Wireless communication with contention avoidance

Abstract

To provide a wireless communication with conflict avoidance.SOLUTION: The present disclosure relates to wireless communication formats that avoid conflicts in message transmissions. In an implementation, conflicts are avoided by determining that transmitting the uplink message according to a first transmission format will result in a conflict, and responsively determining to transmit the uplink message according to a second transmission format. In another implementation, conflicts are avoided by waiting to transmit a message part until a next time unit of a physical channel that is not conflicted. In another implementation, conflicts are avoided by configuring time units of a second physical channel relative to time units of a first physical channel according to an uplink time unit offset.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure is directed generally to wireless communication networks, and more particularly to message transmission between wireless communication network nodes. [Background technology]

[0002] Wireless communication technologies are moving the world toward rapidly increasing network connectivity. High-speed, low-latency wireless communication relies on efficient management and allocation of network resources between user mobile stations and radio access network nodes (including, but not limited to, radio base stations). Unlike traditional circuit-switched networks, efficient radio access networks may not rely on dedicated user channels. Instead, radio network resources (such as carrier frequencies and transmission time slots) for transmitting voice or other types of data from mobile stations to radio access network nodes may be allocated in a contention-based random access manner rather than a grant-based fixed access manner. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] In one embodiment, a wireless communication method includes determining requirements for a mobile station to transmit an uplink message to a wireless access node. The uplink message includes a first message portion and a second message portion. Additionally, the mobile station is configured to transmit the uplink message in a first transmission format or a second transmission format. The method also includes the mobile station, in response to determining that a conflict will occur, determining to transmit the uplink message according to the second transmission format.

[0004] In another embodiment, another wireless communication method includes determining requirements for a mobile station to transmit an uplink message to a wireless access node, the uplink message including a first message portion and a second message portion. The mobile station transmits the first message portion based on a time unit of a first physical channel. The mobile station also determines that transmitting the second message portion based on a time unit of a second physical channel according to the first transmission format would result in a contention. In response, the mobile station waits until the next time unit of the second physical channel configured as the uplink time unit to transmit the second message portion.

[0005] In another embodiment, another wireless communication method includes determining requirements for a mobile station to transmit an uplink message to a wireless access node, the uplink message including a first message portion and a second message portion. The mobile station transmits the first message portion based on time units of a first physical channel. The mobile station also determines that transmitting the second message portion based on time units of a second physical channel according to the first transmission format would result in a conflict. In response, the mobile station waits until a next time unit group of the second physical channel configured as an uplink time unit group to transmit the second message portion.

[0006] In another embodiment, another wireless communication method includes determining requirements for a mobile station to transmit an uplink message to a wireless access node, the uplink message including a first message portion and a second message portion. The mobile station transmits the first message portion based on time units of a first physical channel. The method also includes the mobile station determining that transmitting the second message portion based on time units of a second physical channel according to the first transmission format would result in a conflict for at least one time unit of the time units of the second physical channel. The mobile station then transmits a first portion of the second message portion based on at least one time unit of the time units of the second physical channel that is not in conflict. The mobile station then waits until the next time unit of the second physical channel to transmit the remainder of the second message portion.

[0007] In another embodiment, another wireless communication method includes a radio access node receiving, by a radio access node, a first message portion of a first uplink message from a mobile station based on time units of a first physical channel and a second message portion of the first uplink message from the mobile station based on time units of a second physical channel. The radio access node then transmits a third message portion of a first downlink message to the mobile station in response to receiving the second message portion of the first uplink message according to the first transmission format. The method also includes the radio access node receiving, by the radio access node, the first message portion of a second uplink message from the mobile station based on another time unit of the first physical channel. In response to determining that the first message portion of the second uplink message includes information indicating that the mobile station transmitted the first message portion of the second uplink message according to the second transmission format, the radio access node transmits the third message portion of the second downlink message to the mobile station according to the second transmission format.

[0008] In another embodiment, another wireless communication method includes a mobile station determining requirements for transmitting an uplink message to a wireless access node, the uplink message including a first message portion and a second message portion. The mobile station transmits the first message portion based on a time unit of a first physical channel. The mobile station then transmits the second message portion based on a time unit of a second physical channel, the time unit of the second physical channel being at least one uplink time unit and having an offset relative to the time unit of the first physical channel, the offset being a preset number of time units configured as uplink time units after transmitting the first message portion based on the time unit of the first physical channel.

[0009] The above embodiments, and other aspects and alternatives of their implementations, are described in more detail in the following drawings, description, and claims. The present specification also provides, for example, the following items: (Item 1) A wireless communication method, the wireless communication method comprising: determining requirements for transmitting, by a mobile station, an uplink message to a radio access node, the uplink message comprising a first message portion and a second message portion, the mobile station being configured to transmit the uplink message in one of a first transmission format or a second transmission format; determining, by the mobile station, in response to determining that a conflict will occur, to transmit the uplink message in accordance with the second transmission format; A wireless communication method comprising: (Item 2) the first transmission format includes the mobile station transmitting the first message portion based on a time unit of a first physical channel, transmitting the second message portion based on a time unit of a second physical channel after transmitting the first message portion, and receiving a downlink message from the radio access node after transmitting the second message portion; Item 1, wherein the second transmission format includes the mobile station transmitting the first message portion based on a time unit of a first physical channel, receiving a third message portion from the radio access node after transmitting the first message portion, and transmitting the second message portion based on a time unit of the second physical channel after receiving the third message portion. (Item 3) transmitting, by the mobile station, the first message portion to the radio access node based on a time unit of a first physical channel; receiving, by the mobile station, the third message portion from the radio access node after transmitting the first message portion; transmitting, by the mobile station after receiving the third message portion, the second message portion to the radio access node based on a time unit of a second physical channel; 3. The wireless communication method according to item 1 or 2, further comprising: (Item 4) the first transmission format includes the mobile station transmitting the first message portion based on a time unit of a first physical channel, transmitting the second message portion based on a time unit of a second physical channel after transmitting the first message portion, and receiving a downlink message from the radio access node after transmitting the second message portion; Item 1, wherein the second transmission format includes the mobile station transmitting the first message portion based on a time unit of a third physical channel, receiving a third message portion from the radio access node after transmitting the first message portion, and transmitting the second message portion based on a time unit of the second physical channel after receiving the third message portion. (Item 5) transmitting, by the mobile station, the first message portion to the radio access node based on a time unit of a third physical channel; receiving, by the mobile station, the third message portion from the radio access node after transmitting the first message portion; transmitting, by the mobile station after receiving the third message portion, the second message portion to the radio access node based on a time unit of a second physical channel; 5. The wireless communication method according to item 1 or 4, further comprising: (Item 6) 6. The wireless communication method according to any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the mobile station that determines that a conflict will occur further comprises determining that transmitting the uplink message according to the first transmission format will result in the second message portion being transmitted based on a time unit of a second physical channel configured as a downlink time unit. (Item 7) A wireless communication method, the wireless communication method comprising: determining, by a mobile station, requirements for transmitting an uplink message to a radio access node, the uplink message comprising a first message portion and a second message portion; transmitting, by the mobile station, the first message portion based on a time unit of a first physical channel; determining, by the mobile station, that transmitting the second message portion based on a time unit of a second physical channel according to a first transmission format would result in a contention; in response to determining, by the mobile station, that transmitting the second message portion in accordance with a first transmission format would result in a contention, waiting to transmit the second message portion until a next time unit configured as an uplink time unit of the second physical channel; A wireless communication method comprising: (Item 8) 8. The wireless communication method of claim 7, further comprising transmitting, by the mobile station, the second message portion based on the next time unit of the second physical channel. (Item 9) 9. The wireless communication method of claim 7, wherein determining that transmitting the second message portion based on the time unit of the second physical channel in accordance with the first transmission format would result in a conflict further includes determining that the time unit of the second physical channel is configured as a downlink time unit. (Item 10) A wireless communication method, the wireless communication method comprising: determining, by a mobile station, requirements for transmitting an uplink message to a radio access node, the uplink message comprising a first message portion and a second message portion; transmitting, by the mobile station, the first message portion based on a time unit of a first physical channel; determining, by the mobile station, that transmitting the second message portion based on time units of a second physical channel according to a first transmission format would result in a conflict; in response to determining, by the mobile station, that transmitting the second message portion in accordance with a first transmission format would result in a contention, waiting to transmit the second message portion until a next time unit group configured as an uplink time unit group of the second physical channel; A wireless communication method comprising: (Item 11) each of the set of time units of the second physical channel and the set of next time units of the second physical channel comprises two or more consecutive time units of a frequency resource; 8. The wireless communication method of claim 7, wherein determining by the mobile station that transmitting the second message portion based on the set of time units of the second physical channel in accordance with the first transmission format would result in a conflict further includes determining that at least one of the two or more time units of the set of time units of the second physical channel is configured as a downlink time unit. (Item 12) Item 12. The wireless communication method of item 11, wherein the next set of time units of the second physical channel are configured such that two or more of the next set of time units of the second physical channel are configured as uplink time units. (Item 13) A wireless communication method, the wireless communication method comprising: determining, by a mobile station, requirements for transmitting an uplink message to a radio access node, the uplink message comprising a first message portion and a second message portion; transmitting, by the mobile station, the first message portion based on a time unit of a first physical channel; determining, by the mobile station, that transmitting the second message portion based on a group of time units of a second physical channel in accordance with a first transmission format will result in a conflict with respect to at least one time unit of the group of time units of the second physical channel, wherein the group of time units of the second physical channel comprises two or more consecutive time units; transmitting, by the mobile station, a first portion of the second message portion based on at least one non-contentious time unit of the set of time units of the second physical channel; waiting by the mobile station until a next group of time units on the second physical channel to transmit the remainder of the second message portion; A wireless communication method comprising: (Item 14) Item 14. The wireless communication method of item 13, wherein at least one time unit of the set of time units of the second physical channel is configured as an uplink time unit, and at least one other time unit of the set of time units of the second physical channel is configured as a downlink time unit. (Item 15) Item 14. The wireless communication method of item 13, wherein the next set of time units of the second physical channel comprises two or more consecutive time units, and at least one time unit of the next set of time units of the second physical channel is configured as an uplink time unit. (Item 16) Item 14. The wireless communication method of item 13, further comprising transmitting, by the mobile station, the remainder of the second message portion based on at least one time unit of the next set of time units of the second physical channel. (Item 17) A wireless communication method, the wireless communication method comprising: determining, by a mobile station, requirements for transmitting an uplink message to a radio access node, the uplink message comprising a first message portion and a second message portion; transmitting, by the mobile station, the first message portion to the radio access node based on a time unit of a first physical channel; transmitting the second message portion based on a time unit of a second physical channel; the time unit of the second physical channel is at least one uplink time unit and has an offset relative to the time unit of the first physical channel, the offset being a preset number of time units configured as uplink time units after transmitting the first message portion based on the time unit of the first physical channel. (Item 18) A wireless communication method, the wireless communication method comprising: receiving, by the radio access node, a first message portion of a first uplink message from the mobile station based on a time unit of the first physical channel; receiving, by the radio access node, a second message portion of the first uplink message from the mobile station based on time units of a second physical channel; transmitting, by the radio access node, a third message portion of a first downlink message to the mobile station in response to receiving the second message portion of the first uplink message according to a first transmission format; receiving, by the radio access node, a first message portion of a second uplink message from the mobile station based on another time unit of the first physical channel; transmitting, by the radio access node, a third message portion of a second downlink message to the mobile station in accordance with a second transmission format in response to determining that the first message portion of the second uplink message includes information indicating that the mobile station transmitted the first message portion of the second uplink message in accordance with the second transmission format; A wireless communication method comprising: (Item 19) 20. The wireless communication method of claim 18, further comprising receiving, by the radio access node, a second message portion of the second uplink message from the mobile station based on a time unit of a second physical channel after transmitting the third message portion of the second downlink message. (Item 20) 20. The wireless communication method according to any one of items 1-19, wherein the mobile station and the wireless access node communicate by utilizing at least one frequency resource comprising a plurality of time units, each of the plurality of time units being configured as at least one of an uplink time unit or a downlink time unit. (Item 21) 21. A wireless communication method according to any one of items 1-20, wherein the mobile station and the radio access node communicate by utilizing at least one frequency resource comprising a plurality of time units, a first subset of the plurality of time units being configured as time units of a first physical channel, and a second subset of the plurality of time units being configured as time units of a second physical channel. (Item 22) 22. The wireless communication method of any of items 1-21, wherein the time unit comprises a slot or a symbol. (Item 23) 23. The wireless communication method of any of items 1-22, wherein the first physical channel comprises a PRACH opportunity and the second physical channel comprises a PUSCH opportunity. (Item 24) 24. The wireless communication method of any of items 1-23, wherein the first message portion comprises a preamble message and the second message portion comprises a payload message. (Item 25) 25. The wireless communication method of any of items 1-24, wherein the first message portion comprises a PRACH message and the second message portion comprises a PUSCH message. (Item 26) 26. A wireless communication method according to any one of items 1-25, wherein the uplink message is part of a random access channel request. (Item 27) 27. The wireless communication method according to any one of items 1-26, wherein the radio access node comprises a 4G LTE base station, a 5G NR base station, a 5G central unit base station, or a 5G distributed unit base station. (Item 28) A wireless communication method described in any of items 1-16 and 18-19, wherein a plurality of time units are configured as at least one of uplink time units or downlink time units in a first pattern having a first periodicity, and a second subset of the plurality of time units are configured as time units of a second physical channel in a second pattern having a second periodicity, and the first periodicity is different from the second periodicity. (Item 29) Item 29. The wireless communication method of item 28, wherein the first pattern and the second pattern are established by the radio access node. (Item 30) A wireless communication method described in any of items 2-16 and 18-19, wherein the time unit of the second physical channel for transmitting the second message portion is configured as the time unit immediately following the time unit of the first physical channel for transmitting the first message portion. (Item 31) A wireless communication method described in any of items 2-16 and 18-19, wherein the time unit of the second physical channel for transmitting the second message portion is configured as a time unit offset by at least one offset time unit from the time unit of the first physical channel for transmitting the first message portion. (Item 32) A mobile station comprising a processor and a memory, the processor configured to read computer code from the memory and to implement the method according to any one of items 1-17 and 20-31. (Item 33) 32. A radio access node comprising a processor and a memory, the processor configured to read computer code from the memory and to implement the method according to any one of items 18-31. (Item 34) 32. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable program medium storing computer code, the computer code, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to implement the method of any one of items 1-31. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system diagram including a mobile station and a wireless access node, in accordance with various embodiments.

[0011] [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a transmission format procedure for transmissions between a mobile station and a wireless access node.

[0012] [Figure 3] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of another transmission format procedure for transmission between a mobile station and a radio access node.

[0013] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of another transmission format procedure for transmission between a mobile station and a radio access node.

[0014] [Figure 5] FIG. 5 shows an example configuration of resources with contention in various time units.

[0015] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 illustrates another example configuration of resources with contention in various time units.

[0016] [Figure 7] FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary method for avoiding transmission contention, according to various embodiments.

[0017] [Figure 8] FIG. 8 illustrates another exemplary method for avoiding transmission contention, according to various embodiments.

[0018] [Figure 9] FIG. 9 illustrates another exemplary method for avoiding transmission contention, according to various embodiments.

[0019] [Figure 10] FIG. 10 illustrates an additional exemplary method for avoiding transmission contention, according to various embodiments.

[0020] [Figure 11] FIG. 11 illustrates another exemplary method for avoiding transmission contention, according to various embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] A radio access network provides network connectivity between mobile stations and information or data networks (such as voice communication networks or the Internet). An exemplary radio access network may be based on cellular technology, which may further be based on, for example, 4G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), 5G, and / or New Radio (NR) technologies and / or formats. FIG. 1 shows an exemplary system diagram including a mobile station 102 and a radio access node 104, according to various embodiments. The mobile station 102 may comprise user equipment (UE), which may further include, without limitation, a mobile phone, smartphone, tablet, laptop computer, or other mobile device capable of communicating wirelessly over a network. The mobile station 102 may include transceiver circuitry 106 coupled to an antenna 108 to provide wireless communication with the radio access node 104. The transceiver circuitry 106 may also be coupled to a processor 110, which may also be coupled to a memory 112 or other storage device. The memory 112 may store therein instructions or code that, when read and executed by the processor 110, cause the processor 110 to implement various of the methods described herein.

[0022] Similarly, the radio access node 104 may comprise a base station or other wireless network access point capable of communicating wirelessly with one or many mobile stations via a network. For example, the radio access node 104 may comprise a 4G LTE base station, a 5G NR base station, a 5G central unit base station, or a 5G distributed unit base station, in various embodiments. The radio access node 104 may include transceiver circuitry 114 coupled to an antenna 116, which may include an antenna tower 118 in various approaches, to provide wireless communication with the mobile station 102. The transceiver circuitry 114 may also be coupled to one or more processors 120, which may also be coupled to a memory 122 or other storage device. The memory 122 may store therein instructions or code that, when read and executed by the processor 120, cause the processor 120 to implement various of the methodologies described herein.

[0023] The radio access network may provide or employ various transmission formats and protocols for wireless message transmission between the mobile station 102 and the radio access node 104. Figures 2 and 3 show example transmission format procedures for transmission between the mobile station 102 and the radio access node 104, according to various embodiments. In one approach, the radio access network may employ a random access procedure (e.g., RACH) and interface, and the mobile station 102 may request access to the network through a series of message transmissions to or from the radio access node 104. Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the transmission formats within an exemplary context for purposes of explanation. For example, Figure 2 shows an exemplary four-stage RACH procedure, and Figure 3 shows an exemplary two-stage RACH procedure. However, the transmission formats described with respect to Figures 2 and 3 are not limited to the exemplary context of a RACH procedure and may also be used for other message transmission types and protocols.

[0024] 2 illustrates a four-stage transmission format procedure 200 (referred to herein as a "second transmission format") according to various embodiments. The mobile station 102 transmits a first message portion 202 (i.e., msg1) to the radio access node 104 on a first physical channel, which may include a preamble message in various approaches. Within an exemplary RACH procedure context, the first message portion 202 may include a RACH request preamble that may be transmitted on the first physical channel, which is a physical random access channel (PRACH). After receiving the first message portion 202, the radio access node 104 sends back to the mobile station 102 a third message portion 204 (i.e., msg2), which may include an acknowledgement message. In an exemplary RACH procedure context, the third message portion 204 includes a random access response message.

[0025] After receiving the third message portion 204, the mobile station 102 transmits a second message portion 206 (i.e., msg3) to the radio access node 104, which is transmitted to the radio access node 104 on a second physical channel, and the second message portion 206 may include a payload message in various approaches. Within the exemplary context of a RACH procedure, the second message portion 206 may include a RACH request payload (which includes UE identification and control information) and may be transmitted on a second physical channel, which may be a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). After receiving the second message portion 206, the radio access node 104 sends a fourth message portion 208 (i.e., msg4) back to the mobile station 102, which may include additional information, such as configuration information. In the exemplary RACH procedure context, the fourth message portion 208 includes radio resource control (RRC) information and / or contention resolution information (e.g., in instances where two or more mobile stations simultaneously request RACH access).

[0026] The first message portion 202 (i.e., msg1) and the second message portion 206 (i.e., msg3) together form an uplink message. Similarly, the third message portion 204 (i.e., msg2) and the fourth message portion 208 (i.e., msg4) together form a downlink message. The terms “channel” and “physical channel” are used broadly herein to refer to network transmission resources, including, without limitation, any combination of transmission carrier frequencies and time units. In various examples, a “physical channel” may include an instance or opportunity of a single time unit or a group of multiple time units (the multiple time units may be consecutive time units), which are configured or assigned as a particular channel (e.g., a PRACH opportunity or a PUSCH opportunity).

[0027] 3 illustrates a two-stage transmission format procedure 300 (referred to herein as a “first transmission format”) according to various embodiments. The mobile station 102 transmits an uplink message 302 (i.e., msgA) to the radio access node 104. In a manner similar to that described above, the uplink message 302 includes a first message portion 304 (i.e., msg1) and a second message portion 306 (i.e., msg3). Similar to the four-stage transmission procedure described with respect to FIG. 2, the first message portion 304 may be transmitted to the radio access node 104 on a first physical channel and may include a preamble message in various approaches. Within an exemplary RACH procedure context, the first message portion 202 may include a RACH request preamble that may be transmitted on a PRACH channel. A second message portion 306 may also be transmitted to the radio access node 104 on a second physical channel, and the second message portion 306 may include a payload message in various approaches. In an example RACH procedure context, the second message portion 306 may include a RACH request payload that may be transmitted on a PUSCH channel.

[0028] After receiving the uplink message 302 (i.e., msgA) including both the first message portion 304 and the second message portion 306, the radio access node 104 transmits a downlink message 308 (i.e., msgB) to the mobile station 102. In a manner similar to that described above, the downlink message 308 includes a third message portion 310 (i.e., msg2) and a fourth message portion 312 (i.e., msg4). Similar to the four-stage transmission procedure described with respect to FIG. 2, the third message portion 310 may include an acknowledgement message, while the fourth message portion 312 may include additional information, such as configuration information. In an exemplary RACH procedure context, the third message portion 310 includes a random access response message, and the fourth message portion 312 includes RRC information.

[0029] As noted above, the first transmission format 300 and the second transmission format 200 are each described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 2 (respectively), which illustrate example transmission formats associated with a RACH procedure; however, the teachings disclosed herein are not limited to the RACH procedure and the described formats and may be implemented using other message transmission types. For example, the first transmission format (e.g., as described with respect to FIG. 3) can be used with other message transmission types, such as shown in FIG. 4, which illustrates a two-stage transmission format used in an example uplink grant-free data transmission context. In such a transmission protocol, the payload may be transmitted to the radio access node 104, for example, prior to or without the establishment of an RRC connection. As shown in the example transmission format 400 of FIG. 4, the mobile station 102 would transmit an uplink message 402 to the radio access node 104, which includes a preamble and a payload together. After the radio access node 104 receives both the preamble portion and the payload portion of the uplink message 402, the radio access node 104 will then transmit a downlink message 404 containing a response, such as positive or negative acknowledgement information, and possibly other information. The first transmission format (two-stage transmission format) can likewise be used for other transmission situations and purposes not specifically described herein.

[0030] The primary difference between the two-stage transmission format 300 of Figure 3 ("first transmission format") and the four-stage transmission format 200 of Figure 2 ("second transmission format") is the order of message transmission. By using the two-stage transmission format 300, the number of round-trip transmissions is reduced and the latency between successive transmissions is also reduced or eliminated, thereby improving network access and communication speeds. However, using the two-stage transmission format may introduce the possibility of transmission contention with transmission resource configurations.

[0031] For use with the methods and embodiments disclosed below (unless otherwise noted), a first transmission format can be considered to include the mobile station 102 transmitting a first message portion on a first physical channel, transmitting a second message portion on a second physical channel after transmitting the first message portion, and receiving a downlink message including a third message portion (and, in some approaches, a fourth message portion) from the radio access node 104 after transmitting the second message portion. Similarly, for use with the methods and embodiments disclosed below (unless otherwise noted), a second transmission format can be considered to include the mobile station 102 transmitting the first message portion on the first physical channel, receiving a third message portion from the radio access node 104 after transmitting the first message portion, and transmitting the second message portion on the second physical channel after receiving the third message portion.

[0032] 5 and 6 illustrate example configurations of resources for use with a two-stage transmission format including contention in various time units. The resources 502 may include frequency resources, and the mobile station 102 and the radio access node 104 are configured to communicate with each other by utilizing the resources. The resources 502 may be divided into multiple time units 504. The time units 504 may include frames, subframes, slots, or symbols, and most specifically, in one embodiment, may include slots or symbols. The individual time units 504 of the resources 502 may conform to an uplink / downlink configuration 506, with each time unit configured or assigned as an uplink time unit (“U”), a downlink time unit (“D”), or an unknown or variable time unit (“X”). This uplink / downlink configuration 506 may be predetermined or preselected by the radio access node 104, for example, and communicated to the mobile station 102. The uplink / downlink configuration 506 may be a pattern that repeats with a particular periodicity and may be one of multiple possible patterns available for use by the radio access nodes 104 within the radio access network. Furthermore, two or more resources 502 may be utilized within the radio access network, each of which may conform to a different or the same uplink / downlink configuration 506.

[0033] The resources 502 (which may include multiple resources, such as multiple frequency resources) may also conform to other configurations. In an embodiment, a first subset of the individual time units 504 of the resources 502 may be configured as time units 508 of a first physical channel, while a second subset of the individual time units may be configured as time units 510 of a second physical channel. In an example RACH procedure context, the first physical channel may include PRACH opportunities or time units, while the second physical channel may include PUSCH opportunities or time units.

[0034] In one approach, the first physical channel is configured or assigned according to a preselected or predetermined pattern. The preselected pattern may correlate with the pattern of the uplink / downlink configuration 506 to avoid configuring downlink time units as time units of the first physical channel. The second physical channel may be configured or assigned in at least one of two different manners. In the first approach, as shown in FIG. 5, the time units 510 of the second physical channel are configured separately or independently from the time units 508 of the first physical channel. The pattern of the time units 510 of the second physical channel may be different from, and potentially independent of, the pattern of the time units 508 of the first physical channel, such that they appear somewhat randomly relative to the time units 508 of the first physical channel.

[0035] In a second approach, as shown in FIG. 6, the time unit 510 of the second physical channel is configured or assigned based on its relative location (in time and / or frequency) relative to the time unit 508 of the first physical channel (possibly with a time unit offset). For example, the time unit 510 of the second physical channel may be configured as the time unit immediately following the time unit 508 of the first physical channel (e.g., with a time unit offset of zero). Or, the time unit 510 of the second physical channel may be configured as a time unit that is offset from the time unit 508 of the first physical channel by at least one offset time unit 602 (e.g., with one or more time unit offsets), as shown in FIG.

[0036] In either approach, the pattern of the time units of the second physical channel may not be directly related to the pattern of the uplink / downlink configuration 506, and there may be instances where a downlink time unit is also configured as a time unit of the second physical channel. In such a situation, a contention exists for that time unit. For example, in FIG. 5, time unit 512 (with a contention symbol) is a time unit configured as both a downlink time unit (“D”) and a time unit 510 of the second physical channel, and therefore is in contention (because if it were also configured as a downlink time unit, the mobile station 102 would not be able to transmit based on the time unit of the second physical channel). Similarly, in FIG. 6, time unit 604 (with a contention symbol) is a time unit configured as both a downlink time unit (“D”) and a time unit 510 of the second physical channel, and therefore is in contention. However, the other time units 510 of the second physical channel shown in FIG. 6 are configured as uplink time units (“U”) and therefore are not in contention.

[0037] Conflicts may arise due to different patterns of the uplink / downlink configuration 506 and the time units 510 of the second physical channel. Additionally, these conflicts may arise when the uplink / downlink configuration 506 has a first pattern with a first periodicity and the time units 510 of the second physical channel 510 have a second pattern with a second periodicity different from the first periodicity, thereby causing the first and second patterns to shift relative to each other and causing a conflict. To consider the possibility of such conflicts between using two channels, several different solutions are disclosed below.

[0038] FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary method for avoiding transmission contention according to various embodiments. The resources 502 are configured as discussed above with respect to FIG. 5 or 6. The mobile station 102 may determine requirements for transmitting an uplink message to the radio access node 104 (which may occur in each of the embodiments disclosed herein). For example, in an exemplary RACH procedure context, the mobile station 102 may determine that it desires to access the radio access network using a random access channel request and need and transmit an uplink message including a PRACH message and a PUSCH message. The mobile station 102 may be configured to transmit the uplink message in either a first transmission format (two-stage transmission) or a second transmission format (four-stage transmission), and in some embodiments, may default to using the first transmission format when possible. However, the mobile station 102 may determine that transmitting the uplink message according to the first transmission format would result in a contention, e.g., the second message portion is transmitted based on a second physical channel time unit 704 configured as a downlink time unit, thereby causing a contention.

[0039] 7, an exemplary uplink message 702 that may be transmitted according to a first transmission format (two-stage) is shown and includes a first message portion that would be transmitted based on a first physical channel time unit 508 and, after transmitting the first message portion, a second message portion that would be transmitted based on a second physical channel time unit 704. However, if the mobile station 102 were to transmit the uplink message 702 in the first transmission format, the second message portion would be transmitted based on the second physical channel time unit 704 configured as a downlink (“D”) time unit, thereby resulting in a conflict.

[0040] In one embodiment, instead of transmitting the uplink message 702 according to the first transmission format (two stages), the mobile station 102 determines to transmit the uplink message according to the second transmission format (four stages). The mobile station 102 then transmits the first message portion based on the time unit 508 of the first physical channel, but not the second message portion. Instead, as outlined in FIG. 2 , after transmitting the first message portion, the mobile station 102 waits to receive the third message portion from the radio access node 104, and after receiving the third message portion, transmits the second message portion based on the time unit of the second physical channel. In this way, the uplink message is transmitted to the radio access node 104 according to the second transmission format without contention.

[0041] 8, in another embodiment, the radio access node 104 also implements a method for avoiding transmission contention in cooperation with the mobile station 102 implementing the approach discussed immediately above. Like the mobile station 102, the radio access node 104 is configured to receive uplink messages and transmit downlink messages in either a first transmission format (two-stage) or a second transmission format (four-stage). In one example, the radio access node 104 may receive a first message portion of a first uplink message 802 from the mobile station 102 based on time units 804 of a first physical channel, followed by a second message portion of the first uplink message 802 based on time units 806 of a second physical channel. The radio access node 104 is configured to understand that receiving these two message portions, particularly if transmitted in an expected manner (e.g., in the appropriate time units), indicates that the uplink message was transmitted according to the first transmission protocol. Alternatively, the first message portion may include information indicating that the mobile station 102 transmitted the first message portion of the first uplink message 802 according to the first transmission format (two-stage), and the radio access node 104 may review this information. In response to receiving the first uplink message 802 (including the second message portion), the radio access node 104 will transmit the first downlink message including the third message portion (and, in some approaches, the fourth message portion) to the mobile station 102 according to the first transmission format (see FIG. 3).

[0042] At a different time, the radio access node 104 may begin the process of receiving a second uplink message 808 (including receiving a first message portion from the mobile station 102 based on the time unit 810 of the first physical channel). However, the second message portion was not transmitted based on the time unit 812 of the second physical channel in which it would normally be transmitted due to a conflict with the uplink / downlink configuration 506 for that time unit 812. Thus, the radio access node 104 instead determines to operate according to the second transmission format. In one example, the radio access node 104 determines that the first message portion of the second uplink message 808 includes information indicating that the mobile station 102 transmitted the first message portion according to the second transmission format. In another example, like the mobile station 102, the radio access node 104 will also be aware of the uplink / downlink configuration 506 and will recognize that the mobile station 102 cannot transmit the second message portion of the second uplink message 808 in the time unit 812 of the second physical channel that would typically be used in the first transmission format and will instead switch to the second transmission format. In response to determining that the mobile station 102 has transmitted the first message portion in accordance with the second transmission format (four stages), the radio access node transmits the third message portion of the second downlink message to the mobile station 102 and then receives the second message portion of the second uplink message 808 from the mobile station 102 based on the time unit of the second physical channel (see FIG. 2). So configured, the radio access node 104 can determine whether to operate in the first transmission format or the second transmission format based on the transmission received from the mobile station 102.

[0043] Returning to FIG. 7 , in a second embodiment, the mobile station 102 utilizes another time unit of the second physical channel to transmit a second message portion of the uplink message. Similar to the first embodiment, the mobile station 102 determines that transmitting the uplink message according to the first transmission format (two-stage) would result in a conflict, such that the second message portion is transmitted based on a time unit 704 of the second physical channel configured as a downlink time unit. The mobile station 102 transmits the first message portion based on a time unit 508 of the first physical channel. However, in this embodiment, in response to determining that a conflict will occur, instead of transmitting the second message portion based on the contentious time unit 704 of the second physical channel, the mobile station 102 waits to transmit the second message portion until the next time unit 712 of the second physical channel configured as a non-contentious uplink time unit (“U”). The mobile station 102 then transmits the second message portion to the radio access node 104 based on the next time unit 712 of the second physical channel. Thus, contention is avoided. After transmitting the second message portion, the mobile station 102 subsequently receives a downlink message including a third message portion (and, in some approaches, a fourth message portion) from the radio access node 104 (see FIG. 3). For example, in an exemplary RACH procedure context, if the PUSCH resources reserved for the two-stage RACH procedure cannot be used for uplink transmission, the mobile station 102 can postpone transmission of the payload until the next available reserved PUSCH resource.

[0044] In one approach, the radio access node 104 would also be configured to operate according to the second embodiment disclosed immediately above. For example, as described above, the radio access node 104 begins the process of receiving an uplink message (including receiving a first message portion from the mobile station 102 based on the time unit 508 of the first physical channel). However, the second message portion was not transmitted based on the time unit 704 of the second physical channel in which it would normally be transmitted due to a conflict with the uplink / downlink configuration 506 for that time unit 704. Instead, the radio access node 104 must know to expect the second message portion based on the next time unit 712 of the second physical channel. In one example, like the mobile station 102, the radio access node 104 also knows the uplink / downlink configuration 506 and will recognize that the mobile station 102 was unable to transmit the second message portion based on the time unit 704 of the second physical channel that would typically be used in the first transmission format, and will instead wait for the next time unit 712 of the second physical channel at which to receive the second message portion. In response to receiving the second message portion based on the next time unit 712 of the second physical channel, the radio access node 104 will transmit a downlink message including the third message portion (and, in some approaches, the fourth message portion) to the mobile station 102 according to the first transmission format (see FIG. 3). So configured, the radio access node 104 can determine when to expect to receive the second message portion and avoid contention when operating using the first transmission format (two-stage).

[0045] 9 illustrates another exemplary method for avoiding transmission contention according to a third embodiment. Similar to FIG. 7, resources 502 are configured such that a first subset of the individual time units 504 of the resources 502 may be configured as time units 508 of a first physical channel, while a second subset of the individual time units may be configured as time units 510 of a second physical channel. However, in this embodiment, a third subset of the time units 514 may be configured as time units 902 of a third physical channel, which may be a different transmission channel (frequency and / or sequence / code) than the first physical channel. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first transmission format includes transmitting first message portions based on the time units 508 of the first physical channel, while the second transmission format includes transmitting first message portions based on the time units 902 of the third physical channel instead of the time units 508 of the first physical channel. For example, in an example RACH procedure context, the first transmission channel may be a dedicated PRACH channel (e.g., a PRACH time unit) for a two-stage RACH format (first transmission format), while the third transmission channel may be a different PRACH channel dedicated for a four-stage RACH format (second transmission format). The time unit 510 of the second physical channel may again be a PUSCH opportunity or time unit.

[0046] 7, in the embodiment of FIG. 9, the mobile station 102 may determine requirements for transmitting an uplink message to the radio access node 104. Again, the mobile station 102 may determine that transmitting the uplink message according to the first transmission format would result in a conflict, such as a second message portion being transmitted based on a second physical channel time unit 510 configured as a downlink time unit (“D”).

[0047] In response, instead of transmitting the uplink message according to the first transmission format (two stages), the mobile station 102 determines to transmit the uplink message according to the second transmission format (four stages). To do this, in this embodiment, the mobile station 102 transmits the first message portion according to the time unit 902 of the third physical channel according to the second transmission format, instead of transmitting the first message portion according to the time unit 508 of the first physical channel according to the first transmission format. In doing so, the mobile station 102 begins communication with the radio access node 104 according to the second transmission format (four stages). Thus, after transmitting the first message portion, the mobile station 102 receives a third message portion from the radio access node, and subsequently transmits the second message portion to the radio access node according to the time unit of the second physical channel after the third message portion (see FIG. 3 ).

[0048] One difference between the solution of Figure 9 and the solution of Figure 7 is that in the solution of Figure 9, the second transmission format includes the mobile station 102 transmitting the first message portion based on time units 902 of a third physical channel, which may be a different transmission channel (frequency and / or sequence / code) from the first physical channel on which the first message portion would be transmitted according to the first transmission format. For example, in an exemplary RACH procedure context, if the PUSCH resources reserved for the two-stage RACH procedure cannot be used for uplink transmission, the mobile station 102 may revert to a four-stage RACH procedure by transmitting a preamble configured for a four-stage RACH on the PRACH resources reserved for the four-channel RACH. Conversely, in the solution of Figure 7, the mobile station 102 may transmit the first message portion on the same first physical channel regardless of whether it is transmitted according to the first transmission format (two-stage) or the second transmission format (four-stage). 7, in the exemplary RACH procedure context, the first transmission channel may be a dedicated PRACH channel (e.g., PRACH time unit) for the two-stage RACH format, but may also be used for the four-stage RACH format. Thus, if the PUSCH resources reserved for the two-stage RACH procedure cannot be used for uplink transmission, the mobile station 102 may transmit only a preamble on the PRACH resources used in the two-stage RACH and may refrain from transmitting a payload on the PUSCH message.

[0049] In one approach, the radio access node 104 is similarly configured to operate according to the third embodiment disclosed immediately above. For example, the radio access node 104 is configured to recognize which channel it receives the first message portion on as indicating the transmission format to utilize. For example, if the radio access node 104 receives the first message portion based on time unit 508 of the first physical channel, the radio access node 104 will recognize that the uplink message is being transmitted according to the first transmission format and will operate accordingly. Conversely, if the radio access node 104 receives the first message portion based on time unit 902 of the third physical channel, the radio access node 104 will recognize that the uplink message is being transmitted according to the second transmission format and will operate accordingly.

[0050] 10 illustrates an additional exemplary method for avoiding transmission contention according to various embodiments. The resources 502 may be configured as discussed above with respect to FIG. 5 or 6, with a first subset of the individual time units 504 of the resources 502 configured as time units 1002 of a first physical channel, while a second subset of the time units may be configured as time unit groups 1004 and 1006 of a second physical channel. However, in the embodiment of FIG. 10, the time unit groups 1004 and 1006 of the second physical channel each comprise two or more consecutive time units. For example, the time unit group 1004 of the second physical channel includes time units 1008, 1010, 1012, and 1014, while the next time unit group 1006 of the second physical channel includes time units 1016, 1018, 1020, and 1022. Although each time unit group 1004 and 1006 of the second physical channel is illustrated as having four individual time units, the time unit group of the second physical channel may include any number of time units.

[0051] In various embodiments of Figure 10, the mobile station 102 determines that transmitting an uplink message according to the first transmission format (two-stage) would result in a conflict. The mobile station 102 may make this determination by determining that at least one of the time units (e.g., time units 1008, 1010, 1012, or 1014) of the time unit set 1004 of the second physical channel is configured as a downlink time unit. In the example of Figure 10, all of the time units 1008, 1010, and 1012 are configured as downlink ("D") time units or unknown ("X") time units; therefore, a conflict exists for the time unit set 1004 of the entire second physical channel.

[0052] The mobile station 102 transmits the first message portion based on the time unit 1002 of the first physical channel. However, in the fourth embodiment, instead of transmitting the second message portion based on the contention-containing time unit set 1004 of the second physical channel, the mobile station 102 waits to transmit the second message portion until the next time unit set 1006 of the second physical channel in which all of the time units in the next time unit set 1006 of the second physical channel are configured as non-contention uplink time units (“U”). As shown in the example of FIG. 10 , all of the time units 1016, 1018, 1020, and 1022 of the next time unit set 1006 of the second physical channel are configured as uplink time units (“U”), thereby eliminating contention. The mobile station 102 then transmits the second message portion to the wireless access node 104 in accordance with the next time unit set 1006 of the second physical channel. Thus, contention for transmitting the second message portion is avoided. After transmitting the second message portion, the mobile station 102 subsequently receives a downlink message including the third message portion (and, in some approaches, the fourth message portion) from the wireless access node 104 (see FIG. 3).

[0053] Continuing with reference to FIG. 10 , in a fifth embodiment, the mobile station 102 may determine a set of time units 1004 of the second physical channel for transmitting the second message portion according to the first transmission format. For example, similar to the previous embodiment, the mobile station 102 is configured to determine that it will typically use the set of time units 1004 of the second physical channel to transmit the second message portion using the first transmission format. However, similar to the fourth embodiment above, the mobile station 102 determines that transmitting the second message portion based on the set of time units 1004 of the second physical channel would result in a conflict with at least one of the time units of the set of time units 1004. For example, the mobile station 102 may determine that at least one of the time units of the set of time units 1004 of the second physical channel is configured as a downlink time unit and therefore in conflict. In the example of Figure 10, the mobile station 102 determines that time units 1008, 1010, and 1012 are all configured as downlink ("D") time units or unknown ("X") time units, and therefore a contention exists for those particular time units. However, the mobile station 102 also determines that at least one of the time units in the second physical channel's time unit set 1004 is configured as an uplink time unit. In the example of Figure 10, the mobile station 102 determines that time unit 1014 is configured as an uplink time unit, and therefore a contention does not exist for time unit 1014.

[0054] The mobile station 102 transmits the first message portion based on time units 1002 of the first physical channel, as would typically occur according to the first transmission format. However, for the second message portion, the mobile station 102 transmits only a first portion of the second message portion based on at least one time unit of the set of time units 1004 of the second physical channel configured as an uplink time unit. In the example of Figure 10, the mobile station 102 would transmit only one time unit's worth of data of the second message (e.g., the first portion of the second message) based on a non-contentious time unit 1014 of the set of time units 1004 of the second physical channel.

[0055] After transmitting the first portion, the mobile station 102 waits to transmit the remainder of the second message portion until, for example, the next set of time units 1006 of the second physical channel that is not contentious and includes at least one time unit configured as an uplink time unit. In the example of FIG. 10 , the mobile station determines that the next set of time units 1006 of the second physical channel includes at least one time unit configured as an uplink time unit. In this case, all time units 1016, 1018, 1020, and 1022 of the next set of time units 1006 of the second physical channel are configured as uplink time units, and therefore no contention exists for any of those time units. Alternatively, the mobile station 102 may determine that the next set of time units 1006 of the second physical channel includes enough uplink-configured time units to be able to transmit the remainder of the second message portion. 10 , after the mobile station 102 transmits the first portion of the second message based on a single non-contentious time unit 1014 of the set of time units 1004 of the second physical channel, it may determine that it still needs to transmit three more time units worth of data of the second message portion in the next set of time units 1006 of the second physical channel. The mobile station 102 determines that there are four available non-contentious time units (i.e., time units 1016, 1018, 1020, and 1022) in the next set of time units 1006 of the second physical channel, which are at least as many time units as are required to transmit the remainder of the second message portion. The mobile station 102 then transmits the remainder of the second message portion based on at least one time unit configured as an uplink time unit (i.e., non-contentious) in the next set of time units 1006 of the second physical channel. 10, the mobile station 102 transmits the remaining second through fourth subparts of the second message portion based on time units 1016, 1018, and 1120, respectively. In other examples, the mobile station 102 may allow the second message portion to span three or more time units of the second physical channel.

[0056] This fifth embodiment differs from the fourth embodiment above in that the mobile station 102 would simply skip the entire conflicting time unit group 1004 of the second physical channel if any of its individual time units are conflicting, and instead transmit only the second message portion based on the next time unit group 1006 of the second physical channel. Instead, in the fifth embodiment, the mobile station 102 would allow the second message portion to be separated and transmitted based on two different time unit groups of the second physical channel, with a first portion transmitted based on the time unit group 1004 of the second physical channel and a remaining portion transmitted based on the next time unit group 1006 of the second physical channel. In this way, the mobile station 102 would use available time units in the time unit group of the second physical channel to transmit the second message portion to the radio access node 104 as quickly as possible, even if they are not contiguous.

[0057] In one approach, the radio access node 104 would also be configured to operate according to the fourth and fifth embodiments disclosed immediately above. For example, as described above, the radio access node 104 would begin the process of receiving an uplink message (including receiving a first message portion from the mobile station 102 based on time units 1002 of a first physical channel). However, with respect to the second message portion, the radio access node 104 would also know the uplink / downlink configuration 506 and recognize that the mobile station 102 could not transmit the second message portion based on time units 1004 of the second physical channel that would typically be used in the first transmission format. Instead, according to the fourth embodiment, the radio access node 104 would wait for the next time units 1006 of the second physical channel to receive the second message portion. Alternatively, in accordance with the fifth embodiment, the radio access node 104 would receive a first portion of the second message based on at least one time unit configured as an uplink time unit (1014) of the set of time units 1004 of the second physical channel, and would receive the remainder of the second message portion based on at least one time unit configured as an uplink time unit (1016, 1018, and 1020) of the next set of time units 1006 of the second physical channel. Thus, in either the fourth or fifth embodiment, the radio access node 104 would recognize and understand that the received data were transmitted based on the set of time units of the second physical channel, even though they are in a different location than they would typically be transmitted according to the first transmission format.

[0058] In response to receiving the second message portion based on one or both of the time units 1004 of the second physical channel or the next time units 1006 of the second physical channel, the radio access node 104 will transmit a downlink message including the third message portion (and, in some approaches, the fourth message portion) to the mobile station 102 according to the first transmission format (see FIG. 3). So configured, the radio access node 104, when operating using the first transmission format (two-stage), can determine when to expect to receive the second message portion and avoid contention.

[0059] 11 shows another exemplary method for avoiding transmission conflicts according to the sixth embodiment when using the first transmission method. The resources 502 are configured in a manner similar to that discussed above, with the individual time units 504 conforming to the uplink / downlink configuration 506, and a first subset of the individual time units 504 configured as the time units 1106 and 1108 of the first physical channel. However, in this embodiment, the time units 1110 and 1112 of the second physical channel are configured or assigned based on their relative location (in time and / or frequency) with respect to the time units 1106 and 1108 of the first physical channel with an uplink time unit-based offset. That is, only the uplink time units (“U”) are considered as offsets, while the downlink time units (“D”) and unknown time units (“X”) are not considered as offsets. Thus, the mobile station 102 transmits the second message portion based on a time unit of the second physical channel that is at least one uplink time unit and has an offset relative to the time unit of the first physical channel, the offset being a preset number of time units configured as uplink time units after transmitting the first message portion based on the time unit of the first physical channel, whereby the time unit of the second physical channel is always configured or assigned to be based on the uplink time unit.

[0060] For example, in a first example 1102 illustrated in FIG. 11 , the mobile station 102 transmits a first message portion based on time unit 1106 of a first physical channel. The mobile station 102 then transmits a second message portion based on time unit 1110 of a second physical channel, which is offset by a preset number (e.g., two) of time units after time unit 1106 of the first physical channel and configured as an uplink time unit. Time units 1114, 1116, and 1120 are not configured as uplink time units and are therefore not considered as offsets. However, time unit 1118 is configured as an uplink time unit and is therefore considered as the first uplink time unit following time unit 1106 of the first physical channel. The second time unit configured as an uplink time unit is then configured as time unit 1110 of the second physical channel.

[0061] Similarly, in a second example 1104 illustrated in FIG. 11 , the mobile station 102 transmits a first message portion based on a time unit 1108 of a first physical channel. The mobile station 102 then transmits a second message portion based on a time unit 1112 of a second physical channel that is offset by a preset number (e.g., two) of time units after the first physical channel time unit 1108 and configured as an uplink time unit. Time unit 1122 is configured as an uplink time unit and is therefore considered the first uplink time unit following the first physical channel time unit 1108. The second time unit configured as an uplink time unit is then configured as the second physical channel time unit 1112.

[0062] In one embodiment, the preset number of uplink time units after transmitting the first message portion may be as low as one (meaning that the time unit of the second physical channel may be the next subsequent uplink time unit after the time unit of the first physical channel, and also meaning that the uplink time unit-based offset may be zero). Alternatively, the preset number of uplink time units after transmitting the first message portion may be two or more (meaning that there is at least one uplink time unit between the time unit of the first physical channel and the time unit of the second physical channel, and also meaning that the uplink time unit-based offset is one or more). If this number of uplink time units after transmitting the first message portion is two or more, those uplink time units may be considered regardless of whether they are consecutive time units, as shown in the first example 1102. However, in another approach, those uplink time units may be required to be consecutive to be considered, as shown in the second example 1104.

[0063] In one approach, the radio access node 104 would also be configured to operate according to the sixth embodiment disclosed immediately above. For example, as described above, the radio access node 104 would begin the process of receiving an uplink message (including receiving a first message portion from the mobile station 102 based on the time unit 1106 of the first physical channel). However, for the second message portion, the radio access node 104 would also know the uplink / downlink configuration 506 and similarly configure the time unit 1110 of the second physical channel to have an offset of a preset number of uplink time units following the time unit of the first physical channel (e.g., the second uplink time unit after the time unit of the first physical channel). In effect, the radio access node 104 would indicate this requirement and configuration or arrangement of the time units of the second physical channel relative to the time units of the first physical channel and communicate the requirement down to the mobile station 102. Subsequently, the radio access node 104 would receive the second message portion based on the time unit 1110 of the second physical channel. In response to receiving the second message portion based on the time unit 1110 of the second physical channel, the wireless access node 104 will transmit a downlink message including the third message portion (and, in some approaches, the fourth message portion) to the mobile station 102 in accordance with the first transmission format (see FIG. 3).

[0064] Although applicable to many different message transmission types and procedures, each of the methods and embodiments described above may be implemented within a random access channel request (RACH) procedure, where a first physical channel comprises a PRACH opportunity, a second physical channel includes a PUSCH opportunity, a first message portion comprises a PRACH message (including a preamble message), and a second message portion comprises a PUSCH message (including a payload message). Further, in each of the methods and embodiments described above, the radio access node 104 may establish a pattern for the uplink / downlink configuration 506, a pattern of time units of the first physical channel, and a pattern for time units of a third physical channel. Additionally, each of the methods and embodiments described above can be used in situations where the time units of the second physical channel are configured separately from the first physical channel (e.g., as described with respect to FIG. 5) or where the time units of the second physical channel are configured based on their relative location to the time units of the first physical channel, possibly with a time unit offset (e.g., as described with respect to FIG. 6). However, the sixth embodiment includes a solution that provides a new configuration protocol for the time units of the second physical channel all together.

[0065] 1 , the mobile station 102 includes a processor 110 and a memory 112, where the processor 110 is configured to read computer code from the memory 112 and implement any of the methods and embodiments disclosed above in connection with the operation of the mobile station 102. Similarly, the radio access node 104 includes a processor 120 and a memory 122, where the processor 120 is configured to read computer code from the memory 122 and implement any of the methods and embodiments disclosed above in connection with the operation of the radio access node 104. Furthermore, in various embodiments, a computer program product includes a non-transitory computer-readable program medium (e.g., memory 112 or 122) with computer code stored thereon. The computer code, when executed by a processor (e.g., processor 110 or 120), causes the processor to implement a method corresponding to any of the embodiments disclosed above.

[0066] In accordance with the various methods and embodiments disclosed above, various technical advantages are achieved. For example, by allowing the mobile station 102 and the wireless access node 104 to be able to operate using different transmission formats in accordance with some embodiments, or by configuring transmission channels in other embodiments, the system maintains resource integrity by avoiding contention between message transmissions, while remaining flexible and efficient.

[0067] The above description and accompanying drawings provide specific exemplary embodiments and implementations. However, the described subject matter can be embodied in a variety of different forms, and thus, it is intended that the covered or claimed subject matter be construed as not limited to any exemplary embodiments set forth herein. A reasonably broad scope for the claimed or covered subject matter is intended. Among other things, for example, the subject matter may be embodied as a method, device, component, system, or non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing computer code. Thus, embodiments may take the form of, for example, hardware, software, firmware, a storage medium, or any combination thereof. For example, the method embodiments described above may be implemented by a component, device, or system including a memory and a processor by executing computer code stored in the memory.

[0068] Throughout this specification and the claims, terms may have nuanced meanings that are suggested or implied in context beyond their explicitly stated meaning. Similarly, the phrase "in one embodiment / implementation" as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and the phrase "in another embodiment / implementation" as used herein does not necessarily refer to a different embodiment. For example, it is intended that claimed subject matter include combinations of the example embodiments, whether in whole or in part.

[0069] Generally, terminology can be understood, at least in part, from its usage in context. For example, terms such as "and," "or," or "and / or," as used herein, can include a variety of meanings that may depend, at least in part, on the context in which such terms are used. Typically, when used to relate a list such as A, B, or C, "or" is intended to mean A, B, and C, as used herein, inclusively, as well as A, B, or C, as used herein in an exclusive sense. Additionally, the term "one or more," as used herein, can be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in a singular sense, or can be used to describe a combination of features, structures, or characteristics in a plural sense, based at least in part on the context. Similarly, terms such as "a," "an," or "the" can be understood to convey a singular usage or a plural usage, based at least in part on the context. Additionally, the term "based on" can be understood as not necessarily intended to convey an exclusive set of factors, and instead, again, based at least in part on the context, can allow for the existence of additional factors not necessarily explicitly described.

[0070] References to features, advantages, or similar language throughout this specification do not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized using the present solution should or are included in any single implementation thereof. Rather, language referring to features and advantages is understood to mean that the specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present solution. Thus, discussions of features and advantages and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.

[0071] Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the solution 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 solution may be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in some embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the solution.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, the wireless communication method comprising: determining a request by a mobile station to obtain random access in a wireless communication network and transmit an uplink message to a wireless access node, the uplink message including a first message portion and a second message portion; transmitting the first message portion in a time unit on a first physical channel by the mobile station; determining by the mobile station that transmitting the second message portion in a time unit or group of time units of a second physical channel according to a two-stage format would result in a channel configuration conflict for the time unit or at least one time unit of the group of time units in that the time unit or the at least one time unit of the group of time units is configured for downlink transmission, the group of time units having two or more consecutive time units; the mobile station, in response to determining the channel configuration conflict, does not switch to another transmission sequence format different from the two-stage format, but waits to transmit at least a portion of the second message portion until a next time unit or next group of time units on the second physical channel configured for uplink, still using the two-stage format; A wireless communication method comprising:

2. 2. The wireless communication method of claim 1, further comprising: the mobile station transmitting the at least a portion of the second message portion in the next time unit or the next group of time units on the second physical channel.

3. 2. The wireless communication method of claim 1, wherein determining that transmitting the second message portion in the time unit of the second physical channel in accordance with the two-stage format would result in the channel configuration conflict further comprises determining that the time unit of the second physical channel is configured as a downlink time unit.

4. each of the set of time units of the second physical channel and the next set of time units of the second physical channel includes two or more consecutive time units of a frequency resource; 2. The wireless communication method of claim 1, wherein the mobile station determining that transmitting the second message portion in the set of time units of the second physical channel in accordance with the two-stage format would result in the channel configuration conflict further comprises determining that at least one of the two or more time units in the set of time units of the second physical channel is configured as a downlink time unit.

5. 5. The wireless communication method of claim 4, wherein the next set of time units of the second physical channel are configured such that two or more of the next set of time units of the second physical channel are configured as uplink time units.

6. 2. The wireless communication method of claim 1, wherein at least one time unit of the set of time units of the second physical channel is configured as an uplink time unit and at least one other time unit of the set of time units of the second physical channel is configured as a downlink time unit.

7. 2. The wireless communication method of claim 1, wherein the next set of time units of the second physical channel includes two or more consecutive time units, and at least one time unit of the next set of time units of the second physical channel is configured as an uplink time unit.

8. The wireless communication method further includes the mobile station transmitting a first portion of the second message portion in at least one time unit of the set of non-conflicting time units; waiting by the mobile station to transmit the at least a portion of the second message portion includes waiting by the mobile station to transmit the remainder of the second message portion until the next group of time units; 2. The wireless communication method of claim 1, further comprising: the mobile station transmitting the remainder of the second message portion in at least one time unit of the next set of time units on the second physical channel.

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