Method and apparatus for base station for subsequent transmission in an inactive state in wireless communication.
The base station apparatus enables UEs to monitor network scheduling for subsequent data transmissions in the RRC_INACTIVE state, reducing latency and overhead by allowing dedicated scheduling and timer-controlled monitoring, thereby optimizing energy use and network efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- APPLE INC
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-02
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-08
AI Technical Summary
In 5G NR networks, UEs in the RRC_INACTIVE state experience unnecessary power consumption and signaling overhead due to frequent transitions to the RRC_CONNECTED state for small and infrequent data transmissions, negating the latency and efficiency benefits of the INACTIVE state.
A base station apparatus and method that allows UEs to monitor network scheduling for subsequent data transmissions during an active period within the RRC_INACTIVE state through dedicated scheduling via physical downlink control channels, using settings sent via RRC release messages or System Information Blocks, and timer-based monitoring cessation.
Reduces data transmission latency and signaling overhead by enabling UEs to continue monitoring network scheduling without transitioning to RRC_CONNECTED state, thus enhancing energy efficiency and maintaining network performance.
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention generally relates to wireless technology, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for subsequent data transmission of a base station (BS) while a user equipment (UE) is in an inactive state.
Background Art
[0002] In a wireless communication network, 5G New Radio (NR) provides a higher-capacity and faster network that can facilitate the control of the Internet of Things (IoT) such as remote devices in applications where real-time network performance is important. As the demand for faster data exchange and seamless communication increases, reducing latency and battery consumption has become extremely important in supporting such demands while maintaining the performance of 5G NR technology.
[0003] 5G NR supports three RRC states, including RRC CONNECTED, RRC INACTIVE, and RRC IDLE. The 5G NR protocol stack includes a control plane and a user plane, providing connectivity between the UE and the gNB or core network (CN). Regarding the control plane for the Release-15 INACTIVE state, the UE has an on-access stratum (NAS) connection to the CN. In addition, the UE does not have dedicated access stratum (AS) resources, and the UE maintains its RRC configuration before entering the INACTIVE state. Regarding the user plane for the Release-15 INACTIVE state, the UE cannot perform any dedicated data transmission / reception. If the UE has dedicated data transmission / reception, the UE should enter the CONNECTED state. Specifically, in the case of DL data transmission, the gNodeB triggers the UE to enter the CONNECTED state by paging it via the RAN paging mechanism. For uplink (UL) data transmission, the UE triggers the RACH procedure and enters the CONNECTED state. In terms of mobility relative to the Release-15 INACTIVE state, an INACTIVE UE can move within the RNA (i.e., the RAN notification area) without notifying the NG-RAN. The cell selection / re-selection procedure is the same as for the RRC_IDLE state.
[0004] There are three common state transition scenarios between the INACTIVE state and the CONNECTED state. First, the state transition from the CONNECTED state to the INACTIVE state involves RRC release with suspend information. The state transition from the INACTIVE state to the CONNECTED state involves the RRC restart procedure. The state transition from the INACTIVE state to the IDLE state involves (1) RRC release and (2) an abnormal case (unable to find a cell for camping).
[0005] UEs with small and infrequent data transmissions are generally kept in the RRC_INACTIVE state by the network. Traffic from instant messaging services and smartphone applications such as push notifications from mobile applications are some examples of small and infrequent data traffic. Connection setup and subsequent release to the INACTIVE state occur for each data transmission, resulting in unnecessary power consumption and signaling overhead.
[0006] Typically, uplink or downlink (downlink, DL) transmissions involve feedback transmissions in the DL / UL (e.g., TCP ACK or RLC status report). If a UE performs the initial UL transmission and then directly returns to the INACTIVE state, the NW must perform RAN paging to trigger the UE to return to the CONNECTED state for feedback reception when the NW transmits feedback in the downlink direction. Such a procedure may negate the advantages of direct transmission in the INACTIVE state.
[0007] Therefore, an extended mechanism is needed to allow the UE to continue monitoring potential network scheduling after the initial data transmission in the INACTIVE state, thereby reducing the amount of data transmission latency and signaling overhead incurred during state transitions. This extended mechanism could therefore leverage the advantages of direct transmission in the INACTIVE state. [Overview of the project]
[0008] Methods and apparatus from the perspective of a base station are described. In an exemplary embodiment, a base station having a processor configured to perform an operation including receiving initial data from a UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state while the UE does not transition from the RRC_INACTIVE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state. The operation further includes transmitting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for dedicated scheduling of the UE for transmitting or receiving subsequent data during the active period while the UE is in the RRC INACTIVE state. The operation further includes receiving or transmitting subsequent data based on the dedicated scheduling.
[0009] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to perform an operation that includes sending one or more settings for sending or receiving subsequent data. In some embodiments, one or more settings are sent as part of an RRC release message.
[0010] In some other embodiments, one or more settings are sent as part of a System Information Block (SIB).
[0011] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to perform an operation that includes sending an instruction indicating which of the settings to use for sending or receiving subsequent data.
[0012] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to perform an operation that includes transmitting a value for the active period timer. The timer value is part of one or more settings. In addition, monitoring of the PDCCH for transmission or reception of subsequent data stops when the active period timer expires.
[0013] In some embodiments, the processor is
[0014] It is further configured to perform actions that include sending default settings for sending or receiving subsequent data.
[0015] In some embodiments, the processor is
[0016] The system is further configured to perform actions including sending an active period commencement instruction from the base station after the initial data transmission. Monitoring of the PDCCH for subsequent data transmission or reception ceases upon receipt of an active period termination instruction at the UE.
[0017] In some embodiments, the processor is
[0018] The system is further configured to perform actions including sending an active period start instruction to the UE after the initial data transmission. The start instruction includes the value of the active period timer. In addition, monitoring of the PDCCH for subsequent data transmission or reception stops when the active period timer expires.
[0019] In some embodiments, the start instruction is layer 1 (L1) signaling.
[0020] In some other embodiments, the start instruction is a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).
[0021] In some other embodiments, the start instruction is RRC signaling, which includes one or more settings for transmitting or receiving subsequent data.
[0022] In some embodiments, the processor is
[0023] It is further configured to perform operations including scrambling a PDCCH for UE-dedicated scheduling for transmission or reception of subsequent data during an active period based on a TC-RNTI type, an I-RNTI type, or a CG-RNTI type of RNTI.
[0024] In another aspect of the present disclosure, embodiments of the present disclosure also provide the methods described above.
[0025] The present disclosure is shown by way of example and is not limited to that in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate like elements.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. is a diagram showing an exemplary wireless communication system according to some embodiments. [Figure 2] FIG. is a diagram showing a base station (BS) communicating with a user equipment (UE) device according to some embodiments. [Figure 3] FIG. is an exemplary block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments. [Figure 4] FIG. is an exemplary block diagram of a BS according to some embodiments. [Figure 5] FIG. is an exemplary block diagram of a cellular communication circuit according to some embodiments. [Figure 6] FIG. is a diagram of some embodiments of a UE trigger transition from an RRC_INACTIVE state to an RRC_CONNECTED state according to some embodiments. [Figure 7A] FIG. is a diagram of some embodiments of a conventional procedure according to some embodiments. [Figure 7B] FIG. is a diagram of some embodiments of small-scale data transmission according to some embodiments. [Figure 8] FIG. is a diagram of some embodiments of uplink / downlink transmission and feedback transmission according to some embodiments. [Figure 9A] This is a diagram illustrating several embodiments of the settings for sending / receiving subsequent data, according to several embodiments. [Figure 9B] This is a diagram illustrating several embodiments of the settings for sending / receiving subsequent data, according to several embodiments. [Figure 9C] This is a diagram illustrating several embodiments of the settings for sending / receiving subsequent data, according to several embodiments. [Figure 10] This figure illustrates some embodiments of the UE behavior during the subsequent active period in the INACTIVE state, according to several embodiments. [Figure 11] This is a diagram illustrating some embodiments of UE behavior based on a triggered measurement event, according to several embodiments. [Figure 12] This is a diagram illustrating some embodiments of UE behavior based on a triggered measurement event, according to several embodiments. [Figure 13] This is a diagram illustrating some embodiments of UE behavior based on a triggered measurement event, according to several embodiments. [Figure 14] This is a diagram illustrating some embodiments of UE behavior based on a triggered measurement event, according to several embodiments. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0027] This paper describes a method and apparatus that enables a device to monitor potential network scheduling after initial data transmission while a UE is in the INACTIVE state. The base station receives initial data from a UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state while the UE is not transitioning from the RRC_INACTIVE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state. The base station transmits a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for dedicated scheduling of the UE for transmitting or receiving subsequent data during the active period while the UE is in the RRC INACTIVE state. The base station receives or transmits the transmission of subsequent data based on the dedicated scheduling. In this way, the UE can continue to monitor potential network scheduling after initial data transmission while the UE is in the INACTIVE state, thereby reducing the amount of data transmission latency and signaling overhead incurred during state transitions. Thus, this extended mechanism can leverage the benefits of data transmission while the UE is in the INACTIVE state without transitioning from the RRC_INACTIVE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state.
[0028] The following description includes numerous specific details in order to provide a complete description of embodiments of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. In other examples, well-known components, structures and techniques are not shown in detail so as not to hinder the understanding of this description.
[0029] Any reference in this specification to “several embodiments” or “embodiments” means that certain mechanisms, structures, or characteristics described in relation to those embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. The phrase “in some embodiments” appearing in various parts of this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment in all instances.
[0030] In the following descriptions and claims, the terms “joined” and “connected” may be used together with their derivatives. It should be understood that these terms are not intended to be synonymous with one another. “Joined” is used to indicate that two or more elements, which may or may not be in direct physical or electrical contact with each other, work together or interact with each other. “Connected” is used to indicate the establishment of communication between two or more elements that are joined together.
[0031] The processes shown in the following diagrams are executed by processing logic, which may include hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic), software (such as that running on a general-purpose computer system or dedicated machine), or a combination of both. These processes are described below in terms of several sequential operations, but it should be understood that some of the operations described can be executed in a different order. Furthermore, some operations can be executed in parallel rather than sequentially.
[0032] The terms "server," "client," and "device" are intended to refer to a data processing system in general, rather than to a specific form factor for a server, client, and / or device.
[0033] Figure 1 shows a simplified, exemplary wireless communication system according to several embodiments. Note that the system in Figure 1 is merely one example of a possible system, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any of the various systems as desired.
[0034] As shown in the figure, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102A, which communicates with one or more user devices 106A, 106B, etc. ~ 106N via a transmission medium. Each of the user devices may be referred to herein as a “user equipment” (UE). Thus, user device 106 is referred to as a UE or UE device.
[0035] Base station (BS) 102A may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or a cellular base station ("cellular base station"), and may include hardware that enables wireless communication with UE106A~106N.
[0036] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a “cell.” Base stations 102A and UE106 may be configured to communicate over a medium using one of various radio access technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as GSM, UMTS, LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (5G NR), HSPA, and 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), (e.g., associated with a WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interface). Note that when base station 102A is implemented in the context of LTE, base station 102A may be referred to as an “eNodeB” or “eNB” instead. Note that when base station 102A is implemented in the context of 5G NR, base station 102A may be referred to as an “gNodeB” or “gNB” instead.
[0037] As shown in the figure, the base station 102A may also be equipped to communicate with the network 100 (for example, among various possibilities, the core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunications network such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet). Thus, the base station 102A can facilitate communication between user devices and / or between user devices and the network 100. In particular, the cellular base station 102A can provide the UE 106 with various telecommunications capabilities such as voice, SMS, and / or data services.
[0038] Base stations 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B...102N) operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards can therefore be provided as a network of cells, capable of providing continuous or nearly continuous overlapping services to UE106A~106N and similar devices over a geographical area via one or more cellular communication standards.
[0039] Therefore, as shown in Figure 1, base station 102A can function as a “serving cell” for UEs 106A to 106N, and each UE 106 can also receive signals from one or more other cells (which may be provided by base stations 102B to 102N and / or any other base stations) (within their communication range, if possible). Such cells can also facilitate communication between user devices and / or between user devices and the network 100. Such cells may include “macro” cells, “micro” cells, “pico” cells, and / or cells that provide any other granularity of service area size. For example, base stations 102A to 102B shown in Figure 1 may be macrocells, and base station 102N may be a microcell. Other configurations are also possible.
[0040] In some embodiments, base station 102A may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or a "gNB". In some embodiments, the gNB may be connected to a conventional evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or an NR core (NRC) network. In addition, a gNB cell may include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). In addition, UEs capable of operating in accordance with 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs in one or more gNBs.
[0041] It should be noted that UE106 may be capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, UE106 may be configured to communicate using at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD)) in addition to wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer). In addition, or alternatively, UE106 may be configured to communicate using one or more Global Navigational Satellite Systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), and / or any other wireless communication protocols, if desired. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including three or more wireless communication standards) are also possible.
[0042] Figure 2 shows user devices 106A and 106B that can communicate directly with each other (also known as device-to-device or sidelink). Sidelink communication can utilize dedicated sidelink channels and sidelink protocols to facilitate direct communication between devices. For example, a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) can be used for actual data transmission between devices, a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) can be used to carry sidelink control information (SCI), a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) can be used for HARQ feedback information, and a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH) can be used for synchronization. Further details will be discussed in other sections.
[0043] In addition, side-link communication can be used for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-human (V2P), vehicle-to-network (V2N), and other types of direct communication.
[0044] According to some embodiments, UE106A can also communicate with base station 102 via uplink and downlink communications. Each UE may be a cellular communication-capable device such as a mobile phone, handheld device, computer, or tablet, or substantially any type of wireless device. UE106A-B may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. By executing such stored instructions, UE106A-B can perform any of the embodiments of the method described herein. Alternatively or in addition, UE106A-B may include a programmable hardware element, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), configured to perform any of the embodiments of the method described herein, or any part of any of the embodiments of the method described herein.
[0045] UE106A-B may include one or more antennas for communication using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, UE106A-B may be configured to communicate, for example, using CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD) or LTE using a single shared radio, and / or using GSM or LTE using a single shared radio. The shared radio may be coupled to a single antenna or (for example, for MIMO) to multiple antennas for performing wireless communication. Generally, the radio may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog RF signal processing circuits (including, for example, filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuits (for, for example, digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio may implement one or more receive and transmit chains using the above hardware. For example, UE106A-N may share one or more parts of the receive and / or transmit chains among multiple wireless communication technologies, such as the technologies described above.
[0046] In some embodiments, UE106A-B may include separate transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., separate antennas and other radio components) for each radio communication protocol that the UE is configured to use for communication. Further possibilities include one or more radios shared among multiple radio communication protocols and one or more radios used exclusively by a single radio communication protocol. For example, UE106A-B may include a shared radio for communication using either LTE or 5G NR (or LTE or 1xRTT, or LTE or GSM), and separate radios for communication using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, respectively. Other configurations are also possible.
[0047] Figure 3 shows an exemplary simplified block diagram of a communication device 106 according to several embodiments. Note that the block diagram of the communication device in Figure 3 is only one example of a possible communication device. According to embodiments, the communication device 106 may be, among other devices, a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a radio device or radio station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop computer, notebook computer, or portable computing device), a tablet, and / or a combination of devices. As shown in the figure, the communication device 106 may include a set of components 300 configured to perform core functions. For example, this set of components may be implemented as a system on a chip (SOC) which may include parts for various purposes. Alternatively, this set of components 300 may be implemented as separate components or groups of components for various purposes. The set of components 300 may be coupled (e.g., directly or indirectly so as to communicate) to various other circuits of the communication device 106.
[0048] For example, the communication device 106 may include various types of memory (including, for example, NAND flash 310), an input / output interface such as a connector I / F 320 (for connecting to, for example, a computer system, a dock, a charging station, an input device such as a microphone, a camera, a keyboard, or a speaker), a display 360 which may be integrated with or outside the communication device 106, a cellular communication circuit 330 for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and a short-to-medium range wireless communication circuit 329 (for example, Bluetooth® and WLAN circuit). In some embodiments, the communication device 106 may include a wired communication circuit (not shown), such as a network interface card for Ethernet.
[0049] The cellular communication circuit 330 may be coupled (e.g., directly or indirectly, in a communicative manner) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335 and 336, as shown in the figure. The short-to-medium range wireless communication circuit 329 may also be coupled (e.g., directly or indirectly, in a communicative manner) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 337 and 338, as shown in the figure. Alternatively, the short-to-medium range wireless communication circuit 329 may be coupled (e.g., directly or indirectly, in a communicative manner) to antennas 335 and 336, in addition to or instead of coupling (e.g., directly or indirectly, in a communicative manner) to antennas 337 and 338. The short-to-medium range wireless communication circuit 329 and / or the cellular communication circuit 330 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a Multiple-Input Multiple Output (MIMO) configuration.
[0050] In some embodiments, as further described below, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include dedicated receiving chains (e.g., a first receiving chain for LTE and a second receiving chain for 5G NR) for multiple radio access technologies (RATs) (e.g., communicating directly or indirectly including and / or coupled with dedicated processors and / or radios). In addition, in some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include a single transmitting chain that can be switched between radios dedicated to a particular RAT. For example, a first radio may be dedicated to a first RAT, e.g., LTE, and communicate with a dedicated receiving chain and a transmitting chain shared with an additional radio, e.g., a second radio, and a second radio may be dedicated to a second RAT, e.g., 5G NR, and communicate with a dedicated receiving chain and a shared transmitting chain.
[0051] The communication device 106 may also include and / or be configured for use with one or more user interface elements. The user interface elements may include any of a variety of elements, such as a display 360 (which may be a touchscreen display), a keyboard (which may be a separate keyboard or implemented as part of a touchscreen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or a speaker, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of a variety of other elements capable of providing information to the user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.
[0052] The communication device 106 may further include one or more smart cards 345, such as one or more UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) cards 345, which include SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality.
[0053] As shown in the figure, the SOC 300 may include one or more processors 302 capable of executing program instructions for the communication device 106, and a display circuit 304 capable of performing graphics processing and providing display signals to the display 360. The one or more processors 302 may be coupled to a Memory Management Unit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from the one or more processors 302 and to translate these addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310), and / or other circuits or devices such as the display circuit 304, the short-range wireless communication circuit 229, the cellular communication circuit 330, the connector I / F 320, and / or the display 360. The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table conversion or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 340 may be included as part of a processor(s) 302.
[0054] As described above, the communication device 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communication circuits. The communication device 106 may also be configured to determine physical downlink shared channel scheduling resources for user equipment devices and base stations. Furthermore, the communication device 106 may be configured to group and select CCs from a wireless link and determine virtual CCs from the selected group of CCs. The wireless device may also be configured to perform physical downlink resource mapping based on aggregate resource matching patterns of the group of CCs.
[0055] As described herein, the communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing the above-described features for determining physical downlink shared channel scheduling resources for the communication device 106 and the base station. The processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by executing program instructions stored in a memory medium (e.g., a non-temporary computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein together with any one or more of the other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 320, 329, 330, 340, 345, 350, 360.
[0056] In addition, as described herein, the processor 302 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, the processor 302 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processor 302. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the processor(s) 302.
[0057] Furthermore, as described herein, the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuit 329 may each include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the cellular communication circuit 330, and similarly, one or more processing elements may be included in the short-range wireless communication circuit 329. Thus, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 230. Similarly, the short-range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of the short-range wireless communication circuit 32. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the short-range wireless communication circuit 329.
[0058] Figure 4 shows an exemplary block diagram of a base station 102 according to several embodiments. Note that the base station in Figure 4 is merely an example of a possible base station. As shown in the figure, the base station 102 may include one or more processors 404 capable of executing program instructions for the base station 102. The processors 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processors 404 and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450) or other circuits or devices.
[0059] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. The network port 470 may be connected to a telephone network and configured to provide access to the telephone network to multiple devices, such as the UE device 106, as shown above in Figures 1 and 2.
[0060] Network port 470 (or additional network ports) may also, or alternatively, be configured to connect to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network can provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as UE device 106. In some cases, network port 470 may connect to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (for example, between other UE devices serviced by the cellular service provider).
[0061] In some embodiments, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, for example, a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or a "gNB". In such embodiments, base station 102 may be connected to a conventional evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or an NR core (NRC) network. In addition, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). In addition, UEs capable of operating in accordance with 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs in one or more gNBs.
[0062] The base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434, and possibly more antennas. At least one antenna 434 may be configured to operate as a radio transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with the UE device 106 via a radio 430. The antenna 434 communicates with the radio 430 via a communication chain 432. The communication chain 432 may be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. The radio 430 may be configured to communicate via a variety of radio communication standards, including but not limited to 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, and Wi-Fi.
[0063] Base station 102 can be configured to communicate using multiple wireless communication standards. In some cases, base station 102 may include multiple radios, which may enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, one possibility is that base station 102 may include an LTE radio for performing communication according to LTE, and a 5G NR radio for performing communication according to 5G NR. In such a case, base station 102 may be capable of operating as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. Another possibility is that base station 102 may include a multimode radio, which may be capable of performing communication according to any of several wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).
[0064] As further described below in this specification, BS102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting the implementations of the features described herein. The processor 404 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the methods described herein by executing program instructions stored in a memory medium (e.g., a non-temporary computer-readable memory medium), for example. Alternatively, the processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 404 of BS102 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the features described herein, together with one or more of the other components 430, 432, 434, 440, 450, 460, and 470.
[0065] In addition, as described herein, the processor(s) 404 may consist of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be contained within the processor(s) 404. Thus, the processor(s) 404 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processor(s) 404. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the processor(s) 404.
[0066] Furthermore, as described herein, the radio 430 may consist of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included within the radio 430. Thus, the radio 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the radio 430. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the radio 430.
[0067] Figure 5 shows an exemplary simplified block diagram of a cellular communication circuit according to several embodiments. Note that the block diagram of the cellular communication circuit in Figure 5 is just one example of a possible cellular communication circuit. According to the embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 330 may be included in a communication device such as the communication device 106 described above. As described above, the communication device 106 may be, among other devices, a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a radio device or radio base station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet, and / or a combination of devices.
[0068] The cellular communication circuit 330 may be coupled (for example, directly or indirectly so as to communicate) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335a-b and 336, as shown (in Figure 3). In some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include dedicated receiving chains for multiple RATs (e.g., a first receiving chain for LTE and a second receiving chain for 5G NR) (e.g., including dedicated processors and / or radios and / or being directly or indirectly so as to communicate with the dedicated processors and / or radios). For example, as shown in Figure 5, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include modems 510 and 520. Modem 510 may be configured for communication according to a first RAT, such as LTE or LTE-A, and modem 520 may be configured for communication according to a second RAT, such as 5G NR.
[0069] As shown in the figure, the modem 510 may include one or more processors 512 and a memory 516 that communicates with the processors 512. The modem 510 may also communicate with a radio frequency (RF) front end 530. The RF front end 530 may include circuits for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 530 may include a receive circuitry (RX) 532 and a transmit circuitry (TX) 534. In some embodiments, the receive circuitry 532 may communicate with a downlink (DL) front end 550 which may include circuits for receiving radio signals via an antenna 335a.
[0070] Similarly, the modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and a memory 526 that communicates with the processors 522. The modem 520 may also communicate with an RF front end 540. The RF front end 540 may include circuits for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 540 may include a receiving circuit 542 and a transmitting circuit 544. In some embodiments, the receiving circuit 542 may communicate with a DL front end 560 which may include circuits for receiving radio signals via an antenna 335b.
[0071] In some embodiments, switch 570 may couple a transmitting circuit 534 to an uplink (UL) front end 572. In addition, switch 570 may couple a transmitting circuit 544 to an UL front end 572. The UL front end 572 may include a circuit for transmitting a radio signal via an antenna 336. Thus, when the cellular communication circuit 330 receives a command to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., supported via a modem 510), switch 570 may be switched to a first state that enables the modem 510 to transmit a signal according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmission chain including transmitting circuit 534 and the UL front end 572). Similarly, when the cellular communication circuit 330 receives a command to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., supported via a modem 520), switch 570 may be switched to a second state that enables the modem 520 to transmit a signal according to a second RAT (e.g., via a transmission chain including transmitting circuit 544 and the UL front end 572).
[0072] As described herein, the modem 510 may include hardware and software components that implement the above-described features, or for selecting periodic resource portions for user equipment devices and base stations, and various other techniques described herein. The processor 512 may be configured to perform some or all of the features described herein by executing program instructions stored in a memory medium (e.g., a non-temporary computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 512 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 512 may be configured to perform some or all of the features described herein together with one or more of the other components 530, 532, 534, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336.
[0073] In addition, as described herein, the processor 512 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, the processor 512 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processor 512. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the processor 512.
[0074] As described herein, the modem 520 may include hardware and software components for implementing the above-described functions for selecting periodic resources on a radio link between the UE and the base station, as well as various other techniques described herein. The processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by executing program instructions stored in a memory medium (e.g., a non-temporary computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 522 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein together with one or more of the other components 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336.
[0075] In addition, as described herein, the processor 522 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, the processor 522 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processor 522. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the processor 522.
[0076] Figure 6 shows the state transition from RRC_INACTIVE state 610 to RRC_CONNECTED state 620 triggered by a UE (e.g., 602). The RRC_INACTIVE state 610 hides the wireless connection state from the core network to reduce signaling overhead and tunnel establishment between the wireless network and the core network. In smartphones, for example, background applications such as instant messengers continue to exchange data with the network to keep the connection alive, even when the smartphone screen is off.
[0077] A network (e.g., 604) can instruct UE602 to transition to RRC_INACTIVE state 610 using an RRC release message containing "suspendConfig". When the UE needs to transition from RRC_INACTIVE state 610 to RRC_CONNECTED state 620, the resumption of the suspended RRC connection can be initiated by a higher layer to perform RNA renewal, by the RRC layer, or by RAN paging from NG-RAN. The RRC connection resumption procedure reactivates AS security and re-establishes SRB(s) and DRB(s).
[0078] The procedure for transitioning from RRC_INACTIVE state 610 to RRC_CONNECTED state 620 is triggered by the UE in one of the following situations: for example, in response to paging, or when UE602 has uplink data. While UE602 is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE triggers the RRC connection reactivation procedure by sending an RRCResumeRequest to the network (e.g., base station or gNB604). While in the RRC_INACTIVE state, UE602 remains CM-CONNECTED. Upon receiving RRCResumeRequest 612, the network 604 retrieves a UE context request 616 based on the UE context ID, performs the necessary mobility action, and responds with a UE context response 618. Upon receiving RRCResume 614, UE602 confirms the successful completion of the RRC connection reactivation procedure by sending an RRCResumeComplete(DCCH) message 622 on SRB1 using AM mode.
[0079] Figure 7B shows an extension of the embodiment 700 described herein, in contrast to a conventional procedure (e.g., Figure 7A) for subsequent data transmission 710 when UE 702 is in the INACTIVE state 706. In contrast to the conventional procedure, the embodiment 700 described herein can be used for subsequent transmission 710 when UE 702 is in the INACTIVE state after the initial data transmission 708, thereby avoiding the network 704 performing RAN paging to trigger UE 702 to enter the CONNECTED state for feedback reception. The embodiment 700 described enables data transmission (e.g., small data) in the RRC_INACTIVE state without a state transition to the RRC_CONNECTED state. In this way, UE energy efficiency can be increased when small data is transmitted in the RRC INACTIVE state.
[0080] As shown in Figure 8, uplink (UL) or downlink data transmissions are accompanied by feedback transmissions (e.g., TCP ACKs or RLC status reports). If the UE 802 performs an initial UL transmission while in the INACTIVE state, it then returns to the INACTIVE state. After the UE returns to the INACTIVE state, when the network transmits feedback in the downlink direction, the network must perform RAN paging to trigger the UE to enter the CONNECTED state for feedback reception. Such a procedure negates the advantages of direct transmission in the INACTIVE state. In contrast, embodiments described herein allow the UE to continue monitoring the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for UE-dedicated scheduling for a period (i.e., an active period) after the UE has performed an initial uplink (UL) data transmission, for potential transmission or reception of subsequent data. The network can control the transmission or reception of subsequent data based on explicit configuration or timer-based control.
[0081] Figure 9A shows a communication flow 900 between UE 902 and network 904 according to several embodiments. In some embodiments, for example, UE 902 receives a Radio Resource Control (RRC) release message from base station 904 at 906. The RRC release message includes a suspend setting to transition the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state 908. After UE 902 receives the RRC release message, UE 902 enters the RRC_INACTIVE state 908. Then, while UE 902 is in the RRC_INACTIVE state 908, UE 902 performs an initial data transmission at 910 without transitioning from the RRC_INACTIVE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state. While UE is in the RRC INACTIVE state 908, UE 902 monitors the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) for UE-dedicated scheduling for subsequent data transmission or reception during the active period 912. Subsequently, UE 902 performs subsequent data transmission or reception based on the PDCCH monitoring.
[0082] In some other embodiments, the base station 904 receives initial data from the UE 902 while it is in the RRC_INACTIVE state 908, while the UE 902 is not transitioning from the RRC_INACTIVE state 908 to the RRC_CONNECTED state. While the UE 902 is in the RRC INACTIVE state 908, the base station 904 transmits a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for dedicated scheduling of the UE for transmitting or receiving subsequent data during the active period 912. The base station 904 receives or transmits the transmission of subsequent data based on the dedicated scheduling.
[0083] In some other embodiments, the base station 904 transmits an instruction indicating which of the settings to use for transmitting or receiving subsequent data.
[0084] Figure 9B shows a communication flow 920 between UE 902 and network 904 according to several embodiments. In some embodiments, UE 902 receives one or more settings from base station 904 for transmitting or receiving subsequent data. In these embodiments, one or more settings are received at 922 as part of an RRC release message. In these embodiments, one or more settings are also received at 924 as part of a System Information Block (SIB). The SIB is broadcast by base station 904.
[0085] In some embodiments, the UE receives instructions from the base station indicating which of the settings to use for transmitting or receiving subsequent data.
[0086] Figure 9C shows a communication flow 940 between UE 902 and network 904 according to several embodiments. In some embodiments, UE 902 receives the value of the active period timer 924 in 942. The value of timer 924 is part of one or more settings. Then, when the active period timer 924 expires, UE 902 stops monitoring PDCCH for sending or receiving subsequent data.
[0087] In some embodiments, the base station 904 transmits a value for the active period timer. The timer value is part of one or more settings. Monitoring of the PDCCH for transmission or reception of subsequent data stops when the active period timer expires. In some embodiments, the base station 904 transmits a default setting for transmission or reception of subsequent data.
[0088] In some embodiments, the UE902 applies default settings for sending or receiving subsequent data.
[0089] In some embodiments (see Figure 9A), after initial data transmission 910, UE902 receives an active period start instruction from base station 904 at 914. When UE902 receives an active period end instruction from base station 904 at 916, it stops monitoring PDCCH for subsequent data transmission or reception.
[0090] In some embodiments (see Figure 9C), UE902 receives an active period start instruction from the base station after initial data transmission. The start instruction includes a value for the active period timer 924. When the active period timer 924 expires, UE stops monitoring the PDCCH for subsequent data transmission or reception.
[0091] In some embodiments, the base station 904 sends an active period start instruction from the base station after initial data transmission. Monitoring of the PDCCH for subsequent data transmission or reception stops when an active period stop instruction is received at the UE.
[0092] In some embodiments, the base station 904 sends an active period start instruction to the UE after the initial data transmission. The start instruction includes a value for the active period timer. Monitoring of the PDCCH for subsequent data transmission or reception stops when the active period timer expires.
[0093] In some embodiments, the start instruction is Layer 1 (L1) signaling.
[0094] In some other embodiments, the start instruction is a media access control (MAC) control element (CE).
[0095] In some embodiments, the start instruction is RRC signaling. RRC signaling includes one or more settings for transmitting or receiving subsequent data.
[0096] In some embodiments, the baseband 904 scrambles the PDCCH for UE-only scheduling for transmitting or receiving subsequent data during the active period, based on the TC-RNTI type, I-RNTI type, or CG-RNTI type of the RNTI.
[0097] In some embodiments, the UE verifies the PDCCH for UE-dedicated scheduling for transmitting or receiving subsequent data during the active period, based on the RNTI's TC-RNTI type, I-RNTI type, or CG-RNTI type. The UE behavior during the active period is the same as conventional behavior in CONNECTED mode. For example, UE-dedicated scheduling can be scrambled via one or more RNTIs: (1) TC-RNTI (assigned by the network via the initial transmission), (2) I-RNTI or shortened I-RNTI, and (3) CG-RNTI (if the initial transmission is performed via a pre-CG resource based on one or more pre-CG settings). One or more pre-CG settings refer to pre-configured physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resource settings.
[0098] In some embodiments, the UE monitors UE-dedicated scheduling within the initial bandwidth part (BWP). The UE also monitors UE-dedicated scheduling in a common search space for transmitting or receiving subsequent data during the active period.
[0099] The Layer 1 (L1) behavior while the UE is active is the same as in the conventional CONNECTED mode setting. L1 does not support CA / DC but supports Nta maintenance, power control, L1 CSI reporting, L1 ACK / NACK, BFD, etc. Transmission is limited to the initial BWP, and / or PDCCH scheduling is only in a common search space to reduce the complexity of the UE.
[0100] L2 behavior while the UE is active is the same as with the conventional CONNECTED mode setting. MAC: BSR, PHR, DRX, UL / DL HARQ, TA, CG / SPS, new LCP restrictions. Regarding RLC / PDCP behavior: does not support duplicate / split bearers. SDAP follows the conventional CONNECTED mode.
[0101] For serving cell measurements, the measurement requirements are the same as for CONNECTED mode, optional support for L3 filters, and optional measurement reporting. For adjacent cell measurements, the requirements are the same as for conventional IDLE / INACTIVE measurements.
[0102] In some embodiments, the RLM is the same as the CONNECTED mode RLM procedure.
[0103] In some other embodiments, it does not support RLM or is not based on configuration.
[0104] Figure 11 shows a communication flow 1100 between a UE 1102 and a base station according to several embodiments. In some embodiments, at 1108, the UE 1102 receives an instruction to start an active period for transmitting or receiving subsequent data from the base station of the current cell 1104 after initial data transmission, and an instruction indicating measurement settings. The measurement settings are based on SIB3 or SIB4 settings associated with a UE in an IDLE or INACTIVE state. The measurement settings include at least a predetermined threshold.
[0105] In some embodiments, the UE receives dedicated signaling that includes measurement settings for measurements during the active period.
[0106] Figure 10 shows the communication flow 1000 between UE 1002 and the base station. In some embodiments, the UE maintains RLM and IDLE / INACTIVE state measurements 1010. For example, if the UE radio quality is below a threshold (or RLF is triggered), UE 1002 triggers a restart procedure at 1008. If UE 1002 moves to another cell 1006, UE 1002 triggers a restart procedure / direct data transmission at 1012 in the newly accessed cell 1006.
[0107] In some embodiments, the UE 1102 determines whether one or more conditions 1110 for triggering a measurement event are met, one or more of which include the radio quality of the current cell being lower than a predetermined threshold and the radio quality of an adjacent cell being higher than a predetermined threshold. Depending on whether the UE 1102 has determined that one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are met, it performs an adjacent cell measurement.
[0108] In some embodiments, at 1112, UE1102 triggers a measurement report in response to determining that one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event have been met. At 1114, it receives a dedicated RRC message containing an RRC restart message. The dedicated RRC message triggers UE1102 to transition to CONNECTED state 1116. UE1102 enters CONNECTED state 1116. At 1118, UE1102 sends an RRC ResumeComplete message to the base station of the current camping cell 1104. At 1120, UE1102 receives a handover (HO) command to initiate a handover of UE1102 to the adjacent cell 1106. At 1122, UE1102 sends a handover CommandComplete message to the base station of the adjacent cell 1106.
[0109] Figure 12 shows a communication flow 1200 between UE1202 and a base station according to several embodiments. In some embodiments, at 1208, UE1202 triggers a measurement report in response to determining that one or more conditions 1212 for triggering a measurement event have been met. At 1210, UE1202 receives a dedicated RRC message containing an RRC resume message and an HO command to initiate a handover of UE1202 to the adjacent cell 1206. The dedicated RRC message triggers UE1202 to transition to the CONNECTED state 1214. UE1202 enters the CONNECTED state 1214. At 1216, UE1202 sends an RRC ResumeComplete message to the base station in the adjacent cell 1206.
[0110] Figure 13 shows a communication flow 1300 between UE 1302 and a base station in some embodiments. In some embodiments, UE 1302 triggers a measurement report when it determines that one or more conditions 1308 for triggering a measurement event are met. UE 1302 then sends an RRC restart request message to the base station of the adjacent cell 1306 or performs a data transmission in 1310.
[0111] Figure 14 shows a communication flow 1400 between UE 1402 and a base station according to several embodiments. In some embodiments, at 1408, UE 1402 transmits its UE preference to the base station of the current cell 1404. At 1410, the UE receives a dedicated RRC message containing an RRC resume message and an HO command to initiate the handover of UE 1402 to the adjacent cell 1406. The dedicated RRC message triggers UE 1402 to transition to the CONNECTED state 1412. The UE enters the CONNECTED state. UE 1402 transmits an RRC ResumeComplete message to the base station of the adjacent cell 1406.
[0112] The parts described above can be executed by logic circuits, such as dedicated logic circuits, or by microcontrollers or other forms of processing cores that execute program code instructions. Therefore, the processes taught by the above considerations can be executed by program code, such as machine-executable instructions, which cause a machine to perform specific functions. In this context, “machine” can be a machine that translates intermediate (or “abstract”) instructions into processor-specific instructions (e.g., an “abstract execution environment” such as a “virtual machine” (e.g., a Java Virtual Machine), an interpreter, a common language runtime, a high-level language virtual machine, etc.), and / or electronic circuits (e.g., “logic circuits” implemented with transistors) located on a semiconductor chip designed to execute instructions, such as general-purpose processors and / or dedicated processors. The processes taught by the above considerations can also be executed (in place of or in combination with a machine) by electronic circuits designed to execute those processes (or parts of the processes) without executing program code.
[0113] The present invention also relates to an apparatus for performing the operations described herein. This apparatus may include a general-purpose computer that can be specifically constructed for a required purpose or that is selectively started or reconfigured by a computer program stored within the computer. Such computer programs may be stored in computer-readable storage media, each coupled to a computer system bus, including, but not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magneto-optical disks, read-only memory (ROM), RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions.
[0114] Machine-readable media include any method for storing or transmitting information in a format readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, machine-readable media include read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, and the like.
[0115] A manufactured product can be used to store program code. The manufactured product for storing program code may, but is not limited to, one or more memories (e.g., one or more flash memories, random access memories (static, dynamic, or otherwise)), optical discs, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or other types of machine-readable media suitable for storing electronic instructions. Program code can also be downloaded from a remote computer (e.g., a server) to a requesting computer (e.g., a client) by data signals embodied in a propagation medium (e.g., via a communication link (e.g., a network connection)).
[0116] The above-described "modes for carrying out the invention" are presented in terms of algorithmic and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within computer memory. These descriptions and representations of algorithms are tools used by those skilled in the art to most effectively communicate the essence of the work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm, as used herein, is also generally considered to be a self-consistent sequence of operations that produces a desired result. These operations require the physical manipulation of physical quantities. While not usually necessary, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals that can be stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. For reasons of general use, it has proven convenient in some cases to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, etc.
[0117] However, it should be noted that all of these terms, and similar terms, are associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to those quantities. Unless otherwise specifically stated, as is evident from the above discussion, any discussion using terms such as “select,” “determine,” “receive,” “form,” “group,” “aggregate,” “generate,” “delete,” or similar terms throughout the explanation will be understood to refer to the operations and processes of a computer system or similar electronic computing device that manipulate data represented as physical (electronic) quantities in the registers or memory of the computer system to convert it into other data similarly represented as physical quantities in the computer system memory or registers, or in other such information storage devices, transmitting devices, or display devices.
[0118] The processes and representations presented herein are not specifically related to any particular computer or other device. Various general-purpose systems can be used with programs following the teachings herein, or it may be advantageous to construct more specialized devices for performing the operations described. The structures required for various such systems will be evident from the following description. Furthermore, the present invention is not described in relation to any particular programming language. It will be understood that it is possible to implement the teachings of the present invention as described herein using various programming languages.
[0119] It should be fully understood that the use of personally identifiable information should adhere to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintended or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to the user.
[0120] The foregoing description illustrates only some exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize from this discussion, the accompanying drawings, and the claims that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A base station (BS) having a processor configured to perform an operation, wherein the operation is Receiving initial data from a user device (UE) in the RRC_INACTIVE state without the UE transitioning to the RRC_CONNECTED state, While the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state during the active period, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for UE-specific scheduling for transmitting or receiving subsequent data during the active period is transmitted. A BS comprising receiving or transmitting the subsequent data using the transmitted PDCCH based on the UE-dedicated scheduling.
2. The aforementioned processor, The BS according to claim 1, further configured to perform an operation including transmitting one or more settings for transmitting or receiving the aforementioned subsequent data.
3. The BS according to claim 2, wherein one or more of the above settings are transmitted as part of the RRC release message.
4. The BS according to claim 2, wherein one or more of the settings are transmitted as part of a system information block (SIB).
5. The BS according to claim 1, wherein the UE-dedicated scheduling for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data during the active period is monitored according to a common search space.
6. The aforementioned processor, The BS according to claim 2, wherein the value of the timer for the active period is part of one or more settings, and the monitoring of the PDCCH for the transmission or reception of subsequent data is further configured to perform an operation including transmitting the value of the timer, which stops when the timer for the active period expires.
7. The aforementioned processor, Sending a radio resource control (RRC) restart message to the UE that triggers the UE to transition to the CONNECTED state, The BS according to claim 1, further configured to perform an operation including receiving an RRC restart completion message from the UE based on sending the RRC restart message.
8. The aforementioned processor, The BS according to claim 1, further configured to perform an operation including transmitting an active period start indication from the base station after the initial data transmission of the UE corresponding to the reception of the initial data from the UE, wherein the monitoring of the PDCCH for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data is stopped when the UE receives an active period stop indication.
9. The aforementioned processor, The BS according to claim 1, wherein after the initial data transmission by the UE in response to the reception of initial data from the UE, the BS is configured to perform an operation including transmitting an active period start indication to the UE, the start indication including a value for the timer of the active period, and the monitoring of the PDCCH for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data to stop when the timer of the active period expires.
10. The aforementioned processor, To send to the UE an indication to start the active period for subsequent data transmission or reception after the initial data transmission, The BS according to claim 1, further configured to perform an operation including transmitting an indication of a measurement setting associated with the UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state, which includes at least a predetermined threshold.
11. The aforementioned processor, The BS according to claim 1, wherein one or more settings for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data are further configured to perform an operation that includes transmitting one or more settings, each setting including an interruption setting for causing the UE to transition to the RRC_INACTIVE state.
12. The BS according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the initiation indication is a radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and the RRC signaling includes one or more settings for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data.
13. The aforementioned processor, The BS according to claim 1, configured to perform an operation including scrambling the PDCCH for UE-only scheduling for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data during the active period, based on the temporary cell radio network temporary identifier (TC-RNTI) type, identity RNTI (I-RNTI) type, or configured grant RNTI (CG-RNTI) type of the radio network temporary identifier (RNTI).
14. It is a method, Receiving initial data from a user device (UE) in the RRC_INACTIVE state without the UE transitioning to the RRC_CONNECTED state, While the UE is in the RRC INACTIVE state during the active period, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for UE-dedicated scheduling for the transmission or reception of subsequent data during the active period is transmitted. A method comprising receiving or transmitting the subsequent data using the transmitted PDCCH based on the UE-dedicated scheduling.
15. Sending one or more settings for sending or receiving the aforementioned subsequent data, The method according to claim 14, further comprising:
16. The method according to claim 15, wherein one or more of the above settings are transmitted as part of an RRC release message.
17. The method according to claim 15, wherein one or more of the settings are transmitted as part of a system information block (SIB).
18. The method of claim 14, wherein the UE-dedicated scheduling for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data during the active period is monitored according to a common search space.
19. A timer value for the active period, wherein the timer value is part of one or more settings, and the monitoring of the PDCCH for the transmission or reception of subsequent data stops when the timer for the active period expires, The method according to claim 15, further comprising:
20. Sending a radio resource control (RRC) restart message to the UE that triggers the UE to transition to the CONNECTED state, Based on the transmission of the RRC restart message, the UE receives an RRC restart completion message, The method according to claim 14, further comprising:
21. The base station transmits an active period start indication after the UE transmits initial data corresponding to the reception of the initial data from the UE, wherein the PDCCH's monitoring of the transmission or reception of the subsequent data is stopped when the UE receives an active period end indication. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the following:
22. After the initial data transmission by the UE in response to the reception of initial data from the UE, a start indication for the active period is transmitted to the UE, wherein the start indication includes a value for the timer of the active period, and monitoring of the PDCCH for the transmission or reception of subsequent data stops when the timer of the active period expires. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:
23. To send to the UE an indication to start the active period for subsequent data transmission or reception after the initial data transmission, Transmit an indication of the measurement settings associated with the UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state, which includes at least a predetermined threshold, The method according to claim 14, further comprising:
24. One or more settings for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data, wherein the one or more settings include an interruption setting for transitioning the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state, The method according to claim 14, further comprising:
25. The method according to claim 21 or 22, wherein the initiation indication is a radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and the RRC signaling includes one or more settings for transmitting or receiving the subsequent data.
26. Scrambling the PDCCH for UE-dedicated scheduling for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data during the active period, based on the temporary cell radio network temporary identifier (TC-RNTI) type, identity RNTI (I-RNTI) type, or configured grant RNTI (CG-RNTI) type of the radio network temporary identifier (RNTI), The method according to claim 14, further comprising:
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Method and apparatus for reducing uplink timing error
JP2015516775A