First Message Retry for Mission-Critical User Equipment

Abstract

A method is provided for configuring one or more user equipments (UEs) to repeatedly transmit a first message while a repetition condition is satisfied. The method includes including a repetition parameter in a second message. The repetition parameter indicates that if one or more criteria are satisfied, a UE that receives the second message including the repetition parameter is permitted or must repeatedly transmit the first message while the repetition condition is satisfied. The method further comprises transmitting the second message.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments related to a first message repetition for mission-critical user equipment (UE) are disclosed.

Background Art

[0002] 1. NR (New Radio) Initial Access

[0003] Before a UE can communicate properly within a network, it must perform a cell search to find, synchronize with, and identify a cell. Then, it can obtain basic system information and execute a random access procedure to establish a connection to the cell.

[0004] 1.1 NR Cell Search and System Information Acquisition In NR, the combination of a synchronization signal (SS) and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) is called an SS / PBCH block (SSB). Similar to Long Term Evolution (LTE), a pair of SSs of a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) is periodically transmitted on the downlink from each cell to enable a UE to first access the network. By detecting the SS, the UE can obtain physical cell identification information, achieve downlink synchronization in both time and frequency, and obtain the timing for the PBCH. The PBCH carries a master information block (MIB) that contains the minimum system information required by the UE to obtain system information block 1 (SIB 1). SIB1 carries the remaining minimum system information required for the UE to execute subsequent random access procedures.

[0005] 1.2 4-Step Random Access Procedure of NR

[0006] A 4-step random access (for initial access), also called a type 1 random access procedure in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.213Procedure is shown in Figure 1. In step 1, the UE starts the random access procedure by transmitting a random access preamble (Msg1) on the physical random access channel (PRACH) in the UL. After detecting Msg1, in step 2, the base station (BS) (e.g., gNB) may respond by transmitting a random access response (RAR) (Msg2) on the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) in the DL. In step 3, after successfully decoding Msg2, the UE continues the procedure by transmitting a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) (Msg3) in the UL for terminal identification and radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment request. In step 4 of the procedure, the BS transmits a PDSCH (Msg4) for contention resolution in the DL.

[0007] Multiple UEs may select the same random access preamble and transmit the preamble on the same PRACH time / frequency resource. This preamble collision is called contention. One of the main purposes of applying steps 3 and 4 is to resolve such potential contention.

[0008] 1.3 Two-step random access procedure of NR

[0009] The two-step random access (for initial access), also called type 2 random access procedure in TS 38.213 Procedure is shown in Figure 2.

[0010] In the first step, the UE transmits a message A (msgA) containing a random access preamble, together with higher layer data such as an RRC connection request with some small payload on the PUSCH in some cases. After detecting msgA, the network (e.g., BS) transmits a random access response (RAR) (referred to as msgB) containing UE identifier assignment, timing advance information, and contention resolution message, etc.

[0011] 2. Rel-15 PRACH Configuration of NR

[0012] In NR, the time and frequency resources for transmitting the random access preamble (Msg 1) are defined as PRACH opportunities.

[0013] The time resources and preamble format for Msg1 transmission are configured by the PRACH configuration index, and the PRACH configuration index indicates the rows in the PRACH configuration tables specified in TS 38.211 - Table 6.3.3.2 - 2, Table 6.3.3.2 - 3, and 6.3.3.2 - 4 for FR1 paired spectrum, FR1 unpaired spectrum, and FR2 with unpaired spectrum, respectively.

[0014] A part of Table 6.3.3.2 - 3 for the FR1 unpaired spectrum for preamble format 0 is provided in Table 1 below. Table 1 shows the PRACH configuration for preamble format 0 for the FR1 unpaired spectrum. In Table 1, the value of x indicates the PRACH configuration period in terms of the number of system frames. The value of y indicates the system frame within each PRACH configuration period in which the PRACH opportunity is configured. For example, when y is set to 0, it means a PRACH opportunity configured only in the first frame of each PRACH configuration period. The values in the "Sub - frame number" column indicate which sub - frames are configured using the PRACH opportunity. The values in the "Start symbol" column are symbol indices.

[0015] In the case of time division duplex (TDD), the semi-statically configured downlink (DL) portion and / or the actually transmitted SSB can override and invalidate some of the time-domain PRACH opportunities defined in the PRACH configuration table. More specifically, the PRACH opportunities in the uplink (UL) portion are always valid, and the PRACH opportunities within the X portion are valid as long as they do not precede or collide with the SSB within the RACH slot and are at least N symbols after the DL portion of the SSB and the last symbol. N is 0 or 2 depending on the PRACH format and the subcarrier spacing.

[0016] Table 1 PRACH configuration for preamble format 0 for FR1 unpaired spectrum TIFF0007695404000001.tif161163

[0017] In the frequency domain, NR supports multiple frequency multiplexed PRACH opportunities with the same time-domain PRACH opportunity. This is mainly motivated by the support of analog beam sweeping in NR such that the PRACH opportunities associated with one SSB are at the same time instance but configured at different frequency positions. Frequency The starting position in is indicated by the upper layer parameter msg1-FrequencyStart in SIB1, and the number of consecutive FDM'd PRACH opportunities in one time instance is configured by the upper layer parameter msg1-FDM in SIB1. The number of FDM'd PRACH opportunities in one time-domain PRACH opportunity can be 1, 2, 4, or 8.

[0018] Here, msg1-FDM and msg1-FrequencyStart are defined as follows in 3GPP TS 38.331.

[0019] msg1-FDM: The number of FDM'd PRACH transmission opportunities in one time instance msg1-FrequencyStart: Corresponding to Physical Resource Block (PRB) 0 Frequency Offset of the lowest PRACH transmission opportunity in the corresponding area. The value is configured such that the corresponding RACH resource is completely within the bandwidth of the UL bandwidth part (BWP).

[0020] The RACH-ConfigGeneric information element is shown below. -- ASN1START -- TAG-RACH-CONFIG-GENERIC-START RACH-ConfigGeneric ::= SEQUENCE { prach-ConfigurationIndex INTEGER (0..255), msg1-FDM ENUMERATED {one, two, four, eight}, msg1-FrequencyStart INTEGER (0..maxNrofPhysicalResourceBlocks-1), zeroCorrelationZoneConfig INTEGER(0..15), preambleReceivedTargetPower INTEGER (-202..-60), preambleTransMax ENUMERATED {n3, n4, n5, n6, n7, n8, n10, n20, n50, n100, n200}, powerRampingStep ENUMERATED {dB0, dB2, dB4, dB6}, ra-ResponseWindow ENUMERATED {sl1, sl2, sl4, sl8, sl10, sl20, sl40, sl80}, ... } -- TAG-RACH-CONFIG-GENERIC-STOP -- ASN1STOP

[0021] Figure 3 shows an example of the PRACH opportunity configuration in NR.

[0022] In NR Rel-15, there are up to 64 sequences that can be used as random access preambles for each PRACH opportunity in each cell. The RRC parameter totalNumberOfRA-Preambles determines, for each cell and for each PRACH opportunity, how many of these 64 sequences are used as random access preambles. The 64 sequences first include all available cyclic shifts of the root Zadoff-Chu sequence, and then are constructed by including, in increasing order of the root index, until 64 preambles are generated for the PRACH opportunity.

[0023] 2.1 NR Rel-15 Association between SSB and PRACH Opportunity

[0024] NR Rel-15 supports one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-one associations between SSB and PRACH opportunity as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0025] Figure 4 shows an example of one SSB for each PRACH opportunity.

[0026] Figure 5 shows an example having two SSBs per PRACH opportunity.

[0027] The preambles associated with each SSB are configured by two RRC parameters in RACH-ConfigCommon, namely ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB and totalNumberOfRA-Preambles.

[0028] The detailed mapping rules are defined as follows in Section 8.1 of TS 38.213:

[0029] In the case of Type 1 random access procedure, the UE is provided with the number N of SS / PBCH blocks associated with one PRACH opportunity and the number R of contention-based preambles per SS / PBCH block per valid PRACH opportunity by ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB.

[0030] The UE is given, by ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB, the number N of SS / PBCH blocks associated with one PRACH opportunity and the number R of contention-based preambles per SS / PBCH block per valid PRACH opportunity. If N < 1, one SS / PBCH block is mapped to 1 / N consecutive valid PRACH opportunities, and R contention-based preambles with consecutive indexes associated with the SS / PBCH block per valid PRACH opportunity start from preamble index 0. If N ≧ 1, R contention-based preambles with consecutive indexes associated with SS / PBCH block n, 0 ≦ n ≦ N - 1 per valid PRACH opportunity start from preamble index n· TIFF0007695404000002.tif1118 / N, where TIFF0007695404000003.tif1118 is provided by totalNumberOfRA-Preambles and is an integer multiple of N.

[0031] The SS / PBCH block index provided by ssb-PositionsInBurst in SIB1 or ServingCellConfigCommon is mapped to valid PRACH opportunities in the following order where the parameter is described in [4, TS 38.211]. - First, in ascending order of preamble indexes within a single PRACH opportunity - Second, in ascending order of frequency resource indexes for frequency multiplexed PRACH opportunities - Thirdly, in ascending order of the time resource index for the time-multiplexed PRACH opportunity within the PRACH slot - Fourthly, in ascending order of the index for the PRACH slot

[0032] FIG. 6 shows an example of the mapping between the SSB and the preamble in different PRACH opportunities.

[0033] For each SSB, the preamble associated with each PRACH opportunity TIFF0007695404000004.tif1118 / N is further divided into two sets for CBRA and CFRA. The number R of CB preambles per SSB per PRACH opportunity is signaled by the RRC parameter ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB. As shown in FIG. 7, the preamble indexes of CBRA and CFRA are mapped continuously for one SSB in one PRACH opportunity.

[0034] When the random access preamble group B is configured for CBRA, among the CBRA preambles (#CB-Preambles-per-SSB) associated with the SSB, the first numberOfRA-PreamblesGroupA random access preambles belong to the random access preamble group A, and the remaining random access preambles associated with the SSB belong to the random access preamble group B. FIG. 8 shows an example when the random access preamble group B is configured for CBRA.

[0035] According to TS 38.213, in order for the UE to select the random access preamble group B for PRACH transmission, one of two conditions must be met:

[0036] Condition 1: The potential msg3 size (UL data available for transmission + MAC header, and if necessary, MAC CE) is larger than ra-msg3SizeGroupA, and the path loss is less than PCMAX (of the serving cell where the random access procedure is performed) preambleReceivedTargetPower-Msg3-messagePowerOffsetGroupB; or

[0037] Condition 2: The random access procedure is started for the CCCH logical channel, and the CCCH SDU size + MAC sub-header is larger than ra-Msg3SizeGroupA.

[0038] Figure 8 shows the relevant preambles for CBRA and CFRA per SSB for each PRACH opportunity when the random access preamble group B is configured.

[0039] 3. RRC establishment cause for UE differentiation

[0040] In step 3 of the 4-step random access procedure, the UE includes the rrcSetupRequest message in Msg3. The rrcSetupRequest message contains a parameter establishmentCause that indicates the establishment cause for triggering the connection, such as emergency call, mission critical service, multimedia priority service, etc.

[0041] The gNB decodes the establishment cause received in msg3 to identify the type of connection request from the UE. Based on this, the gNB determines whether this request should be permitted or rejected based on the network traffic load situation and the available resources in the network.

[0042] 4. NR Rel-16 for MsgA configuration

[0043] 4.1 MsgA preamble configuration

[0044] The RACH opportunities for 2-step RACH can be either configured individually (also known as type 2 random access procedure with individual configuration of PRACH opportunities with type 1 random access procedure) or shared with 4-step RACH (also known as type 2 random access procedure with common configuration of PRACH opportunities with type 1 random access procedure), in which case different sets of preamble IDs are used.

[0045] In the case of type 2 random access procedure with common configuration of PRACH opportunities with type 1 random access procedure, the UE is provided with the number N of SS / PBCH blocks associated with one PRACH opportunity by ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB and the number Q of contention-based preambles per SS / PBCH block per valid PRACH opportunity by msgA-CB-PreamblesPerSSB. The PRACH transmission can be on a subset of PRACH opportunities associated with the same SS / PBCH block index for the UE provided with the PRACH mask index by msgA-ssb-sharedRO-MaskIndex. An example of the mapping from SSB to RO and preamble assignment is shown in Figure 9, but note that only one preamble group is assumed in this example.

[0046] Figure 9 shows the associated preambles for CBRA and CFRA per SSB per PRACH opportunity when the ROs of 2-step RACH and 4-step RACH are shared.

[0047] In the case of a type 2 random access procedure with an individual configuration of PRACH opportunities by a type 1 random access procedure, the UE is provided with the number N of SS / PBCH blocks associated with one PRACH opportunity and, if provided, ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB-msgA, or otherwise, ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB, the number R of contention-based preambles per SS / PBCH block for each valid PRACH opportunity. Since the mapping from SSB to RO and preamble assignment are configured independently, the example provided for the 4-step RACH in FIG. 8 is also valid for this case of the 2-step RACH, except that the parameters are configured individually for the 2-step RACH. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0048] Mission Critical (MC) services require more coverage than what is typically required for commercial services. Further, in high load situations, the network should prioritize access requests from UEs configured to provide MC services over access requests from normal UEs.

[0049] Since Message 1 shown in FIG. 1 or Message A shown in FIG. 2 is the first message transmitted from the UE during the initial procedure, it is important to ensure the robustness of the transmission of Message 1 or Message A from the MC UE.

[0050] In NR Rel-16, a prioritized random access feature was introduced for MC UEs. In particular, if an MC UE detects Msg2 but fails to find a corresponding random access response that matches its random access preamble transmission, the MC UE can send a new access attempt with a shorter waiting time (i.e., backoff time) and a larger preamble power ramping step size compared to a normal UE. This feature can increase the chances of faster successful completion of random access for MC UEs, but can only be used after at least one failed access attempt.

[0051] Currently, there is no solution to proactively enhance the robustness and / or coverage of message 1 (shown in FIG. 1) or message A (shown in FIG. 2) transmitted from an MC UE.

[0052] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a first message in random access (PRACH) for a UE configured to provide mission-critical (MC) services (hereinafter, MC UE). Iteration How to Activation The present invention provides a method for configuring and / or designing a MC UE to perform an initial first message transmission based on signaling information received from a network node.

[0053] Thus, in one aspect, Iteration The first message is sent while the condition is met. Iteration A method is provided for configuring a user equipment (UE) to transmit a second message, the method comprising including a repetition parameter in the second message, the repetition parameter indicating that a UE receiving the second message including the repetition parameter is permitted or must repeatedly transmit the first message while a repetition condition is satisfied if one or more criteria are satisfied, the method further comprising transmitting the second message.

[0054] In another aspect,Iteration Configure a user equipment (UE) to send a first message while a condition is satisfied. Iteration A method is provided for configuring a user equipment (UE) to send a first message while a condition is satisfied. The method Iteration comprises receiving a second message comprising parameters, Iteration wherein the parameters Iteration indicate that a UE receiving the second message comprising the parameters is permitted to send, or is required to send, the first message while the condition is satisfied if one or more criteria are met. The method further comprises determining whether to send the first message based on the received second message, and sending the first message. Iteration send the first message while the condition is satisfied. Iteration In another aspect, a computer program is provided that, when executed by a processing circuit, causes the processing circuit to perform the method described above. Iteration send the first message while the condition is satisfied.

[0055] In another aspect, a base station is provided for configuring a user equipment (UE) to send a first message while a condition is satisfied. The base station is configured to include repetition parameters in the second message, where the repetition parameters indicate that a UE receiving the second message comprising the repetition parameters is permitted to repeatedly send, or is required to repeatedly send, the first message while a repetition condition is satisfied if one or more criteria are met. The base station is further configured to send the second message.

[0056] In another aspect, Iteration Configure a user equipment (UE) to send a first message while a condition is satisfied. Iteration send the first message while the condition is satisfied.

[0057] In another aspect, a user equipment (UE) is provided for repeatedly transmitting a first message while a repetition condition is satisfied. The UE is configured to receive a second message including a repetition parameter, where the repetition parameter indicates whether a UE receiving the second message including the repetition parameter is permitted to repeatedly transmit the first message while the repetition condition is satisfied, or is required to transmit it, when one or more criteria are met. The UE determines whether to repeatedly transmit the first message based on the received second message and is further configured to transmit the first message.

[0058] In another aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes a memory and a processing circuit coupled to the memory, and the apparatus is configured to perform the method described above.

[0059] In another aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes a memory and a processing circuit coupled to the memory, and the apparatus is configured to perform the method described above.

[0060] As described above, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for enabling and / or configuring first message repetition for an MC UE. The first message repetition can improve the network coverage and robustness of PRACH transmission, thereby successfully improving the rate and reducing the latency for connection setup for the MC UE.

[0061] In addition, when the same PRACH resource is shared between an MC UE and a normal UE and both types of UEs can perform PRACH repetition, the method of some embodiments of the present disclosure can be used to enable PRACH repetition only for the MC UE to prioritize random access for the MC UE.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0062] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments.

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0074] Some embodiments of the present disclosure constitute, prioritize, and / or support a first message repetition (i.e., repeated transmission of a first message) for a specific type of UE such as an MC UE, a UE configured with a multimedia priority service.

[0075] In the present disclosure, the transmission of the "first message" can be Msg1 transmission in a 4-step RACH or MsgA or MsgA PRACH transmission in a 2-step RACH. Also, the "first message repetition" can mean multiple PRACH transmissions before the end of the RAR window and / or multiple PRACH transmissions from one UE before a PRACH retransmission occurs.

[0076] In some embodiments, the first message repetition can be multiple PRACH transmissions using the same PRACH preamble. However, in other embodiments, the first message repetition may be multiple PRACH transmissions using different PRACH preambles. The PRACH can be transmitted with the same transmission (TX) beam or different TX beams.

[0077] In the present disclosure, the "PRACH resource" can be a PRACH resource in the time domain or frequency domain, or different PRACH preamble sequences.

[0078] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for enabling a first message repetition for a specific type of UE (e.g., an MC UE, a UE configured with a multimedia Priority service, etc.). For simplicity, in the remainder of the present disclosure, an MC UE is used as an example of a specific type of UE.

[0079] In some embodiments, the first message repetition may be configured in (1) system information (SI) (e.g., in the RACH-ConfigCommon IE in SIB1), (2) the first message repetition may be associated with a specific UE access identifier, (3) the first message repetition may be associated with a specific access category, (4) the determination of PRACH repetition may be based on the capabilities of the UE supporting the first message repetition, and (5) the determination of PRACH repetition may be based on measurements from a reference signal (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI, or SINR), and may be configured using one or more of the following options.

[0080] For example, in a 4-step contention-based random access (CBRA), the first message repetition parameter may be included in ra-PrioritizationForAccessIdentity in the RACH-ConfigCommon IE in SIB1. The parameter may be associated with a specific set of access identifiers (e.g., UE configured with access identifier 1 - multimedia priority service - and / or UE configured with access identifier 2 - MC service). If the first message repetition parameter is present in SIB1, a UE configured with a specific set of access identifiers must perform MsgA (PRACH) repetition when transmitting MsgA in a 2-step CBRA. The first message repetition parameter may further indicate the number of repetitions.

[0081] As another example, a 2-step ConflictIn the case of base random access (CBRA), the first message repetition parameter may be included in ra-PrioritizationForAccessIdentityTwoStep in the RACH-ConfigCommon IE in SIB1. The parameter may be associated with a specific set of access identifiers (e.g., UEs configured with access identifier 1 - multimedia priority service and / or UEs configured with access identifier 2 - MC service). If the first message repetition parameter is present in SIB1, UEs configured with a specific set of access identifiers must perform MsgA (PRACH) repetitions when transmitting MsgA during two-step CBRA. The first message repetition parameter may further indicate the number of repetitions.

[0082] In another example, when the PRACH repetition configuration is enabled in SIB1, the MC UE may determine whether to use PRACH repetitions based on the capabilities of the MC UE that support PRACH repetitions and / or whether the RSRP, RSRQ, and / or RSSI measured on the downlink reference signal (e.g., RS for path loss estimation) is below a configured threshold or a predetermined threshold. Isn't it big? or not.

[0083] In some embodiments, the first message repetition may be associated with a specific set of PRACH resources that are dedicated to the MC UE. Here, the PRACH resources may be time-frequency PRACH opportunities or random access preamble indices. For example, if dedicated PRACH resources are configured for the MC UE, the MC UE may always perform Msg1 repetitions when using these resources if certain criteria are met. The number of repetitions may be indicated by the number of consecutive PRACH opportunities configured in the time domain.

[0084] In some embodiments, the first message repetition for the MC UE can be associated with a subset of a specific set of PRACH resources that are dedicated for UEs that require PRACH repetition. For example, an individual set of PRACH resources can be configured for UEs that support PRACH repetition. In such a case, a subset of this individual set of PRACH resources can be reserved for MC UEs that support PRACH repetition, and the remaining PRACH resources can be used by normal UEs that support PRACH repetition.

[0085] In some embodiments, the MC UE can be configured to always support the first message repetition. However, there can be scenarios where some MC UEs may not have the ability to support the first message repetition. Thus, in some embodiments, the MC UE can be configured to support the first message repetition based on the capabilities of the MC UE. Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, even when the MC UE supports the first message repetition, the MC UE can be configured to select to transmit the first message without repetition.

[0086] FIG. 10 shows a process 1000 according to some embodiments. The process 1000 is for configuring a UE to transmit a first message while a condition is satisfied. The process 1000 can be executed by a base station such as a gNB and can start at step s1002. Step s1002 includes including repetition parameters in a second message. The repetition parameters indicate that a UE receiving the second message including the repetition parameters is permitted or required to repeatedly transmit the first message while a repetition condition is satisfied if one or more criteria are met. Step s1004 includes transmitting the second message. Iteration configuring the UE to transmit the first message while a condition is satisfied. Iteration The process 1000 can be executed by a base station such as a gNB and can start at step s1002. Step s1002 includes including repetition parameters in a second message. The repetition parameters indicate that a UE receiving the second message including the repetition parameters is permitted or required to repeatedly transmit the first message while a repetition condition is satisfied if one or more criteria are met. Step s1004 includes transmitting the second message.

[0087] In some embodiments, the first message includes a random access preamble.

[0088] In some embodiments, the repetition condition is (i) that the random access response (RAR) window has not ended and / or (ii) that no physical random access channel (PRACH) retransmission has occurred.

[0089] In some embodiments, the second message is a broadcast message, and the repetition parameter is included in the system information block (SIB) of the broadcast message.

[0090] In some embodiments, the one or more criteria include a UE that receives the second message being (i) a UE configured using mission critical (MC) services, (ii) a UE configured using multimedia priority services, or (iii) any one of (i) and (ii).

[0091] In some embodiments, the one or more criteria are associated with one or more UE capabilities.

[0092] In some embodiments, the one or more UE capabilities include (i) the ability to repeatedly transmit Msg1, Msg3, and / or MsgA, and / or (ii) beamforming related capabilities.

[0093] Examples of beamforming related capabilities include the ability to transmit Msg1, Msg3, and / or MsgA using a wide beam and / or a narrow beam, the ability to perform analog beamforming and / or digital beamforming, the ability to perform beam sweeping for Msg1, Msg3, and / or MsgA transmission, the ability to use higher transmission power for Msg1, Msg3, and / or MsgA transmission, and the number of narrow beams per UE panel.

[0094] In some embodiments, the one or more UE capabilities may be defined for each frequency range (e.g., FR1, FR2), frequency band, cell, or bandwidth part. In some embodiments, the associated UE capabilities may be associated with specific features, such as, for example, random access procedures during initial access, random access procedures for beam failure recovery, random access procedures for link failure recovery, and / or random access procedures for handover.

[0095] In some embodiments, the one or more criteria are associated with one or more UE capabilities.

[0096] In some embodiments, the one or more UE capabilities include i) the ability to repeatedly transmit Msg1, Msg3, and / or MsgA, and / or ii) beamforming-related capabilities. Msg1, Msg3, and MsgA are defined in 3GPP TS 38.213, Section 8.

[0097] In some embodiments, the one or more criteria include that the measured value of the downlink reference signal is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

[0098] In some embodiments, the repetition parameter further indicates the number of permitted or required repeated transmissions of the first message.

[0099] In some embodiments, a specific group of PRACH resources is allocated for repeated transmission of the first message for the UE.

[0100] FIG. 11 shows a process 1100 according to some embodiments. The process 1100 is for configuring a user equipment (UE) to repeatedly transmit a first message while an iteration condition is satisfied. The process 1100 can start from step s1102. Step s1102 includes receiving a second message including iteration parameters. The iteration parameter indicates that if a UE that receives the second message including the iteration parameter meets one or more criteria, it is permitted or required to repeatedly transmit the first message while the iteration condition is satisfied. Step s1104 includes determining whether to repeatedly transmit the first message based on the received second message. Step s1106 includes transmitting the first message.

[0101] In some embodiments, the first message includes a random access preamble.

[0102] In some embodiments, the iteration condition is (i) the random access response (RAR) window has not ended, and / or (ii) no physical random access channel (PRACH) retransmission has been performed.

[0103] In some embodiments, the second message is a broadcast message, and the iteration parameter is included in the system information block (SIB) of the broadcast message.

[0104] In some embodiments, the one or more criteria include a UE that receives the second message being (i) a UE configured to provide a mission critical (MC) service, (ii) a UE configured to provide a multimedia priority service, or (iii) any one of (i) and (ii).

[0105] In some embodiments, the one or more criteria are associated with one or more UE capabilities.

[0106] In some embodiments, the one or more UE capabilities include i) the ability to repeatedly transmit Msg1, Msg3, and / or MsgA, and / or ii) beamforming-related capabilities.

[0107] Examples of beamforming-related capabilities include the ability to transmit Msg1, Msg3, and / or MsgA using a wide beam and / or a narrow beam, the ability to perform analog beamforming and / or digital beamforming, the ability to perform beam sweeping for Msg1, Msg3, and / or MsgA transmission, the ability to use higher transmission power for Msg1, Msg3, and / or MsgA transmission, and the number of narrow beams per UE panel.

[0108] In some embodiments, one or more UE capabilities may be defined per frequency range (e.g., FR1, FR2), frequency band, cell, or bandwidth part. In some embodiments, the associated UE capabilities may be associated with specific features such as, for example, random access procedures during initial access, random access procedures for beam failure recovery, random access procedures for link failure recovery, and / or random access procedures for handover.

[0109] In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving a downlink reference signal, and one or more criteria include that a measured value of the downlink reference signal is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

[0110] In some embodiments, the repetition parameter further indicates the number of permitted or required repeated transmissions of the first message.

[0111] In some embodiments, a specific group of PRACH resources is allocated for repeated transmission of the first message.

[0112] Referring now to FIG. 12, FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a network node (e.g., a base station such as a gNB) according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 12, apparatus 1200 may include a processing circuit (PC) 1202 including one or more processors (P) 1255 (e.g., one or more general-purpose microprocessors and / or one or more other processors such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)) that may be co-located within a single housing or within a single data center, or may be geographically dispersed (i.e., apparatus 1200 may be a distributed computing apparatus), a network interface 1268 including a transmitter (Tx) 1265 and a receiver (Rx) 1267 to enable apparatus 1200 to transmit and receive data with other nodes connected to a network 1250 (e.g., an Internet Protocol (IP) network) to which network interface 1268 is connected, a communication circuit 1248 coupled to an antenna configuration 1249 including one or more antennas and including a transmitter (Tx) 1245 and a receiver (Rx) 1247 to enable apparatus 1200 to transmit and receive data (e.g., transmit / receive data wirelessly), and a local memory unit (also referred to as a “data storage system”) 1208 that may include one or more non-volatile memory devices and / or one or more volatile memory devices. In embodiments where PC 1202 includes a programmable processor, a computer program product (CPP) 1241 may be provided. CPP 1241 includes a computer readable medium (CRM) 1242 storing a computer program (CP) 1243 comprising computer readable instructions (CRI) 1244. CRM 1242 may be a non-transitory computer readable medium such as a magnetic medium (e.g., a hard disk), an optical medium, a memory device (e.g., a random access memory, a flash memory).In some embodiments, when the CRI 1244 of the computer program 1243 is executed by the PC 1202, the apparatus 1200 is configured to cause the steps described herein (e.g., the steps described herein with reference to the flowchart) to be executed. In other embodiments, the apparatus 1200 may be configured to execute the steps described herein without requiring code. That is, for example, the PC 1202 may be composed of only one or more ASICs. Thus, the features of the embodiments described herein may be implemented in hardware and / or software.

[0113] Next, referring to FIG. 13, FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 13, the UE includes a processing circuit (PC) 1302 that can include one or more processors (P) 1355 (e.g., one or more general-purpose microprocessors and / or one or more other processors such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)), a communication circuit 1348 coupled to an antenna configuration 1349 having one or more antennas, the communication circuit 1348 including a transmitter (Tx) 1345 and a receiver (Rx) 1347 to enable the UE to transmit and receive data (e.g., transmit / receive data wirelessly), and a local memory unit (also known as a "data storage system") 1308 that can include one or more non-volatile memory devices and / or one or more volatile memory devices. In embodiments where the PC 3202 includes a programmable processor, a computer program product (CPP) 1341 can be provided. The CPP 1341 includes a computer-readable medium (CRM) 1342 that stores a computer program (CP) 1343 having computer-readable instructions (CRI) 1344. The CRM 1342 can be a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as a magnetic medium (e.g., a hard disk), an optical medium, a memory device (e.g., a random access memory, a flash memory). In some embodiments, when the CRI 1344 of the computer program 1343 is executed by the PC 1302, the CRI is configured to cause the UE to execute the steps described herein (e.g., the steps described herein with reference to the flowcharts). In other embodiments, the UE can be configured to execute the steps described herein without requiring code. That is, for example, the PC 1302 can be composed of only one or more ASICs. Thus, the features of the embodiments described herein can be implemented in hardware and / or software.

[0114] Although various embodiments are described in this specification, it should be understood that they are presented by way of example only and not by way of limitation. Accordingly, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments. Further, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context, any combination of the above elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the present disclosure.

[0115] In addition, the processes and message flows described above and shown in the drawings are shown as a series of steps, but this is done for illustrative purposes only. Accordingly, it is contemplated that some steps may be added, some steps may be omitted, the order of steps may be rearranged, and some steps may be executed in parallel.

Claims

1. A method (1000) of configuring one or more user equipment (UE) to repeatedly transmit a first message while a repetition condition is satisfied, comprising: including a repetition parameter in a second message (s1002), wherein the repetition parameter indicates that a UE receiving the second message including the repetition parameter is permitted or required to repeatedly transmit the first message while the repetition condition is satisfied if the UE meets one or more criteria; transmitting the second message (s1004); and wherein the repetition condition is that a physical random access channel (PRACH) retry is not being performed; and wherein the one or more criteria include that the UE receiving the second message is (i) a UE configured to provide a mission critical (MC) service, or (ii) a UE configured to provide one or more multimedia priority services.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message includes a random access preamble.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the repetition condition is also that a random access response (RAR) window has not ended.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second message is a broadcast message and the repetition parameter is included in a system information block (SIB) of the broadcast message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria are associated with one or more UE capabilities.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria are associated with one or more UE capabilities, and wherein the one or more criteria include that the UE receiving the second message is (i) a UE configured to provide a mission critical (MC) service, or (ii) a UE configured to provide one or more multimedia priority services. The method, wherein the one or more UE capabilities include: i) the ability to repeatedly transmit Msg1, Msg3, and / or MsgA, and / or ii) beamforming-related capabilities. **Claim 7** The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria include that a measured value of a downlink reference signal is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. **Claim 8** The method according to claim 1, wherein the repetition parameter further indicates the number of permitted or required repeated transmissions of the first message. **Claim 9** The method according to claim 1, wherein a specific group of PRACH resources is dedicated to repeated transmission of the first message for the UE. **Claim 10** A method (1100) of configuring a user equipment (UE) to repeatedly transmit a first message while a repetition condition is satisfied, comprising: receiving (s1102) a second message including a repetition parameter, wherein the repetition parameter indicates that the UE receiving the second message including the repetition parameter is permitted or required to repeatedly transmit the first message while the repetition condition is satisfied when one or more criteria are satisfied; determining (s1104) whether to repeatedly transmit the first message based on the received second message; transmitting (s1106) the first message; wherein the repetition condition is that no physical random access channel (PRACH) retransmission is being performed; the one or more criteria include that the UE receiving the second message is (i) a UE configured to provide a mission critical (MC) service, or (ii) a UE configured to provide one or more multimedia priority services. **Claim 11** The method according to claim 10, wherein the repetition condition is also (i) that a random access response (RAR) window has not ended.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the second message is a broadcast message, and the repetition parameter is included in a system information block (SIB) of the broadcast message.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the one or more criteria are associated with one or more UE capabilities, and the one or more UE capabilities include (i) the ability to repeatedly transmit Msg1, Msg3, and / or MsgA, and / or (ii) beamforming-related capabilities.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising receiving a downlink reference signal, and the one or more criteria include that a measured value of the downlink reference signal is not less than or greater than a predetermined threshold.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the repetition parameter further indicates a permitted or required number of repeated transmissions of the first message.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein a specific group of PRACH resources is allocated for repeated transmission of the first message.

17. A base station (1200) for configuring one or more user equipment (UE) to repeatedly transmit a first message while a repetition condition is satisfied, including including a repetition parameter in a second message, wherein the repetition parameter indicates that a UE receiving the second message including the repetition parameter is permitted or required to repeatedly transmit the first message while the repetition condition is satisfied when one or more criteria are satisfied. transmitting the second message; is configured to execute, the repetition condition is that physical random access channel (PRACH) retransmission has not been performed, the one or more criteria include that the UE receiving the second message is (i) a UE configured to provide mission critical (MC) services, or (ii) a UE configured to provide one or more multimedia priority services, A base station characterized by that.

18. A base station according to claim 17, further configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 2 to 9.

19. A user equipment (UE) (1300) for repeatedly transmitting a first message while a repetition condition is satisfied, wherein the UE receiving a second message including repetition parameters (s1102), wherein the repetition parameters allow or require the UE to repeatedly transmit the first message while the repetition condition is satisfied while one or more criteria are satisfied, receiving the second message, determining whether to repeatedly transmit the first message based on the received second message (s1106); transmitting the first message; is configured to execute, the repetition condition is that physical random access channel (PRACH) retransmission has not been performed, the one or more criteria include that the UE receiving the second message is (i) a UE configured to provide mission critical (MC) services, or (ii) a UE configured to provide one or more multimedia priority services, A UE characterized by that.

20. The UE according to claim 19, wherein the UE is further configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 16.

21. An apparatus (1200 or 1300), a memory (1242 or 1342), and a processing circuit (1202 or 1302) coupled to the memory (1242 or 1342), the apparatus (1200 or 1300) being configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

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