Method for performing communication by device in wireless communication system, and device therefor
By receiving and processing system information for NTN cells, the UE optimizes measurement reporting to enhance accuracy and efficiency, addressing the challenge of inappropriate handovers in NTN networks.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/KR2025/011132
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2024-07-26
- Filing Date
- 2025-07-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-29
AI Technical Summary
The challenge is to perform measurement reporting more accurately and efficiently in wireless communication systems, particularly in the context of Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) cells, to prevent inappropriate handovers and enhance the selection of target cells.
A method for a User Equipment (UE) to receive system information including reference locations, threshold distances, and service times for NTN cells, and perform measurements on both NTN and neighboring cells, with the option to exclude or prioritize measurement information based on these criteria, thereby optimizing measurement reports.
This approach allows for more accurate and efficient measurement reporting, preventing inappropriate handovers and improving the selection of target cells in NTN environments.
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Figure KR2025011132_29012026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Method for performing communication by a device in a wireless communication system and device therefor
[0001] The present invention relates to a method for a terminal to perform a measurement report in a wireless communication system and a device therefor.
[0002] Wireless communication systems are multiple access systems that support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmission power, etc.). Examples of multiple access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), and multi-carrier frequency division multiple access (MC-FDMA).
[0003] Sidelink (SL) refers to a communication method that establishes a direct link between user equipment (UE), allowing voice or data to be exchanged directly between terminals without going through a base station (BS). SL is being considered as a solution to address the burden on base stations due to rapidly increasing data traffic.
[0004] V2X (vehicle-to-everything) refers to a communication technology that exchanges information with other vehicles, pedestrians, and infrastructure-based objects through wired / wireless communication. V2X can be divided into four types: V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle), V2I (vehicle-to-infrastructure), V2N (vehicle-to-network), and V2P (vehicle-to-pedestrian). V2X communication can be provided through the PC5 interface and / or Uu interface.
[0005] Meanwhile, as more and more communication devices demand greater communication capacity, the need for improved mobile broadband communication compared to existing radio access technology (RAT) is emerging. Accordingly, communication systems that consider services or terminals sensitive to reliability and latency are being discussed. Next-generation wireless access technologies that consider improved mobile broadband communication, massive machine type communication (MTC), and ultra-reliable and low latency communication (URLLC) can be called new radio access technology (RAT) or new radio (NR). NR can also support vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication.
[0006] Figure 1 is a diagram for comparing and explaining V2X communication based on RAT before NR and V2X communication based on NR.
[0007] In relation to V2X communication, in RATs prior to NR, methods for providing safety services based on V2X messages such as Basic Safety Message (BSM), Cooperative Awareness Message (CAM), and Decentralized Environmental Notification Message (DENM) were mainly discussed. V2X messages may include location information, dynamic information, attribute information, etc. For example, a terminal may transmit a CAM of a periodic message type and / or a DENM of an event triggered message type to another terminal.
[0008] For example, a CAM may include basic vehicle information such as dynamic vehicle status information, such as direction and speed, static vehicle data, such as dimensions, external lighting conditions, and route history. For example, a terminal may broadcast a CAM, and the latency of the CAM may be less than 100 ms. For example, in the event of an emergency, such as a vehicle breakdown or accident, a terminal may generate a DENM and transmit it to other terminals. For example, all vehicles within the transmission range of the terminal may receive the CAM and / or DENM. In this case, the DENM may have a higher priority than the CAM.
[0009] Since then, various V2X scenarios have been proposed in NR in relation to V2X communications. For example, various V2X scenarios may include vehicle platooning, advanced driving, extended sensors, and remote driving.
[0010] For example, based on vehicle platooning, vehicles can dynamically form groups and move together. For example, to perform platoon operations based on vehicle platooning, vehicles in the group can receive periodic data from the lead vehicle. For example, vehicles in the group can use this periodic data to narrow or widen the gap between vehicles.
[0011] For example, based on improved driving, vehicles can become semi-autonomous or fully automated. For example, each vehicle can adjust its trajectories or maneuvers based on data acquired from local sensors of nearby vehicles and / or nearby logical entities. Furthermore, for example, each vehicle can share driving intentions with nearby vehicles.
[0012] For example, based on extended sensors, raw data, processed data, or live video data acquired through local sensors can be exchanged between vehicles, logical entities, pedestrian terminals, and / or V2X application servers. Thus, for example, a vehicle can perceive its environment better than it can perceive using its own sensors.
[0013] For example, based on remote driving, a remote driver or V2X application can operate or control the remote vehicle for people who cannot drive or for remote vehicles located in hazardous environments. For example, in cases where the route is predictable, such as public transportation, cloud computing-based driving can be utilized to operate or control the remote vehicle. Additionally, access to a cloud-based back-end service platform, for example, can be considered for remote driving.
[0014] Meanwhile, a method to specify service requirements for various V2X scenarios, such as vehicle platooning, enhanced driving, expanded sensors, and remote driving, is being discussed in NR-based V2X communication.
[0015] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method for performing measurement reporting more accurately and efficiently.
[0016] The technical challenges are not limited to the technical challenges mentioned above, and other technical challenges not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains from the description below.
[0017] A method by a UE (User Equipment) according to one aspect comprises the steps of: receiving system information including at least one of a reference location, a threshold distance, and a service time for a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) cell; performing measurement on the NTN cell and at least one neighboring cell; and transmitting a measurement report based on the measurement, wherein measurement information on the NTN cell may be excluded from the measurement report based on at least one of the reference location, the threshold distance, and the service time, or may be included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
[0018] Alternatively, based on the remaining serving time of the NTN cell calculated based on the service time being less than a specific time, the measurement information for the NTN cell may be excluded from the measurement report regardless of the signal strength measured for the NTN cell, or may be included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
[0019] Alternatively, the specific time may be set based on a timer value associated with the effective time of performing the handover procedure.
[0020] Alternatively, the specific time may be set to a minimum or maximum value among the timer values defined in relation to the effective time for performing the handover procedure.
[0021] Alternatively, based on the distance between the location of the UE and the distance between the reference location exceeding the threshold distance, the measurement information for the NTN cell may be excluded from the measurement report, regardless of the signal strength measured for the NTN cell, or may be included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
[0022] Alternatively, based on the distance between the predicted position of the UE predicted after a certain time and the distance between the reference position exceeding the threshold distance, the measurement information for the NTN cell may be excluded from the measurement report regardless of the signal strength measured for the NTN cell, or may be included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
[0023] Alternatively, based on the measurement information for the NTN cell being included in the measurement report, the measurement report may further include information on the remaining serving time of the NTN cell determined based on the service time.
[0024] Alternatively, the at least one neighboring cell may be at least one TN (Terrestrial Network) cell.
[0025] According to another aspect, at least one non-transitory computer-readable recording medium includes instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, perform operations, including: receiving system information including at least one of a reference location, a threshold distance, and a service time for a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) cell; performing measurement for the NTN cell and at least one neighboring cell; and transmitting a measurement report based on the measurement, wherein measurement information for the NTN cell may be excluded from the measurement report based on at least one of the reference location, the threshold distance, and the service time, or may be included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
[0026] According to another aspect, a UE (User Equipment) includes a Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver; and a processor connected to the RF transceiver, wherein the processor controls the RF transceiver to receive system information including at least one of a reference location, a threshold distance, and a service time for a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) cell, performs measurement on the NTN cell and at least one neighboring cell, and transmits a measurement report based on the measurement, and measurement information on the NTN cell may be excluded from the measurement report based on at least one of the reference location, the threshold distance, and the service time, or may be included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
[0027] According to another aspect, a processing device for controlling a UE (User Equipment) includes at least one processor; and at least one memory connected to the at least one processor and storing instructions that perform operations when executed by the at least one processor, the operations including receiving system information including at least one of a reference location, a threshold distance, and a service time for a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) cell; performing measurement for the NTN cell and at least one neighboring cell; and transmitting a measurement report based on the measurement, wherein measurement information for the NTN cell may be excluded from the measurement report based on at least one of the reference location, the threshold distance, and the service time, or may be included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
[0028] According to another aspect, a method by a base station includes the steps of: receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a measurement report based on measurements for a non-terrestrial network (NTN) cell and at least one neighboring cell; and transmitting, to the UE, a handover command determined based on the measurement report, wherein measurement information for the NTN cell may be excluded from the measurement report based on at least one of the reference location, the threshold distance, and the service time, or may be included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
[0029] According to another aspect, a base station includes a Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver; and a processor connected to the RF transceiver, wherein the processor controls the RF transceiver to receive, from a User Equipment (UE), a measurement report based on measurements for a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) cell and at least one neighboring cell, and transmits a handover command determined based on the measurement report to the UE, wherein measurement information for the NTN cell may be excluded from the measurement report based on at least one of the reference location, the threshold distance, and the service time, or may be included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
[0030] According to one embodiment of the present invention, measurement reporting can be performed more accurately and efficiently in a wireless communication system. In one example, measurement reporting that additionally considers the characteristics of NTN cells can prevent inappropriate NTN cells from being selected as target cells for handover.
[0031] The effects that can be obtained in various embodiments are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains from the description below.
[0032] The drawings attached to this specification are intended to provide an understanding of the present invention, illustrate various embodiments of the present invention, and together with the description of the specification serve to explain the principles of the present invention.
[0033] Figure 1 is a diagram for comparing and explaining V2X communication based on RAT before NR and V2X communication based on NR.
[0034] Figure 2 shows the structure of the LTE system.
[0035] Figure 3 shows the structure of the NR system.
[0036] Figure 4 shows the structure of a radio frame of NR.
[0037] Figure 5 shows the slot structure of an NR frame.
[0038] FIG. 6 illustrates a communication structure that can be provided in a 6G system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0039] FIG. 7 illustrates an electromagnetic spectrum according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0040] Figure 8 shows a radio protocol architecture for SL communication.
[0041] Figure 9 shows a terminal performing V2X or SL communication.
[0042] Figure 10 shows resource units for V2X or SL communication.
[0043] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a BWP according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0044] FIG. 12 illustrates a procedure for a terminal to perform V2X or SL communication according to a resource allocation mode, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0045] Figure 13 is a diagram for explaining the control plane procedure of L2 U2N relay (UE-to-Network Relay).
[0046] Figures 14 to 18 are drawings for explaining the U2X system.
[0047] Figures 19 to 27 are diagrams illustrating how a UAV performs handover with respect to a satellite gNB.
[0048] Figures 28 and 29 are drawings for explaining the coverage of NTN.
[0049] Figure 30 is a diagram illustrating how a UE performs a measurement report.
[0050] Figure 31 is a diagram for explaining how a base station receives a measurement report.
[0051] Figure 32 illustrates a communication system applied to the present invention.
[0052] Figure 33 illustrates a wireless device applicable to the present invention.
[0053] Figure 34 illustrates another example of a wireless device applicable to the present invention. The wireless device may be implemented in various forms depending on the use case / service.
[0054] Figure 35 illustrates a vehicle or autonomous vehicle to which the present invention is applied.
[0055] A wireless communication system is a multiple access system that supports communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmission power, etc.). Examples of multiple access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), and multi-carrier frequency division multiple access (MC-FDMA).
[0056] Sidelink refers to a communication method that establishes a direct link between user equipment (UE), allowing voice or data to be exchanged directly between terminals without going through a base station (BS). Sidelink is being considered as a solution to address the burden on base stations due to rapidly increasing data traffic.
[0057] V2X (vehicle-to-everything) refers to a communication technology that exchanges information with other vehicles, pedestrians, and infrastructure-based objects through wired / wireless communication. V2X can be divided into four types: V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle), V2I (vehicle-to-infrastructure), V2N (vehicle-to-network), and V2P (vehicle-to-pedestrian). V2X communication can be provided through the PC5 interface and / or Uu interface.
[0058] Meanwhile, as more and more communication devices demand greater communication capacity, the need for improved mobile broadband communication compared to existing radio access technology (RAT) is emerging. Accordingly, communication systems that consider services or terminals sensitive to reliability and latency are being discussed. Next-generation wireless access technologies that consider improved mobile broadband communication, massive MTC, and URLLC (Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communication) can be called new radio access technology (RAT) or new radio (NR). NR can also support V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication.
[0059] The following technologies can be used in various wireless communication systems, such as CDMA (code division multiple access), FDMA (frequency division multiple access), TDMA (time division multiple access), OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access), and SC-FDMA (single carrier frequency division multiple access). CDMA can be implemented with wireless technologies such as UTRA (universal terrestrial radio access) or CDMA2000. TDMA can be implemented with wireless technologies such as GSM (global system for mobile communications) / GPRS (general packet radio service) / EDGE (enhanced data rates for GSM evolution). OFDMA can be implemented with wireless technologies such as IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802-20, and E-UTRA (evolved UTRA). IEEE 802.16m is an evolution of IEEE 802.16e, providing backward compatibility with systems based on IEEE 802.16e. UTRA is part of UMTS (universal mobile telecommunications system). 3GPP (3rd generation partnership project) LTE (long term evolution) is a part of E-UMTS (evolved UMTS) that uses E-UTRA (evolved-UMTS terrestrial radio access), employing OFDMA in the downlink and SC-FDMA in the uplink.LTE-A (advanced) is an evolution of 3GPP LTE.
[0060] 5G NR, the successor to LTE-A, is a new clean-slate mobile communications system featuring high performance, low latency, and high availability. 5G NR can utilize all available spectrum resources, from low-frequency bands below 1 GHz, mid-frequency bands between 1 GHz and 10 GHz, and high-frequency (millimeter wave) bands above 24 GHz.
[0061] For clarity, the description will focus on LTE-A or 5G NR, but the technical ideas of the embodiment(s) are not limited thereto.
[0062] Figure 2 illustrates the architecture of an applicable LTE system. This may be referred to as an Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) or a Long Term Evolution (LTE) / LTE-A system.
[0063] Referring to FIG. 2, the E-UTRAN includes a base station (20; BS) that provides a control plane and a user plane to a terminal (10). The terminal (10) may be fixed or mobile, and may be referred to by other terms such as a mobile station (MS), a user terminal (UT), a subscriber station (SS), a mobile terminal (MT), a wireless device, etc. The base station (20) refers to a fixed station that communicates with the terminal (10), and may be referred to by other terms such as an evolved-NodeB (eNB), a base transceiver system (BTS), an access point, etc.
[0064] Base stations (20) can be connected to each other via the X2 interface. The base station (20) is connected to an EPC (Evolved Packet Core, 30) via the S1 interface, more specifically, to an MME (Mobility Management Entity) via the S1-MME, and to an S-GW (Serving Gateway) via the S1-U.
[0065] The EPC (30) consists of an MME, an S-GW, and a P-GW (Packet Data Network-Gateway). The MME holds information about terminal access and capabilities, and this information is primarily used for terminal mobility management. The S-GW is a gateway with the E-UTRAN as its endpoint, and the P-GW is a gateway with the PDN as its endpoint.
[0066] The layers of the radio interface protocol between the terminal and the network can be divided into L1 (Layer 1), L2 (Layer 2), and L3 (Layer 3) based on the three lower layers of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) standard model, which is widely known in communication systems. Among these, the physical layer belonging to Layer 1 provides an information transfer service using a physical channel, and the RRC (Radio Resource Control) layer located in Layer 3 controls radio resources between the terminal and the network. To this end, the RRC layer exchanges RRC messages between the terminal and the base station.
[0067] Figure 3 shows the structure of the NR system.
[0068] Referring to FIG. 3, the NG-RAN may include a gNB and / or an eNB that provides user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE. FIG. 7 illustrates a case where only a gNB is included. The gNB and eNB are connected to each other via an Xn interface. The gNB and eNB are connected to the 5th generation core network (5G Core Network: 5GC) via the NG interface. More specifically, the gNB is connected to the access and mobility management function (AMF) via the NG-C interface, and the gNB is connected to the user plane function (UPF) via the NG-U interface.
[0069] Figure 4 shows the structure of a radio frame of NR.
[0070] Referring to FIG. 4, radio frames can be used for uplink and downlink transmission in NR. A radio frame has a length of 10 ms and can be defined as two 5 ms half-frames (Half-Frames, HF). A half-frame can include five 1 ms sub-frames (Subframes, SF). A sub-frame can be divided into one or more slots, and the number of slots within a sub-frame can be determined by the Subcarrier Spacing (SCS). Each slot can include 12 or 14 OFDM (A) symbols depending on the cyclic prefix (CP).
[0071] When normal CP is used, each slot can contain 14 symbols. When extended CP is used, each slot can contain 12 symbols. Here, the symbols can include OFDM symbols (or CP-OFDM symbols), SC-FDMA (Single Carrier - FDMA) symbols (or DFT-s-OFDM (Discrete Fourier Transform-spread-OFDM) symbols).
[0072] Table 1 below shows the number of symbols per slot ((N)) depending on the SCS setting (u) when normal CP is used. slot symb ), number of slots per frame ((N frame,u slot ) and the number of slots per subframe ((N subframe,u slot ) is an example.
[0073] SCS (15*2 u )N slot symb N frame,u slot N subframe,u slot 15KHz (u=0)1410130KHz (u=1)1420260KHz (u=2)14404120KHz (u=3)14808240KHz (u=4)1416016
[0074] Table 2 illustrates the number of symbols per slot, the number of slots per frame, and the number of slots per subframe according to SCS when extended CP is used.
[0075] SCS (15*2 u )N slot symb N frame,u slot N subframe,u slot 60KHz (u=2)12404
[0076] In an NR system, OFDM(A) numerology (e.g., SCS, CP length, etc.) may be set differently between multiple cells that are merged into a single terminal. Accordingly, the (absolute time) interval of a time resource (e.g., subframe, slot, or TTI) (conveniently referred to as TU (Time Unit)) consisting of the same number of symbols may be set differently between the merged cells.
[0077] In NR, multiple numerologies, or SCSs, can be supported to support various 5G services. For example, a 15 kHz SCS can support wide areas in traditional cellular bands, while a 30 kHz / 60 kHz SCS can support dense urban areas, lower latency, and wider carrier bandwidth. A 60 kHz or higher SCS can support bandwidths greater than 24.25 GHz to overcome phase noise.
[0078] The NR frequency band can be defined by two types of frequency ranges. The two types of frequency ranges can be FR1 and FR2. The numerical values of the frequency ranges can be changed, and for example, the two types of frequency ranges can be as shown in Table 3 below. Among the frequency ranges used in the NR system, FR1 can mean the "sub 6 GHz range", and FR2 can mean the "above 6 GHz range" and can be called millimeter wave (mmW).
[0079] Frequency Range designationCorresponding frequency rangeSubcarrier Spacing (SCS)FR1450MHz - 6000MHz15, 30, 60kHzFR224250MHz - 52600MHz60, 120, 240kHz
[0080] As described above, the numerical value of the frequency range of the NR system can be changed. For example, FR1 may include a band from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz, as shown in Table 4 below. That is, FR1 may include a frequency band above 6 GHz (or 5850, 5900, 5925 MHz, etc.). For example, the frequency band above 6 GHz (or 5850, 5900, 5925 MHz, etc.) included within FR1 may include an unlicensed band. The unlicensed band may be used for various purposes, such as for vehicular communications (e.g., autonomous driving).
[0081] Frequency Range designationCorresponding frequency rangeSubcarrier Spacing (SCS)FR1410MHz - 7125MHz15, 30, 60kHzFR224250MHz - 52600MHz60, 120, 240kHz
[0082] Figure 5 shows the slot structure of an NR frame.
[0083] Referring to Figure 5, a slot includes multiple symbols in the time domain. For example, in the case of a normal CP, one slot may include 14 symbols, but in the case of an extended CP, one slot may include 12 symbols. Alternatively, in the case of a normal CP, one slot may include 7 symbols, but in the case of an extended CP, one slot may include 6 symbols.
[0084] A carrier includes multiple subcarriers in the frequency domain. An RB (Resource Block) can be defined as multiple (e.g., 12) consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. A BWP (Bandwidth Part) can be defined as multiple consecutive (P)RBs ((Physical) Resource Blocks) in the frequency domain, and can correspond to one numerology (e.g., SCS, CP length, etc.). A carrier can include up to N (e.g., 5) BWPs. Data communication can be performed through activated BWPs. Each element can be referred to as a Resource Element (RE) in the resource grid, and one complex symbol can be mapped to it.
[0085] Meanwhile, the wireless interface between terminals or between terminals and a network may be composed of an L1 layer, an L2 layer, and an L3 layer. In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the L1 layer may refer to a physical layer. Furthermore, for example, the L2 layer may refer to at least one of a MAC layer, an RLC layer, a PDCP layer, and an SDAP layer. Furthermore, for example, the L3 layer may refer to an RRC layer.
[0086] FIG. 6 illustrates a communication structure that can be provided in a 6G system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of FIG. 6 can be combined with various embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0087] New network characteristics in 6G may include:
[0088] - Satellite integrated network
[0089] - Connected Intelligence: Unlike previous generations of wireless communication systems, 6G is revolutionary, upgrading the wireless evolution from "connected objects" to "connected intelligence." AI can be applied at every stage of the communication process (or at every signal processing step, as described below).
[0090] - Seamless integration of wireless information and energy transfer
[0091] - Ubiquitous super 3D connectivity: Access to networks and core network functions of drones and very low Earth orbit satellites will create super 3D connectivity in 6G ubiquitous.
[0092] Some general requirements for the new network characteristics of 6G, such as the above, may be as follows:
[0093] - small cell networks
[0094] - Ultra-dense heterogeneous network
[0095] - High-capacity backhaul
[0096] - Radar technology integrated with mobile technology: High-precision localization (or location-based services) through communications is a key feature of 6G wireless communication systems. Therefore, radar systems will be integrated with 6G networks.
[0097] - Softwarization and virtualization
[0098] Below, the core implementation technologies of the 6G system are described.
[0099] - Artificial Intelligence: Incorporating AI into communications can streamline and improve real-time data transmission. AI can use numerous analytics to determine how complex target tasks should be performed. This means AI can increase efficiency and reduce processing delays. Time-consuming tasks such as handovers, network selection, and resource scheduling can be performed instantly using AI. AI can also play a crucial role in machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-to-human, and human-to-machine communications. Furthermore, AI can facilitate rapid communication in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). AI-based communication systems can be supported by metamaterials, intelligent structures, intelligent networks, intelligent devices, intelligent cognitive radios, self-sustaining wireless networks, and machine learning.
[0100] - THz communication (terahertz communication): Data rates can be increased by increasing the bandwidth. This can be achieved by using sub-THz communication with wide bandwidths and applying advanced massive MIMO technology. THz waves, also known as sub-millimeter waves, typically refer to the frequency range between 0.1 THz and 10 THz, with corresponding wavelengths ranging from 0.03 mm to 3 mm. The 100 GHz to 300 GHz band (sub-THz band) is considered a key part of the THz spectrum for cellular communications. Adding the sub-THz band to the mmWave band will increase the capacity of 6G cellular communications. Among the defined THz bands, 300 GHz to 3 THz lies in the far infrared (IR) frequency band. While part of the optical band, the 300 GHz to 3 THz band lies at the boundary of the optical band, immediately following the RF band. Therefore, this 300 GHz to 3 THz band exhibits similarities to RF.
[0101] Figure 7 illustrates the electromagnetic spectrum according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of Figure 7 can be combined with various embodiments of the present disclosure. Key characteristics of THz communications include (i) a widely available bandwidth to support very high data rates, and (ii) high path loss at high frequencies (highly directional antennas are essential). The narrow beamwidth generated by the highly directional antenna reduces interference. The small wavelength of THz signals allows for a much larger number of antenna elements to be integrated into devices and base stations operating in this band. This enables the use of advanced adaptive array techniques to overcome range limitations.
[0102] - Large-scale MIMO technology
[0103] - Hologram beamforming (HBF)
[0104] - Optical wireless technology
[0105] - Free-space optical transmission backhaul network (FSO backhaul network)
[0106] - Quantum communication
[0107] - Cell-free communication
[0108] - Integration of wireless information and power transmission
[0109] - Integration of wireless communication and sensing
[0110] - Integrated access and backhaul network
[0111] - Big data analysis
[0112] - Reconfigurable intelligent surface
[0113] - metaverse
[0114] - Blockchain
[0115] Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs): UAVs, or drones, will be a key element in 6G wireless communications. In most cases, high-speed data wireless connectivity can be provided using UAV technology. Base stations (BSs) can be installed on UAVs to provide cellular connectivity. UAVs may offer specific capabilities not found in fixed BS infrastructure, such as easy deployment, robust line-of-sight links, and controlled mobility. During emergencies such as natural disasters, deploying terrestrial communications infrastructure is not economically feasible and sometimes cannot provide services in volatile environments. UAVs can easily handle these situations. UAVs will become a new paradigm in wireless communications. This technology facilitates three fundamental requirements for wireless networks: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), URLLC, and mMTC. UAVs can also support various purposes, such as enhancing network connectivity, fire detection, disaster emergency services, security and surveillance, pollution monitoring, parking monitoring, and accident monitoring. Therefore, UAV technology is recognized as one of the most important technologies for 6G communications.
[0116] - Autonomous driving (self-driving): V2X (vehicle to everything), a key element in building autonomous driving infrastructure, can be a technology that allows cars to communicate and share with various elements on the road for autonomous driving, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) wireless communication. Fast transmission speeds and low-latency technologies are essential to maximize autonomous driving performance and ensure high safety. Furthermore, in the future, autonomous driving will go beyond simply providing warnings or guidance messages to drivers and may require active intervention in vehicle operation and direct control of the vehicle in dangerous situations. To this end, the amount of information that needs to be transmitted and received may become enormous, so 6G is expected to maximize autonomous driving with faster transmission speeds and lower latency than 5G.
[0117] Figure 8 illustrates a radio protocol architecture for SL communication. Specifically, Figure 8 (a) illustrates a user plane protocol stack of NR, and Figure 8 (b) illustrates a control plane protocol stack of NR.
[0118] Below, the SL synchronization signal (Sidelink Synchronization Signal, SLSS) and synchronization information are described.
[0119] SLSS is an SL-specific sequence and may include a Primary Sidelink Synchronization Signal (PSSS) and a Secondary Sidelink Synchronization Signal (SSSS). The PSSS may be referred to as a Sidelink Primary Synchronization Signal (S-PSS), and the SSSS may be referred to as a Sidelink Secondary Synchronization Signal (S-SSS). For example, length-127 M-sequences may be used for the S-PSS, and length-127 Gold sequences may be used for the S-SSS. For example, a terminal may detect an initial signal and acquire synchronization using the S-PSS. For example, a terminal may acquire detailed synchronization and detect a synchronization signal ID using the S-PSS and the S-SSS.
[0120] PSBCH (Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel) may be a (broadcast) channel that transmits basic (system) information that a terminal must know first before transmitting or receiving an SL signal. For example, the basic information may be information related to SLSS, duplex mode (DM), TDD UL / DL (Time Division Duplex Uplink / Downlink) configuration, resource pool-related information, type of application related to SLSS, subframe offset, broadcast information, etc. For example, in NR V2X, for evaluating PSBCH performance, the payload size of PSBCH may be 56 bits, including a 24-bit CRC.
[0121] S-PSS, S-SSS and PSBCH may be included in a block format supporting periodic transmission (e.g., SL SS (Synchronization Signal) / PSBCH block, hereinafter referred to as S-SSB (Sidelink-Synchronization Signal Block)). The S-SSB may have the same numerology (i.e., SCS and CP length) as the PSCCH (Physical Sidelink Control Channel) / PSSCH (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel) in the carrier, and the transmission bandwidth may be within a (pre-)configured SL BWP (Sidelink BWP). For example, the bandwidth of the S-SSB may be 11 RBs (Resource Blocks). For example, the PSBCH may span 11 RBs. And, the frequency location of the S-SSB may be (pre-)configured. Therefore, the terminal does not need to perform hypothesis detection in the frequency to discover the S-SSB in the carrier.
[0122] Meanwhile, in the NR SL system, multiple numerologies having different SCS and / or CP lengths may be supported. In this case, as the SCS increases, the length of the time resource for a transmitting terminal to transmit an S-SSB may become shorter. Accordingly, the coverage of the S-SSB may decrease. Therefore, in order to ensure the coverage of the S-SSB, the transmitting terminal may transmit one or more S-SSBs to a receiving terminal within one S-SSB transmission period according to the SCS. For example, the number of S-SSBs that the transmitting terminal transmits to the receiving terminal within one S-SSB transmission period may be pre-configured or configured for the transmitting terminal. For example, the S-SSB transmission period may be 160 ms. For example, an S-SSB transmission period of 160 ms may be supported for all SCSs.
[0123] For example, when the SCS is 15 kHz at FR1, the transmitting terminal can transmit one or two S-SSBs to the receiving terminal within one S-SSB transmission period. For example, when the SCS is 30 kHz at FR1, the transmitting terminal can transmit one or two S-SSBs to the receiving terminal within one S-SSB transmission period. For example, when the SCS is 60 kHz at FR1, the transmitting terminal can transmit one, two, or four S-SSBs to the receiving terminal within one S-SSB transmission period.
[0124] For example, when the SCS is 60 kHz at FR2, the transmitting terminal can transmit 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 S-SSBs to the receiving terminal within one S-SSB transmission period. For example, when the SCS is 120 kHz at FR2, the transmitting terminal can transmit 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64 S-SSBs to the receiving terminal within one S-SSB transmission period.
[0125] Meanwhile, when the SCS is 60 kHz, two types of CP may be supported. In addition, the structure of the S-SSB transmitted by the transmitting terminal to the receiving terminal may be different depending on the CP type. For example, the CP type may be Normal CP (NCP) or Extended CP (ECP). Specifically, for example, when the CP type is NCP, the number of symbols to which the PSBCH is mapped within the S-SSB transmitted by the transmitting terminal may be 9 or 8. On the other hand, for example, when the CP type is ECP, the number of symbols to which the PSBCH is mapped within the S-SSB transmitted by the transmitting terminal may be 7 or 6. For example, the PSBCH may be mapped to the first symbol within the S-SSB transmitted by the transmitting terminal. For example, the receiving terminal receiving the S-SSB may perform an Automatic Gain Control (AGC) operation in the first symbol section of the S-SSB.
[0126] Figure 9 shows a terminal performing V2X or SL communication.
[0127] Referring to FIG. 9, the term "terminal" in V2X or SL communication may primarily refer to a user's terminal. However, if a network device such as a base station transmits and receives signals according to a communication method between terminals, the base station may also be considered a type of terminal. For example, terminal 1 may be a first device (100), and terminal 2 may be a second device (200).
[0128] For example, terminal 1 can select a resource unit corresponding to a specific resource within a resource pool, which represents a set of resources. Then, terminal 1 can transmit an SL signal using the resource unit. For example, terminal 2, which is a receiving terminal, can be configured with a resource pool in which terminal 1 can transmit a signal, and can detect a signal from terminal 1 within the resource pool.
[0129] Here, if terminal 1 is within the connection range of the base station, the base station can inform terminal 1 of the resource pool. On the other hand, if terminal 1 is outside the connection range of the base station, another terminal can inform terminal 1 of the resource pool, or terminal 1 can use a pre-configured resource pool.
[0130] In general, a resource pool can be composed of multiple resource units, and each terminal can select one or multiple resource units to use for its SL signal transmission.
[0131] Figure 10 shows resource units for V2X or SL communication.
[0132] Referring to Figure 10, the entire frequency resources of the resource pool can be divided into NF units, and the entire time resources of the resource pool can be divided into NT units. Therefore, a total of NF * NT resource units can be defined within the resource pool. Figure 10 illustrates an example where the resource pool repeats with a cycle of NT subframes.
[0133] As shown in Figure 10, a single resource unit (e.g., Unit #0) may appear periodically and repeatedly. Alternatively, to achieve diversity effects in the time or frequency dimensions, the index of the physical resource unit to which a single logical resource unit is mapped may change in a predetermined pattern over time. In this resource unit structure, a resource pool may refer to a set of resource units that a terminal wishing to transmit an SL signal can use for transmission.
[0134] Resource pools can be subdivided into several categories. For example, based on the content of the SL signal transmitted from each resource pool, resource pools can be categorized as follows:
[0135] (1) Scheduling Assignment (SA) may be a signal that includes information such as the location of resources used by a transmitting terminal for transmission of an SL data channel, MCS (Modulation and Coding Scheme) or MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) transmission method required for demodulation of other data channels, and TA (Timing Advance). SA may also be transmitted multiplexed with SL data on the same resource unit, in which case the SA resource pool may mean a resource pool in which SA is multiplexed with SL data and transmitted. SA may also be called an SL control channel.
[0136] (2) The SL data channel (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel, PSSCH) may be a resource pool used by a transmitting terminal to transmit user data. If SA is multiplexed and transmitted together with SL data on the same resource unit, only the SL data channel excluding SA information may be transmitted from the resource pool for the SL data channel. In other words, the REs (Resource Elements) that were used to transmit SA information on individual resource units within the SA resource pool may still be used to transmit SL data in the resource pool of the SL data channel. For example, the transmitting terminal may transmit the PSSCH by mapping it to consecutive PRBs.
[0137] (3) A discovery channel may be a resource pool for transmitting terminals to transmit information such as their IDs. Through this, transmitting terminals can enable neighboring terminals to discover them.
[0138] Even if the content of the SL signal described above is the same, different resource pools may be used depending on the transmission and reception properties of the SL signal. For example, even if it is the same SL data channel or discovery message, it may be again divided into different resource pools depending on the transmission timing determination method of the SL signal (for example, whether it is transmitted at the time of reception of a synchronization reference signal or whether it is transmitted by applying a certain timing advance at the time of reception), the resource allocation method (for example, whether the base station designates transmission resources for individual signals to individual transmitting terminals or whether individual transmitting terminals independently select individual signal transmission resources within the resource pool), the signal format (for example, the number of symbols each SL signal occupies in one subframe or the number of subframes used for transmission of one SL signal), the signal strength from the base station, the transmission power strength of the SL terminal, etc.
[0139] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a BWP according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of FIG. 11 can be combined with various embodiments of the present disclosure. In the embodiment of FIG. 11, it is assumed that there are three BWPs.
[0140] Referring to Figure 11, a common resource block (CRB) may be a carrier resource block numbered from one end of a carrier band to the other. Furthermore, a PRB may be a numbered resource block within each BWP. Point A may indicate a common reference point for the resource block grid.
[0141] The BWP can be set by Point A, an offset from Point A (NstartBWP), and a bandwidth (NsizeBWP). For example, Point A can be an outer reference point of a PRB of a carrier where subcarrier 0 of all numerologies (e.g., all numerologies supported by the network on that carrier) are aligned. For example, the offset can be the PRB spacing between the lowest subcarrier in a given numerology and Point A. For example, the bandwidth can be the number of PRBs in a given numerology.
[0142] SLSS (Sidelink Synchronization Signal) is a SL (sidelink) specific sequence and may include PSSS (Primary Sidelink Synchronization Signal) and SSSS (Secondary Sidelink Synchronization Signal). The PSSS may be referred to as S-PSS (Sidelink Primary Synchronization Signal) and the SSSS may be referred to as S-SSS (Sidelink Secondary Synchronization Signal). For example, length-127 M-sequences may be used for S-PSS and length-127 Gold sequences may be used for S-SSS. For example, a terminal may detect an initial signal (signal detection) and obtain synchronization using S-PSS. For example, the terminal can obtain detailed synchronization using S-PSS and S-SSS and detect a synchronization signal ID.
[0143] PSBCH (Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel) may be a (broadcast) channel that transmits basic (system) information that a terminal must know first before transmitting or receiving an SL signal. For example, the basic information may be information related to SLSS, duplex mode (DM), TDD UL / DL (Time Division Duplex Uplink / Downlink) configuration, resource pool-related information, type of application related to SLSS, subframe offset, broadcast information, etc. For example, in order to evaluate PSBCH performance, in NR V2X, the payload size of PSBCH may be 56 bits, including a 24-bit CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check).
[0144] S-PSS, S-SSS and PSBCH may be included in a block format supporting periodic transmission (e.g., SL SS (Synchronization Signal) / PSBCH block, hereinafter referred to as S-SSB (Sidelink-Synchronization Signal Block)). The S-SSB may have the same numerology (i.e., SCS and CP length) as the PSCCH (Physical Sidelink Control Channel) / PSSCH (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel) in the carrier, and the transmission bandwidth may be within a (pre-)configured SL BWP (Sidelink BWP). For example, the bandwidth of the S-SSB may be 11 RBs (Resource Blocks). For example, the PSBCH may span 11 RBs. And, the frequency location of the S-SSB may be (pre-)configured. Therefore, the terminal does not need to perform hypothesis detection in the frequency to discover the S-SSB in the carrier.
[0145] FIG. 12 illustrates a procedure for a terminal to perform V2X or SL communication according to a resource allocation mode, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of FIG. 12 may be combined with various embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0146] Referring to (a) of FIG. 12, in resource allocation mode 1, the base station may schedule SL resources to be used by the terminal for SL transmission. For example, in step S1200, the base station may transmit information related to SL resources and / or information related to UL resources to the first terminal. For example, the UL resources may include PUCCH resources and / or PUSCH resources. For example, the UL resources may be resources for reporting SL HARQ feedback to the base station.
[0147] For example, a first terminal may receive information related to a dynamic grant (DG) resource and / or information related to a configured grant (CG) resource from a base station. For example, a CG resource may include a CG type 1 resource or a CG type 2 resource. In this specification, a DG resource may be a resource that a base station configures / allocates to the first terminal via downlink control information (DCI). In this specification, a CG resource may be a (periodic) resource that a base station configures / allocates to the first terminal via DCI and / or an RRC message. For example, in the case of a CG type 1 resource, the base station may transmit an RRC message including information related to the CG resource to the first terminal. For example, in the case of a CG type 2 resource, the base station may transmit an RRC message including information related to the CG resource to the first terminal, and the base station may transmit a DCI related to activation or release of the CG resource to the first terminal.
[0148] In step S1510, the first terminal may transmit a PSCCH (e.g., Sidelink Control Information (SCI) or 1st-stage SCI) to the second terminal based on the resource scheduling. In step S1220, the first terminal may transmit a PSSCH (e.g., 2nd-stage SCI, MAC PDU, data, etc.) related to the PSCCH to the second terminal. In step S1230, the first terminal may receive a PSFCH related to the PSCCH / PSSCH from the second terminal. For example, HARQ feedback information (e.g., NACK information or ACK information) may be received from the second terminal via the PSFCH. In step S1240, the first terminal may transmit / report HARQ feedback information to the base station via a PUCCH or a PUSCH. For example, the HARQ feedback information reported to the base station may be information generated by the first terminal based on the HARQ feedback information received from the second terminal. For example, the HARQ feedback information reported to the base station may be information generated by the first terminal based on a rule set in advance. For example, the DCI may be DCI for scheduling SL.
[0149] Referring to (b) of FIG. 12, in resource allocation mode 2, a terminal can determine an SL transmission resource within the SL resources set by the base station / network or within the preset SL resources. For example, the set SL resources or the preset SL resources may be a resource pool. For example, the terminal can autonomously select or schedule resources for SL transmission. For example, the terminal can perform SL communication by selecting a resource within the set resource pool. For example, the terminal can select a resource within a selection window by performing sensing and resource (re)selection procedures. For example, the sensing can be performed on a subchannel basis. For example, in step S1210, a first terminal that has selected a resource within the resource pool can transmit a PSCCH (e.g., Sidelink Control Information (SCI) or 1st-stage SCI) to a second terminal using the resource. In step S1220, the first terminal may transmit a PSSCH (e.g., 2nd-stage SCI, MAC PDU, data, etc.) related to the PSCCH to the second terminal. In step S1230, the first terminal may receive a PSFCH related to the PSCCH / PSSCH from the second terminal.
[0150] Referring to (a) or (b) of FIG. 12, for example, a first terminal may transmit an SCI to a second terminal on a PSCCH. Or, for example, the first terminal may transmit two consecutive SCIs (e.g., 2-stage SCIs) to the second terminal on the PSCCH and / or the PSSCH. In this case, the second terminal may decode the two consecutive SCIs (e.g., 2-stage SCIs) to receive the PSSCH from the first terminal. In this specification, an SCI transmitted on a PSCCH may be referred to as a 1st SCI, a 1st SCI, a 1st-stage SCI, or a 1st-stage SCI format, and an SCI transmitted on a PSSCH may be referred to as a 2nd SCI, a 2nd SCI, a 2nd-stage SCI, or a 2nd-stage SCI format.
[0151] Referring to (a) or (b) of FIG. 12, in step S1530, the first terminal may receive a PSFCH. For example, the first terminal and the second terminal may determine PSFCH resources, and the second terminal may use the PSFCH resources to transmit HARQ feedback to the first terminal.
[0152] Referring to (a) of FIG. 12, in step S1540, the first terminal may transmit SL HARQ feedback to the base station via PUCCH and / or PUSCH.
[0153] Figure 13 is a diagram for explaining the control plane procedure of L2 U2N relay (UE-to-Network Relay).
[0154] The PC5-RRC aspect PC5 unicast link establishment procedure of Rel-16 NR V2X can be reused to establish a secure unicast link for L2 U2N relay (layer 2 UE-to-Network relaying) between the remote UE and the relay UE before the remote UE establishes a Uu RRC connection with the network via the relay UE.
[0155] For both in-coverage and out-of-coverage scenarios, when a remote UE initiates the first RRC message to establish a connection with a gNB, the PC5 L2 configuration for transmissions between the remote UE and the U2N relay UE can be based on the RLC / MAC configuration defined in the standard. The establishment of Uu SRB1 / SRB2 and DRB of the remote UE follows the legacy Uu configuration procedure for the L2 U2N relay.
[0156] A given scenario (TS 38.300) describes the control plane procedures of an L2 U2N relay as follows:
[0157] In step S1300, the remote UE and the relay UE can perform a discovery procedure and establish a PC5-RRC connection in step S1301 based on the existing Rel-16 procedure.
[0158] In step S1302, the remote UE can transmit the first RRC message (i.e., RRCSetupRequest) to establish a connection with the gNB via the relay UE using the default L2 configuration of PC5. The gNB responds to the remote UE with an RRCSetup message (S1303). The RRCSetup delivery to the remote UE uses the default configuration of PC5. If the relay UE is not initiated in RRC_CONNECTED, it must perform its own connection establishment upon receiving the message for the default L2 configuration of PC5.
[0159] In step S1304, the gNB and the relay UE perform a relay channel setup procedure via Uu. Depending on the configuration of the gNB, the relay / remote UE establishes an RLC channel for relaying SRB1 to the remote UE via PC5. This step prepares the relay channel for SRB1.
[0160] In step S1305, a remote UE SRB1 message (e.g., an RRCSetupComplete message) is transmitted to the gNB via the relay UE using the SRB1 relay channel over PC5. The remote UE is then RRC connected over Uu.
[0161] In steps S1306 and S1307, the remote UE and the gNB establish security according to legacy procedures, and the security message is transmitted through the Relay UE.
[0162] In steps S1308 and S1309, the gNB transmits RRCReconfiguration to the remote UE via the relay UE to set up the relay SRB2 / DRB. The remote UE responds by transmitting RRCReconfigurationComplete to the gNB via the relay UE.
[0163] In step S1310, the gNB establishes an additional RLC channel between the gNB and the relay UE for traffic relay. Depending on the configuration of the gNB, the relay / remote UE establishes an additional RLC channel between the remote UE and the relay UE for traffic relay.
[0164] In the above scenario, in addition to the connection setup procedure, for L2 UE-to-Network relay:
[0165] - RRC reconfiguration and RRC disconnection procedures can reuse legacy RRC procedures with message content / configuration design left in the WI phase.
[0166] - The RRC connection re-establishment and RRC connection resumption procedures can be reused as a baseline by considering the connection establishment procedure of the L2 U2N relay above to handle relay-specific parts along with the message content / structure design. The message content / structure can be defined later.
[0167] Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-to-everything (U2X)
[0168] Figures 14 to 18 are drawings for explaining the U2X system.
[0169] The key points of the proposed U2X solution in the given scenario (TR 23.700-58) are as follows:
[0170] - U2X can support BRID and Direct DAA by leveraging the V2X mechanism defined in TS 23.287. In this case, both LTE PC5 and NR PC5 defined in TS 23.285 are supported, and RAT selection can be performed based on U2XP.
[0171] - Communication mode: BRID (Broadcasting UAV identification) can use Broadcast communication mode. DAA can use Broadcast communication mode to advertise UAV information. Broadcast via PC5 or unicast via PC5 can be used between two or more UAVs for DAA de-collision. Unicast via Uu via U2X AS may not be supported in the above-mentioned U2X solution. Groupcast mode for NR-based PC5 may not be supported in the above-mentioned U2X solution. When NR PC5 is selected, connectionless groupcast communication can be used for DAA. Meanwhile, application layer managed groupcast may not be considered in this release due to lack of clear requirements.
[0172] - U2X can be supported by a U2X Application Server that interfaces with the operator network via NEF, as in the case of a V2X Application Server.
[0173] Meanwhile, the above given scenario / solution needs to allow for multiple deployment scenarios where a dedicated service set can be defined and the U2X AS and USS providing the UAV are the same or different entities.
[0174] - A U2X policy (U2XP) can be defined to provide configuration parameters to a UE for U2X communication via a PC5 reference point or a Uu reference point. The configuration parameters can be preset in the ME (Mobile Equipment), set in the UICC (universal IC card), pre-set in the ME and set in the UICC, provided / updated by a U2X application server via a policy control function (PCF) and / or a V1 reference point, or provided / updated to the UE by the PCF. Here, the UE needs to consider the U2X policies in the following order of priority: those provided / updated by the PCF, those provided / updated by the U2X application server via the V1 reference point, those configured in the UICC, and those pre-configured in the ME. A de-conflicting policy can be a policy indicating a communication mode for de-conflicting (unicast or broadcast), a communication frequency for de-conflicting, etc.
[0175] - As with V2X, the Tx profile or NR Tx profile can be determined based on the U2XP mapping of the U2X service type.
[0176] - Both UAVs with UICC and UAVs without UICC (i.e. not subscribed to an MNO) can be supported. Here, UAVs without UICC can perform U2X communication only if they are approved as “Not provided in E-UTRA” and “Not provided in NR.”
[0177] - U2X communication parameters of the U2X application server or PCF can be transmitted via the UAV-C UE.
[0178] - In addition to the existing parameters for V2X, PC5 RAT-specific radio parameters (e.g., LTE PC5, NR PC5) may be configured, including geographic area, altitude restrictions, and validity timers. Such additional information / parameters may be required to policy-specifically control PC5 usage based on the specific location of the UAV.
[0179] - The definition of DAA / UAV service types may go beyond the scope of the given scenarios described above.
[0180] - For UAVs with UICC to use PC5-based communications for BRID and DAA, successful UUAA authentication / authorization as defined in TS 23.256 and authorization via U2XP are required. However, the FAA does not require specific authorization for the use of PC5 for BRID or DAA. For UAVs without UICC, the use of PC5-based communications for BRID and DAA can only be authorized via U2XP. Meanwhile, U2X services can be identified by one of the following values specifically defined for aviation applications: ITS Application Identifier (ITS-AID), Provider Service Identifier (PSID), or Application Identifier (AID).
[0181] - As in TS 23.287, security for broadcast U2X communications over the PC5 reference point can be supported in U2X application layer schemes developed in other SDOs.
[0182] Referring to FIG. 14, a non-roaming 5G system architecture for U2X communication via PC5 can be configured as illustrated in FIG. 14. Here, the non-roaming 5G system architecture for U2X communication via PC5 can be applied with the reference point of TS 23.287, and the following differences can be present.
[0183] - U2X1: As a reference point between the UE and the UAV-C and the U2X application of the U2X application server, this reference point may be outside the scope of the above-mentioned scenario.
[0184] - U2X5: As a reference point between U2X applications within the UE, this reference point may / may not be specified in the release of a given scenario.
[0185] - N1: In addition to the relevant functions defined in TS 23.501 for N1, it can also be used to transfer U2X policies and parameters (including service authorization) from AMF to UE for U2X services, and PC5 functions for U2X capabilities and U2X information of UE to AMF.
[0186] - N2: In addition to the relevant functions defined in TS 23.501 for N2, it can also be used to convey U2X policies and parameters (including service authorization) from AMF to NG-RAN for U2X services.
[0187] - The above-described solution can support UAV UEs utilizing Uu connections and UAV UEs that do not utilize Uu connections (i.e., UAV UEs that are either Uu capable or Uu non-capable). UAVs that do not utilize Uu capabilities can use U2X for BRID and DAA and can be configured via U2X1 for transmissions outside the scope of 3GPP. On the other hand, UAV UEs that do not utilize Uu capabilities can be part of the 3GPP ecosystem as they use U2X1 for configuration by U2X application servers and implement PC5 connections as specified by 3GPP.
[0188] A roaming 5G system architecture for U2X communication over PC5 can be configured as illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16. Specifically, FIG. 15 illustrates a roaming 5G system architecture for U2X communication over PC5 in a local breakout scenario, and FIG. 16 illustrates a roaming 5G system architecture for U2X communication over PC5 in a home routing scenario.
[0189] A 5G system architecture between Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs) for U2X communication over PC5 reference points could be as follows.
[0190] - For U2X communication between PLMNs via PC5 reference point, PC5 parameters need to be set in a consistent manner between UEs within a specific area.
[0191] - The architecture for Inter-PLMN PC5 may be similar to that defined in the non-roaming 5G system architecture for U2X communication over PC5 described with reference to FIG. 14.
[0192] AF-based service parameter provisioning for U2X communication can be defined as follows.
[0193] - As defined in TS 23.287, a 5G system may provide NEF services to enable communication between a PLMN's NF and a U2X application server. Specifically, a high level view of AF-based service parameter provisioning for U2X communication may be illustrated in FIG. 17. Service parameters may also be pre-configured in the UAV using methods outside the scope of 3GPP (e.g., when not utilizing Uu functionality).
[0194] In a U2X scenario, the following may be considered:
[0195] - Usage / Usage of U2X for BRID: The message content for BRID can be defined according to regional regulations for BRID (e.g. message sets of ASTM F3411.19 or ASD-STAN prEN 4709-002 P1) and optionally according to regional means in compliance documents.
[0196] - Usage / Usage of U2X for DAA: Message content for DAA is defined by local regulations for DAA and may go beyond the scope of the given scenarios described above.
[0197] The procedures and mechanisms of TS 23.287 can be applied to U2X scenarios. Specifically, the procedure for broadcasting via PC5 for DAA collision resolution can be performed as shown in Fig. 18. Meanwhile, the procedure for broadcasting via PC5 for DAA collision resolution can be assumed that the UAV is provisioned with a U2X policy that includes a DAA collision resolution policy (e.g., unicast or broadcast communication for collision resolution, communication frequency).
[0198] Specifically, the procedure for broadcasting through PC5 for DAA collision resolution according to FIG. 18 can be performed as follows.
[0199] 1. UAV1 may receive a broadcast message from UAV2 that may include an application layer DAA payload (e.g., CAA level UAV ID, USS address of UAV2, speed, heading, position, etc.).
[0200] - Note 1: A USS address (Unmanned aerial system Traffic Management (UTM) Service Supplier address) is not required if UAV-to-UAV conflicts are resolved locally, but may be required if USS coordination of the UAVs involved in the conflict is required.
[0201] 2. UAV1 can transmit the DAA payload to the upper layer. The application layer can detect collisions by comparing the broadcast message received from UAV2 with its own trajectory and position. If UAV1's application layer detects a collision, it can initiate collision avoidance / resolution procedures with UAV2.
[0202] 3. Optionally, UAV1 can notify its USS (UTM Service Supplier) about the detected collision, including the ID of peer UAV 2.
[0203] 4. UAV1 can select a communication mode (broadcast or unicast) for DAA deconfliction based on input received from the application layer and DAA policy. If the broadcast deconfliction method is selected, the following messages can be exchanged between UAVs.
[0204] 5. UAV1 broadcasts a message (e.g., PC5-S message) (e.g., de-collision request message), which is part of the U2X functionality and may include DAA functionality indicating whether the UAV can participate in communication for protocol, DAA de-collision policy (broadcast-based, de-collision message frequency), collision detection warning, ID of other UAVs detected in collision with its CAA level UAV ID, and certain parameters (e.g., de-collision information) (e.g., trajectory correction information to avoid collision). (UAV1 broadcasts a message (eg PC5-S message), eg deconfliction request message and may include DAA capability, which is part of U2X capability and indicates whether the UAV is able to engage in communication for deconflicting protocol, DAA deconflicting policy (broadcast based, deconflicting message frequency), collision detection alert, its CAA-level UAV IDs and the one(s) from other detected conflicting UAV(s), and deconflicting specific parameters (eg trajectory correction information to avoid collision))
[0205] 6. UAV2 may broadcast a message (e.g., a PC5-S message) to provide the agreed-upon DAA deconfliction policy, updated trajectories, and other information (e.g., a message deconfliction status response, a conflict resolution warning, and the CAA-level UAV ID of the participating UAV from the receiving UAV). Subsequent broadcast messages may be exchanged between UAVs at an agreed-upon message frequency until a traffic conflict resolution (e.g., mutual position / trajectory monitoring) is reached.
[0206] The impact on services, entities and interfaces related to the above-described U2X may be as shown in Tables 5 and 6 below.
[0207] 1. UE: In addition to the capabilities defined in TS 23.501, the UE supports the following capabilities:- Reporting U2X capabilities (including DAA capabilities) and PC5 based U2X capabilities to the 5GC via the N1 reference point.- Indicating UE based U2X policy provisioning requests via the UE Policy Container.- Receiving U2X parameters from the 5GC via the N1 reference point.- Executing U2X communication procedures via the PC5 reference point.- Configuring parameters for U2X communication. These parameters can be pre-configured in the UE or provisioned or updated by signaling via the U2X1 reference point of the PCF or the U2X Application Server in the HPLMN, if in coverage. 2. AMF: In addition to the functions defined in TS 23.501, the AMF performs the following functions:- Obtains U2X related subscriber information from the UDM and stores it as part of the UE context data.- Selects a PCF that supports U2X policy / parameter provisioning and reports the PC5 capabilities of U2X to the selected PCF.- Obtains U2X related PC5 QoS information from the PCF and stores it as part of the UE context data.- Provides the communication authorization status of the UE to the NG-RAN for U2X communications over the PC5 reference point.- Provides PC5 QoS parameters related to U2X communications to the NG-RAN. 3. PCF: In addition to the functions defined in TS 23.501, it provisions parameters required for U2X communications to the UE and the AMF, including the functions specified in TS 23.287. 4. UDM: Performs subscriber management functions for U2X communications over the PC5 reference point. 5. U2X Application Server: TS 23.Implements a subset of the V2X AS capabilities defined in TS 23.501:- Includes AF capabilities and can support the following minimum capabilities:- For U2X service parameter provisioning, the U2X AS provides U2X communication parameters via PC5 and Uu reference points to the 5GC and UAV UE (via UAVC if required). 6. UDR: In addition to the capabilities defined in TS 23.501, includes the capability to store U2X service parameters. 7. NRF: In addition to the capabilities defined in TS 23.501, discovers PCFs taking U2X capabilities into account. 8. NEF: Performs U2X service parameter support functionality for the U2X AS.
[0208] U2X Subscription dataNR U2X Services AuthorizationIndicates whether the UE is authorized to use the NR sidelink for U2X services as UAV UE, UAV-C UE, or Authority UE.LTE sidelink (ie PC5) communication for U2X services.LTE UE-PC5-AMBRAMBR of UE's LTE sidelink (ie PC5) communication for U2X services.
[0209] Additionally, the most recent discussions regarding the above-described scenarios are as shown in Table 7 below.
[0210] Measurement reporting: Based on LTE principles, similar events H1 (height of aerial UE becomes higher than a threshold) and H2 (height of aerial UE becomes lower than a threshold) are introduced. Further improvements to NR are a subject of future study (FFS). Research is needed on the scaling of RRM parameters (e.g., which parameters, what is the purpose / benefit of scaling, and how it can be achieved). - Research is needed on how to limit excessive measurements and measurement reporting (FFS). - Research is needed on whether user consent is required for position reporting in CONNECTED state (FFS). - Research is needed on vertical movement of UAV UEs and their accompanying mobility (FFS). - Rel-18 NR supports reporting of altitude, position, and velocity of UAV UEs. The required accuracy and reporting mechanism, and whether further improvements are needed, are a subject of future study. - Flight path planning reporting, like LTE, will be introduced, with position lists (3D position information) and timestamps adopted as the basic contents of flight path reporting. In NR, whether timestamps are mandatory or optional is FFS. Further enhancements are also needed FFS. - Similar functionality (numberofTriggeringCells) is introduced as in LTE. In NR, whether numberoftriggerbeams is required is FFS. Research is needed on how to prevent measurement reports from being transmitted primarily when the reporting entity is reportOnLeave (FFS). - A waypoint is a planned position of a UE along a flight path, described via the existing parameter type LocationCoordinates defined in TS 37.355. - The timestamp provides the UTC time corresponding to the expected time of arrival at the waypoint and is used as a baseline. Granularity is FFS. - There are no requirements on the spatial distribution of waypoints.- The UE indicates that flight path information is available via a RRCReconfigurationComplete, RRCReestablishmentComplete, RRCResumeComplete or RRCSetupComplete message. Flight path reporting is based on the UE information request / response procedure. - The UE indicates to the network that a new flight path is available (whether initial or updated), reusing the normal request / response procedure for flight path reporting. - The UAI message can also be used by the UE to indicate that flight path information is available. - The trigger condition for a flight path update is specified by the FFS. The maximum number of waypoints in the flight path plan is left to the FFS. - When an event H1 or H2 is triggered, the content of the measurement report is configurable by the network (i.e. it can contain altitude, position information and / or RSRP / RSRQ measurements of the UAV UE). Whether the altitude of the UAV UE must be reported mandatory and what parameters / IEs are used for altitude reporting are FFS.- In NR Rel-18 UAV, the combined use of altitude dependent conditions and RSRP / RSRQ / SINR based conditions is supported for measurement reporting triggering. A combination of existing events is used. Altitude based parameter scaling is not supported as part of Rel-18 NR.- The Number of triggering cells mechanism is not applicable to inter-RAT scenarios, i.e. event B1 and B2 triggering.- The Number of triggering cells mechanism is not restricted to FR1 only, i.e. the Number of triggering cells mechanism is applicable to both FR1 and FR2 (depending on network configuration).- The UE shall not ignore or bypass the Number of triggering cells mechanism when it is configured.- The NumberOfTriggeringBeams mechanism is not introduced.- No replacement mechanism for the Number of triggering cells mechanism is introduced. - No additional mechanism based on the changed number of cells is introduced. - No prohibit timer mechanism is introduced for interference control purposes (e.g. Number of triggering cells). - ReportOnLeave is not triggered by cells that were not previously included in the measurement report for Number of triggering cells. - Support for altitude dependent multiple configurations for improved measurements and measurement reporting. The UE applies its configuration (config) according to altitude. The proposed solution aims to avoid RAN4 impact. How this is configured (e.g. different MO configurations or different parameters, etc.) is described in the FFS. Specific parameters and details are in the FFS. - Altitude dependent multiple configurations are supported at parameter / field level (i.e. different fields / values within the same MO), where different values (or ranges of values) of a parameter / field are applied according to altitude or altitude range. - For MO configuration parameters, at least the following items can be configured to have altitude dependent multiple configurations / values for specific altitude zones: SSB-ToMeasure. The method is specified in the FFS. For L1 and L3 measurement behavior of the UE, FFS.- For MR configuration parameters, at least the following can be configured to have altitude-dependent multiple configurations / values for specific altitude regions: Event A4 threshold and numberoftriggeringcells. This can be specified using FFS (e.g., through event combinations).- If altitude-dependent multiple configurations are provided, the UE applies new values when moving to a new altitude (or altitude range) (similar to RRC reconfiguration). Codes, field descriptions, etc., as per existing specifications apply.- If an altitude-specific value is not explicitly configured for a particular altitude, whether to continue using the previous value or to consider the parameter as disabled should be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and can be clarified through code, field descriptions, or procedure text, as needed. Details are provided in the FFS.
[0211] Satellite gNB-related UAV handover
[0212] Figures 19 to 27 are diagrams illustrating how a UAV performs handover with respect to a satellite gNB.
[0213] In the following, it is assumed that the UAV UE must always be in a CONNECTED state. It can be connected to the ground-gNB within the ground-gNB coverage, but when it goes out of the ground-gNB coverage (e.g., in a desert, sea, or mountainous area), the UAV can connect to the ground-gNB via a satellite or maintain the connection via the satellite-gNB.
[0214] Here, connecting to a ground-gNB via a satellite may mean that the satellite gNB acts as a relay, enabling an indirect connection between the UAV UE and the ground-gNB. On the other hand, satellite-gNB may mean that a gNB (or a device that functions as a gNB) is installed on the satellite itself, enabling a direct connection with the UAV UE.
[0215] Previously, connectivity via satellite was discussed in 3GPP through the NTN WI (work item). The following triggering conditions were added for cases where a terrestrial UE performs HO from a terrestrial gNB (A) to another terrestrial gNB (B) via a satellite relay.
[0216] - 이벤트 D1: Distance between UE and a reference locationreferenceLocation1becomes larger than configured thresholddistanceThreshFromReference1and distance between UE and a reference locationreferenceLocation2becomes shorter than configured thresholddistanceThreshFromReference2;
[0217] - 이벤트 D2: Distance between UE and a moving reference location based onmovingReferenceLocationand its corresponding satellite ephemeris and epoch time broadcast inSIB19for the serving cell becomes larger than configured thresholddistanceThreshFromReference1and distance between UE and a moving reference location determined based onreferenceLocation2becomes shorter than configured thresholddistanceThreshFromReference2;
[0218] - 조건 이벤트 D1 (CondEvent D1): Distance between UE and a reference locationreferenceLocation1becomes larger than configured thresholddistanceThreshFromReference1and distance between UE and a reference locationreferenceLocation2of conditional reconfiguration candidate becomes shorter than configured thresholddistanceThreshFromReference2;
[0219] - 조건 이벤트 D2 (CondEvent D2): Distance between UE and a moving reference location determined based onmovingReferenceLocationand its corresponding satellite ephemeris and epoch time broadcast inSIB19for the serving cell becomes larger than configured thresholddistanceThreshFromReference1and distance between UE and a moving reference location determined based onreferenceLocation2of conditional reconfiguration candidate becomes shorter than configured thresholddistanceThreshFromReference2;
[0220] The reason why the above location-based triggering condition was added in NTN is that since the signal received through the satellite is a signal transmitted from a very long distance, it may be difficult for the UE to measure the change in signal strength and trigger measurement reporting at an appropriate time.
[0221] For example, referring to FIG. 19, a UE on the ground may go out of coverage without being aware of the difference in signal changes between receiving a signal at the edge of satellite_A and receiving a signal at the center of satellite_B. In this case, the existing HO triggering method cannot maintain service continuity. Considering this problem, when the UE moves away from a predetermined (or set) reference location (A) by a certain distance and / or moves closer to another predetermined (or set) reference location (B) by a certain distance, a measurement event may be triggered, thereby satisfying service continuity. This location-based measurement triggering operation may be applied to the existing basic HO procedure or the conditional HO procedure.
[0222] In this way, when a UE communicates using a satellite, the role of the satellite can be distinguished into Scenario 1 and Scenario 2 below.
[0223] - Scenario 1: The satellite can simply receive messages transmitted by the ground gNB and transparently transmit them to the ground UE (transparency mode). Alternatively, it can receive messages from the ground UE and transparently transmit them to the ground gNB.
[0224] - Scenario 2: A method in which a satellite directly performs the functions of a communication gNB. For example, a communication unit capable of performing the same (or similar) functions as a gNB is attached to the satellite, which receives messages transmitted by a ground-based gNB, interprets them, generates messages, and transmits the generated messages to a ground-based UE (regenerative mode). Alternatively, a method may be used in which a message is received from a ground-based UE, interprets them, generates messages, and transmits the generated messages to a ground-based gNB.
[0225] 1. Scenario 1
[0226] (1) Case 1-1
[0227] Referring to FIG. 20, a ground UE connected to gNB(A) can perform a HO procedure to gNB(B) via a transparency satellite (Case 1-1).
[0228] - 1. When a measurement report is triggered for a UE connected to a ground-gNB(A), the UE can measure the signal strength of the current serving cell and neighboring cells and report the same to the ground-gNB(A). In this case, the measurement report on the signal strength can be transmitted to the source gNB, ground-gNB(A), via a satellite (or satellite relay).
[0229] - 2. Ground-gNB (A) can determine HO and transmit a message requesting HO to the target ground-gNB (B).
[0230] - 3. Ground-gNB (A) can receive permission or HO request ACK for the HO request from the target ground-gNB (B).
[0231] - 4. Ground-gNB (A) can transmit an RRC message (e.g., RRCReconfiguration message) containing an HO related command (HO command) to the UE.
[0232] - 5. At this time, the ground-gNB (A) may transmit an SN (Sequence Number) status Transfer message to the target ground-gNB (B). Here, the SN status Transfer message may be a message for transmitting an uplink PDCP SN receiver status and a downlink PDCP SN transmitter status for a data radio bearer (DRB).
[0233] - 6. When the UE receives the RRCReconfiguration message, it can perform RACH to the target ground-gNB (B) and complete the HO procedure by transmitting an RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the target ground-gNB (B).
[0234] - 7. The UE is connected to the target ground-gNB (B), and 8. The target ground-gNB (B) can send a UE context release message to the source ground-gNB (A).
[0235] (2) Case 1-2
[0236] Referring to FIG. 21, a ground UE connected to gNB(B) via a Transparency satellite can perform a HO procedure to ground-gNB(A) (Case 1-2).
[0237] - 1. When a measurement report is triggered for a UE connected to the ground-gNB(B) via a transparency satellite, the UE can report the measurement value to the ground-gNB(B) via the transparency satellite.
[0238] - 2. (source) Ground-gNB (B) can decide on HO and transmit a request for HO to the target ground-gNB (A).
[0239] - 3. (source) Ground-gNB (B) can receive a response to the HO request from the target ground-gNB (A).
[0240] - 4. (Source) Ground-gNB(B) can send an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE to command HO via transparency satellite.
[0241] - 5. At this time, the ground-gNB (B) can transmit SN status Transfer to the target ground-gNB (A).
[0242] - 6. The UE can complete HO by transmitting an RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the target ground-gNB(A) after performing the RACH procedure to the target ground-gNB(A) based on the RRCReconfiguration message.
[0243] - 7. The UE is connected to the target ground-gNB (A), and 8. The target ground-gNB (A) can send a UE context release message to the source ground-gNB (A).
[0244] When a UE performs HO operation as in Case 1-1 and / or Case 1-2, the process in which the UE performs measurement reporting via transparency satellite and the (Source) ground-gNB transmits an RRCReconfiguration message related to the measurement reporting to the UE (and / or the UE transmits an RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the target ground-gNB) may take significantly longer than the HO between a typical ground-gNB and the UE. In this case, the reported measurement values may be out-of-date values, which may be disadvantageous in selecting an appropriate target-gNB. Therefore, it may be more appropriate to apply a conditional HO (CHO) scheme to operations related to HO from a ground UE connected to gNB (A) to gNB (B) via transparency satellite. This will be described in detail in Case 1-3 and Case 1-4 below.
[0245] (3) Case 1-3
[0246] Referring to FIG. 22, a ground UE connected to ground-gNB (A) can perform a CHO procedure to ground-gNB (B) via a transparency satellite (Case 1-3).
[0247] - 1. A ground UE connected to a ground-gNB (A) can report a measurement value when a measurement report is triggered. For example, the ground UE can report the measurement value to the ground-gNB (A) via a transparency satellite (or satellite relay).
[0248] - 2. (source) Ground-gNB(A) can determine HO based on the above reported measurement values and transmit a HO request message to candidate target gNB(s).
[0249] - 3. The candidate target gNB(s) that accepted the above HO request can send a response allowing HO to the (source) ground-gNB(A).
[0250] - 4. (source) Ground-gNB(A) can transmit CHO-related configuration to ground UE. For example, ground-gNB(A) can provide CHO-related configuration to ground UE through RRCReconfiguration message.
[0251] - 5. The ground UE can transmit RRCReconfigurationComplete to the ground-gNB (A) when it has received the settings related to CHO.
[0252] - 6. The ground-gNB(A) may provide an Early status transfer message to the candidate target gNB(s). Here, the Early status transfer message may include information about the RLC and PDCP layer states of the ground UE.
[0253] - 7. The ground UE can perform RACH to the target ground-gNB(B) through the transparency satellite and complete HO with the target ground-gNB(B) when the HO condition is satisfied based on the CHO condition according to the above CHO setting.
[0254] - 8. The target ground-gNB (B) can provide a message related to the success of HO with the ground UE to the source ground-gNB (A).
[0255] - 9. The source ground-gNB (A) can provide an SN status transfer message to the target ground-gNB (B).
[0256] - 10. The source ground-gNB (A) can transmit a message related to HO cancellation to the remaining candidate target gNBs except the target ground-gNB (B) among the candidate target gNB (s).
[0257] (4) Case 1-4
[0258] Referring to FIG. 23, a ground UE connected to ground-gNB(B) via a Transparency satellite can perform CHO to ground-gNB(A) (Case 1-4).
[0259] - 1. When a measurement report is triggered, the ground UE performs a measurement report to the (source) ground-gNB (B) via the transparency satellite.
[0260] - 2. (Source) The ground-gNB can determine the CHO and transmit a HO request message to the candidate target ground-gNB(s) selected based on the measurement results.
[0261] - 3. The candidate target ground-gNB(s) can transmit a response to the (source) ground-gNB(B) if the HO is allowed.
[0262] - 4. (source) Ground-gNB(B) can perform CHO-related configuration to the ground UE. For example, (source) Ground-gNB(B) can provide the ground UE with an RRCReconfiguration message including CHO configuration for CHO trigger conditions, etc.
[0263] - 5. The ground UE that received the configuration for CHO can send an RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the (source) ground-gNB (B).
[0264] - 6. Ground-gNB(B) can provide an Early status transfer message to candidate target gNB(s).
[0265] - 7. The ground UE can complete the CHO handover procedure by performing RACH to the target gNB (A) when the set specific HO triggering conditions are satisfied.
[0266] - 8. The target ground-gNB (A) can provide a message related to the success of HO with the ground UE to the source ground-gNB (B).
[0267] - 9. The source ground-gNB (B) can provide an SN status transfer message to the target ground-gNB (A).
[0268] - 10. The source ground-gNB (B) can transmit a message related to HO cancellation to the remaining candidate target gNBs except the target ground-gNB (A) among the candidate target gNB (s).
[0269] The CHO procedure according to Cases 1-3 and / or 1-4 can receive HO-related settings for multiple candidate target ground-gNBs in advance and trigger HO based on measurements taken by the ground UE. This has the advantage over the typical HO procedure in that HO can be determined based on currently measured measurements.
[0270] 2. Scenario 2
[0271] (1) Case 2-1
[0272] Referring to FIG. 24, a ground UE connected to gNB (A) can perform HO to satellite-gNB (B).
[0273] - 1. (source) A ground UE connected to ground-gNB(A) can perform measurement reporting to (source) ground-gNB(A).
[0274] - 2. (source) Ground-gNB (A) can determine HO based on the measurement report value and transmit an HO request message to (target) satellite-gNB (B).
[0275] - 3. The ground-gNB (A) can receive a response message from the satellite-gNB (B) that HO is allowed.
[0276] - 4. Ground-gNB (A) can transmit an RRCReconfiguration message including an HO command to the ground UE.
[0277] - 5. Ground-gNB (A) can transmit an SN status transfer message to satellite-gNB (B).
[0278] - 6. After receiving the RRCReconfiguration message including the HO command, the ground UE can perform HO to the target satellite-gNB (B) and complete the HO procedure by transmitting the RCReconfigurationComplete message to the ground-gNB (A).
[0279] - 7. The UE is connected to the target satellite-gNB (B), and 8. The target satellite-gNB (B) can send a UE context release message to the source ground-gNB (A).
[0280] (1) Case 2-2
[0281] Referring to FIG. 25, a ground UE connected to a satellite-gNB (B) can perform HO to a ground-gNB (A).
[0282] - 1. A ground UE connected to a satellite-gNB(B) can perform a measurement report to the satellite-gNB(B) when a measurement report is triggered.
[0283] - 2. Satellite-gNB (B) can determine HO based on the above measurement report, determine target ground-gNB (A), and transmit an HO request message to target ground-gNB (A).
[0284] - 3. Satellite-gNB (B) can receive a response from Target Ground-gNB (A) that HO is allowed.
[0285] - 4. (source) Satellite-gNB(B) can send an RRCReconfiguration message containing a HO command to the ground UE.
[0286] - 5. (source) Satellite-gNB (B) can transmit an SN status transfer message to Target ground-gNB (A).
[0287] - 6. After receiving the RRCReconfiguration message including the HO command, the ground UE can perform HO to the target ground-gNB (A) and complete the HO procedure by transmitting the RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the satellite-gNB (B).
[0288] - 7. The UE is connected to the target ground-gNB (A), and 8. The target ground-gNB (A) can send a UE context release message to the source satellite-gNB (B).
[0289] Cases 2-1 and 2-2, similar to the HO case of Scenario 1 described above, may require much longer time than in the general HO case, such as the time it takes to transmit the measured value from the ground UE to the satellite-gNB, the time it takes for the satellite-gNB to make a HO request to the ground-gNB, and the time it takes to receive the admission (and / or the time it takes for the measured value from the ground UE to be transmitted to the ground-gNB, but the ground-gNB to request the HO to the satellite-gNB, and the time it takes to receive the admission). In this case, the measured value from the ground UE may be an out-of-date value, and determining the HO based on this may not be suitable for achieving good performance. Therefore, conditional HO (CHO) may be a more appropriate operation for the HO used in satellite communication. This will be described in detail in Cases 2-3 and 2-4 below.
[0290] (3) Case 2-3
[0291] Referring to FIG. 26, a ground UE connected to a ground-gNB (A) can perform a CHO procedure with a satellite-gNB (B).
[0292] - 1. When measurement reporting is triggered, the ground UE can report measurement values to the (source) ground-gNB(A).
[0293] - 2. (source) Ground-gNB(A) can transmit an HO request message to candidate satellite-gNB(s) based on the above measurement report.
[0294] - 3. (source) Ground-gNB(A) can receive admission for HO ( / HO Request ACK) from candidate satellite-gNB(s).
[0295] - 4. The (source) ground-gNB (A) receiving this can transmit an RRCReconfiguration message to the ground UE for CHO-related settings for multiple candidate satellite-gNB (s).
[0296] - 5. The ground UE may send RRCReconfigurationComplete to the (source) ground-gNB(A) when it has received the settings related to CHO.
[0297] - 6. The ground-gNB(A) may provide an Early status transfer message to the candidate target satellite-gNB(s). Here, the Early status transfer message may include information about the RLC and PDCP layer states of the ground UE.
[0298] - 7. The UE can perform HO by selecting one target satellite-gNB among candidate target satellite-gNB(s) and performing RACH procedure when conditional HO (CHO) is triggered based on the set value.
[0299] - 8. The target satellite-gNB (B) can provide a message related to the success of HO with the ground UE to the ground-gNB (A).
[0300] - 9. Ground-gNB (A) can provide an SN status transfer message to the target satellite-gNB (B).
[0301] - 10. Ground-gNB(A) can transmit a message related to HO cancellation to the remaining candidate target satellite-gNB(s) except for target satellite-gNB(B).
[0302] (4) Case 2-4
[0303] Referring to FIG. 27, a ground UE connected to a satellite-gNB (B) can perform a CHO procedure with a ground-gNB (A).
[0304] - 1. When a measurement report is triggered, the ground UE performs a measurement report to the satellite-gNB(B).
[0305] - 2. Satellite-gNB(B) can determine CHO and transmit HO request message to candidate target ground-gNB(s) selected based on measurement results.
[0306] - 3. If the candidate target ground-gNB(s) allows HO, it can transmit a response to it to the satellite-gNB(B).
[0307] - 4. Satellite-gNB(B) can perform CHO-related configuration to ground UE. For example, satellite-gNB(B) can provide RRCReconfiguration message including CHO configuration for CHO trigger conditions, etc. to ground UE.
[0308] - 5. The ground UE that has received the configuration for CHO can send an RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the satellite-gNB(B).
[0309] - 6. Satellite-gNB(B) can provide an Early status transfer message to candidate target ground-gNB(s).
[0310] - 7. When a ground UE satisfies a specific HO triggering condition set, the ground UE performs a RACH procedure to a target ground-gNB(A) selected from among candidate target ground-gNB(s), and completes a CHO procedure with the target ground-gNB(A) through the RACH procedure.
[0311] - 8. The target ground-gNB (A) can provide a message related to the success of HO with the ground UE to the satellite-gNB (B).
[0312] - 9. Satellite-gNB (B) can provide an SN status transfer message to the target ground-gNB (A).
[0313] - 10. Satellite-gNB(B) can transmit a message related to HO cancellation to the remaining candidate target ground-gNB(s) except for target ground-gNB(A).
[0314] Measurement report method when performing HO from TN to NTN
[0315] Figures 28 and 29 are drawings for explaining the coverage of NTN.
[0316] NTN (Non-terrestrial Networks) operation can typically refer to an operation that performs communication via satellite. However, NTN operation may not be limited to only via satellite. For example, NTN operation may also include communication via HAPs (high altitude platforms). In a given scenario (3GPP), NTN operation is defined as an operation via satellite. For example, in a given scenario, configuration information related to NTN or NTN cells may be provided via system information (SIB19). Specifically, SIB19 may be a system information block that includes essential satellite assistance information for NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) access. This information is used by the UE to access and maintain a connection to a cell in an NTN environment, and may include detailed NTN-related configuration and timing information such as ntn-Config, t-Service, referenceLocation, movingReferenceLocation, distanceThresh, epochTime, ntn-RS-TimingInfo, ssb-TimeOffset, and satellite ephemeris (see TS38.331). The above system information may be information directly broadcast from the NTN cell. In the following description, it is assumed that NTN operation is for operation via satellite.
[0317] Cell coverage using satellites as NTN operation can be defined into three types: coverage according to an Earth fixed cell (deployed by GEO satellite) as shown in Fig. 28 (a), coverage according to a quasi-earth fixed cell (deployed by LEO satellite) as shown in Fig. 28 (b), and coverage according to an Earth moving cell (deployed by LEO satellite).
[0318] Among the three types of quasi-earth fixed cells above, in the case of the satellite movement, the coverage of the cell (or NTN, NTN cell) may change. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 28 (b), the coverage of the NTN at a first time (t1) may move / change to the coverage of the NTN at a second time (t2). In this case, the cell coverage suddenly changes from the UE's perspective. Therefore, a method may be required to enable measurements to be initiated / triggered in the UE connected to the NTN (and / or the UE camped on the serving cell) before the cell coverage changes. As described above, t-Service is introduced as a value for initiating / triggering such measurements. T-Service may be a time that indicates that the serving cell (or serving NTN cell) will no longer operate in the serving area (e.g., the time when the coverage of the serving cell moves from a specific geographical area to another geographical area). T-Service is a value provided only for NTNs or NTN cells based on quasi-terrestrial fixed cells, and can be broadcast as part of SIB19. When the t-Service value is present in SIB19, it indicates that the serving cell will cease to operate in the corresponding area after the t-Service time has elapsed.
[0319] Meanwhile, the distance between the satellite (or NTN cell) and the UE may be significantly longer than the distance between the existing gNB and the UE. Therefore, the signal received by the UE via the satellite may have a lower signal strength than the signal received from the terrestrial gNB. Thus, the relatively low signal strength may exhibit characteristics similar to those shown in Figure 29 (b) in areas corresponding to the edge of cell coverage.
[0320] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 29 (b), when a UE is located at the edge of the cell coverage of an NTN cell, the signal strength may not differ significantly from the signal strength when the UE is located at the center of the cell coverage of the NTN cell (e.g., the rate of decrease in signal strength within the cell coverage is low). Therefore, the method in which a UE triggers a measurement report based solely on a signal strength value, as in the conventional TN, may not be sufficient or appropriate for an NTN.
[0321] Considering the signal attenuation characteristics of NTN, measurement reporting can be triggered in a location-based manner in NTN. For example, the 'referenceLocation' value and the 'distanceThresh' value can be set to the UE through SIB19, dedicated RRC message, etc. The UE can perform cell reselection or trigger a measurement report based on the 'referenceLocation' value and / or the 'distanceThresh' value. In this case, the referenceLocation value can represent a specific point (geographic location value) within the coverage of the serving cell, and distanceThresh can represent a value for a threshold distance at which location-based measurement is started / triggered. Specifically, a measurement operation / measurement report can be triggered when the UE is located at a location further than distanceThresh based on the referenceLocation value. For example, a measurement report can be triggered when the distance between the UE's location and a specific geographical location according to the referenceLocation value is greater than or equal to distanceThresh. For example, a measurement report ( / measurement initiate) may be triggered when the signal strength decreases or the absolute signal strength value is less than a defined threshold (e.g., in the case of measurement reports for terrestrial gNBs), but in the case of NTNs, a measurement-related action may be triggered when the UE is located more than a defined distance (e.g., distanceThresh) away from the referenceLocation.
[0322] Hereinafter, a method for performing a measurement report considering the operation of a satellite when a UE that wants to perform an HO from a TN to an NTN (e.g., a UE connected to a TN triggers a measurement report) performs a measurement report with an NTN cell as a neighboring cell / candidate cell is described in detail. And / or, a method for triggering a measurement report for performing an HO from a currently connected NTN to a TN is described in detail.
[0323] For example, if a measurement report is triggered from a UE connected to a TN, the UE may be configured to report an NTN cell (as a candidate / neighbor cell). For example, the (ground) serving gNB of the UE knows the (expected) movement path of the UE (e.g., through the flight path reported by the UE) and may determine that it is more reliable to HO / move to an NTN cell than to another ground TN cell / gNB when the UE moves out of its coverage. In this case, the serving gNB may be configured to measure and report the signal strength of the NTN cell as a candidate / neighbor cell when a measurement report is triggered from the UE.
[0324] And / or, the UE may report TN and / or NTN cells when a measurement report is triggered. In this case, the UE may also indicate whether the cell corresponding to the cell ID is a TN cell or an NTN cell along with the cell ID in the measurement report for the measured signal strength.
[0325] The number of candidate NTN cells that a UE can report in a measurement report may be limited. In this case, the UE may perform candidate NTN cell reporting in a limited manner based on the characteristics of the NTN. For example, if it is determined that, when a specific candidate NTN cell is selected and connected, a HO to another NTN cell needs to be performed (or a measurement report for performing a HO to another candidate NTN cell needs to be triggered) due to the characteristics of the specific candidate NTN cell, the UE may not report the specific candidate NTN cell in a measurement report or may report it at a lower priority. For example, the number of NTN cells that can be reported or the total number of neighboring cells may be limited to less than a certain number, and the UE may report the NTN cell at a lower priority or may not report it at all.
[0326] If the candidate cell in the measurement report is an NTN cell, the UE can check the referenceLocation and distanceThresh of the NTN cell after decoding SIB19. The UE can check whether its current (or expected movement) location is outside distanceThresh with respect to the referenceLocation. If the location of the UE is outside distanceThresh with respect to the referenceLocation, the NTN cell may not be reported or may be reported in a later priority. For example, if the distance between the reference location of the referenceLocation and the location of the UE is greater than or equal to distanceThresh, the UE may not include the NTN cell in the candidate cell list in the measurement report or may include it in a later priority. This is because it may not be appropriate to perform HO to the NTN cell, as the measurement report is triggered immediately after the UE moves to the NTN cell, which is likely to result in HO to another NTN cell. For example, even if the UE measures a signal strength greater than a certain level for a specific NTN cell, the distance between the reference location of the referenceLocation and the location of the UE may be greater than or equal to distanceThresh. In this case, due to the characteristics of NTN cells, even if the UE performs HO to the specific NTN cell, there is a high possibility that HO will be performed to another NTN cell again. Therefore, even if a signal strength above a certain level is measured for the specific NTN cell, the UE may not report the specific NTN cell in the measurement report or may report it with a lower priority if the distance between the reference location of the refernceLocation and the location of the UE is greater than distanceThresh.
[0327] Alternatively, when reporting such candidate NTN cells to the gNB, the UE may indicate that the distance between the referenceLocation and the UE's location is greater than or equal to distanceThresh. For example, the UE may report a measurement report to the gNB that further includes indication information indicating that its location is located at a distance from the referenceLocation greater than or equal to distanceThresh. The serving gNB, upon receiving the measurement report, may select a target cell from among the cells included in the measurement report by considering the indication information when determining HO. For example, if the UE reports that it is located at a distance from the referenceLocation greater than or equal to distanceThresh for a specific candidate NTN cell, the serving gNB may determine that the specific candidate NTN cell is not considered (e.g., excluded) for selection as a target NTN cell for HO, or is given a significantly lower priority (e.g., a lower priority).
[0328] Alternatively, if the UE's moving path can be predicted (e.g., if the UE can know or report its flight path, such as a UAV UE), the UE can determine whether the distance between the predicted position of the UE and the reference position for a specific candidate NTN cell is greater than / exceeds distanceThresh after the expiration of a T304 timer (e.g., a maximum / minimum value among the specified / defined values that can be used as T304 values for a given scenario) based on the UE's moving speed / direction. If the distance between the predicted position of the UE and the reference position (e.g., the reference position according to the referenceLocation value of the specific NTN cell) is greater than / exceeds distanceThresh (e.g., if the measurement report is predicted to be re-triggered within a short time after being connected to the corresponding NTN cell), the UE can filter out the specific candidate NTN cell from the measurement report (e.g., the specific candidate NTN cell is not reported in the neighbor cell / candidate cell list in the measurement report).
[0329] And / or, if the T-service value for the NTN cell is included in SIB19, the UE may not report or may report the NTN cell in the measurement report with lower priority based on the T-service value. The T-service value may be a value indicating that the corresponding cell coverage is not served / serviced by the NTN cell after the time according to the T-service value has elapsed. Therefore, from the UE's perspective, the NTN cell may not be a suitable candidate cell as a target cell, and thus the UE may report the NTN cell with lower priority or exclude it from the measurement report. For example, if the communication / connection with the NTN cell for a specific coverage area where the UE is located ends within a short period of time (e.g., within a specific threshold time) based on the T-service value, the UE may not report measurement information for the NTN cell in the measurement report or may report it with lower priority. This is because even if the UE is connected to the NTN cell with a HO command, there may be a high possibility that HO must be performed to another NTN cell again within a short period of time.
[0330] Alternatively, the UE may report the measurement report to the source gNB, additionally including information about the value of t-Service for the candidate target cell (and / or the time when the UE can no longer be served by the NTN cell at its location or predicted moving location or the remaining time when it can be served), if the measurement report includes information about a candidate cell that has broadcasted a t-Service value (e.g., an NTN cell associated with the t-Service value). The source gNB may select / determine the target cell based on the value of t-Service or the remaining time for the candidate cell, and may transmit a HO request message to the determined target cell.
[0331] Alternatively, when measuring the signal strength of an NTN cell that broadcasted a t-Service value, the UE may decide whether to report the measurement to the gNB based on the value of the T304 timer (an HO-related timer specified in TS 38.331). For example, if the time at which the NTN cell is scheduled to stop serving in a specific coverage area (e.g., the remaining serving time determined as t-Service) is equal to or shorter (or longer) than the T304 timer value (e.g., the maximum / minimum value among the values defined / set as T304 values in TS 38.331), the UE may omit the measurement report for the NTN cell or report it with lower priority.
[0332] In this way, the proposed method can help the gNB select a reliable target cell by giving priority to candidate cells that can be more reliable target cells when a UE connected to a TN performs a measurement report (taking HO into account) for an NTN cell.
[0333] Figure 30 is a diagram illustrating how a UE performs a measurement report.
[0334] The UE can trigger a measurement report related to a handover as described in FIGS. 19 to 29 . In this case, the UE can perform measurements on not only the TN cell but also the NTN cell, and transmit a measurement report including measurement information on the TN cell and the NTN cell to the source gNB or base station. For example, the UE can be configured / instructed by the base station to also report measurement information on the NTN cell, and based on this, the measurement information on the NTN cell can also be reported to the base station as a measurement report. Hereinafter, a method for the UE to report / transmit a measurement report related to the NTN cell to the base station (e.g., the TN cell) as a source gNB based on the proposed methods proposed in FIGS. 19 to 29 is described in detail. Alternatively, the UE may be a device associated with a UAV moving in the air on a flight path toward a preset destination. The UE can provide information about its flight path to the gNB or base station in advance as described above.
[0335] Referring to FIG. 30, a UE may receive system information including at least one of a reference location, a threshold distance, and a service time for a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) cell (S301). For example, an NTN cell may broadcast SIB19 including detailed NTN-related configuration and timing information, such as ntn-Config, t-Service, referenceLocation, movingReferenceLocation, distanceThresh, epochTime, ntn-RS-TimingInfo, ssb-TimeOffset, and satellite ephemeris. By receiving SIB19 including configuration information for the NTN cell, the UE may obtain configuration information for a reference location (referenceLocation), a threshold distance (distanceThresh), and / or a service time (t-Service) related to coverage or measurement reporting of the NTN cell.
[0336] Next, the UE can perform measurements on the NTN cell and at least one neighboring cell (or at least one candidate cell) (S303). For example, the UE can trigger a handover-related measurement report based on the signal strength for the base station, etc., to measure the signal strength for surrounding / neighboring cells. Alternatively, if the base station configures / instructs the UE to also perform measurement reports for NTN cells, the UE can also perform measurements on NTN cells recognized through the system information. Meanwhile, the at least one neighboring cell may be a TN (Terrestrial Network) cell.
[0337] Next, the UE may transmit a measurement report based on the measurement (S305). At this time, the UE may transmit the measurement report in which the measurement information / cell ID for the NTN cell is excluded / excluded based on the reference location, threshold distance, and / or service time for the NTN cell, or may transmit the measurement report in which the measurement information / cell ID for the NTN cell is set to have a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell. In the latter case, the UE may include the measurement information / cell ID for the NTN cell in the measurement report, but may set / indicate in the measurement report that the NTN cell has a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell through the listing order / list-up order in the neighboring cell list information.
[0338] For example, if the remaining serving time of the NTN cell calculated based on the service time is less than a specific time, or if the distance between the position of the UE and the reference position is equal to or greater than the threshold distance, the UE may exclude / exclude measurement information / cell ID for the NTN cell from the measurement report regardless of the signal strength measured for the NTN cell. For example, if the remaining serving time of the NTN cell calculated based on the service time is less than a specific time, or if the distance between the position of the UE and the reference position is equal to or greater than the threshold distance, the UE may exclude / exclude measurement information / cell ID for the NTN cell from the measurement information even if the signal strength measured for the NTN cell is greater than the signal strength for the at least one neighboring cell. In this case, the UE may include only the measurement information and cell ID for the at least one neighboring cell in the measurement report.
[0339] Alternatively, if the remaining serving time of the NTN cell calculated based on the service time is less than a specific time, or if the distance between the position of the UE and the reference position is equal to or greater than the threshold distance, the UE may include in the measurement report the measurement information / cell ID for the NTN cell so as to have a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell, regardless of the signal strength measured for the NTN cell. For example, if the remaining serving time of the NTN cell calculated based on the service time is less than a specific time, or if the distance between the position of the UE and the reference position is equal to or greater than the threshold distance, the UE may include in the measurement report the measurement information / cell ID for the NTN cell so as to have a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell, even if the signal strength measured for the NTN cell is greater than the signal strength for the at least one neighboring cell.
[0340] Here, the specific time may be set / determined based on a timer value related to the effective time of performing the handover procedure. For example, the UE may determine the largest or smallest value among the values defined for the T304 timer, which is a timer related to the effective time of performing the handover procedure, as the specific time. The remaining serving time of the NTN cell may be the time between the operation time of the UE and the time when the service of the NTN cell is terminated (or the coverage of the NTN cell is changed).
[0341] Meanwhile, if the remaining serving time of the NTN cell calculated based on the service time is greater than or equal to a specific time, or if the distance between the location of the UE and the reference location is less than / shorter than the threshold distance, the UE may transmit the measurement report including measurement information / cell ID for the NTN cell. At this time, the UE may include in the measurement information the neighboring cell list information listing the NTN cell and at least one neighboring cell, taking into account the signal strength.
[0342] Alternatively, the UE may determine whether to exclude from the measurement information or to include in a later order the measurement information / cell ID for the NTN cell (the NTN cell whose remaining serving time calculated based on the service time is less than a later order or whose distance between the position of the UE and the reference position is equal to or exceeds the threshold distance) based on the number of the NTN cell and the at least one neighboring cell and a specific threshold number (e.g., the maximum number of candidate / neighboring cells that can be reported via a measurement report). For example, if the number of the NTN cell and the at least one neighboring cell exceeds the specific threshold number, the UE may exclude / exclude from the measurement report the measurement information / cell ID for the NTN cell, or may exclude / exclude from the measurement report the measurement information / cell ID for the NTN cell with priority as a later order. Alternatively, if the number of the NTN cell and the at least one neighboring cell is less than or equal to the specific threshold number, the UE may include the measurement information / cell ID for the NTN cell in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell, rather than excluding / excluding the measurement information / cell ID for the NTN cell from the measurement report if the number of the NTN cell and the at least one neighboring cell is less than or equal to the specific threshold number.
[0343] Alternatively, when transmitting the measurement report including measurement information for the NTN cell to the base station, the UE may transmit the measurement report further including information on the remaining serving time for the NTN cell to the base station. Thereafter, the UE may receive a HO command targeting a neighboring cell or NTN cell selected based on the measurement report, and may complete a HO procedure to the target cell based on the HO command.
[0344] Figure 31 is a diagram for explaining how a base station receives a measurement report.
[0345] The base station can receive a triggered measurement report from the UE as described in FIGS. 19 to 29 . The base station can also receive a measurement report including measurement information for an NTN cell as well as a TN cell from the UE. Here, the base station can be a TN cell or an NTN cell as described above. Hereinafter, a method for a base station (e.g., a TN cell) that is a source gNB to receive a measurement report including measurement information related to an NTN cell is described based on the proposed methods proposed in FIGS. 19 to 29 . Meanwhile, the UE can be a device associated with a UAV moving in the sky on a flight path toward a preset destination. The UE can provide information about its flight path in advance to the gNB or the base station as described above.
[0346] Referring to FIG. 31, a base station can receive a measurement report based on measurements for a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) cell and at least one neighboring cell (S311). For example, the UE can trigger a measurement report related to handover based on signal strength for the base station, etc., to measure signal strength for surrounding / neighboring cells. In addition, the UE can also perform measurements for an NTN cell recognized through the system information. For example, the base station can configure / instruct the UE to also perform a measurement report for an NTN cell, and the UE can measure signal strength, etc. for the NTN cell as well. In this case, the measurement report can also include a cell ID and measurement information for a TN cell (e.g., a neighboring cell) and the NTN cell.
[0347] Here, the measurement report may include measurement information on signal strengths measured for the NTN cell and one or more of the at least one cell, and / or neighboring cell list information for one or more cell IDs corresponding to the one or more cells. In this case, whether the measurement report includes the measurement information and cell ID for the NTN cell may be determined based on a reference location, a threshold distance, and / or a service time for the NTN cell. Alternatively, the measurement report may include the cell ID and measurement information for the NTN cell with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell based on the reference location, the threshold distance, and / or the service time for the NTN cell. For example, the measurement report may include the neighboring cell list information listed or listed-up in which the NTN cell has a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell based on the reference location, the threshold distance, and / or the service time for the NTN cell.
[0348] Alternatively, if the measurement report includes measurement information for the NTN cell, the measurement report may further include information on the remaining serving time for the NTN cell. In this case, the base station may additionally consider the remaining serving time to determine whether to select the NTN cell as a target cell.
[0349] Next, the base station can transmit a handover command determined based on the measurement report to the UE (S313). For example, the base station can determine a handover for the UE based on the measurement report. In this case, the base station can select one cell from the NTN cell and / or at least one neighboring cell based on the measurement report, and transmit a handover request message to the selected one cell. If the base station receives a handover approval message from the one cell, the base station can transmit a handover command to the UE, targeting the one cell.
[0350] In this way, the proposed invention can perform measurement reporting that takes into account the characteristics of NTN cells, such as those where signal strength remains constant within the coverage area or where the coverage area is maintained for only a certain period of time. Alternatively, the proposed invention can prevent, as much as possible, the HO procedure from being performed to NTN cells with relatively short connection maintenance times through measurement reporting based on the characteristics of NTN cells. Alternatively, the proposed invention can effectively support the base station in selecting a reliable cell as the target cell through measurement reporting based on the characteristics of NTN cells.
[0351] Examples of communication systems to which the invention applies
[0352] Although not limited thereto, the various descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operational flowcharts of the present invention disclosed in this document may be applied to various fields requiring wireless communication / connection (e.g., 5G) between devices.
[0353] Hereinafter, more specific examples will be provided with reference to the drawings. In the drawings / descriptions below, the same drawing reference numerals may represent identical or corresponding hardware blocks, software blocks, or functional blocks, unless otherwise described.
[0354] Figure 32 illustrates a communication system applied to the present invention.
[0355] Referring to FIG. 32, a communication system (1) applied to the present invention includes a wireless device, a base station, and a network. Here, the wireless device refers to a device that performs communication using a wireless access technology (e.g., 5G NR (New RAT), LTE (Long Term Evolution)) and may be referred to as a communication / wireless / 5G device. Although not limited thereto, the wireless device may include a robot (100a), a vehicle (100b-1, 100b-2), an XR (eXtended Reality) device (100c), a hand-held device (100d), a home appliance (100e), an IoT (Internet of Things) device (100f), and an AI device / server (400). For example, the vehicle may include a vehicle equipped with a wireless communication function, an autonomous vehicle, a vehicle capable of performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication, etc. Here, the vehicle may include an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) (e.g., a drone). XR devices include AR (Augmented Reality) / VR (Virtual Reality) / MR (Mixed Reality) devices, and can be implemented in the form of HMD (Head-Mounted Device), HUD (Head-Up Display) installed in a vehicle, television, smartphone, computer, wearable device, home appliance, digital signage, vehicle, robot, etc. Mobile devices can include smartphone, smart pad, wearable device (e.g., smart watch, smart glass), computer (e.g., laptop, etc.), etc. Home appliances can include TV, refrigerator, washing machine, etc. IoT devices can include sensors, smart meters, etc. For example, base stations and networks can also be implemented as wireless devices, and a specific wireless device (200a) can act as a base station / network node to other wireless devices.
[0356] Wireless devices (100a to 100f) can be connected to a network (300) via a base station (200). Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology can be applied to the wireless devices (100a to 100f), and the wireless devices (100a to 100f) can be connected to an AI server (400) via the network (300). The network (300) can be configured using a 3G network, a 4G (e.g., LTE) network, a 5G (e.g., NR) network, etc. The wireless devices (100a to 100f) can communicate with each other via the base station (200) / network (300), but can also communicate directly (e.g., sidelink communication) without going through the base station / network. For example, vehicles (100b-1, 100b-2) can communicate directly (e.g., V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) / V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication). In addition, IoT devices (e.g., sensors) can communicate directly with other IoT devices (e.g., sensors) or other wireless devices (100a to 100f).
[0357] Wireless communication / connection (150a, 150b, 150c) can be established between wireless devices (100a~100f) / base stations (200), and base stations (200) / base stations (200). Here, wireless communication / connection can be achieved through various wireless access technologies (e.g., 5G NR) such as uplink / downlink communication (150a), sidelink communication (150b) (or, D2D communication), and communication between base stations (150c) (e.g., relay, IAB (Integrated Access Backhaul). Through wireless communication / connection (150a, 150b, 150c), wireless devices and base stations / wireless devices, and base stations and base stations can transmit / receive wireless signals to each other. For example, wireless communication / connection (150a, 150b, 150c) can transmit / receive signals through various physical channels. To this end, at least some of various configuration information setting processes for transmitting / receiving wireless signals, various signal processing processes (e.g., channel encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, resource mapping / demapping, etc.), and resource allocation processes can be performed based on various proposals of the present invention.
[0358] Examples of wireless devices to which the present invention is applied
[0359] Figure 33 illustrates a wireless device applicable to the present invention.
[0360] Referring to FIG. 33, the first wireless device (100) and the second wireless device (200) can transmit and receive wireless signals via various wireless access technologies (e.g., LTE, NR). Here, {the first wireless device (100), the second wireless device (200)} can correspond to {the wireless device (100x), the base station (200)} and / or {the wireless device (100x), the wireless device (100x)} of FIG. 32.
[0361] A first wireless device (100) includes one or more processors (102) and one or more memories (104), and may further include one or more transceivers (106) and / or one or more antennas (108). The processor (102) controls the memories (104) and / or the transceivers (106), and may be configured to implement the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts disclosed in this document. For example, the processor (102) may process information in the memory (104) to generate first information / signal, and then transmit a wireless signal including the first information / signal via the transceiver (106). In addition, the processor (102) may receive a wireless signal including second information / signal via the transceiver (106), and then store information obtained from signal processing of the second information / signal in the memory (104). The memory (104) may be connected to the processor (102) and may store various information related to the operation of the processor (102). For example, the memory (104) may perform some or all of the processes controlled by the processor (102), or may store software code including commands for performing the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document. Here, the processor (102) and the memory (104) may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chipset designed to implement wireless communication technology (e.g., LTE, NR). The transceiver (106) may be connected to the processor (102) and may transmit and / or receive wireless signals via one or more antennas (108). The transceiver (106) may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transceiver (106) may be used interchangeably with an RF (Radio Frequency) unit. In the present invention, a wireless device may also mean a communication modem / circuit / chipset.
[0362] Specifically, a first wireless device or UE (100) may include a processor (102) and a memory (104) connected to a transceiver (106). The memory (104) may include at least one program capable of performing operations related to the embodiments described in FIGS. 19 to 31. The operations include receiving system information including at least one of a reference location, a threshold distance, and a service time for a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) cell; performing measurements for the NTN cell and at least one neighboring cell; and transmitting a measurement report based on the measurements, wherein measurement information for the NTN cell may be excluded from the measurement report based on at least one of the reference location, the threshold distance, and the service time, or may be included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
[0363] Alternatively, a processing device may be configured, including a processor (102) controlling a first base station and a memory (104). In this case, the processing device may include at least one processor; and at least one memory connected to the at least one processor and storing instructions that perform operations when executed by the at least one processor. The operations include receiving system information including at least one of a reference location, a threshold distance, and a service time for a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) cell; performing measurements for the NTN cell and at least one neighboring cell; and transmitting a measurement report based on the measurements, wherein the measurement information for the NTN cell may be excluded from the measurement report based on at least one of the reference location, the threshold distance, and the service time, or may be included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell. Alternatively, at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium storing programs / instructions for performing the above-described operations may be configured.
[0364] The second wireless device (200) includes one or more processors (202), one or more memories (204), and may further include one or more transceivers (206) and / or one or more antennas (208). The processor (202) controls the memories (204) and / or the transceivers (206), and may be configured to implement the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts disclosed in this document. For example, the processor (202) may process information in the memory (204) to generate third information / signals, and then transmit a wireless signal including the third information / signals via the transceivers (206). Furthermore, the processor (202) may receive a wireless signal including fourth information / signals via the transceivers (206), and then store information obtained from signal processing of the fourth information / signals in the memory (204). The memory (204) may be connected to the processor (202) and may store various information related to the operation of the processor (202). For example, the memory (204) may perform some or all of the processes controlled by the processor (202), or may store software code including commands for performing the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document. Here, the processor (202) and the memory (204) may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to implement wireless communication technology (e.g., LTE, NR). The transceiver (206) may be connected to the processor (202) and may transmit and / or receive wireless signals via one or more antennas (208). The transceiver (206) may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transceiver (206) may be used interchangeably with an RF unit. In the present invention, a wireless device may also mean a communication modem / circuit / chip.
[0365] Specifically, the second wireless device or base station (200) may include a processor (202) and a memory (204) connected to a transceiver or RF transceiver (206). The memory (204) may include at least one program capable of performing operations related to the embodiments described in FIGS. 19 to 31. The operations include receiving a measurement report from a UE (User Equipment) based on measurements for a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) cell and at least one neighboring cell, and transmitting a handover command determined based on the measurement report to the UE, wherein measurement information for the NTN cell may be excluded from the measurement report based on at least one of the reference location, the threshold distance, and the service time, or may be included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
[0366] Hereinafter, the hardware elements of the wireless device (100, 200) will be described in more detail. Although not limited thereto, one or more protocol layers may be implemented by one or more processors (102, 202). For example, one or more processors (102, 202) may implement one or more layers (e.g., functional layers such as PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, RRC, SDAP). One or more processors (102, 202) may generate one or more Protocol Data Units (PDUs) and / or one or more Service Data Units (SDUs) according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document. One or more processors (102, 202) may generate messages, control information, data, or information according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document. One or more processors (102, 202) can generate signals (e.g., baseband signals) including PDUs, SDUs, messages, control information, data or information according to the functions, procedures, proposals and / or methods disclosed herein, and provide the signals to one or more transceivers (106, 206). One or more processors (102, 202) can receive signals (e.g., baseband signals) from one or more transceivers (106, 206) and obtain PDUs, SDUs, messages, control information, data or information according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operational flowcharts disclosed herein.
[0367] One or more processors (102, 202) may be referred to as a controller, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, or a microcomputer. One or more processors (102, 202) may be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), one or more Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), one or more Digital Signal Processing Devices (DSPDs), one or more Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), or one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) may be included in one or more processors (102, 202). The descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts disclosed in this document may be implemented using firmware or software, and the firmware or software may be implemented to include modules, procedures, functions, etc. The descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document may be implemented using firmware or software configured to perform one or more processors (102, 202) or stored in one or more memories (104, 204) and executed by one or more processors (102, 202). The descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document may be implemented using firmware or software in the form of codes, instructions and / or sets of instructions.
[0368] One or more memories (104, 204) may be coupled to one or more processors (102, 202) and may store various forms of data, signals, messages, information, programs, codes, instructions, and / or commands. The one or more memories (104, 204) may be configured as ROM, RAM, EPROM, flash memory, hard drives, registers, cache memory, computer-readable storage media, and / or combinations thereof. The one or more memories (104, 204) may be located internally and / or externally to the one or more processors (102, 202). Additionally, the one or more memories (104, 204) may be coupled to the one or more processors (102, 202) via various technologies, such as wired or wireless connections.
[0369] One or more transceivers (106, 206) can transmit user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., as mentioned in the methods and / or flowcharts of this document, to one or more other devices. One or more transceivers (106, 206) can receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., as mentioned in the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or flowcharts of this document, from one or more other devices. For example, one or more transceivers (106, 206) can be connected to one or more processors (102, 202) and can transmit and receive wireless signals. For example, one or more processors (102, 202) can control one or more transceivers (106, 206) to transmit user data, control information, or wireless signals to one or more other devices. Additionally, one or more processors (102, 202) may control one or more transceivers (106, 206) to receive user data, control information, or wireless signals from one or more other devices. Additionally, one or more transceivers (106, 206) may be coupled to one or more antennas (108, 208), and one or more transceivers (106, 206) may be configured to transmit and receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, or the like, as referred to in the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts disclosed herein, via one or more antennas (108, 208). In this document, one or more antennas may be multiple physical antennas or multiple logical antennas (e.g., antenna ports). One or more transceivers (106, 206) can convert received user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. from RF band signals to baseband signals in order to process the received user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. using one or more processors (102, 202).One or more transceivers (106, 206) may convert user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. processed by one or more processors (102, 202) from baseband signals to RF band signals. For this purpose, one or more transceivers (106, 206) may include an (analog) oscillator and / or filter.
[0370] Examples of wireless devices to which the present invention is applied
[0371] Figure 34 illustrates another example of a wireless device applicable to the present invention. The wireless device may be implemented in various forms depending on the use case / service (see Figure 32).
[0372] Referring to FIG. 34, the wireless device (100, 200) corresponds to the wireless device (100, 200) of FIG. 33 and may be composed of various elements, components, units, and / or modules. For example, the wireless device (100, 200) may include a communication unit (110), a control unit (120), a memory unit (130), and additional elements (140). The communication unit may include a communication circuit (112) and a transceiver(s) (114). For example, the communication circuit (112) may include one or more processors (102, 202) and / or one or more memories (104, 204) of FIG. 34. For example, the transceiver(s) (114) may include one or more transceivers (106, 206) and / or one or more antennas (108, 208) of FIG. 33. The control unit (120) is electrically connected to the communication unit (110), the memory unit (130), and the additional elements (140) and controls the overall operation of the wireless device. For example, the control unit (120) may control the electrical / mechanical operation of the wireless device based on the program / code / command / information stored in the memory unit (130). In addition, the control unit (120) may transmit information stored in the memory unit (130) to an external device (e.g., another communication device) via a wireless / wired interface through the communication unit (110), or store information received from an external device (e.g., another communication device) via a wireless / wired interface in the memory unit (130).
[0373] The additional element (140) may be configured in various ways depending on the type of the wireless device. For example, the additional element (140) may include at least one of a power unit / battery, an input / output unit (I / O unit), a driving unit, and a computing unit. Although not limited thereto, the wireless device may be implemented in the form of a robot (Fig. 32, 100a), a vehicle (Fig. 32, 100b-1, 100b-2), an XR device (Fig. 32, 100c), a portable device (Fig. 32, 100d), a home appliance (Fig. 32, 100e), an IoT device (Fig. 32, 100f), a digital broadcasting terminal, a hologram device, a public safety device, an MTC device, a medical device, a fintech device (or a financial device), a security device, a climate / environmental device, an AI server / device (Fig. 32, 400), a base station (Fig. 32, 200), a network node, etc. Wireless devices may be mobile or stationary depending on the use / service.
[0374] In FIG. 34, various elements, components, units / parts, and / or modules within the wireless device (100, 200) may be entirely interconnected via a wired interface, or at least some may be wirelessly connected via a communication unit (110). For example, within the wireless device (100, 200), the control unit (120) and the communication unit (110) may be wired, and the control unit (120) and a first unit (e.g., 130, 140) may be wirelessly connected via the communication unit (110). In addition, each element, component, unit / part, and / or module within the wireless device (100, 200) may further include one or more elements. For example, the control unit (120) may be composed of one or more processor sets. For example, the control unit (120) may be composed of a set of a communication control processor, an application processor, an electronic control unit (ECU), a graphics processing processor, a memory control processor, etc. As another example, the memory unit (130) may be composed of RAM (Random Access Memory), DRAM (Dynamic RAM), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and / or a combination thereof.
[0375] Examples of vehicles or autonomous vehicles to which the present invention is applied
[0376] Figure 35 illustrates a vehicle or autonomous vehicle applicable to the present invention. The vehicle or autonomous vehicle may be implemented as a mobile robot, car, train, manned / unmanned aerial vehicle (AV), ship, etc.
[0377] Referring to FIG. 35, a vehicle or autonomous vehicle (100) may include an antenna unit (108), a communication unit (110), a control unit (120), a driving unit (140a), a power supply unit (140b), a sensor unit (140c), and an autonomous driving unit (140d). The antenna unit (108) may be configured as a part of the communication unit (110). Blocks 110 / 130 / 140a to 140d correspond to blocks 110 / 130 / 140 of FIG. 34, respectively.
[0378] The communication unit (110) can transmit and receive signals (e.g., data, control signals, etc.) with external devices such as other vehicles, base stations (e.g., base stations, road side units, etc.), and servers. The control unit (120) can control elements of the vehicle or autonomous vehicle (100) to perform various operations. The control unit (120) can include an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The drive unit (140a) can drive the vehicle or autonomous vehicle (100) on the ground. The drive unit (140a) can include an engine, a motor, a power train, wheels, brakes, a steering device, etc. The power supply unit (140b) supplies power to the vehicle or autonomous vehicle (100) and can include a wired / wireless charging circuit, a battery, etc. The sensor unit (140c) can obtain vehicle status, surrounding environment information, user information, etc. The sensor unit (140c) may include an IMU (inertial measurement unit) sensor, a collision sensor, a wheel sensor, a speed sensor, an incline sensor, a weight detection sensor, a heading sensor, a position module, a vehicle forward / backward sensor, a battery sensor, a fuel sensor, a tire sensor, a steering sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an illuminance sensor, a pedal position sensor, etc. The autonomous driving unit (140d) may implement a technology for maintaining a driving lane, a technology for automatically controlling speed such as adaptive cruise control, a technology for automatically driving along a set path, a technology for automatically setting a path and driving when a destination is set, etc.
[0379] For example, the communication unit (110) can receive map data, traffic information data, etc. from an external server. The autonomous driving unit (140d) can generate an autonomous driving route and driving plan based on the acquired data. The control unit (120) can control the drive unit (140a) so that the vehicle or autonomous vehicle (100) moves along the autonomous driving route according to the driving plan (e.g., speed / direction control). During autonomous driving, the communication unit (110) can irregularly / periodically acquire the latest traffic information data from an external server and can acquire surrounding traffic information data from surrounding vehicles. In addition, during autonomous driving, the sensor unit (140c) can acquire vehicle status and surrounding environment information. The autonomous driving unit (140d) can update the autonomous driving route and driving plan based on newly acquired data / information. The communication unit (110) can transmit information regarding the vehicle location, autonomous driving route, driving plan, etc. to the external server. External servers can predict traffic information data in advance using AI technology or other technologies based on information collected from vehicles or autonomous vehicles, and provide the predicted traffic information data to the vehicles or autonomous vehicles.
[0380] Here, the wireless communication technology implemented in the wireless device (XXX, YYY) of the present specification may include not only LTE, NR, and 6G, but also Narrowband Internet of Things for low-power communication. At this time, for example, NB-IoT technology may be an example of LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) technology, and may be implemented with standards such as LTE Cat NB1 and / or LTE Cat NB2, and is not limited to the above-described names. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless communication technology implemented in the wireless device (XXX, YYY) of the present specification may perform communication based on LTE-M technology. At this time, for example, LTE-M technology may be an example of LPWAN technology, and may be called by various names such as eMTC (enhanced Machine Type Communication). For example, LTE-M technology can be implemented by at least one of various standards such as 1) LTE CAT 0, 2) LTE Cat M1, 3) LTE Cat M2, 4) LTE non-BL (non-Bandwidth Limited), 5) LTE-MTC, 6) LTE Machine Type Communication, and / or 7) LTE M, and is not limited to the above-described names. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless communication technology implemented in the wireless device (XXX, YYY) of the present specification can include at least one of ZigBee, Bluetooth, and Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) considering low-power communication, and is not limited to the above-described names. For example, ZigBee technology can create PAN (personal area networks) related to small / low-power digital communication based on various standards such as IEEE 802.15.4, and can be called by various names.
[0381] The embodiments described above are combinations of components and features of the present invention in a predetermined form. Each component or feature should be considered optional unless explicitly stated otherwise. Each component or feature may be implemented without being combined with other components or features. Furthermore, it is also possible to form an embodiment of the present invention by combining some components and / or features. The order of operations described in the embodiments of the present invention may be changed. Some components or features of one embodiment may be included in another embodiment or may be replaced with corresponding components or features of another embodiment. It is self-evident that claims that do not have an explicit citation relationship in the patent claims may be combined to form an embodiment or may be incorporated as a new claim through a post-application amendment.
[0382] In this document, embodiments of the present invention have been described primarily focusing on the signal transmission and reception relationship between a terminal and a base station. This transmission and reception relationship is equally / similarly extended to signal transmission and reception between a terminal and a relay or a base station and a relay. Certain operations described as being performed by a base station in this document may, in some cases, be performed by its upper node. That is, it is obvious that various operations performed for communication with a terminal in a network composed of multiple network nodes including a base station may be performed by the base station or other network nodes other than the base station. The base station may be replaced by terms such as fixed station, Node B, eNode B (eNB), and access point. In addition, the terminal may be replaced by terms such as UE (User Equipment), MS (Mobile Station), MSS (Mobile Subscriber Station).
[0383] Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by various means, for example, hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. In the case of hardware implementation, an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented by one or more ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), DSPs (digital signal processors), DSPDs (digital signal processing devices), PLDs (programmable logic devices), FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, etc.
[0384] When implemented via firmware or software, an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in the form of modules, procedures, functions, etc. that perform the functions or operations described above. The software code may be stored in a memory unit and executed by a processor. The memory unit may be located within or outside the processor and may exchange data with the processor via various known means.
[0385] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the above detailed description should not be construed as limiting in any respect, but rather as illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all modifications within the scope of equivalents of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.
[0386] The embodiments of the present invention as described above can be applied to various mobile communication systems.
Claims
1. In the method using UE (User Equipment), A step of receiving system information including at least one of a reference location, a threshold distance, and a service time for a NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) cell; performing measurements on the NTN cell and at least one neighboring cell; and A step of transmitting a measurement report based on the above measurement is included, A method wherein measurement information for the NTN cell is excluded from the measurement report based on at least one of the reference location, threshold distance, and service time, or is included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
2. In paragraph 1, A method wherein, based on the remaining serving time of the NTN cell calculated based on the service time being less than a specific time, measurement information for the NTN cell is excluded from the measurement report regardless of the signal strength measured for the NTN cell, or is included in the measurement report with a lower priority than at least one neighboring cell.
3. In paragraph 2, The above specific time is set based on a timer value related to the effective time of performing the handover procedure.
4. In paragraph 2, A method wherein the above specific time is set to a minimum or maximum value among timer values defined in relation to the effective time for performing a handover procedure.
5. In paragraph 1, A method wherein, based on the distance between the location of the UE and the distance between the reference location exceeding the threshold distance, the measurement information for the NTN cell is excluded from the measurement report regardless of the signal strength measured for the NTN cell, or is included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
6. In paragraph 1, A method wherein, based on the distance between the predicted position of the UE predicted after a certain time and the distance between the reference position exceeds the threshold distance, the measurement information for the NTN cell is excluded from the measurement report regardless of the signal strength measured for the NTN cell, or is included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
7. In paragraph 1, A method wherein, based on the measurement report including measurement information for the NTN cell, the measurement report further includes information on the remaining serving time of the NTN cell determined based on the service time.
8. In paragraph 1, A method in which the above system information is obtained through SIB (System Information Block) 19.
9. In paragraph 1, A method wherein at least one neighboring cell is at least one TN (Terrestrial Network) cell.
10. In at least one non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, Contains instructions that perform operations when executed by at least one processor, The above actions are, Receive system information including at least one of a reference location, a threshold distance, and a service time for a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) cell; Performing measurements on the NTN cell and at least one neighboring cell; and Including transmitting a measurement report based on the above measurement, At least one non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, wherein measurement information for the NTN cell is excluded from the measurement report based on at least one of the reference location, threshold distance, and service time, or is included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
11. In UE (User Equipment), RF (Radio Frequency) transmitter and receiver; and A processor connected to the RF transceiver, The processor controls the RF transceiver to receive system information including at least one of a reference location, a threshold distance, and a service time for a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) cell, performs measurement on the NTN cell and at least one neighboring cell, and transmits a measurement report based on the measurement. A UE in which measurement information for the NTN cell is excluded from the measurement report based on at least one of the reference location, threshold distance, and service time, or is included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
12. In a processing device that controls UE (User Equipment), at least one processor; and At least one memory connected to said at least one processor and storing instructions that perform operations when executed by said at least one processor, The above actions are, Receive system information including at least one of a reference location, a threshold distance, and a service time for a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) cell; Performing measurements on the NTN cell and at least one neighboring cell; and Including transmitting a measurement report based on the above measurement, A processing device, wherein measurement information for the NTN cell is excluded from the measurement report based on at least one of the reference location, threshold distance, and service time, or is included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
13. In the method by the base station, A step of receiving a measurement report based on measurements for a NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) cell and at least one neighboring cell from a UE (User Equipment); A step of transmitting a handover command determined based on the above measurement report to the UE, A method wherein measurement information for the NTN cell is excluded from the measurement report based on at least one of the reference location, threshold distance, and service time, or is included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
14. In paragraph 13, A method wherein the measurement report includes measurement information for the NTN cell and at least one neighboring cell and information about the remaining serving time of the NTN cell determined based on the service time.
15. At the base station, RF (Radio Frequency) transmitter and receiver; and A processor connected to the RF transceiver, The processor controls the RF transceiver to receive a measurement report based on measurements of a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) cell and at least one neighboring cell from a UE (User Equipment), and transmits a handover command determined based on the measurement report to the UE. A base station, wherein measurement information for the NTN cell is excluded from the measurement report based on at least one of the reference location, threshold distance, and service time, or is included in the measurement report with a lower priority than the at least one neighboring cell.
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