Sending a message to a network node, and receiving a message from a user equipment

Abstract

In an example, a method performed by a User Equipment (UE) for sending a message to a network node is provided The method comprises sending a message to a network node. The message includes at least one first set of information, wherein each of the at least one first set of information is associated with a respective set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE. The message also includes an indication indicating whether the message includes at least one further set of information associated with a further set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE.

Description

[0001] SENDING A MESSAGE TO A NETWORK NODE, AND RECEIVING A MESSAGE FROM A USER EQUIPMENT

[0002] Background

[0003] 5G is the fifth generation of mobile communications, addressing a wide range of use cases from enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) to ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) to massive machine type communications (mMTC). 5G includes the New Radio (NR) access stratum interface and the 5G Core Network (5GC). The NR physical and higher layers are reusing parts of the LTE specification, and to that add needed components when motivated by new use cases.

[0004] Low-latency high-rate applications such as extended Reality (XR) and cloud gaming are important in 5G era and are the main 6G use cases. XR may refer to all real-and-virtual combined environments and human-machine interactions generated by computer technology and wearables. It is an umbrella term for different types of realities including Virtual reality (VR), Augmented reality (AR), Mixed reality (MR), and the areas interpolated among them. The levels of virtuality range from partially sensory inputs to fully immersive VR.

[0005] The low-latency applications like XR and cloud gaming require bounded latency, not necessarily ultra-low latency. The end-to-end latency budget may be in the range of 20-80 ms, which needs to be distributed over several components including application processing latency, transport latency, radio link latency, etc. For these applications, short transmission time intervals (TTIs) or mini-slots targeting ultra-low latency may not be effective.

[0006] Figure 1 shows an example of frame latency measured over a radio access network (RAN), excluding application & core network latencies. It can be seen that there exist frame latency spikes in RAN. The sources for the latency spikes may include queuing delay, time-varying radio environments, time-varying frame sizes, among others. The latency spikes occur due to instantaneous shortage of radio resources or inefficient radio resource allocation in response to varying frame size. Tools that can help to remove latency spikes are beneficial to enable better 5G support for this type of traffic.

[0007] In addition to bounded latency requirements, the applications like XR and cloud gaming also require high rate transmission. This can be seen from the large frame sizes originated from this type of traffic. The typical frame sizes may range from tens of kilobytes to hundreds of kilobytes. The frame arrival rates may be 60 or 120 frames per second (fps). As a concrete example, a frame size of 100 kilobytes and a frame arrival rate of 120 fps can lead to a rate requirement of 95.8 Mbps.

[0008] A large video frame is usually fragmented into smaller IP packets and transmitted as several transport blocks (TBs) over several TTIs in RAN. Figure 2 shows an example of the cumulative distribution functions of the number of transport blocks required to deliver a video frame with size ranging from 20 KB to 300 KB. For example, Figure 2 shows that for delivering the frames with a size of 200 KB each, the median number of needed TBs is 5.

[0009] The characteristics of XR traffic arrival are quite distinct from typical web-browsing and VoIP traffic as shown in Figure 3, which shows XR traffic characteristics compared to VoIP and Web-browsing. It is well expected that the arrival time is quasi-periodic and largely predictable as VoIP. However, its data size is an order of magnitude larger than VoIP, as discussed above. In addition, similar to web-browsing, the data size is different at every application Protocol Data Unit (PDU) arrival instance due to dynamics of contents and human motion.

[0010] As mentioned above, many XR applications will generate traffic periodically with a variable size. When the application packet enters the internet, the initial packet may be transmitted as a single PDU in the network or may be segmented into several PDUs. One application packet could, for instance, correspond to one or several IP packets.

[0011] In 5G, 3GPP introduced an updated Quality of Service (QoS) framework based on PDU Sets. In a simplistic description, an application PDU e.g. a video frame, is divided into multiple IP packets. All these IP packets which belong to one video frame can be defined as PDU Set. The RAN can get PDU Set information through the core network. This information can be one or more of the following: QoS Flow Identifier [QFI], the PDU Set Sequence Number [PSSN], the PDU Sequence Number within the PDU Set [PSN], the End PDU of the PDU Set indicator [EPDU], the PDU Set Importance [PSI], and the PDU Set Size [PSSize] in bytes.

[0012] In addition, in 5G, 3GPP identified that the buffer status tables to report the buffer size were not suitable for applications transmitting large packets and it was also identified that delay information was important to be transmitted to the network to perform better scheduling decision. All this resulted in new buffer status tables, new BSR (Buffer Status Report) formats, and a new MAC control element, DSR (Delay Status Report). Summary

[0013] There currently exist certain challenges. For example, 4G and 5G systems allow the UE to report buffer information to the network. The current buffer reporting framework is not flexible and not easy to extend.

[0014] One example aspect of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a User Equipment (UE) for sending a message to a network node. The method comprises sending a message to a network node. The message includes at least one first set of information, wherein each of the at least one first set of information is associated with a respective set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE. The message also includes an indication indicating whether the message includes at least one further set of information associated with a further set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE.

[0015] Another example aspect of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a network node for receiving a message from a User Equipment (UE). The method comprises receiving a message from a UE. The message includes at least one first set of information, wherein each of the at least one first set of information is associated with a respective set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE. The message also includes an indication indicating whether the message includes at least one further set of information associated with a further set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE.

[0016] A further example aspect of the present disclosure provides a tangible, non-transient computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform operations in a User Equipment (UE) for sending a message to a network node. The operations comprise sending a message to a network node. The message includes at least one first set of information, wherein each of the at least one first set of information is associated with a respective set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE. The message also includes an indication indicating whether the message includes at least one further set of information associated with a further set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE.

[0017] An additional example aspect of the present disclosure provides tangible, non-transient computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform operations in a network node for receiving a message from a User Equipment (UE). The operations comprise receiving a message from a UE. The message includes at least one first set of information, wherein each of the at least one first set of information is associated with a respective set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE. The message also includes an indication indicating whether the message includes at least one further set of information associated with a further set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE.

[0018] Another example aspect of the present disclosure provides apparatus in a User Equipment (UE) for sending a message to a network node. The apparatus comprises processing circuitry and a memory. The apparatus is configured to send a message to a network node. The message includes at least one first set of information, wherein each of the at least one first set of information is associated with a respective set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE. The message also includes an indication indicating whether the message includes at least one further set of information associated with a further set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE.

[0019] Another example aspect of the present disclosure provides apparatus in a network node for receiving a message from a User Equipment (UE). The apparatus comprises processing circuitry and a memory. The apparatus is configured to receive a message from a UE. The message includes at least one first set of information, wherein each of the at least one first set of information is associated with a respective set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE. The message also includes an indication indicating whether the message includes at least one further set of information associated with a further set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE.

[0020] Brief Description of the Figures

[0021] For a better understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and to show how it may be put into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0022] Figure 1 shows an example of frame latency measured over a radio access network (RAN), excluding application & core network latencies;

[0023] Figure 2 shows an example of the cumulative distribution functions of the number of transport blocks required to deliver a video frame with size ranging from 20 KB to 300 KB;

[0024] Figure 3 shows XR traffic characteristics compared to VoIP and Web-browsing;

[0025] Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with some embodiments; Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with some embodiments; Figure 6 illustrates an example of a table that exemplifies the content that a UE buffer information status MAC CE could contain; Figure 7 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0026] Figure 8 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments;

[0027] Figure 9 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0028] Figure 10 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized.

[0029] Detailed Description

[0030] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0031] As indicated above, 4G and 5G systems allow the UE to report buffer information to the network. These reports have been usually sent over a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE). Over the different releases, when there was a need to introduce new information, a new MAC CE was introduced to report the new information. Each MAC CE is identified with an identifier (ID). This ID is taken from the pool of Logical Channel IDs (LCIDs) which are partly reserved for other purposes such as MAC CEs. Thus, the pool of LCIDs allocated for MAC CEs is rather limited. In 5G, the pool of LCIDs had to be extended multiple times to allow new MAC CEs. Another issue in 5G is that the UE is limited to report one single BSR format per MAC PDU. When there are multiple reports to transmit, the UE would need to transmit this in consecutive MAC PDUs. The current buffer reporting framework is not flexible and not easy to extend.

[0032] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. For example, in this disclosure, a new flexible mechanism, e.g. in a MAC CE (control element), is introduced for a UE to report information such as buffer size or time- related information (e.g. latency), for instance. This information could be also provided for a Logical Channel Group (LCG), LCID, PDU set, etc.

[0033] The report may in some examples include an identification of the type of information block(s) which is / are included in the UE report. Thus, the report may include multiple types of information in one single report.

[0034] This disclosure provides example mechanisms for a UE to report a generic traffic / buffer information message to the network, this message consisting of blocks of information identified by an index. This message can contain multiple blocks of information. The index may for example identify a block and the information (or type of information) carried within that block.

[0035] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). For example, unified reporting may allow the sending of a single message such as a single MAC CE PDU or a single report including diverse information, for example from buffer size to delay information per logical channel ID or group, for instance. Examples may therefore provide larger flexibility and simplifies the reporting into a single message, e.g. control element or MAC CE, instead of having multiple control elements or messages. The teachings of certain embodiments may improve network efficiency.

[0036] Figure 4 depicts a method 400 in accordance with particular embodiments, such as for example a method performed by a User Equipment (UE) for sending a message to a network node. The method 400 may be performed by a UE or wireless device (e.g. the UE QQ1 12 or UE QQ200 as described later with reference to Figures 7 and 8 respectively). The method begins at step 402 with sending a message to a network node. The message includes at least one first set of information, wherein each of the at least one first set of information is associated with a respective set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE. The message also includes an indication indicating whether the message includes at least one further set of information associated with a further set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE.

[0037] In some examples, the indication comprises a respective indication in each of the at least one first set of information that indicates whether another set of information follows the first set of information. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the indication comprises a presence or absence of a respective indication in each of the at least one first set of information, wherein the presence or absence of the respective indication indicates whether another set of information follows the first set of information. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the indication comprises an indication identifying a number of the at least one set of first information.

[0038] The respective indication in each of the at least one first set of information that indicates whether another set of information follows the first set of information may comprise for example a first value (e.g. a first bit value, a T or ‘0’) if another set of information follows the first set of information, and a second value (e.g. a second bit value, the other of the T or ‘0’) different to the first value if no other set of information follows the first set of information. In some examples, the set of data associated with each first set of information may comprises one or more of the following examples:

[0039] • a set of data in a buffer;

[0040] • a set of data for a logical channel;

[0041] • a set of data for a logical channel group;

[0042] • a set of data transmitted by the UE;

[0043] • a set of data to be transmitted by the UE;

[0044] • a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Set;

[0045] • a set of data with a predetermined traffic type;

[0046] • a set of data expected to be transmitted by the UE within a predetermined time range.

[0047] Each set of first information may in some examples identify one or more of the following example types of information:

[0048] • an identifier of the types of information in the first set of information;

[0049] • a size or amount of the associated set of data;

[0050] • a number of PDU Sets in the associated set of data;

[0051] • a number of discarded data units in the associated set of data;

[0052] • a number of discarded PDU Sets in the associated set of data;

[0053] • a size or amount of discarded data in the associated set of data;

[0054] • a number of delayed data units in the associated set of data;

[0055] • a number of delayed PDU Sets in the associated set of data;

[0056] • a size or amount of delayed data in the associated set of data;

[0057] • a time range in which the UE expects to transmit the associated set of data;

[0058] • a jitter of the associated set of data;

[0059] • a periodicity of the associated set of data;

[0060] • an importance of the associated set of data;

[0061] • a number of subsets of data in the associated set of data;

[0062] • information associated with one or more of the subsets of data;

[0063] • a Delay Status Report, DSR, for the associated set of data;

[0064] • a remaining time in a Packet Delay Budget, PDB, of the associated set of data;

[0065] • a remaining time until discard of the associated set of data.

[0066] Each set of first information may in some examples identify one or more of the following example types of information: • a logical channel identifier (LCID) for the associated set of data;

[0067] • a logical channel group (LCG) identifier for the associated set of data;

[0068] • a data radio bearer (DRB) associated with the associated set of data;

[0069] • a buffer containing the associated set of data;

[0070] • a traffic type of the associated set of data.

[0071] Each of at least a subset of the one or more types of information may in some examples identify an entry in a respective table and / or a range of values.

[0072] In some examples, sending the message to a network node may be performed periodically for a first subset of the one or more types of information, and in response to a trigger or a request from the network node for a second subset of the one or more types of information different to the first subset. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the method 400 may comprise receiving, from the network node, an indication of one or more types of information to include in the message. That is, for example, the network may configure the UE as to which information to report.

[0073] The message may comprise for example a Control Element (CE), Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC CE), MAC message, or Buffer Status Report (BSR).

[0074] Some examples of the method 400 may comprise determining a format of the at least one first set of information and / or the indication from a standard. Additionally or alternatively, some examples of the method 400 may comprise determining a format of the at least one first set of information and / or the indication from a configuration received from the network node.

[0075] Sending the message to the network node may in some examples be performed periodically, and / or in response to an event or trigger.

[0076] In some examples, the at least one first set of information comprises a plurality of first sets of information. In some examples, the first sets of information are included consecutively in the message, e.g. as contiguous data.

[0077] The network node may comprise for example a base station, eNodeB (eNB) or gNodeB (gNB).

[0078] Figure 5 depicts a method 500 in accordance with particular embodiments, such as for example a method performed by a network node for receiving a message from a User Equipment (UE). The method 500 may be performed by a network node (e.g. the network node QQ110 or network node QQ300 as described later with reference to Figures 7 and 9 respectively). The method 500 begins at step 502 with receiving a message from a UE. The message includes at least one first set of information, wherein each of the at least one first set of information is associated with a respective set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE. The message also includes an indication indicating whether the message includes at least one further set of information associated with a further set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE.

[0079] In some examples, the indication comprises a respective indication in each of the at least one first set of information that indicates whether another set of information follows the first set of information. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the indication comprises a presence or absence of a respective indication in each of the at least one first set of information, wherein the presence or absence of the respective indication indicates whether another set of information follows the first set of information. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the indication comprises an indication identifying a number of the at least one set of first information.

[0080] The respective indication in each of the at least one first set of information that indicates whether another set of information follows the first set of information may comprise for example a first value (e.g. a first bit value, a T or ‘0’) if another set of information follows the first set of information, and a second value (e.g. a second bit value, the other of the T or ‘0’) different to the first value if no other set of information follows the first set of information.

[0081] In some examples, the set of data associated with each first set of information may comprises one or more of the following examples:

[0082] • a set of data in a buffer;

[0083] • a set of data for a logical channel;

[0084] • a set of data for a logical channel group;

[0085] • a set of data transmitted by the UE;

[0086] • a set of data to be transmitted by the UE;

[0087] • a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Set;

[0088] • a set of data with a predetermined traffic type;

[0089] • a set of data expected to be transmitted by the UE within a predetermined time range.

[0090] Each set of first information may in some examples identify one or more of the following example types of information: an identifier of the types of information in the first set of information; a size or amount of the associated set of data; a number of PDU Sets in the associated set of data; a number of discarded data units in the associated set of data; a number of discarded PDU Sets in the associated set of data; a size or amount of discarded data in the associated set of data; a number of delayed data units in the associated set of data; a number of delayed PDU Sets in the associated set of data; a size or amount of delayed data in the associated set of data; a time range in which the UE expects to transmit the associated set of data; a jitter of the associated set of data; a periodicity of the associated set of data; an importance of the associated set of data; a number of subsets of data in the associated set of data; information associated with one or more of the subsets of data; a Delay Status Report, DSR, for the associated set of data; a remaining time in a Packet Delay Budget, PDB, of the associated set of data; a remaining time until discard of the associated set of data.

[0091] Each set of first information may in some examples identify one or more of the following example types of information:

[0092] • a logical channel identifier (LCID) for the associated set of data;

[0093] • a logical channel group (LCG) identifier for the associated set of data;

[0094] • a data radio bearer (DRB) associated with the associated set of data;

[0095] • a buffer containing the associated set of data;

[0096] • a traffic type of the associated set of data.

[0097] Each of at least a subset of the one or more types of information may in some examples identify an entry in a respective table and / or a range of values.

[0098] In some examples, receiving the message from the UE is performed or may occur periodically for a first subset of the one or more types of information, and in response to a trigger or a request from the network node to the UE for a second subset of the one or more types of information different to the first subset.

[0099] Some examples of the method 500 may comprise sending, to the UE, an indication of one or more types of information to include in the message. The message may comprise for example a Control Element (CE), Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC CE), MAC message, or Buffer Status Report (BSR).

[0100] The method 500 may in some examples comprise determining a format of the at least one first set of information and / or the indication from a standard, sending a configuration of a format of the at least one first set of information and / or the indication to the UE.

[0101] Sending the message to a network node may be performed in some examples periodically and / or in response to an event or trigger.

[0102] In some examples, the at least one first set of information comprises a plurality of first sets of information. In some examples, the first sets of information are included consecutively in the message, e.g. as contiguous data.

[0103] The network node may comprise for example a base station, eNodeB (eNB) or gNodeB (gNB).

[0104] Further example embodiments will now be described for illustrative purposes.

[0105] The message (referred to in some examples as a buffer information report) may in some examples consist of a MAC header and a MAC payload carrying the Control Element message.

[0106] The message may in some examples include one or more of:

[0107] • Information set index (ISI)

[0108] • Extension field (Ext)

[0109] • Information Set (IS)

[0110] The ISI may in some examples be an index to an Information Set. The Extension field may indicate whether an additional ISI and IS follows or not. The Information Set is a structure of one or more fields of buffer information such as LCID, LCG, number of PDU Set(s), PDU Set size, Buffer / PDU Set size table index, Delay bucket index, PDU Set importance. The information set also can include any statistical information for observability of performance or traffic generated by a UE.

[0111] The information that is mapped to ISI can follow a static configuration in the standard or can be dynamically configurable by the network (potentially overwriting any static configuration). Rules on how to combine any ISI elements may in the same way also be static or dynamically configurable by the network. Below follows some possible combination examples of different values of ISI and the information that may be included along with the ISI of that value, i.e. the information associated with each ISI value: For example, when the ISI indicates value 0, two additional fields will be included. In this example, a LCID and the buffer size index of the said LCID are included. The extension field will indicate whether another ISI+Ext+IS follows or not.

[0112] Table Index represents an index to a table which contains a mapping between buffer size ranges and indexes e.g. buffer size equal or larger than A until less than B is represented by index “m”.

[0113] Buffer or PDU Set size index represent the index in which the buffer or PDU Set size is included in the selected table.

[0114] Delay bucket index is an index to a table which contains a mapping between latency ranges and indexes e.g. a latency equal or larger than r and lower than s would be represented by index “n”.

[0115] In ISI fields 5 to 8 fields relating to UE UL service observability are included:

[0116] • I SI =5: In this example the ‘number of discarded packets’ over a configured time window (e.g. discarded packets in the last X ms) on a given LCID / DRB is signaled • I SI =6: In this example the ‘number of discarded PDU Set’ over a configured time window with a set ‘PDU Set Importance’ level on a given DRB / LCID is signaled.

[0117] • ISI=7. In this example, the total data ‘Volume of discarded data’ in (bytes) over a configured time window on a given DRB / LCID is signaled

[0118] • I SI =8: In this example, the ‘Number of delayed PDU Set’ (not meeting PDU Set Delay Budget, PSDB, but not discarded) over a configured time window associated with a ‘PDU Set Importance’ level on given DRB / LCID is signaled.

[0119] The traffic type information indicates an index that associates a specific traffic type (video, voice, eMBB, pose etc). Each index can be related to a QoS flow, a QFI index, DRB index and the mapping between the index and a specific traffic type is configured by a network. The other traffic information such as periodicity, jitter, min / max / average size of PDU set can be also reported by indicating a predetermined index value. Additional table index can be added to refer a different min / max / average size value of PDU set information.

[0120] Instead of having a configured time window in the examples above, the reports of discarded packets / PDU Set / data volume and delayed PDU Sets can instead indicate the difference from the previous report. That is the time window is taken from the previous reports. E.g. At time T1 UE report X discarded packet since start of application session. At time T2 the UE reports again Y discarded packets since T1.

[0121] The UE can in some examples be configured with different trigger conditions for each ISI.

[0122] For example:

[0123] • ISI=1-4 may be periodic with some interval or event based (e.g. data arrives in the UE) or threshold based

[0124] • I SI =5-8 may be on the request from the network or periodic with some configured interval of X ms or threshold based (e.g. when discarded volume / nrof packets / PDU Sets exceed a configured threshold)

[0125] • ISI=9-11 may be event based, i.e., when the periodicity is changed / updated or when a new traffic type is started

[0126] If the ISI is associated with a mixture of different types of information, if any of related triggering conditions is met, the report is triggered. For example, a given time T 1 , when a new packet of existing traffic type 1 arrives, it triggers the report including buffer information. Then, when a new traffic type 2 is generated and a new packet from traffic type 1 arrives, it triggers the report including both buffer and traffic information. A network can further configure which triggering conditions or the type of information to be reported. For example, a network may only allow ISI 1-4 to be reported since observability and traffic information are not needed.

[0127] The UE when reporting the MAC CE can flexibly select the elements which the message will contain. Figure 6 illustrates an example of a table that exemplifies the content that a UE buffer information status MAC CE could contain.

[0128] Figure 7 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0129] In the example, the communication system QQ100 includes a telecommunication network QQ102 that includes an access network QQ104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network QQ106, which includes one or more core network nodes QQ108. The access network QQ104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes QQ110a and QQ110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes QQ110), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network QQ102 includes one or more Open- RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network QQ102 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network QQ102, including one or more network nodes QQ110 and / or core network nodes QQ108.

[0130] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an A1, F1, W1, E1, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes QQ110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs QQ112a, QQ112b, QQ112c, and QQ112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs QQ112) to the core network QQ106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0131] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system QQ100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system QQ100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0132] The UEs QQ112 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes QQ110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes QQ110 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs QQ112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network QQ102 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network QQ102.

[0133] In the depicted example, the core network QQ106 connects the network nodes QQ110 to one or more host computing systems, such as host QQ116. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network QQ106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node QQ108) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node QQ108. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (ALISF), Subscription Identifier Deconcealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0134] The host QQ116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network QQ104 and / or the telecommunication network QQ102. The host QQ116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0135] As a whole, the communication system QQ100 of Figure 7 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low- power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0136] In some examples, the telecommunication network QQ102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network QQ102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network QQ102. For example, the telecommunications network QQ102 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0137] In some examples, the UEs QQ112 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network QQ104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network QQ104. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved- UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0138] In the example, the hub QQ114 communicates with the access network QQ104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node QQ110b). In some examples, the hub QQ114 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub QQ114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network QQ106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes QQ110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub QQ114. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR device, display, loudspeaker, or other media delivery device, the hub QQ114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub QQ114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub QQ114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0139] The hub QQ114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node QQ110b. The hub QQ114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub QQ114 and UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d), and between the hub QQ114 and the core network QQ106. In other examples, the hub QQ114 is connected to the core network QQ106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub QQ114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network QQ104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes QQ110 while still connected via the hub QQ114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node QQ110b. In other embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node QQ110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0140] Figure 8 shows a UE QQ200 in accordance with some embodiments. The UE QQ200 presents additional details of some embodiments of the UE QQ112 of Figure 7. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage / playback device, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), an Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB- loT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0141] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0142] The UE QQ200 includes processing circuitry QQ202 that is operatively coupled via a bus QQ204 to an input / output interface QQ206, a power source QQ208, a memory QQ210, a communication interface QQ212, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 8. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc. The processing circuitry QQ202 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory QQ210. The processing circuitry QQ202 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry QQ202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). The processing circuitry QQ202 may be configured to cause the UE QQ202 to perform the methods as described with reference to Figure 4.

[0143] In the example, the input / output interface QQ206 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE QQ200. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0144] In some embodiments, the power source QQ208 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source QQ208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source QQ208 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE QQ200 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source QQ208. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source QQ208 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE QQ200 to which power is supplied. The memory QQ210 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory QQ210 includes one or more application programs QQ214, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data QQ216. The memory QQ210 may store, for use by the UE QQ200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0145] The memory QQ210 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUlCC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory QQ210 may allow the UE QQ200 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory QQ210, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0146] The processing circuitry QQ202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface QQ212. The communication interface QQ212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna QQ222. The communication interface QQ212 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter QQ218 and / or a receiver QQ220 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter QQ218 and receiver QQ220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna QQ222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0147] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface QQ212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0148] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface QQ212, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0149] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0150] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smartwatch, a fitness tracker, a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE QQ200 shown in Figure 8.

[0151] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-loT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0152] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0153] Figure 9 shows a network node QQ300 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU). Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an O- RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0154] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0155] The network node QQ300 includes a processing circuitry QQ302, a memory QQ304, a communication interface QQ306, and a power source QQ308. The network node QQ300 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node QQ300 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node QQ300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory QQ304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna QQ310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node QQ300 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node QQ300, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node QQ300. The processing circuitry QQ302 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node QQ300 components, such as the memory QQ304, to provide network node QQ300 functionality. For example, the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to cause the network node to perform the methods as described with reference to Figure 5.

[0156] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and the baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0157] The memory QQ304 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry QQ302. The memory QQ304 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry QQ302 and utilized by the network node QQ300. The memory QQ304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry QQ302 and / or any data received via the communication interface QQ306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 and memory QQ304 is integrated.

[0158] The communication interface QQ306 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface QQ306 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) QQ316 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface QQ306 also includes radio front-end circuitry QQ318 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna QQ310. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 comprises filters QQ320 and amplifiers QQ322. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may be connected to an antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters QQ320 and / or amplifiers QQ322. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna QQ310.

[0159] Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna QQ310 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry QQ318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry QQ302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0160] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node QQ300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry QQ318, instead, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes radio frontend circuitry and is connected to the antenna QQ310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 is part of the communication interface QQ306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface QQ306 includes one or more ports or terminals QQ316, the radio front-end circuitry QQ318, and the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface QQ306 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry QQ314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0161] The antenna QQ310 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna QQ310 may be coupled to the radio frontend circuitry QQ318 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna QQ310 is separate from the network node QQ300 and connectable to the network node QQ300 through an interface or port.

[0162] The antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna QQ310, the communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0163] The power source QQ308 provides power to the various components of network node QQ300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source QQ308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node QQ300 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source QQ308. As a further example, the power source QQ308 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0164] Embodiments of the network node QQ300 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 9 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node QQ300 and to allow output of information from the network node QQ300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node QQ300. In some embodiments providing a core network node, such as core network node 108 of FIGURE 7, some components, such as the radio front-end circuitry QQ318 and the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 may be omitted.

[0165] Figure 10 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment QQ400 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments QQ400 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment QQ400 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface. Virtualization may facilitate distributed implementations of a network node, UE, core network node, or host.

[0166] Applications QQ402 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0167] Hardware QQ404 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers QQ406 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs QQ408a and QQ408b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs QQ408), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer QQ406 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs QQ408.

[0168] The VMs QQ408 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer QQ406. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance QQ402 may be implemented on one or more of VMs QQ408, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0169] In the context of NFV, a VM QQ408 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs QQ408, and that part of hardware QQ404 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs QQ408 on top of the hardware QQ404 and corresponds to the application QQ402. Hardware QQ404 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware QQ404 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware QQ404 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration QQ410, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications QQ402. In some embodiments, hardware QQ404 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system QQ412 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0170] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non- computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0171] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

Claims

Claims1. A method (400) performed by a User Equipment, UE, for sending a message to a network node, the method comprising: sending (402) a message to a network node, wherein the message includes: at least one first set of information, wherein each of the at least one first set of information is associated with a respective set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE; and an indication indicating whether the message includes at least one further set of information associated with a further set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication comprises: a respective indication in each of the at least one first set of information that indicates whether another set of information follows the first set of information; a presence or absence of a respective indication in each of the at least one first set of information, wherein the presence or absence of the respective indication indicates whether another set of information follows the first set of information; and / or an indication identifying a number of the at least one set of first information.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the respective indication in each of the at least one first set of information that indicates whether another set of information follows the first set of information comprises: a first value if another set of information follows the first set of information; and a second value different to the first value if no other set of information follows the first set of information.

4. The method of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the set of data associated with each first set of information comprises one or more of: a set of data in a buffer; a set of data for a logical channel; a set of data for a logical channel group; a set of data transmitted by the UE; a set of data to be transmitted by the UE; a Protocol Data Unit, PDU, Set; a set of data with a predetermined traffic type; a set of data expected to be transmitted by the UE within a predetermined time range.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein each set of first information identifies one or more of the following types of information: an identifier of the types of information in the first set of information; a size or amount of the associated set of data; a number of PDU Sets in the associated set of data; a number of discarded data units in the associated set of data; a number of discarded PDU Sets in the associated set of data; a size or amount of discarded data in the associated set of data; a number of delayed data units in the associated set of data; a number of delayed PDU Sets in the associated set of data; a size or amount of delayed data in the associated set of data; a time range in which the UE expects to transmit the associated set of data; a jitter of the associated set of data; a periodicity of the associated set of data; an importance of the associated set of data; a number of subsets of data in the associated set of data; information associated with one or more of the subsets of data; a Delay Status Report, DSR, for the associated set of data; a remaining time in a Packet Delay Budget, PDB, of the associated set of data; a remaining time until discard of the associated set of data.

6. The method of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein each set of first information identifies one or more of the following types of information: a logical channel identifier, LCID, for the associated set of data; a logical channel group, LCG, identifier for the associated set of data; a data radio bearer, DRB, associated with the associated set of data; a buffer containing the associated set of data; a traffic type of the associated set of data.

7. The method of claim 5 or 6, wherein each of at least a subset of the one or more types of information identifies an entry in a respective table and / or a range of values.

8. The method of any of claims 5 to 7, wherein sending (402) the message to a network node is performed: periodically for a first subset of the one or more types of information; and in response to a trigger or a request from the network node for a second subset of the one or more types of information different to the first subset.

9. The method of any of claims 5 to 8, comprising receiving, from the network node, an indication of one or more types of information to include in the message.

10. The method of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the message comprises a Control Element, CE, Media Access Control, MAC, Control Element, MAC CE, MAC message, or Buffer Status Report, BSR.

11. The method of any of claims 1 to 10, comprising: determining a format of the at least one first set of information and / or the indication from a standard; and / or determining a format of the at least one first set of information and / or the indication from a configuration received from the network node.

12. The method of any of claims 1 to 11 , wherein sending (402) the message to a network node is performed: periodically; and / or in response to an event or trigger.

13. The method of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein: the at least one first set of information comprises a plurality of first sets of information; and the first sets of information are included consecutively in the message.

14. The method of any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the network node comprises a base station, eNodeB, eNB, or gNodeB, gNB.

15. A method (500) performed by a network node for receiving a message from a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising: receiving (502) a message from a UE, wherein the message includes: at least one first set of information, wherein each of the at least one first set of information is associated with a respective set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE; and an indication indicating whether the message includes at least one further set of information associated with a further set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the indication comprises:a respective indication in each of the at least one first set of information that indicates whether another set of information follows the first set of information; a presence or absence of a respective indication in each of the at least one first set of information, wherein the presence or absence of the respective indication indicates whether another set of information follows the first set of information; and / or an indication identifying a number of the at least one set of first information.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the respective indication in each of the at least one first set of information that indicates whether another set of information follows the first set of information comprises: a first value if another set of information follows the first set of information; and a second value different to the first value if no other set of information follows the first set of information.

18. The method of any of claims 15 to 17, wherein the set of data associated with each first set of information comprises one or more of: a set of data in a buffer; a set of data for a logical channel; a set of data for a logical channel group; a set of data transmitted by the UE; a set of data to be transmitted by the UE; a Protocol Data Unit, PDU, Set; a set of data with a predetermined traffic type; a set of data expected to be transmitted by the UE within a predetermined time range.

19. The method of any of claims 15 to 18, wherein each set of first information identifies one or more of the following types of information: an identifier of the types of information in the first set of information; a size or amount of the associated set of data; a number of PDU Sets in the associated set of data; a number of discarded data units in the associated set of data; a number of discarded PDU Sets in the associated set of data; a size or amount of discarded data in the associated set of data; a number of delayed data units in the associated set of data; a number of delayed PDU Sets in the associated set of data; a size or amount of delayed data in the associated set of data; a time range in which the UE expects to transmit the associated set of data;a jitter of the associated set of data; a periodicity of the associated set of data; an importance of the associated set of data; a number of subsets of data in the associated set of data; information associated with one or more of the subsets of data; a Delay Status Report, DSR, for the associated set of data; a remaining time in a Packet Delay Budget, PDB, of the associated set of data; a remaining time until discard of the associated set of data.

20. The method of any of claims 15 to 19, wherein each set of first information identifies one or more of the following types of information: a logical channel identifier, LCID, for the associated set of data; a logical channel group, LCG, identifier for the associated set of data; a data radio bearer, DRB, associated with the associated set of data; a buffer containing the associated set of data; a traffic type of the associated set of data.

21. The method of claim 19 or 20, wherein each of at least a subset of the one or more types of information identifies an entry in a respective table and / or a range of values.

22. The method of any of claims 19 to 21, wherein receiving (502) the message from the UE is performed: periodically for a first subset of the one or more types of information; and in response to a trigger or a request from the network node to the UE for a second subset of the one or more types of information different to the first subset.

23. The method of any of claims 19 to 22, comprising sending, to the UE, an indication of one or more types of information to include in the message.

24. The method of any of claims 15 to 23, wherein the message comprises a Control Element, CE, Media Access Control, MAC, Control Element, MAC CE, MAC message, or Buffer Status Report, BSR.

25. The method of any of claims 15 to 24, comprising: determining a format of the at least one first set of information and / or the indication from a standard; and / orsending a configuration of a format of the at least one first set of information and / or the indication to the UE.

26. The method of any of claims 15 to 25, wherein sending the message to a network node is performed: periodically; and / or in response to an event or trigger.

27. The method of any of claims 15 to 26, wherein: the at least one first set of information comprises a plurality of first sets of information; and the first sets of information are included consecutively in the message.

28. The method of any of claims 15 to 27, wherein the network node comprises a base station, eNodeB, eNB, or gNodeB, gNB.

29. A tangible, non-transient computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform operations in a User Equipment, UE, for sending a message to a network node, the operations comprising: sending (402) a message to a network node, wherein the message includes: at least one first set of information, wherein each of the at least one first set of information is associated with a respective set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE; and an indication indicating whether the message includes at least one further set of information associated with a further set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, comprising instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform the method (400) of any of claims 2 to 14.

31. A tangible, non-transient computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform operations in a network node for receiving a message from a User Equipment, UE, the operations comprising: receiving (502) a message from a UE, wherein the message includes:at least one first set of information, wherein each of the at least one first set of information is associated with a respective set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE; and an indication indicating whether the message includes at least one further set of information associated with a further set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, comprising instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform the method (500) of any of claims 16 to 28.

33. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to carry out the method (400, 500) according to any of claims 1 to 28.

34. A computer program, comprising instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to carry out the method (400, 500) according to any of claims 1 to 28.

35. A carrier containing the computer program of claim 34, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, optical signal, radio signal, or computer-readable medium.

36. Apparatus in a User Equipment, UE, for sending a message to a network node, the apparatus comprising processing circuitry and a memory, the apparatus configured to: send (402) a message to a network node, wherein the message includes: at least one first set of information, wherein each of the at least one first set of information is associated with a respective set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE; and an indication indicating whether the message includes at least one further set of information associated with a further set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform the method (400) of any of claims 2 to 14.

38. Apparatus in a network node for receiving a message from a User Equipment, UE, the apparatus comprising processing circuitry and a memory, the apparatus configured to: receive (502) a message from a UE, wherein the message includes:at least one first set of information, wherein each of the at least one first set of information is associated with a respective set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE; and an indication indicating whether the message includes at least one further set of information associated with a further set of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the UE.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform the method (500) of any of claims 16 to 28.

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