Method, apparatus, and medium for handling non-SDT data

Abstract

Method, apparatus, and medium for handling non-SDT data. An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure relates to an inactive device UP transmission, in which a first device in an inactive state performs a small data transmission procedure between the first device and a second device and transmits an indication to the second device, the indication indicating the presence of non-small data transmission data to be transmitted by the first device and information related to the data. This solution allows the second device to make an appropriate and rational decision on whether to resume the radio resource control connection with the terminal device and whether to stop the ongoing small data transmission procedure.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to methods, apparatus, and media for handling non-SDT data. [Background technology]

[0002] In current wireless communication systems, the power consumption of terminal devices is a major concern. To reduce the power consumption of terminal devices, it has been proposed to configure terminal devices into several power-saving states (e.g., inactive states). For terminal devices in an inactive state, it has been proposed to stop normal data transmission. Generally, when a terminal device in an inactive state needs to transmit data with a network device, the terminal device must resume the connection (i.e., wake up and transition to a connected state) and perform either a downlink (DL) transmission or an uplink (UL) transmission over the established connection. Once the data transmission is complete, the terminal device releases the connection and returns to the inactive state. The connection establishment and release procedures are required for each data transmission, including periodic and / or aperiodic low-frequency data transmissions, resulting in unnecessary power consumption and signaling overhead.

[0003] To further reduce power consumption, a work item of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has proposed a solution that enables small data transmission (SDT) for terminal devices in an inactive state. By using SDT, an inactive terminal device can remain inactive while enabling SDT. Furthermore, when a terminal device is performing SDT transmission with a network device, the terminal may have a requirement to perform normal data transmission (also known as "non-SDT"), which means the terminal needs to convert to a connected state. It is desirable to discuss solutions for such scenarios. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In general, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions for handling non-SDT data. Any non-claimed embodiments are to be construed as examples useful for understanding various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0005] In a first aspect, a first device is provided, the first device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured by the at least one processor to cause the first device to execute a small data transmission procedure between an inactive first device and a second device, the at least one memory and the computer program code being further configured to transmit to the second device an indication of the presence of non-small data transmission data and information associated with the data to be transmitted by the first device.

[0006] In a second aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured by the at least one processor to cause the second device to perform a small data transmission procedure between an inactive first device and a second device. The at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to receive from the first device an indication of the presence of non-small data transmission data to be transmitted by the first device and information related to the data.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method is provided, the method including: performing, at a first device, a small data transmission procedure between an inactive first device and a second device; and transmitting, to the second device, an indication of the presence of non-small data transmission data to be transmitted by the first device and information related to the data.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided, the method including performing, at a second device, a small data transmission procedure between an inactive first device and a second device, the method further including receiving, from the first device, an indication of the presence of non-small data transmission data to be transmitted by the first device and information associated with the data.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a first device is provided, the first device comprising: means for executing a small data transmission procedure between the first device in an inactive state and a second device, the first device further comprising means for transmitting an indication to the second device of the presence of non-small data transmission data to be transmitted by the first device in a connected state and information related to the data.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a second device is provided, the second device comprising: means for executing a small data transmission procedure between an inactive first device and a second device on the second device; and means for receiving, from the first device, an indication of the presence of non-small data transmission data to be transmitted by the connected first device and information related to the data.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the third aspect.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0013] It should be understood that the Abstract is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will be readily apparent from the following information related to the data. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent through a more detailed description of several exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication environment in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates a signaling flow for processing non-SDT data according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented in a first device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of a method implemented in a second device according to some other exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 shows a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for practicing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computer-readable medium according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes to help those skilled in the art understand and practice the present disclosure, and are not intended to imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein may be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0017] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0018] References in this disclosure to "an embodiment," "one embodiment," "an exemplary embodiment," etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not all embodiments need include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly stated.

[0019] As used herein, terms such as "first" and "second" may be used to describe various elements, but it should be understood that these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element can be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element can be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0020] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "has," "having," "including," and / or "including" identify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components, etc. It is further understood that nothing precludes the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0021] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., analog and / or digital-only implementations); (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, e.g., (where applicable); (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware; and (ii) software (including digital signal processors) that operate in conjunction with devices such as mobile phones and servers to perform various functions; and hardware processors with software and memory; (c) hardware circuits and processors, e.g., microprocessors or portions of microprocessors, that require software (e.g., firmware) for operation; However, the software may not be present when it is not required for operation.

[0022] This definition of circuit applies to all uses of the term in this application, including any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuit also covers simply a hardware circuit or processor (or processors) or portions of a hardware circuit or processor and their associated software and / or firmware implementations. The term circuit also may refer to, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, if applicable to a particular claim element, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices.

[0023] As used herein, the term "communications network" includes any network, including New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), The term "network" refers to a network conforming to any suitable communication standard, such as Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), or Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT). Furthermore, communications between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network may be performed according to any suitable generational communication protocol, including, but not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or other protocols currently known or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will, of course, be future communication technologies and systems in which the present disclosure can be embodied. The scope of the present disclosure should not be considered limited to only the aforementioned systems.

[0024] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. Depending on the applied terminology and technology, a network device may refer to a base station (BS) or access point (AP), e.g., a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an integrated and access backhaul (IAB) node, a low-power node such as a femto or pico node, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network device such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, an airborne network device, etc.

[0025] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any end device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, Laptop Embedded Equipment (LEE), Laptop Embedded Equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, Wireless Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (ioT) devices, wearables such as watches, head-mounted displays (HMD), vehicles, drones, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, devices operating in commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communications equipment", "terminal", "user equipment", and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0026] As used herein, the term "small data transmission data" or "SDT data" refers to data that may be transmitted by a terminal device in active mode and connected mode.

[0027] As used herein, the term "non-small data transmission data" or "non-SDT data" refers to data that is not permitted to be transmitted during an SDT procedure. Generally speaking, "non-small data transmission data" or "non-SDT data" is transmitted on radio bearers (including signaling radio bearers (SRBs) and data signaling radio bearers (DRBs)) that are not configured for SDT, or is the result of / triggered by a service / function / application that is not configured for SDT.

[0028] The functionality described herein may, in various exemplary embodiments, be implemented in fixed network nodes and / or wireless network nodes, while in other exemplary embodiments, The functionality may be embodied in a user equipment device (such as a mobile phone or tablet computer or laptop computer or desktop computer or mobile IoT device or fixed IoT device), which may comprise corresponding functionality, for example, as described in connection with fixed network nodes and / or wireless network nodes, as appropriate. The user equipment device may be user equipment and / or a control device, such as a chipset or processor, configured to control the user equipment when installed therein. Examples of such functionality include a bootstrap server function and / or a home subscriber server, which may be implemented in the user equipment device by providing the user equipment device with software configured to cause the user equipment device to execute in terms of these functions / nodes.

[0029] As described above, to reduce power consumption of a terminal device in wireless communication, the terminal device may be configured into several power-saving states. For example, a radio resource control (RRC) inactive state has been proposed and defined by a 3GPP work item. Generally, when a terminal device in an inactive state needs to perform data transmission with a network device, the terminal device must resume the RRC connection (i.e., wake up and transition to a connected state) and perform either DL transmission or uplink UL transmission over the resumed connection. Once the data transmission is complete, the terminal device releases the RRC connection and re-enters the inactive state. The above-described resumption and release procedures are necessary even for infrequent (periodic and / or aperiodic) small data transmissions, resulting in unnecessary power consumption and signaling overhead.

[0030] Furthermore, NR is required to be efficient and flexible for low-throughput short data bursts, support efficient signaling mechanisms (e.g., signaling is smaller than the payload), and generally reduce signaling overhead. Therefore, signaling overhead from terminal devices for small data packets is a common issue, and as the number of terminal devices increases in NR, it becomes a significant issue not only for network performance and efficiency but also for terminal device battery performance.

[0031] As mentioned above, to further reduce power consumption, a solution is proposed in a 3GPP work item to enable SDT for terminal devices in an RRC inactive state so that the terminal device can remain in an inactive RRC state while enabling data transmission. In general, devices that use small data packets intermittently in an RRC inactive state benefit from enabling SDT.

[0032] Examples of application scenarios for SDT on smart terminal devices include, but are not limited to, traffic / data / packets from instant messaging services (e.g., WhatsApp, QQ, WeChat, MSN, etc.), heartbeat / keep-alive traffic / data / packets from some applications (e.g., instant applications, email applications, etc.), and push notifications from various applications.

[0033] Examples of application scenarios for SDT for non-smart terminal devices include, but are not limited to, traffic / data / packets from wearables (e.g., periodic positioning information, reference signals, etc.), traffic / data / packets from sensors (e.g., temperature samples, pressure samples, and parameters from industrial wireless sensor networks), and periodic meter readings from smart meter devices and smart meter network devices.

[0034] One proposed solution for enabling SDT is to implement it using a random access channel (RA) procedure (also known as the RACH-based or RA-SDT method), which includes a two-step RACH and a four-step RACH. More specifically, SDT data may be transmitted to the network device by a terminal device in an RRC inactive state via Message A (Msg A) on the two-step RACH and Message 3 (Mag3) on the four-step RACH. The RACH method is considered a general procedure that enables small-volume data transmission from terminal devices in an RRC inactive state. Furthermore, the RACH-based method can flexibly achieve payload sizes larger than the normal common control channel (CCCH) message size. Furthermore, several other areas of focus, such as context fetching, data transfer with or without anchor relocation, and security, are also being discussed in 3GPP.

[0035] Another proposed solution for enabling SDT is implemented by transmitting SDT data on pre-configured physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resources (i.e., reusing configured grant type 1) when timing advance (TA) is enabled. This solution is considered as a general procedure for SDT using configured grant type 1 resources.

[0036] Also, during SDT, in addition to SDT initiation, UL / DL SDT data following SDT initiation (hereinafter also referred to as subsequent transmission(s)) without transitioning to the RRC connected state is also supported. For example, a terminal device may transmit multiple UL and DL packets as part of the same SDT procedure when the terminal device is in the RRC inactive state, without transitioning to the RRC connected state.

[0037] Furthermore, it is proposed that no new RRC states should be introduced and that the subsequent transmission(s) of SDT in UL and DL and the state transition decisions should be controlled by the network device.

[0038] Furthermore, as mentioned above, when a terminal device is performing SDT procedures with a network device, the terminal may have a requirement to perform normal data transmission (i.e., non-SDT) upon arrival of data on a bearer that is not permitted to be transmitted in SDT.

[0039] In conventional solutions, when a terminal device detects a successful data transmission in the buffer in an RRC inactive state (such as a 5G mobility management connected state (5GMM-CONNECTED) or 5GMM-CONNECTED state, RRC inactive indication, etc.), the NAS of the terminal device classifies the corresponding access attempt into an access identity and an access category, and provides the access identity and access category to the lower layer for access control checking. The NAS can also provide the lower layer with an RRC establishment cause in an associated request to the lower layer. However, conventional solutions are specified for the RRC connected state and further relate only to internal interactions between the NAS and the AS.

[0040] Furthermore, as mentioned above, if a terminal device in an RRC inactive state wants to perform non-SDT, the terminal device must resume an RRC connection with the network device. Therefore, interaction between the terminal device and the network is necessary. One possible solution is for the RRC layer to generate a dedicated control channel (DCCH) message and transmit the DCCH message to a lower layer (e.g., the media access control (MAC) layer) when non-SDT data arrives during SDT. The MAC layer then includes the DCCH message in the UL transmission after contention resolution. Furthermore, if contention resolution fails, the MAC layer can trigger a new RACH procedure and transmit the DCCH message once the RACH procedure is completed.

[0041] Generally speaking, when a network device is under heavy load, the network device may not intend to put the UE into an RRC connected state unless necessary. However, in the above possible solutions, the network device cannot obtain additional information about the data in addition to the existence of the data. Therefore, the network device cannot make a proper and appropriate decision on whether to resume the RRC connection or continue the ongoing SDT. Therefore, it is desirable to discuss a solution for a scenario in which a non-SDT arrives during an SDT.

[0042] In this solution of the present disclosure, in addition to indicating the presence of non-small data transmission data that the first device (e.g., terminal device) needs to transmit in a connected state (i.e., non-SDT transmission), the first device also indicates information related to the data to the second device (e.g., network device) so that the second device (e.g., network device) can make an appropriate and rational decision regarding whether to resume the RRC connection with the first device and whether to stop the ongoing SDT. This solution is particularly beneficial in scenarios where the network device is in an overload state.

[0043] 1 illustrates an exemplary communication environment 100 in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. In the communication environment 100, a first device 110 may communicate with a second device 120 via a physical communication channel or link. In the illustrative example of FIG. 1, the first device 110 is illustrated as a terminal device. The second device 120 is illustrated as a network device that provides service to the first device 110. The serving area provided by the second device 120 is referred to as a cell 130.

[0044] In the environment 100, a link from a first device 110 to a second device 120 is referred to as an UL, and a link from the second device 120 to the first device 110 is referred to as a DL. In the UL, the first device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter) and the second device 120 is an RX device (or receiver). In the DL, the second device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter) and the first device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver).

[0045] In the specific example of Figure 1, the first device 110 may be in different states (such as a connected state and an inactive state). When the first device 110 is in the inactive state, while SDT is supported, normal data transmission (i.e., non-SDT) is not allowed during the SDT procedure. Furthermore, the first device 110 in the inactive state can convert to a connected state by resuming / establishing an RRC connection with the second device 120. Such a conversion procedure can be initiated by either the first device 110 or the second device 120.

[0046] Communications in network 100 may conform to any suitable standard, including, but not limited to, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), etc. Furthermore, communications may be performed according to any generation of communications protocol now known or developed in the future. Examples of communications protocols include, but are not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, and fifth generation (5G) communications protocols.

[0047] It should be understood that the number of first devices, second devices, and cells is for illustrative purposes only, without implying any limitations. Communication environment 100 may include any suitable first devices, second network devices, and cells adapted for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more additional second devices may be located in each cell. It should also be understood that in some examples, environment 100 may include only homogeneous network deployments or only heterogeneous network deployments.

[0048] The principles and implementations of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to Figure 2, which illustrates an exemplary signaling chart 200 for a method for handling non-SDT data according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method may be implemented in any suitable device according to a specific implementation.

[0049] Furthermore, although the following description depicts operations in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown, or in a sequential order, or that all of the depicted operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0050] 2, the first device 110 is a terminal device, and the second device 120 is a network device. Furthermore, the first device 110 is in an active state (such as an RRC inactive state).

[0051] The first device 110 may support multiple applications, services, and features (such as Emergency, highPriorityAccess, mt-Access, mo-VoiceCall, mo-VideoCall, mo-SMS, rna-Update, mps-PriorityAccess, or mcs-PriorityAccess), and different applications, services, and features may result in different data. Furthermore, when the first device 110 requests a resumption of the RRC connection or indicates the presence of data, the first device 110 may indicate the source of the data using an appropriate parameter.

[0052] Furthermore, different data may be transmitted over different radio bearers, including signaling radio bearers (SRBs) and data signaling radio bearers (DRBs). As a result, specific radio bearers may also reflect specific data.

[0053] Furthermore, different data may have different priorities. For example, data resulting from an emergency call may be configured with a high priority. The priorities of different data may be predefined by the communication network.

[0054] Furthermore, data generated by certain applications, services, and functions may be transmitted via both SDT and non-SDT procedures, while other data may be transmitted solely via non-SDT procedures.

[0055] 2, the first device 110 is performing an SDT procedure 205 with the second device 120. The SDT procedure may be an RA-based SDT procedure. Specifically, the first device 110 sent Message 1 to the second device 120 during a four-step RA procedure or sent Msg A to the second device 120 during a two-step RA procedure. Furthermore, a subsequent UL / DL SDT may also be performed between the first device 110 and the second device 120.

[0056] Alternatively, the first device 110 may perform an ongoing SDT procedure on a pre-configured resource for SDT data (such as a PUSCH). Alternatively, the first device 110 may receive a contention resolution complete message from the second device 120.

[0057] By supporting SDT, first device 110 can transmit data to and from second device 120 while continuing to maintain a power-saving state.

[0058] During the SDT procedure, new data may be generated over time. If the first device 110 determines that there is data to transmit to the second device 120 during the SDT procedure, the first device 110 must determine whether the data can be transmitted via the SDT procedure. If the first device 110 determines that the newly generated data is preferably transmitted via non-SDT, the first device 110 must resume the RRC connection with the second device 120, which allows the first device 110 to transition to a connected state.

[0059] To resume the RRC connection with the second device 120, the first device 110 sends an indication 220 to the second device 120. In some exemplary embodiments, the indication may indicate the presence of non-SDT data to be transmitted by the first device 110 in the connected state. It should be understood that the first device 110 may indicate the presence of data in either an explicit or implicit manner.

[0060] Additionally, the indication may further indicate information related to the data. After receiving the indication, the second device 120 determines 225 whether to resume the RRC connection between the first device 110 and the second device 120 based on the information associated with the data. The second device 120 then sends 230 a response to the first device 110 indicating whether the RRC connection has been resumed.

[0061] In some examples, the indication may be carried in a request sent from the first device 110 to the second device 120. For example, a request to resume the RRC connection between the first device 110 and the second device 120. Alternatively, the indication may be carried in a notification sent from the first device 110 to the second device 120. It should be understood that the above examples for transmitting the indication are for illustrative purposes only, without implying any limitation. In other example embodiments, the indication may be transmitted in any suitable type of existing or newly defined message / signaling.

[0062] In this manner, the first device 110 may display information associated with the data, where the information associated with the data indicates different aspects of the data. Using the information associated with the data, the second device 120 can make appropriate and rational decisions regarding the indication.

[0063] The information associated with the data may be represented by any suitable parameter. In some exemplary embodiments, the information associated with the data indicates a radio bearer (such as an SRB or DRB) corresponding to the data. Alternatively or additionally, the information associated with the data indicates a priority of the data.

[0064] Alternatively, or additionally, the information associated with the data indicates the origin of the data. By way of example and not limitation, example causes are emergency, highPriorityAccess, mt-Access, mo-VoiceCall, mo-VideoCall, mo-SMS, rna-Update, mps-PriorityAccess, or mcs-PriorityAccess. In some exemplary embodiments, the cause may be represented as a cause for establishing an RRC connection. Alternatively, the cause may be represented as a cause for re-establishing an RRC connection. Alternatively, the cause may be represented as a cause for re-establishing an RRC connection. The causes described herein may be causes specified in 3GPP standards or new causes defined according to specific requirements. In this way, existing information elements (IEs) that convey the cause of RRC connection establishment / resumption / re-establishment can be reused.

[0065] In this way, the overall performance of the network devices can be improved. Specifically, in addition to the first device 110, the second device 120 can also provide services to other terminal devices. As a result, the second device 120 may receive multiple indications indicating the presence of non-SDT data from the terminal devices. However, the second device 120 may not support resuming all RRC connections due to an overload condition. By using information related to the data indicated in the indications from each terminal device, the second device 120 can appropriately determine which data should be transmitted with priority and resume the connection with the terminal device corresponding to that data.

[0066] Additionally, before transmitting an indication for the data, the first device 110 may determine whether the first device is first authorized to transmit the indication 215. Only if the first device 110 determines that the first device 110 is authorized to indicate the presence of the data does the first device 110 transmit the indication to the second device 120.

[0067] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 determines whether the first device 110 is authorized to transmit an indication according to the configuration. In some exemplary embodiments, the configuration may indicate information related to data for which the first device is authorized to transmit an indication. More specifically, the configuration may indicate one or more radio bearers, and when the first device 110 determines that data is carried over a radio bearer indicated by the configuration, the first device 110 may transmit an indication for the data. Alternatively or additionally, the configuration may indicate a priority, and when the first device 110 determines that the priority of the data is higher than the priority indicated by the configuration, the first device 110 may transmit an indication of the data. Alternatively or additionally, the configuration may indicate one or more causes resulting from the data, and when the first device 110 determines that the cause resulting from the data belongs to one of the one or more causes indicated by the configuration, The first device 110 may transmit an indication of the data.

[0068] Alternatively, in some exemplary embodiments, the configuration may indicate information related to data for which the first device 110 is not permitted to send an indication. More specifically, the configuration may indicate one or more radio bearers, and when the first device 110 determines that the data is carried via a radio bearer indicated by the configuration, the first device 110 disables sending an indication for the data. Alternatively or additionally, the configuration may indicate a priority, and when the first device 110 determines that the priority of the data is lower than the priority indicated by the configuration, the first device 110 disables sending an indication for the data. Alternatively or additionally, the configuration may indicate one or more causes, and when the first device 110 determines that the resulting cause of the data belongs to one of the one or more causes indicated by the configuration, the first device 110 disables sending an indication for the data.

[0069] It should be appreciated that the configuration may represent any suitable policy or rule used by first device 110 to determine whether first device 110 is permitted to transmit an indication. Such configuration may avoid the transmission of unwanted indications.

[0070] In some demonstrative embodiments, first device 110 may obtain a configuration from second device 120. More specifically, second device 120 may configure for which causes, DRBs, SRBs, and priorities first device 110 is permitted to send indications to indicate data to be transmitted at first device 110. Alternatively, second device 120 may configure for which causes, DRBs, SRBs, and priorities first device 110 is not permitted to send indications to indicate data to be transmitted at first device 110. Second device 120 may then transmit configuration 205 to the first device.

[0071] In this way, the transmission of the indication can be controlled by the second device 120 (i.e., the network device). Furthermore, the second device can provide different configurations for different terminal devices or different areas. Thus, the second device 120 can provide personalized services to the terminal devices.

[0072] In some exemplary embodiments, the configuration is predefined at first device 110. More specifically, a communication network may predefine the configuration, or a communication standard (such as a 3GPP standard) may define the configuration. In this case, the configuration may be represented as a file, program, or instructions on a local storage device of first device 110. In this manner, transmission of the indication can be controlled without additional message interaction.

[0073] In some exemplary embodiments, the decision as to whether transmission of an indication is permitted is performed by the NAS of the first device 110. More specifically, the NAS obtains a configuration from the AS of the first device 110. For example, the AS of the first device 110 indicates to the NAS which causes, access classes, or categories are permitted. When there is data in the buffer to transmit, the NAS determines whether transmission of the indication is permitted according to the obtained configuration.

[0074] In some exemplary embodiments, if the NAS determines that it is authorized to transmit an indication of the data, it indicates the presence of the data to the AS, which can then initiate transmission of the indication accordingly. In this manner, unnecessary internal interactions between the NAS and the AS are avoided.

[0075] Alternatively, if the NAS determines that it does not allow the data to be sent, the NAS disables the indication of the presence of the data to the AS via the non-access stratum. Additionally, the NAS may be triggered to enable the indication of the presence of the data to the AS at a later time. In some exemplary embodiments, if the NAS receives an indication that the SDT between the first device 110 and the second device 120 is complete, the NAS enables the indication of the presence of the data to the access stratum via the non-access stratum.

[0076] In this way, even if the first device 110 cannot immediately indicate the presence of non-SDT data to the second device, the first device can also notify the second device 120 of the presence of the data in time.

[0077] Additionally, the first device 110 may maintain different timers for different transmissions. In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 may maintain a timer for the SDT procedure (e.g., a timer such as T319). More specifically, the first device 110 may start the timer for the SDT procedure upon transmission of the SDT and may indicate expiration of the SDT timer to an upper layer (e.g., NAS) in response to expiration of the SDT timer.

[0078] Furthermore, the first device 110 may maintain a timer for the indication (hereinafter referred to as a second timer). More specifically, the first device 110 starts the second timer for the indication when transmitting the indication, and indicates the expiration of the second timer to a higher layer (such as the NAS) in response to the expiration of the second timer. Furthermore, the second timer may be stopped upon reception of an RRCResume, RRCSetup, RRCRelease, RRCRelease with suspendConfig, or RRCReject message, cell reselection, and interruption of connection establishment.

[0079] In this way, higher layers can be informed of which timers have expired and / or the cause of the release / failure of the RRC connection.

[0080] In some exemplary embodiments, the second timer is T319. By reusing the existing T319 timer, there is no need to introduce a new timer to maintain transmission of the indication.

[0081] Additionally, if the first device 110 determines that there is a response indicating that the RRC connection has not been resumed, the first device 110 may retransmit the indication at a later time. In some exemplary embodiments, the retransmission is controlled using a retransmission timer (also referred to as a “first timer”). More specifically, upon receiving a response indicating that the RRC connection has not been resumed, the first device 110 starts a first timer 235 and retransmits an indication 240 to the second device 120 in response to expiration of the first timer.

[0082] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 determines the duration of the first timer from the response. More specifically, if the second device 120 determines not to resume the RRC connection with the first device 110, in addition to indicating whether the connection will be resumed, the second device 120 further indicates the duration of the first timer. When the first device 110 receives the response, the first device 110 may be notified that the connection between the first device 110 and the second device 120 will not be resumed. Meanwhile, the first device 110 is also notified that retransmission of the indication is permitted. The first device 110 may then perform the retransmission of the indication on the first timer. Alternatively, the duration of the first timer may be a locally preconfigured value. In other words, the duration of the first timer may be preconfigured by the communication network or specified in a wireless communication standard.

[0083] In some exemplary embodiments, first device 110 may perform a one-shot retransmission of the indication, or first device 110 may perform periodic retransmission of the indication for the duration of a first timer.

[0084] The use of the first timer avoids unnecessary and frequent retransmission of indications.

[0085] Alternatively, the retransmission of the indication may be triggered by one or more specific events. One example of a specific event may be the completion of an SDT procedure between the first device 110 and the second device 120. More specifically, if the first device 110 is performing an SDT procedure when it receives a response indicating that the RRC connection will not be resumed, the first device 110 may disable the retransmission of the indication. Furthermore, if the first device 110 determines that the ongoing SDT procedure has completed, the first device 110 may retransmit the indication. It should be understood that the above example events for triggering the retransmission of the indication are for illustrative purposes only, without implying any limitation. In some other example embodiments, any suitable event may be applied to trigger the retransmission of the indication. In this way, retransmission of the indication can be performed in time.

[0086] Alternatively, the retransmission of the indication may be controlled according to both the first timer and a specific event. More specifically, if the first device 110 determines that there is a response indicating that the RRC connection will not be resumed, the first device 110 starts the first timer and simultaneously detects the specific event. In response to either the expiration of the first timer or the detection of the specific event, the first device 110 retransmits the indication to the second device. In this way, the ongoing SDT is not disturbed by using the first timer. Meanwhile, the RRC resumption procedure may be permitted to be triggered immediately after the SDT procedure.

[0087] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 may transmit the indication on a DCCH. Furthermore, the indication may be transmitted by any suitable signaling. One example of signaling is RRC signaling. Another example of signaling is physical (PHY) layer signaling. A further example of signaling is media access control (MAC) layer signaling. Furthermore, the signaling may be implemented by reusing existing signaling or defining newly defined signaling. In this manner, the first device 110 can transmit the indication in a more flexible manner.

[0088] In some demonstrative embodiments, first device 110 is performing a RACH-based SDT procedure and the RACH-based SDT procedure is not completed. In this case, first device 110 may terminate the RA procedure of the SDT procedure and send an indication to second device 120. Furthermore, first device 110 terminates the RA procedure only if the cause that caused the data is one of the predefined causes. By way of example and not limitation, examples of the predefined causes are Emergency, highPriorityAccess, mt-Access, mo-VoiceCall, mo-VideoCall, mo-SMS, rna-Update, mps-PriorityAccess, or mcs-PriorityAccess.

[0089] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 can reuse an existing RRC resumption request as the message / signaling that carries the indication. In some exemplary embodiments, the indication is transmitted over the CCCH. In this way, the provision of new signaling is avoided.

[0090] If the second device 120 does not recognize the RA of the SDT procedure, no additional processing is required at the second device 120. Furthermore, the second device 120 needs to terminate the RA procedure of the SDT procedure for some specific scenarios. For example, if the second device 120 receives an indication from the first device 110 after receiving Msg1 from the first device 110, the second device 120 may terminate all subsequent processing related to the RACH-based SDT (e.g., terminate transmission of Msg2 to the first device 110 or disable transmission of possible DL SDT data to the first device 110).

[0091] In this solution, in addition to indicating the presence of non-small data transmission data that the first device needs to transmit in a connected state (i.e., non-SDT transmission), the terminal device also indicates information related to the data to the network device so that the network device can make an appropriate and rational decision on whether to resume the RRC connection with the terminal device and whether to stop the ongoing SDT procedure. This solution is particularly useful when the network device is in an overload state or when SDT data has a higher transmission priority than non-SDT data.

[0092] 3 shows a flowchart of an example method 300 implemented at first device 110 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of discussion, method 300 will be described from the perspective of first device 110 with respect to FIG. 1. It should be understood that method 300 may include additional blocks not shown and / or may omit some shown blocks, and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0093] In block 310, the first device 110 performs an SDT procedure between the first device 110 and the second device 120 in an inactive state.

[0094] In block 320, the first device transmits to the second device 120 an indication of the presence of non-small data transmission data transmitted by the connected first device 110 and information associated with that data.

[0095] In some exemplary embodiments, the information associated with the data indicates at least one of the radio bearer corresponding to the data, a priority of the data, or a source of origin of the data.

[0096] In some exemplary embodiments, first device 110 determines, according to the configuration, whether first device 110 transmits an indication of the data. If first device 110 determines that first device 110 is authorized to transmit the indication, first device 110 further transmits the indication to second device 120.

[0097] In some exemplary embodiments, the configuration is predefined at the first device 110 or received from the second device 20 .

[0098] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 obtains a configuration by the NAS of the first device 110 and from the AS of the first device 110, and determines in the NAS of the first device 110 whether transmission of an indication is permitted according to the configuration.

[0099] In some exemplary embodiments, if the first device 110 determines that an indication is permitted to be sent, the first device 110 indicates the presence of data by the NAS to the AS.

[0100] In some exemplary embodiments, if first device 110 determines that the indication is not permitted to be sent, first device 110 disables the indication of the presence of data to the AS by the NAS. Further, in response to receiving an indication that the SDT between first and second devices 120 is complete, first device 110 enables the indication of the presence of data to the AS by the NAS.

[0101] In some exemplary embodiments, first device 110 starts a first timer upon receiving a response indicating that resumption of the RRC connection is not permitted, and first device 110 retransmits an indication to second device 120 in response to expiration of the first timer.

[0102] In some exemplary embodiments, first device 110 receives a response from second device 120 indicating whether the RRC connection between the first device and the second device is resumed.

[0103] In some exemplary embodiments, if the first device 110 determines that the response indicates that the RRC connection will not be resumed, the first device 110 resends the indication to the second device 120 in response to completion of the SDT procedure between the first device 120 and the second device 120.

[0104] In some exemplary embodiments, the duration of the timer is determined from the response.

[0105] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 starts a second timer for the indication upon transmission of the indication, and in response to the expiration of the second timer, indicates the expiration of the second timer to the NAS of the first device 110.

[0106] In some demonstrative embodiments, if the first device 110 determines that the cause of the data is one of the predefined causes, the first device 110 terminates the RA procedure of the SDT procedure between the first device 120 and the second device 120. Additionally, the first device 110 sends an indication to the second device 120.

[0107] In some exemplary embodiments, the indication is transmitted on a dedicated control channel, or via RRC signaling, physical layer signaling, or media access control layer signaling.

[0108] In some exemplary embodiments, first device 110 is a terminal device and second device 120 is a network device.

[0109] A first device capable of performing method 300 may include means for performing each operation of method 300. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The first device may be implemented as first device 110 or may be included in first device 110. In some exemplary embodiments, the first device includes means for performing an SDT procedure between the first device and a second device in an inactive state on the first device. The first device further includes means for transmitting an indication to the second device indicating the presence of non-small data transmission data to be transmitted by the first device in a connected state and information related to the data.

[0110] In some exemplary embodiments, the information associated with the data indicates at least one of a radio bearer corresponding to the data, a priority of the data, or a cause of the data.

[0111] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for transmitting the indication comprises means for determining whether the first device transmits an indication for the data in accordance with the configuration, and means for transmitting the indication to the second device in accordance with a determination that transmission of the indication is permitted.

[0112] In some exemplary embodiments, the configuration is predefined on the first device or received from the second device.

[0113] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device further comprises means for obtaining a configuration by the NAS of the first device and from the AS of the first device, and means for determining, in the NAS of the first device, whether sending an indication is permitted according to the configuration.

[0114] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device further comprises means for indicating the presence of the data by the NAS to the AS in accordance with a determination that the indication is permitted to be transmitted.

[0115] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device further comprises means for disabling the NAS from indicating the presence of data to the AS in accordance with a determination that the indication is not permitted to be sent, and means for enabling the NAS from indicating the presence of data to the AS in response to receiving an indication that the SDT between the first device and the second device is completed.

[0116] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device further comprises means for receiving a response from the second device indicating whether the RRC connection between the first device and the second device has been resumed.

[0117] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device further comprises means for starting a first timer upon receipt of a response indicating that the RRC connection has been resumed, and means for retransmitting an indication to the second device in response to expiration of the first timer.

[0118] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device further comprises means for retransmitting an indication to the second device in response to completion of the SDT procedure between the first device and the second device in accordance with a determination that the response indicates that the RRC connection will not be resumed.

[0119] In some exemplary embodiments, the duration of the timer is determined from the response.

[0120] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device further comprises means for starting a second timer for the indication upon transmission of the indication, and means for indicating expiration of the second timer to the NAS of the first device in response to expiration of the second timer.

[0121] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for transmitting the indication comprises means for terminating an RA procedure for the SDT procedure between the first device and the second device in accordance with a determination that the cause of the data is one of the predefined causes, and means for transmitting an indication to the second device.

[0122] In some exemplary embodiments, the indication is transmitted on a dedicated control channel, or via RRC signaling, physical layer signaling, or media access control layer signaling.

[0123] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device is a terminal device and the second device is a network device.

[0124] 4 shows a flowchart of an example method 400 that may be implemented at second device 120 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of discussion, method 400 will be described from the perspective of second device 120 with respect to FIG. 1. It should be understood that method 400 may include additional blocks not shown and / or may omit some shown blocks, and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0125] In block 410, the second device 120 performs an SDT procedure between the first device and the second device in an inactive state.

[0126] At block 420, the second device 120 receives an indication from the first device 110 indicating the presence of non-small data transmission data sent by the first device 110 in the connected state and information associated with that data.

[0127] In some exemplary embodiments, the second device 120 determines whether to resume the RRC connection between the first device and the second device based on the information associated with the data and sends a response to the first device 110 indicating whether the RRC connection has been resumed.

[0128] In some exemplary embodiments, the information associated with the data indicates at least one of the radio bearer corresponding to the data, the priority of the data, or the origin of the data.

[0129] In some exemplary embodiments, the second device 120 transmits a configuration that is used by the first device 110 to determine whether the first device 110 is authorized to transmit an indication of data to the first device 110.

[0130] In some exemplary embodiments, if the second device 120 determines not to resume the RRC connection, the second device 120 further transmits a response indicating the duration of a first timer that the first device 110 will use to retransmit the indication.

[0131] In some exemplary embodiments, second device 120 terminates the RA procedure of the SDT procedure between first and second device 120 in response to receiving the indication from first device 110 .

[0132] In some exemplary embodiments, the indication is received on a dedicated control channel, or via RRC signaling, physical layer signaling, or media access control layer signaling.

[0133] In some exemplary embodiments, first device 110 is a terminal device and second device 120 is a network device.

[0134] A second apparatus capable of performing method 400 may include means for performing each operation of method 400. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The second apparatus may be implemented as second device 120 or may be included in second device 120.

[0135] In some exemplary embodiments, the second device comprises means for performing an SDT procedure on the second device between the first device and the second device in an inactive state, and the second device further comprises means for receiving from the first device an indication of the presence of non-small data transmission data to be transmitted by the first device in a connected state and information associated with the data.

[0136] In some exemplary embodiments, the information relates to data indicative of at least one of a radio bearer corresponding to the data, a priority of the data, or a source of the data.

[0137] In some exemplary embodiments, the second device comprises means for transmitting to the first device a configuration used by the first device to determine whether the first device is authorized to transmit an indication of the data.

[0138] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for transmitting the response comprises means for transmitting the response further indicating a duration of a first timer used by the first device to retransmit the indication pursuant to a determination not to resume the RRC connection.

[0139] In some exemplary embodiments, the second device further comprises means for terminating the RA procedure of the SDT procedure between the first and second devices in response to receiving the indication from the first device.

[0140] In some exemplary embodiments, the indication is received on a dedicated control channel, or via RRC signaling, physical layer signaling, or media access control layer signaling.

[0141] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device is a terminal device and the second device is a network device.

[0142] 5 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 500 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Apparatus 500 may be provided to realize a communications apparatus such as, for example, first device 110 and second device 120 as shown in FIG. 1. As shown, device 500 includes one or more processors 510, one or more memories 520 coupled to processor 510, and one or more communications modules 540 (e.g., transmitters and / or receivers) coupled to processor 510.

[0143] The communication module 540 is for two-way communication. The communication module 540 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0144] The processor 510 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network, and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 500 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes a main processor.

[0145] The memory 520 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, Read Only Memory (ROM) 524, Electrically Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, Compact Discs (CDs), Digital Video Discs (DVDs), and other magnetic and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, Random Access Memory (RAM) 522 and other volatile memories that do not persist through power-down periods.

[0146] The computer program 530 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 510. The program 530 may be stored in ROM 520. The processor 510 may load the program 530 into RAM 520 to perform any suitable operations and processes.

[0147] 2-4, the apparatus 500 may be implemented by a program 530 such that the apparatus 500 may perform any process of the present disclosure. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0148] In some embodiments, the program 530 may be included in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 500 (such as in memory 520) or other storage accessible by the device 500. The device 500 may load the program 530 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 522 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 6 shows an example of a computer-readable medium 600 in the form of a CD or DVD, on which the program 530 is stored.

[0149] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or some other pictorial representations, it should be understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in, by way of non-limiting example, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller, or other computing device, or some combination thereof.

[0150] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, that execute on a target real or virtual processor device to perform the method 300 or 400 described above with reference to FIG. 3 or FIG. 4. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split among program modules as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed in local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0151] Program code for implementing the methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, and when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be performed. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine, partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0152] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or associated data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0153] The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable medium includes, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0154] Furthermore, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown, or sequentially, or to perform all of the operations depicted, to achieve desirable results. In certain situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure, but rather as relating information to feature data that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0155] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure, as defined in the appended claims, is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. a first device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, The at least one memory and the computer program code are transmitted by the at least one processor to the first device, performing a small data transmission procedure between the first device in an inactive state and a second device; to the second device, the presence of non-small data transmission data transmitted by the first device; transmitting an indication indicating information related to the non-small data transmission data; a first device configured to cause a The information relating to the non-small data transmission data is a radio bearer corresponding to the non-small data transmission data; the priority of the non-small data transmission data; Causes of non-small data transmission data and The cause of the call is emergency, highPriorityAccess, mt-Access, mo-VoiceCall, mo-VideoCall, mo-SMS, rna-Update, mps-PriorityAccess, or mcs-PriorityAccess; First device.

2. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to be executed by the at least one processor to: determining, in accordance with a configuration, whether the first device will transmit an indication of the non-small data transmission data; transmitting the indication to the second device in accordance with a determination that the indication is authorized to be transmitted; The first device of claim 1 configured to:

3. The first device of claim 2 , wherein the configuration is predefined at the first device or received from the second device.

4. the at least one memory and the computer program code, using the at least one processor, for obtaining the configuration to the first device by a non-access layer of the first device and from an access layer of the first device; determining whether to allow transmission of the indication according to the configuration in a non-access stratum of the first device; The first device of claim 2 configured to cause the execution of

5. The at least one memory and the computer program code, together with the at least one processor, further configure the first device to: configured to cause the non-access stratum to indicate the presence of the non-small data transmission data to the access stratum in accordance with a determination that the indication is permitted to be transmitted. The first device of claim 4 .

6. The at least one memory and the computer program code are transmitted by the at least one processor to the first device, further comprising: receiving a response from the second device indicating whether the radio resource control connection between the first device and the second device has been resumed; The first device of claim 1 configured to:

7. The at least one memory and the computer program code further cause the first device, using the at least one processor, to: starting a first timer upon receiving a response indicating that the radio resource control connection will not be resumed; retransmitting the indication to the second device in response to expiration of the first timer; Run The first device of claim 6 configured to:

8. The first device of claim 7 , wherein a duration of the first timer is determined from the response.

9. The at least one memory and the computer program code, using the at least one processor, further cause the first device to: and retransmitting the indication to the second device in response to completing a small data transmission procedure in accordance with a determination that the response indicates that the radio resource control connection will not be resumed. The first device of claim 6 configured to:

10. The at least one memory and the computer program code further cause the first device, using the at least one processor, to: starting a second timer for said indication; In response to expiration of the second timer, indicating expiration of the second timer to a non-access stratum of the first device. The first device of claim 1 configured to:

11. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the first device, using the at least one processor, to: terminating a random access procedure of a small data transmission procedure in accordance with a determination that the cause of the non-small data transmission data is one of predefined causes; transmitting the indication to the second device, by The first device of claim 1 configured to cause the indication to be transmitted.

12. the indication is transmitted over a dedicated control channel; or or The first device of claim 1 , wherein the signal is transmitted via radio resource control signaling, physical layer signaling, or media access control layer signaling.

13. The first device according to claim 1 , wherein the first device is a terminal device and the second device is a network device.

14. a second device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, The at least one memory and the computer program code are used by the at least one processor to cause the second device to: performing a small data transmission procedure between a first device in an inactive state and the second device; receiving an indication from the first device indicating the presence of non-small data transmission data to be transmitted by the first device and information related to the non-small data transmission data; Run a second device configured to: The information relating to the non-small data transmission data is a radio bearer corresponding to the non-small data transmission data; the priority of the non-small data transmission data; Causes of non-small data transmission data and The cause of the call is emergency, highPriorityAccess, mt-Access, mo-VoiceCall, mo-VideoCall, mo-SMS, rna-Update, mps-PriorityAccess, or mcs-PriorityAccess; Secondary device.

15. The at least one memory and the computer program code are further transmitted by the at least one processor to the second device, determining whether to resume a radio resource control connection between the first device and the second device based on the information associated with the non-small data transmission data; sending a response to the first device indicating whether the radio resource control connection has been resumed; The second device of claim 14 configured to cause the

16. The at least one memory and the computer program code are further transmitted by the at least one processor to the second device, transmitting to the first device a configuration used by the first device to determine whether the first device is authorized to transmit the indication of the non-small data transmission data. The second device of claim 14 configured to:

17. The at least one memory and the computer program code are transmitted by the at least one processor to the second device: transmitting a response further indicating a duration of a first timer used by the first device to retransmit the indication in accordance with a determination not to resume the radio resource control connection; The second device of claim 15 configured to:

18. The at least one memory and the computer program code are further transmitted by the at least one processor to the second device, In response to receiving the indication from the first device, terminating a random access procedure for the small data transmission procedure between the first device and the second device. The second device of claim 14 configured to:

19. 15. The second device of claim 14, wherein the indication is received on a dedicated control channel or via radio resource control signaling, physical layer signaling, or media access control layer signaling.

20. The second device according to any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein the first device is a terminal device and the second device is a network device.

21. performing, in a first device, a small data transmission procedure between the first device and a second device in an inactive state; to the second device, the presence of non-small data transmission data transmitted by the first device; transmitting an indication indicating information related to the non-small data transmission data; A method comprising: The information relating to the non-small data transmission data is a radio bearer corresponding to the non-small data transmission data; the priority of the non-small data transmission data; Causes of non-small data transmission data and The cause of the call is emergency, highPriorityAccess, mt-Access, mo-VoiceCall, mo-VideoCall, mo-SMS, rna-Update, mps-PriorityAccess, or mcs-PriorityAccess; method.

22. The step of transmitting the indication comprises: determining whether the first device transmits an indication of the non-small data transmission data according to a configuration; transmitting the indication to the second device in accordance with a determination that transmission of the indication is permitted; 22. The method of claim 21, comprising:

23. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the configuration is predefined at the first device or received from the second device.

24. obtaining a configuration by a non-access stratum of the first device and from an access stratum of the first device; determining whether the indication is permitted to be transmitted according to the configuration in a non-access stratum of the first device; 22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

25. 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising indicating the presence of the non-small data transmission data by the non-access stratum to the access stratum in accordance with a determination that the indication is permitted to be transmitted.

26. Disabling the indication from indicating the presence of the non-small data transmission data by the non-access stratum to the access stratum in accordance with a determination that the transmission is not authorized; enabling the non-access stratum to indicate the presence of the non-small data transmission data to the access stratum in response to receiving an indication that the small data transmission between the first and second devices is complete; 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

27. 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving a response from the second device indicating whether the radio resource control connection between the first device and the second device has been resumed.

28. starting a first timer upon receiving a response indicating that the radio resource control connection will not be resumed; 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising: retransmitting the indication to the second device in response to expiration of the first timer.

29. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein the duration of the first timer is determined from the response.

30. 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising: retransmitting the indication to the second device in response to completing the small data transmission procedure in accordance with a determination that the response indicates that the radio resource control connection will not be resumed.

31. upon transmission of the indication, starting a second timer for the indication; 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising: in response to expiration of the second timer, indicating expiration of the second timer to a non-access stratum of the first device.

32. The step of transmitting the indication comprises: In response to determining that the cause resulting from the non-small data transmission data is one of the predefined causes, terminating the random access procedure of the small data transmission procedure; transmitting the indication to the second device; 22. The method of claim 21, comprising:

33. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the indication is transmitted on a dedicated control channel or via radio resource control signaling, physical layer signaling, or media access control layer signaling.

34. 34. The method of any one of claims 21 to 33, wherein the first device is a terminal device and the second device is a network device.

35. performing, in the second device, a small data transmission procedure between the inactive first device and the second device; receiving an indication from the first device indicating the presence of non-small data transmission data transmitted by the first device and information related to the non-small data transmission data; A method comprising: The information related to the non-small data transmission data includes a radio bearer corresponding to the non-small data transmission data; the priority of the non-small data transmission data; indicating at least one of the causes of the non-small data transmission data; The cause of the call is emergency, highPriorityAccess, mt-Access, mo-VoiceCall, mo-VideoCall, mo-SMS, rna-Update, mps-PriorityAccess, or mcs-PriorityAccess; method.

36. The method of claim 36, further comprising: determining whether to resume a radio resource control connection between the first device and the second device based on the information associated with the non-small data transmission data; sending a response to the first device indicating whether the radio resource control connection has been resumed; 36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

37. 36. The method of claim 35, further comprising transmitting to the first device a configuration used by the first device to determine whether or not the first device will transmit an indication of the non-small data transmission data.

38. 37. The method of claim 36, wherein the step of transmitting the response further indicates a duration of a first timer used by the first device to retransmit the indication in accordance with a determination not to resume the radio resource control connection.

39. 36. The method of claim 35, further comprising terminating a random access procedure for the small data transmission procedure between the first device and the second device in response to receiving the indication from the first device.

40. 36. The method of claim 35, wherein the indication is received on a dedicated control channel or via radio resource control signaling, physical layer signaling, or media access control layer signaling.

41. 41. The method of any one of claims 35 to 40, wherein the first device is a terminal device and the second device is a network device.

42. means for executing a small data transmission procedure between the first device and a second device in an inactive state in a first device; means for transmitting to said second device an indication of the presence of non-small data transmission data to be transmitted by said first device and information related to said non-small data transmission data; A first device comprising:

43. means for executing a small data transmission procedure between the inactive first device and the second device in the second device; means for receiving from the first device an indication of the presence of non-small data transmission data to be transmitted by the first device and information related to the non-small data transmission data; A second device comprising:

44. A computer program which, when executed by a processor of a first device, causes the first device to carry out the method of any one of claims 21 to 24.

45. A computer program which, when executed by a processor of a second device, causes the second device to carry out the method of any one of claims 35 to 40.

46. 42. A computer program product which, when executed by a processor of a second device, causes the second device to perform the method of claim 41.

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