor (and / or may include at least one processor). The computer-readable medium may include a computer-readable non-temporary storage medium (or medium) that stores computer-readable program instructions for causing a processor to perform an operation.

[0085] A computer-readable storage medium may be a tangible device capable of holding and storing instructions for use by an instruction execution device. A computer-readable storage medium may, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of computer-readable storage media includes: portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), static random access memory (SRAM), portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital multipurpose disks (DVDs), memory sticks, floppy disks, mechanically encoded devices such as punch cards or grooves on which instructions are recorded, and any suitable combination thereof. The computer-readable storage medium used herein is not to be interpreted as a transient signal itself, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through waveguides or other transmitting media (e.g., light pulses passing through fiber optic cables), or electrical signals transmitted through wires.

[0086] The computer-readable program instructions described herein may be downloaded from computer-readable storage media to each computing / processing device, or downloaded to an external computer or external storage device via a network such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, and / or a wireless network. The network may include copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmissions, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and / or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing / processing device receives computer-readable program instructions from the network and transfers them to storage in the computer-readable storage media within each computing / processing device.

[0087] The computer-readable program code / instructions for performing the operation may be assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, configuration data for integrated circuits, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk and C++, procedural programming languages ​​such as the C programming language, or similar programming languages. The computer-readable program instructions may be executed as a standalone software package, either entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), and the connection may be to an external computer (for example, via the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments, for example, an electronic circuit including a programmable logic circuit, an FPGA (field-programmable gate array), or a programmable logic array (PLA) may execute computer-readable program instructions by utilizing state information of computer-readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuit in order to perform a side or operation.

[0088] These computer-readable program instructions may be provided to a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or a processor of another programmable data processing device to generate a device such that instructions executed via the processor of a computer or other programmable data processing device generate means for implementing functions / actions described in flowcharts and / or block diagrams (one or more blocks). These computer-readable program instructions may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium on which the instructions are stored, which can be instructed to make a computer, a programmable data processing device, and / or other device function in a particular manner such that the storage medium containing the instructions has a creation containing instructions that implement aspects of functions / actions described in flowcharts and / or block diagrams (one or more blocks).

[0089] Computer-readable program instructions may be loaded onto a computer, another programmable device, or another device so that a series of operational steps are executed on the computer, another programmable device, or other device to generate a computer-implemented process in which instructions executed on the computer, another programmable device, or other device implement a function / action described in a flowchart and / or block diagram (one or more blocks).

[0090] The illustrated flowcharts and block diagrams illustrate the architecture, functions, and operations of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer-readable media according to various embodiments. Here, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of an instruction, comprising one or more executable instructions for implementing a particular logical function. Methods, computer systems, and computer-readable media may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or different arrangements of blocks than those shown in the diagrams. In some alternative implementations, the functions shown in the blocks may occur outside the order shown in the diagrams. For example, two blocks shown consecutively may actually be executed simultaneously or substantially simultaneously, depending on the functions involved, or the blocks may be executed in reverse order. Each block in the illustrated block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the illustrated block diagrams and / or flowcharts, may be implemented by a system based on dedicated hardware that performs a particular function or action, or by executing a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0091] It will become clear that the systems and / or methods described herein may be implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or combinations of hardware and software. The actual specific control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods is not an implementation limitation. For this reason, the operation and behavior of the systems and / or methods are described herein without reference to specific software code. It is understood that software and hardware may be designed to implement the systems and / or methods based on the descriptions herein.

[0092] The above disclosure also includes the embodiments listed below.

[0093] Feature 1: At least one memory configured to store computer program code, At least one processor configured to access the at least one memory and operating as directed by the computer program code, Equipped with, The aforementioned computer program code is: A first receive code is configured to cause at least one of the at least one processors to receive a UE context change request from a second network node of a base station, associated with a split bearer that provides a primary and secondary path to the UE, the request comprising: (i) a first parameter indicating that the UE requests at least one pre-configured uplink scheduling grant; and (ii) a second parameter comprising configuration information relating to the primary path. A first transmission code is configured to cause at least one of the at least one processors to send a context change response to the second network node of the base station in response to receiving the context change request, Assignment code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processors to assign one or more pre-configured grants to the UE in response to the UE context change request, At least one of the at least one processors is configured to send a scheduling request to the base station in accordance with the one or more pre-configured grants and to receive first uplink data from the UE before receiving a corresponding UL scheduling grant, A first network node equipped with [a specific feature / function].

[0094] Feature 2: The first network node of the base station according to feature 1, wherein the computer program code further comprises a second transmission code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processors to transmit the first uplink data to the second network node.

[0095] Feature 3: The aforementioned computer program code is: A third receive code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processors to receive a request for an additional UL scheduling grant from the UE after allocating the one or more pre-configured grants to the UE, A second transmission code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processors to send one or more additional UL scheduled grants to the UE in response to receiving the request for the additional UL scheduling grants, A fourth receive code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processors to receive second uplink data from the UE in response to one or more additional UL-scheduled grants, A first network node of a base station as described in feature 1 or 2, further comprising the features described above.

[0096] Feature 4: The aforementioned UE context change request is received on the F1 interface, The UE context change response is transmitted on the F1 interface. The first network node of the base station described in any of features 1 to 3.

[0097] Feature 5: The first network node is a distributed unit (gNB-DU), The aforementioned second network node is an aggregation unit (gNB-CU). The first network node of a base station described in any of features 1 to 4.

[0098] Feature 6: The second network node is the first network node of the base station described in any of features 1 to 5, which is the master node in communication with the secondary node.

[0099] Feature 7: The first network node of a base station according to any one of features 1 to 6, wherein the computer program code comprises a second transmission code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processors to transmit the primary path configuration information to a target node in the target cell that assigns a grant to the UE in response to the UE receiving a handover from a serving cell to a target cell.

[0100] Feature 8: The first network node of a base station according to feature 7, wherein the computer program code comprises a third transmission code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processors to send to the UE a message indicating that the one or more pre-configured grants are allocated and valid in the target cell, in response to the UE receiving a handover from the serving cell to the target cell.

[0101] Feature 9: A method executed by at least one processor in a first network node, Receiving a UE context change request from a second network node, associated with a split bearer that provides primary and secondary paths to the UE, comprising (i) a first parameter indicating that the UE requests at least one pre-configured uplink scheduling grant, and (ii) a second parameter containing configuration information regarding the primary path of the split bearer, Upon receiving the aforementioned context change request, a context change response is sent to the second network node. In response to the aforementioned UE context change request, assign one or more pre-configured grants to the aforementioned UE, In accordance with the one or more pre-configured grants, the first network node receives a scheduling request for an additional UL scheduling grant, and before sending the corresponding additional UL scheduled grant, it receives first uplink data from the UE. A method for providing this.

[0102] Feature 10: The method according to feature 9, further comprising transmitting the first uplink data to the second network node.

[0103] Feature 11: After assigning one or more pre-configured grants to the UE, the system receives a request for an additional UL scheduling grant from the UE. In response to receiving the request for the aforementioned additional UL scheduling grant, one or more additional UL scheduled grants are sent to the UE. In accordance with the aforementioned one or more additional UL-scheduled grants, the UE receives second uplink data, The method according to feature 9 or 10, further comprising the feature.

[0104] Feature 12: The aforementioned UE context change request is received on the F1 interface, The UE context change response is transmitted on the F1 interface. The method described in any of features 9 to 11.

[0105] Feature 13: The first network node is a distributed unit (gNB-DU), The aforementioned second network node is an aggregation unit (gNB-CU). The method described in any of features 9 to 12.

[0106] Feature 14: The method according to any one of features 9 to 13, wherein the second network node is the master node in communication with the secondary node.

[0107] Feature 15: The method according to any one of features 9 to 14, further comprising transmitting the primary path configuration information from the source node to the target node in the target cell that assigns a grant to the UE, in response to the UE receiving a handover from a serving cell to a target cell.

[0108] Feature 16: The method according to feature 15, wherein the primary path configuration information is (i) transferred from the source node to the target node on the Xn interface in the case of an inter-gNB handover, and (ii) transferred from the source node to the target node on the F1 interface in the case of an intra-gNB handover.

[0109] Feature 17: The method of feature 15 or 16, further comprising sending a message to the UE indicating that the one or more pre-configured grants are allocated and valid in the target cell, in response to the UE receiving a handover from the serving cell to the target cell.

[0110] Feature 18: When executed by the processor on the first network node, Receiving a UE context change request from a second network node, associated with a split bearer that provides primary and secondary paths to the UE, comprising (i) a first parameter indicating that the UE requests at least one uplink scheduling grant, and (ii) a second parameter containing configuration information regarding the primary path, Upon receiving the aforementioned context change request, a context change response is sent to the second network node. In response to the aforementioned UE context change request, assign one or more pre-configured grants to the aforementioned UE, In accordance with the one or more pre-configured grants, a scheduling request is sent to the base station, and before receiving the corresponding UL scheduling grant, first uplink data is received from the UE, A non-temporary computer-readable medium that stores instructions for causing the processor to execute the aforementioned.

[0111] Feature 19: The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to feature 18, further comprising transmitting the first uplink data to the second network node.

[0112] Feature 20: After assigning one or more pre-configured grants to the UE, the system receives a request for an additional UL scheduling grant from the UE. In response to receiving the request for the aforementioned additional UL scheduling grant, one or more additional UL scheduled grants are sent to the UE. In accordance with the one or more scheduled grants, the UE receives second uplink data, A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in feature 18 or 19, further comprising the features described above.

Claims

1. At least one memory configured to store computer program code, At least one processor configured to access the at least one memory and operating as directed by the computer program code, Equipped with, The aforementioned computer program code is: At least one of the at least one processor is configured to receive a UE context change request from a second network node of a base station, associated with a split bearer that provides a primary and secondary path to the UE, the request comprising: (i) a first parameter indicating that the UE requests at least one pre-configured uplink scheduling grant; and (ii) a second parameter comprising configuration information relating to the primary path. A first transmission code is configured to cause at least one of the at least one processors to send a context change response to the second network node of the base station in response to receiving the context change request, Assignment code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processors to assign one or more pre-configured grants to the UE in response to the UE context change request, At least one of the at least one processors is configured to send a scheduling request to the base station in accordance with the one or more pre-configured grants, and to receive first uplink data from the UE before receiving a corresponding UL scheduling grant, A first network node equipped with [a specific feature].

2. The first network node of a base station according to claim 1, wherein the computer program code further comprises a second transmission code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processors to transmit the first uplink data to the second network node.

3. The aforementioned computer program code is: A third receive code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processors to receive an additional UL scheduling grant request from the UE after allocating the one or more pre-configured grants to the UE, A second transmission code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processors to send one or more additional UL scheduled grants to the UE in response to receiving the request for the additional UL scheduling grants, A fourth receive code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processors to receive second uplink data from the UE in response to one or more additional UL-scheduled grants, A first network node of a base station according to claim 1, further comprising:

4. The aforementioned UE context change request is received on the F1 interface, The UE context change response is transmitted on the F1 interface. The first network node of the base station according to claim 1.

5. The first network node is a distributed unit (gNB-DU), The second network node is an aggregation unit (gNB-CU). The first network node of the base station according to claim 1.

6. The first network node of the base station according to claim 1, wherein the second network node is the master node in communication with the secondary node.

7. The first network node of a base station according to claim 1, wherein the computer program code comprises a second transmission code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processors to transmit the primary path configuration information to a target node in the target cell that assigns a grant to the UE in response to the UE receiving a handover from a serving cell to a target cell.

8. The first network node of a base station according to claim 7, wherein the computer program code comprises a third transmission code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processors to send to the UE a message indicating that the one or more pre-configured grants are allocated and valid in the target cell, in response to the UE receiving a handover from the serving cell to the target cell.

9. A method executed by at least one processor in a first network node, Receiving a UE context change request from a second network node, associated with a split bearer that provides primary and secondary paths to a UE, comprising (i) a first parameter indicating that the UE requests at least one pre-configured uplink scheduling grant, and (ii) a second parameter containing configuration information regarding the primary path of the split bearer, Upon receiving the aforementioned context change request, a context change response is sent to the second network node. In response to the aforementioned UE context change request, assign one or more pre-configured grants to the aforementioned UE, In accordance with the one or more pre-configured grants, the first network node receives a scheduling request for an additional UL scheduling grant, and before sending the corresponding additional UL scheduled grant, it receives first uplink data from the UE. A method for providing this.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising transmitting the first uplink data to the second network node.

11. After assigning one or more pre-configured grants to the UE, the system receives a request for an additional UL scheduling grant from the UE. In response to receiving the request for the aforementioned additional UL scheduling grant, one or more additional UL scheduled grants are sent to the UE. In accordance with the aforementioned one or more additional UL-scheduled grants, the UE receives second uplink data, The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

12. The aforementioned UE context change request is received on the F1 interface, The UE context change response is transmitted on the F1 interface. The method according to claim 9.

13. The first network node is a distributed unit (gNB-DU), The second network node is an aggregation unit (gNB-CU). The method according to claim 9.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the second network node is the master node in communication with the secondary node.

15. The method according to claim 9, further comprising transmitting the primary path configuration information from the source node to the target node in the target cell that assigns a grant to the UE in response to the UE receiving a handover from the serving cell to the target cell.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the primary path configuration information is (i) transferred from the source node to the target node on the Xn interface in the case of an inter-gNB handover, and (ii) transferred from the source node to the target node on the F1 interface in the case of an intra-gNB handover.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending a message to the UE indicating that the one or more pre-configured grants are allocated and valid in the target cell in response to the UE receiving a handover from the serving cell to the target cell.

18. When executed by the processor on the first network node, Receiving a UE context change request from a second network node, associated with a split bearer that provides primary and secondary paths to the UE, comprising (i) a first parameter indicating that the UE requests at least one uplink scheduling grant, and (ii) a second parameter containing configuration information regarding the primary path, Upon receiving the aforementioned context change request, a context change response is sent to the second network node. In response to the aforementioned UE context change request, assign one or more pre-configured grants to the aforementioned UE, In accordance with the one or more pre-configured grants, a scheduling request is sent to the base station, and before receiving the corresponding UL scheduling grant, first uplink data is received from the UE, A non-temporary computer-readable medium that stores instructions for causing the processor to execute the aforementioned.

19. The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to claim 18, further comprising transmitting the first uplink data to the second network node.

20. After assigning one or more pre-configured grants to the UE, the system receives a request for an additional UL scheduling grant from the UE. In response to receiving the request for the aforementioned additional UL scheduling grant, one or more additional UL scheduled grants are sent to the UE. In accordance with the one or more scheduled grants, the UE receives second uplink data, A non-temporary computer-readable medium according to claim 18, further comprising:

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