U.S. patent application number 16/700441 was filed with the patent office on 2020-04-02 for method for signaling ran profile index and radio communication equipment using the same.
The applicant listed for this patent is FG Innovation Company Limited. Invention is credited to Chie-Ming Chou, Yung-Lan Tseng.
Application Number | 20200107251 16/700441 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004500812 |
Filed Date | 2020-04-02 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200107251 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chou; Chie-Ming ; et
al. |
April 2, 2020 |
METHOD FOR SIGNALING RAN PROFILE INDEX AND RADIO COMMUNICATION
EQUIPMENT USING THE SAME
Abstract
A method includes transmitting a RAN profile indexing message
from a cell to a user equipment (UE) within the cell's radio
coverage, the RAN profile indexing message comprising a plurality
of sets of RAN parameters corresponding to a plurality of physical
layer configurations, and a plurality of indices corresponding to
the plurality of sets of RAN parameters. The method also includes
transmitting a downlink control information message to the UE
indicating a resource block allocated for the UE, and an index
corresponding to one of the plurality of sets of RAN parameters.
The method further includes performing a RAN profile indexing
operation to define the plurality of sets of RAN parameters
corresponding to a plurality of physical layer configurations, and
assigning the plurality of indices to the plurality of sets of RAN
parameters.
Inventors: |
Chou; Chie-Ming; (HSINCHU,
TW) ; Tseng; Yung-Lan; (Taipei City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
FG Innovation Company Limited |
Tuen Mun |
|
CN |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004500812 |
Appl. No.: |
16/700441 |
Filed: |
December 2, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15666319 |
Aug 1, 2017 |
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16700441 |
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62369847 |
Aug 2, 2016 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 72/042 20130101;
H04W 72/044 20130101; H04W 72/048 20130101; H04W 48/12 20130101;
H04L 5/0091 20130101; H04L 5/0023 20130101; H04W 48/16 20130101;
H04L 5/0028 20130101; H04L 5/0055 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 48/16 20060101
H04W048/16; H04W 48/12 20060101 H04W048/12; H04L 5/00 20060101
H04L005/00; H04W 72/04 20060101 H04W072/04 |
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. A method for signaling configuration index, the method
comprising: transmitting, by a cell, a configuration indexing
message to a user equipment (UE), the configuration indexing
message comprising a plurality of sets of parameters corresponding
to a plurality of configurations, and a plurality of indices
corresponding to the plurality of sets of parameters; and
transmitting, by the cell, a downlink control information (DCI)
message to the UE indicating at least one resource block (RB)
allocated for the UE, and at least one index corresponding to at
least one set of parameters in the plurality of sets of
parameters.
22. The method of claim 21 further comprising: receiving, by the
cell, a confirmation message from the UE that indicates at least
one of the plurality of indices that is associated with a
configuration not supported by the UE.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein transmitting the DCI message
comprises transmitting, by the cell, the DCI message to the UE
based on the confirmation message received from the UE.
24. The method of claim 22 further comprising: reconfiguring, by
the cell, the plurality of sets of parameters and the corresponding
plurality of indices based on the confirmation message; and
transmitting a radio resource control (RRC) message to the UE
indicating changes to the plurality of sets of parameters and the
corresponding plurality of indices, wherein the changes to the
plurality of sets of parameters and the corresponding plurality of
indices comprise at least one of adding a new index for a new
configuration, removing an existing index, modifying one of the
plurality of sets of parameters, and canceling at least one of the
plurality of indices.
25. The method of claim 21 further comprising: receiving, by the
cell, an acknowledgement message from the UE indicating that the UE
supports all of the plurality of indices in the configuration
indexing message.
26. The method of claim 21 further comprising: maintaining the
plurality of sets of parameters and the corresponding plurality of
indices after transmitting the configuration indexing message to
the UE for a predefined time period.
27. The method of claim 26 further comprising: reconfiguring, after
an expiration of the predefined time period, the plurality of sets
of parameters and the corresponding plurality of indices; and
transmitting an RRC message to the UE indicating the reconfigured
plurality of sets of parameters and the corresponding plurality of
indices.
28. The method of claim 21, wherein transmitting the configuration
indexing message comprises broadcasting the configuration indexing
message to the UE using a system information (SI) message.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein the broadcasting the
configuration indexing message using the SI message comprises
broadcasting the SI message periodically using a broadcasting
channel (BCH).
30. The method of claim 21, wherein transmitting the configuration
indexing message comprises signaling the configuration indexing
message to the UE using a unicast RRC message.
31. The method of claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of sets
of parameters comprises at least one of a subcarrier spacing value,
a channel coding mode and cyclic prefix length value, a
transmission time interval (TTI) value, and a multiplexing
mode.
32. A base station comprising: one or more non-transitory
computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for
signaling configuration index; and at least one processor coupled
to the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, and
configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:
transmit a configuration indexing message to a user equipment (UE),
the configuration indexing message comprising a plurality of sets
of parameters corresponding to a plurality of configurations, and a
plurality of indices corresponding to the plurality of sets of
parameters; and transmit a downlink control information (DCI)
message to the UE indicating at least one resource block (RB)
allocated for the UE, and at least one index corresponding to at
least one set of parameters in the plurality of sets of
parameters.
33. The base station of claim 32, wherein the at least one
processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable
instructions to: receive a confirmation message from the UE that
indicates at least one of the plurality of indices that is
associated with a configuration not supported by the UE.
34. The base station of claim 33, wherein the computer-executable
instructions to transmit the DCI message comprise
computer-executable instructions to transmit the DCI message to the
UE based on the confirmation message received from the UE.
35. The base station of claim 32, wherein the at least one
processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable
instructions to: reconfigure the plurality of sets of parameters
and the corresponding plurality of indices based on the
confirmation message; and transmit a radio resource control (RRC)
message to the UE indicating changes to the plurality of sets of
parameters and the corresponding plurality of indices, wherein the
changes to the plurality of sets of parameters and the
corresponding plurality of indices comprise at least one of adding
a new index for a new configuration, removing an existing index,
modifying one of the plurality of sets of parameters, and canceling
at least one of the plurality of indices.
36. The base station of claim 32, wherein each of the plurality of
sets of parameters comprises at least one of a subcarrier spacing
value, a channel coding mode and cyclic prefix length value, a
transmission time interval (TTI) value, and a multiplexing
mode.
37. The base station of claim 32, wherein the at least one
processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable
instructions to: maintain the plurality of sets of parameters and
the corresponding plurality of indices after transmitting the
configuration indexing message to the UE for a predefined time
period.
38. The base station of claim 37, wherein the at least one
processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable
instructions to: reconfigure, after an expiration of the predefined
time period, the plurality of sets of parameters and the
corresponding plurality of indices; and transmit an RRC message to
the UE indicating the reconfigured plurality of sets of parameters
and the corresponding plurality of indices.
39. The base station of claim 32, wherein the computer-executable
instructions to transmit the configuration indexing message
comprise computer-executable instructions to broadcast the
configuration indexing message to the UE using a system information
(SI) message.
40. The base station of claim 39, wherein the computer-executable
instructions to broadcast the configuration indexing message using
the SI message comprise computer-executable instructions to
broadcast the SI message periodically using a broadcasting channel
(BCH).
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] The present application is related to provisional U.S.
Patent Application Ser. No. 62/369,847 filed Aug. 2, 2016, entitled
"METHOD FOR SIGNALING RAN SLICING INDEX AND RADIO COMMUNICATION
EQUIPMENT USING THE SAME," Attorney Docket No. US60408 (hereinafter
referred to as "US60408 application"). The disclosure of the
US60408 application is hereby incorporated fully by reference into
the present application.
FIELD
[0002] The present application generally relates to wireless
communications, and pertains particularly to a method for signaling
radio access network (RAN) profile indexing and radio communication
equipment using the same.
BACKGROUND
[0003] New Radio (NR) has been discussed in the 3rd Generation
Partnership Project (3GPP) as a key technology for supporting the
operation of the next generation (the fifth generation (5G))
wireless network. NR technology is expected to provide flexible
radio protocol structure and architecture to accommodate a wide
variety of service scenario requirements, such as high throughput,
high reliability, low latency, and lower energy consumption.
[0004] RAN slicing (also referred to as RAN profile) is envisioned
as one of the key enabling technology for NR. It is desirable for a
cell to dynamically configure the RAN profile settings to
accommodate the communication capability and service requirements
of each user equipment in the cell. However, significant signaling
overhead may be required every time the UE communicates (e.g.,
transmission/reception) with a base station, resulting in a waste
of network resources and significant energy consumption.
[0005] Thus, there is a need in the art for a method for providing
RAN profile information with reduced signaling overhead and
latency.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] Aspects of the exemplary disclosure are best understood from
the following detailed description when read with the accompanying
figures. Various features are not drawn to scale, dimensions of
various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for
clarity of discussion.
[0007] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a RAN profile indexing
operation for a radio communication system, according to an
exemplary implementation of the present application.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method for signaling RAN
profile indexing, according to an exemplary implementation of the
present application.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a cell-specific RAN profile
indexing operation, according to an exemplary implementation of the
present application.
[0010] FIG. 4A is a flowchart illustrating a method for signaling
RAN profile indexing under a cell-specific RAN profile
architecture, according to an exemplary implementation of the
present application.
[0011] FIG. 4B is a flowchart illustrating a method for signaling
RAN profile indexing, according to an exemplary implementation of
the present application.
[0012] FIG. 4C is a flowchart illustrating a method for signaling
RAN profile indexing after a predefined time interval, according to
an exemplary implementation of the present application.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a user-specific RAN profile
indexing operation, according to an exemplary implementation of the
present application.
[0014] FIG. 6A is a flowchart illustrating a method for a UE to
communicate with a cell, according to an exemplary implementation
of the present application.
[0015] FIG. 6B is a flowchart illustrating a method for signaling
RAN profile indexing under a user-specific RAN profile
architecture, according to an exemplary implementation of the
present application.
[0016] FIG. 6C is a flowchart illustrating a method for signaling
RAN profile indexing under a user-specific RAN profile
architecture, according to an exemplary implementation of the
present application.
[0017] FIG. 7 is a diagram of an indexing format in the form of an
information element, according to an exemplary implementation of
the present application.
[0018] FIG. 8 is a diagram of a bitmap indexing format, according
to an exemplary implementation of the present application.
[0019] FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating a method for RAN profile
signaling, according to an exemplary implementation of the present
application.
[0020] FIG. 9B is a diagram illustrating a method for RAN profile
signaling, according to an exemplary implementation of the present
application.
[0021] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a radio communication
equipment, according to an exemplary implementation of the present
application.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] The following description contains specific information
pertaining to implementations in the present application. The
drawings in the present application and their accompanying detailed
description are directed to merely exemplary implementations.
Unless noted otherwise, like or corresponding elements among the
figures may be indicated by like or corresponding reference
numerals. Moreover, the drawings and illustrations in the present
application are generally not to scale, and are not intended to
correspond to actual relative dimensions.
[0023] For the purpose of consistency and ease of understanding,
like features are identified (although, in some examples, not
shown) by numerals in the exemplary figures. However, the features
in different implementations may be differed in other respects, and
thus shall not be narrowly confined to what is shown in the
figures.
[0024] The description uses the phrases "in one implementation," or
"in some implementations," which may each refer to one or more of
the same or different implementations. The term "coupled" is
defined as connected, whether directly or indirectly through
intervening components, and is not necessarily limited to physical
connections. The term "comprising," when utilized, means
"including, but not necessarily limited to"; it specifically
indicates open-ended inclusion or membership in the so-described
combination, group, series and the equivalent.
[0025] Additionally, for the purposes of explanation and
non-limitation, specific details, such as functional entities,
techniques, protocols, standard, and the like are set forth for
providing an understanding of the described technology. In other
examples, detailed description of well-known methods, technologies,
system, architectures, and the like are omitted so as not to
obscure the description with unnecessary details.
[0026] Persons skilled in the art will immediately recognize that
any network function(s) or algorithm(s) described in the present
disclosure may be implemented by hardware, software or a
combination of software and hardware. Described functions may
correspond to modules may be software, hardware, firmware, or any
combination thereof. The software implementation may comprise
computer executable instructions stored on computer readable medium
such as memory or other type of storage devices. For example, one
or more microprocessors or general purpose computers with
communication processing capability may be programmed with
corresponding executable instructions and carry out the described
network function(s) or algorithm(s). The microprocessors or general
purpose computers may be formed of applications specific integrated
circuitry (ASIC), programmable logic arrays, and/or using one or
more digital signal processor (DSPs). Although some of the
exemplary implementations described in this specification are
oriented to software installed and executing on computer hardware,
nevertheless, alternative exemplary implementations implemented as
firmware or as hardware or combination of hardware and software are
well within the scope of the present disclosure.
[0027] The computer readable medium includes but is not limited to
random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), erasable
programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable
programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disc
read-only memory (CD ROM), magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,
magnetic disk storage, or any other equivalent medium capable of
storing computer-readable instructions.
[0028] The present application provides a method for signaling RAN
parameters adopting a RAN profile indexing mechanism to facilitate
the transmission and reception operations, where the RAN profile
indices correspond to the physical layer configurations between a
cell in a radio access network and at least one mobile station
(e.g., a UE). By using the indexing mechanism to indicate the RAN
profile information, the amount of signaling overhead and latency
incurred for RAN profile may be greatly reduced, while supporting
the flexibility of NR network system.
[0029] A radio communication network architecture (e.g., a long
term evolution (LTE) system, a LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system, or a
LTE-Advanced Pro system) typically includes at least one base
station, at least one user equipment (UE), and one or more optional
network elements that provide connection towards a network. The UE
communicates with the network (e.g., a core network (CN), an
evolved packet core (EPC) network, an Evolved Universal Terrestrial
Radio Access (E-UTRA) network, a Next-Generation Core (NGC), or an
internet), through a radio access network (RAN) established by the
base station.
[0030] It should be noted that, in the present application, a UE
may include, but is not limited to, a mobile station, a mobile
terminal or device, a user communication radio terminal. For
example, a UE may be a portable radio equipment, which includes,
but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a tablet, a wearable device,
a sensor, or a personal digital assistant (PDA) with wireless
communication capability. The UE is configured to receive and
transmit signals over an air interface to one or more cells in a
radio access network.
[0031] A base station may include, but is not limited to, a node B
(NB) as in the LTE, an evolved node B (eNB) as in the LTE-A, a
radio network controller (RNC) as in the UMTS, a base station
controller (BSC) as in the GSM/GERAN, a new radio evolved node B
(NR eNB) as in the NR, a next generation node B (gNB) as in the NR,
and any other apparatus capable of controlling radio communication
and managing radio resources within a cell. The base station may
connect to serve the one or more UEs through a radio interface to
the network.
[0032] A base station may be configured to provide communication
services according to at least one of the following radio access
technologies (RATs): Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave
Access (WiMAX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM, often
referred to as 2G), GSM EDGE radio access Network (GERAN), General
Packet Radio Service (GRPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunication
System (UMTS, often referred to as 3G) based on basic wideband-code
division multiple access (W-CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA),
LTE, LTE-A, New Radio (NR, often referred to as 5G), and/or LTE-A
Pro. However, the scope of the present application should not be
limited to the above mentioned protocols.
[0033] The base station is operable to provide radio coverage to a
specific geographical area using a plurality of cells forming the
radio access network. The base station supports the operations of
the cells. Each cell is operable to provide services to at least
one UE within its radio coverage indicated by 3GPP TS 36.300, which
is hereby also incorporated by reference. More specifically, each
cell (often referred to as a serving cell) provides services to
serve one or more UEs within its radio coverage, (e.g., each cell
schedules the downlink and optionally uplink resources to at least
one UE within its radio coverage for downlink and optionally uplink
packet transmissions). The base station can communicate with one or
more UEs in the radio communication system through the plurality of
cells. A cell may allocate sidelink (SL) resources for supporting
proximity service (ProSe). Each cell may have overlapped coverage
areas with other cells.
[0034] As discussed above, the frame structure for NR is to support
flexible configurations for accommodating various next generation
(e.g., 5G) communication requirements, such as enhanced mobile
broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), ultra
reliable communication and low latency communication (URLLC) more
efficiently, while fulfilling high reliability, high data rate and
low latency requirements. The orthogonal frequency-division
multiplexing (OFDM) technology as agreed in 3GPP may serve as a
baseline for NR waveform. The scalable OFDM numerology, such as the
adaptive sub-carrier spacing, the channel bandwidth, and the Cyclic
Prefix (CP) may be also used. Additionally, three candidate coding
schemes are considered for NR: (1) low-density parity-check (LDPC),
(2) Polar Code, and (3) Turbo Code. The coding scheme adaption may
be configured based on the channel conditions and/or the service
applications.
[0035] Moreover, it is also considered that in a transmission time
interval Tx of a single NR frame, a downlink (DL) transmission
data, a guard period, and an uplink (UL) transmission data should
at least be included, where the respective portions of the DL
transmission data, the guard period, the UL transmission data
should also be configurable, for example, based on the network
dynamics of NR.
[0036] According to exemplary implementations of the present
application, various RAN profile techniques are adopted to support
the above-mentioned flexibilities in NR. FIG. 1 shows a diagram
illustrating a RAN profile operation of a cell, according to an
exemplary implementation of the present application. As shown in
FIG. 1, a cell may assign different resource blocks (RBs) RB1, RB2,
RB3, RB4, and RB5 to different UEs in a radio access network. Each
RB represents a set of radio resource including, but is not limited
to, a group of resource elements spanning a number of subcarriers
in the frequency domain and a number of symbols in the time domain.
Each RB may be configured to provide different PHY configurations.
As shown in FIG. 1, the transmission of sub-frame 101 precedes the
transmission of sub-frame 103.
[0037] A PHY configuration may comprise a OFDM numerology, a
sub-carrier spacing, a transmission type (e.g., DL, guard, SL, or
UL), a coding scheme, a modulation scheme, a transmission mode, and
the like. Additionally, a specific RAN profile may be configured
for a control channel (e.g., physical downlink control channel
(PDCCH)) between the cell and each of the UEs within the respective
cell coverage areas.
[0038] Different resource blocks may have the same or different PHY
configurations depending on the scheduling operation. For instance,
RB1 may be configured with 15 kHz sub-carrier spacing, 0.25 ms
transmission time interval (TTI), LDPC coding for DL transmission,
while RB2 may be configured with 60 kHz sub-carrier spacing, 0.75
ms TTI, and Turbo coding for UL transmission. The cell (e.g., eNB
in LTE/LTE-A, NR eNB in NR, or NR gNB in NR) may allocate resource
blocks RB1 and RB2 to UE1 and UE2, respectively, within sub-frame
101 depending on the capabilities of UE1 and UE2.
[0039] The cell may re-configure the PHY configurations in the next
transmission frame (e.g., sub-frame 103) depending on the required
transmission/reception criteria, such as the channel quality (e.g.,
CQI) between the cell and the UE, the service requirement of the UE
and/or the available network resource. For example, sub-frame 103
may have RB1 having the same block size as RB1 in sub-frame 101,
but with a different PHY configuration. The size of each resource
block may be variable and may be dynamically configured based on
the scheduling operation. For example, the size of RB5 allocated in
sub-frame 101 is larger than the size of RB5 in sub-frame 103.
[0040] Since a cell can dynamically configure RAN profile settings
based on the network operation or applications, the cell may need
to constantly communicate with the one or more UEs within its cell
coverage and send the physical layer configuration adoption
information to the UEs for the UEs to be able to properly
encode/decode the corresponding RBs, accordingly.
[0041] Accordingly, implementations of the present application
provide RAN profile indication signaling mechanisms for a NR
communication system capable of reducing the amount of signaling
overhead resulting from these dynamical PHY configurations, thereby
reducing the radio resource consumption during transmission as well
as the latency incurred between end-to-end transmissions.
[0042] According to an exemplary implementation of the present
application, a new radio communication system includes at least one
base station and at least one UE. The base station provides a radio
coverage for a specific geographical area forming a radio access
network using a plurality of cells. The cells are communicatively
linked to a base station, and the base station coordinates the
operations of the cells. The cells may have one or more overlapped
coverage areas. Each cell operatively allocates and schedules
downlink and uplink resources to the respective UE within its cell
coverage. Each cell may further allocate sidelink (SL) resources
for supporting proximity service (ProSe) communication.
[0043] Each cell performs a RAN profile indexing operation and
defines a plurality sets of RAN parameters, which corresponds to a
plurality of PHY configurations (e.g., PHY configuration 1 through
PRY configuration M, where M is an integer). Each cell may
dynamically apply one or more PHY configurations based on at least
one of the channel conditions, the amount of network resource
available, and the capability of the UE present in its cell
coverage. According to implementations of the present application,
a set of RAN parameters of a PHY configuration may include, but is
not limited to a sub-carrier spacing value (e.g., OFDM sub-carrier
spacing), a channel coding mode, a multiplexing mode, a modulation
mode, a frame type mode, a TTI interval value, a cyclic prefix
length value, and a transmission mode, which the UE should follow
and process PHY layer signals accordingly upon packet
transmission/reception.
[0044] During the execution of the RAN profile indexing operation,
each cell assigns each RAN profile PHY configuration 1 through PHY
configuration N with a corresponding index (e.g., Indices 1 through
N, wherein N is an integer). Each index has a specific mapping with
a PHY configuration (e.g., L1 configuration in LTE/LTE-A system).
The indices 1 through N and the RAN profile PHY configurations 1
through N have one to one correspondences. For example, Index 1 may
be configured to correspond to PHY configuration 1; Index 2 may be
configured to correspond to PHY configuration 2 and so on.
[0045] Thereafter, each cell can simply transmit an index
corresponding a particular set of RAN parameters, which in turn
corresponds to a particular RAN profile PHY configuration. That is,
the index represents the type of RAN profile applied to the
corresponding RB assigned to the corresponding UE during subsequent
transmission, thereby greatly reducing the signaling overhead and
the latency that may incur.
[0046] In one implementation, each cell may periodically signal the
RAN profile adaption by broadcasting the index or indices to
facilitate the transmission and reception operations between the
cell and the respective one or more UEs in the cell after executing
the RAN profile indexing operation.
[0047] In some implementations, each cell may send the RAN profile
indexing information to one or more UEs within its cell coverage
using unicast transmission, for example, when a UE enters the cell
coverage or upon receiving the request for system information (SI)
from the UE.
[0048] FIG. 2 shows a diagram illustrating a method for signaling
RAN profile indexing, according to an exemplary implementation of
the present application.
[0049] In block 210, a cell (e.g., NR eNB/gNB in NR system or eNB
in LTE/LTE-A) transmits (e.g., periodically or aperiodically) a RAN
profile indexing message to one or more UEs within its cell
coverage, for example, using a broadcasting channel (BCH). The RAN
profile indexing message at least contains information on RAN
profile settings having a plurality of sets of RAN parameters, and
a plurality of indices corresponding to the plurality of sets of
RAN parameters. Each of the plurality of sets of RAN parameters
correspond to a specific PHY configuration. A UE (e.g., UE 1), upon
receiving the RAN profile indexing message, stores the RAN profile
indexing information received for subsequent
communication/reception operations.
[0050] In block 220, the cell transmits the RAN profile indexing
message to the UE (e.g., UE 1) using a Downlink Control Information
(DCI) message in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). The
DCI message may comprise resource block allocation information and
an index corresponding to one of the plurality of sets of RAN
parameters for a specific RAN profile. For example, when the cell
decides to allocate a specific resource block (e.g., RB1 of FIG. 1)
in a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), in which the PHY
configuration 2 is applied for downlink (DL) transmission to the UE
(e.g., UE 1), the DCI message may contain information indicating
RB1 allocation and Index 2.
[0051] In one implementation, the cell may allocate the resource
block within the PDSCH through a scheduling operation. Scheduling
may involve known resource allocation techniques in the art, the
descriptions of which are hereby omitted for brevity.
[0052] In block 230, the UE decodes the DCI message received from
the cell, and obtains the resource block allocation information
(i.e., the allocation of assigned RB (e.g., RB1) in the PDSCH and
the corresponding RAN profile index (e.g., Index 2)). Based on the
RAN profile index, the UE further retrieves the PHY configuration
for the subsequent communication with the cell.
[0053] In block 240, the cell transmits a PDSCH containing the
downlink data for the UE in the allocated resource block (e.g.,
RB1) to the UE. In block 250, the UE decodes the allocated/assigned
resource block (e.g., RB1) in the PDSCH according to the PHY
configuration corresponding to the RAN profile index (e.g., index
2). By using the indexing mechanism for RAN profile, the UE can
decode the DL transmission data with the index information received
from the serving cell without requiring additional PHY
configuration information, thereby reducing signaling overhead and
latency.
[0054] In one implementation, the cell may execute a RAN profile
indexing operation and update RAN profile settings (e.g., modifies
RAN parameters) upon receiving the request for system information
from one or more UEs within its cell coverage. The cell may then
transmit the updates or the changes to the RAN profile settings to
the respective UEs within its cell coverage.
[0055] In one implementation, the cell may execute the RAN profile
indexing operation and update RAN profile settings upon receiving a
report from the core network (CN) indicating the backhaul
capability and types of service application processing. The cell
may then broadcast the updates or the changes to the RAN profile
settings to notify the UEs within its cell coverage.
[0056] In one implementation, it may be advantageous to allocate at
least one resource block (RB) with respective indices to the same
UE. In another implementation, it may be advantageous to allocate
the same RB with the respective indices to different UEs. In yet
another implementation, it may be advantageous to allocate
different RBs with the same index to different UEs.
[0057] For example, when a cell is communicating with two UEs
(e.g., UE 1 and UE 2) within its cell coverage, the cell may
allocate the same resource block to both UEs, but assigning
different indices indicating different modulation schemes. For
example, the cell may require UE 1 to apply non-orthogonal
multiplexing upon receiving the assigned RB, and require UE 2 to
apply orthogonal multiplexing upon receiving the assigned RB.
[0058] In one implementation, the base station may comprise a
plurality of radio communication equipments. The plurality of radio
communication equipments is configured to support the operation the
plurality of cells. More specifically, the radio communication
equipments may each be configured to allocate uplink, downlink,
and/or sidelink resources to one or more UEs within its cell
coverage. The radio communication equipments may each include a
built-in memory configured to store the indexing, the RAN profile
information and the relation to the physical layer configurations
of the corresponding cell.
[0059] It is worthy to note that the RAN profile indexing operation
may be either cell-based (cell-specific RAN profile) or user-based
(user-specific RAN profile) depending on the service requirement
and capability of the UE and/or the network resource and system
capability of the cell. In other words, RAN profile may be
performed based on the overall cell dynamics or performed to
accommodate the communication capability of the UE. Various
implementations on signaling RAN profile indexing in a radio
communication system are next described.
[0060] Cell-Specific RAN Profile Indexing Implementation
[0061] In a cell-specific RAN profile scenario, the RAN profile
indexing and physical layer configuration mapping may be common for
all serving UEs within the radio coverage of a specific cell.
However, different cells may have their own indexing mechanisms and
physical layer configuration mappings within their cell
coverages.
[0062] FIG. 3 illustrates a cell-specific RAN profile operation,
according to an exemplary implementation of the present
application. Exemplary radio communication system 300 includes a
radio access network (RAN) and a core network (CN). The RAN
comprises cell 310a and cell 310b. Each cell (e.g., cell 310a/310b)
covers a geographical area. The radio coverage of cells 310a and
310b may have an overlapped geographical area as depicted in FIG.
3. Cells 310a and 310b are communicatively linked to a base station
(e.g., a physical base station, not explicitly shown in FIG. 3).
The operations of cells 310a and 310b are coordinated by the base
station. Radio communication system 300 further includes UEs 313a
and 313b presently located within the radio coverage of cell 310a.
UE 313b is moving toward cell 310b, such that a handover procedure
may be implemented to UE 313b. During the handover procedure, cell
310a is the source cell and cell 310b is the target cell. Cell 310a
may adopt the indices 1 through 9 for indicating PHY configurations
1 through 9, respectively. Cell 310b may adopt indices 1' through
9' for indicating PHY configurations 1' through 9',
respectively.
[0063] Radio communication equipment 311a may be deployed in cell
310a to provide the radio converge to the corresponding cell area.
Radio communication equipment 311a communicates with the base
station, and provides services to UEs 313a and 313b. Radio
communication equipment 311b may be deployed in cell 310b to
provide the radio converge to the corresponding cell area. Radio
communication equipment 311b communicates with the base station,
and provides services to the UEs within its cell coverage.
[0064] FIG. 4A is a flowchart illustrating a method for signaling
RAN profile indexing provided in accordance to FIG. 3. The method
is applicable to both cells 310a and 310h in FIG. 3. For brevity,
only cell 310a is used as an example for a detailed elaboration of
the cell-specific RAN profile operation below.
[0065] In block 431, cell 310a configures a plurality of sets of
RAN parameters, each of which maps to a corresponding one of a
plurality of physical layer configurations (e.g., PHY
configurations). In block 433, cell 310a assigns an index to each
set of the RAN parameters. For example, cell 310a may assign
indices 1 through 9 to PHY configurations 1 through 9,
respectively. In block 435, cell 310a broadcasts a RAN profile
indexing message to all UEs within its cell coverage, where the RAN
profile indexing message contains information on the RAN profile
settings (e.g., the plurality of sets of RAN parameters) and the
corresponding indices. Cell 310a may broadcast the RAN profile
indexing message to all UEs within its cell coverage at
predetermined (periodic or aperiodic) time intervals. In block 437,
cell 310a transmits a DCI message to a UE within its cell coverage
to allocate resources to the UE, where DCI message may indicate a
resource block (RB) allocated for the UE, and an index
corresponding to one of the plurality of sets of RAN parameters. In
block 439, cell 310a transmits downlink data to the UE in the
allocated/assigned resource block in a PDSCH.
[0066] In one implementation, the CN in radio communication system
300 may recommend the indexing and the PHY configuration to cells
310a and 310h based on the operating criteria of the CN, such as
backhaul capability. Different cells may require different PHY
configurations to fulfill the end-to-end latency requirements. In
one implementation, the CN may include one or more network elements
for configuring RAN profile operation based on backhaul capability
between the cells in radio communication system 300. In another
implementation, the CN may inform the cells based on the backhaul
capability, and the cells may configure the RAN profile indexing
taking the backhaul capability into consideration.
[0067] In one implementation, cells 310a and 310b may adopt the
same indexing mechanism. For example, the PHY configurations 1
through 9 of the indices 1 through 9 for cell 310a may be the same
as that of indices 1' through 9' of the cell 310b. More
specifically, a default and common index table may be used in radio
communication system 300 for describing the associating physical
layer configurations, where the default and common index table may
be provided by the CN and recorded in the UE capability profile. In
such scenarios, cells 310a and 310b are not required to provide
physical layer configuration mappings. Rather, cells 310a and 310b
may provide indices that are supported within their coverages
through broadcasting or unicasting transmission.
[0068] In one implementation, cells 310a and 310b may adopt
different indexing mechanisms. For example, the indices 1 through 9
corresponding to the PHY configurations 1 through 9 adopted by cell
310a may be different from the indices 1' through 9' corresponding
to the PHY configurations 1' through 9' adopted by cell 310b. Each
cell (e.g., cell 310a/310b) may signal its indexing and physical
layer configurations mapping information within its coverage to the
serving UEs through broadcast or unicast transmission.
[0069] In one implementation, the cell may transmit the RAN profile
indexing information to the UE based on a request for system
information received from the UE. Specifically, when a UE (e.g., UE
313b) moves from one cell coverage (e.g., the radio coverage of
cell 310a) to a neighboring cell coverage (e.g., the radio coverage
of cell 310b), a RAN profile indexing acquisition procedures may be
required. UE 313b may perform a RAN profile indexing acquisition
procedure. In one implementation, according a RAN profile indexing
acquisition procedure, a serving cell may exchange the adopted RAN
profile indexing and physical layer configuration mapping
information with a target cell upon receiving a report from a UE
indicating that the channel quality of the target cell is better
than the serving cell after a predetermined time. The target cell
may feedback a RAN profile indexing difference (in comparison to
the serving cell) to the serving cell, and thereafter, the serving
cell may signal the difference in a unicast message to the UE. The
source cell may deliver (1) the physical layer configurations which
the UE could support to the target cell; and (2) the source cell's
RAN profile indexing and physical layer configuration mapping
information, which are configured to the UE, to the target cell.
So, the target cell can create the RAN profile indexing difference
based on the given information.
[0070] More specifically, FIG. 4B shows a flowchart illustrating a
method for signaling RAN profile information based on a request for
system information from a UE provided in accordance with FIG. 4A of
the present application.
[0071] In block 441, a cell (e.g., cell 310b) receives a request
(e.g., a request for system information) from a UE (e.g., UE 313b)
within its cell coverage, where the UE requests for the
transmission of the RAN profile indexing information and the
physical layer configuration mapping information, for example,
using a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH). In block 443, the
cell (e.g., cell 310b) may transmit the RAN profile indexing
message containing the RAN profile indexing and the physical layer
configuration mapping information to the UE, for example, in a
unicast manner.
[0072] As mentioned above, each of cells 310a and 310b may
reconfigure and change its RAN profile indexing based on the
channel quality between the cell and the corresponding UEs, the
network system capability, or the recommendation from the CN. The
cell may communicate with one or more UEs in its cell coverage
using a radio resource control (RRC) message (e.g., an
RRCConnectionReconfiguration message) in a downlink shared channel
to indicate the RAN profile changes thereafter.
[0073] In one implementation, the cell may reconfigure its RAN
indexing and physical layer configuration mapping information
either semi-statically or dynamically. For example, the RAN profile
may be updated or changed at a specific period of time. The radio
communication equipment at the cell and/or the UE may be equipped
with a timing element, which is configured to count to a
predetermined time after the cell transmits the RAN profile
indexing information to one or more UEs within its cell coverage.
Before the timing element counting to the predetermined time, the
cell may not make any updates to its current RAN profile indexing
and PHY configurations. In other words, after the cell had just
transmitted the RAN profile indexing information, the UE does not
have to keep tracking the indexing and physical layer configuration
mapping information until after the predetermined time expires.
[0074] FIG. 4C shows a flowchart illustrating a method for
signaling RAN profile indexing after a time interval provided,
according to an exemplary implementation of the present
application.
[0075] In block 451, after a cell (e.g., cell 310a) broadcasts a
current RAN profile indexing message within its cell coverage, for
example, using a BCH, the cell operatively initiates a timer
counting a predetermined/predefined time interval (e.g., a
modification period). In one implementation, the
predetermined/predefined time interval may be configured to be 80
ms as indicated in 3GPP TS 36.331, which is hereby incorporated by
reference. The predetermined/predefined time interval may be
configured by a system information (SI) message.
[0076] In block 452, the cell (e.g., cell 310a) determines whether
the predetermined/predefined time interval has expired according to
the counting result of the timer. When the predetermined/predefined
time interval has expired, the cell executes block 453. When the
predetermined/predefined time interval has not expired, the cell
maintains the current RAN profile settings and re-execute block
452.
[0077] In block 453, the cell (e.g., cell 310a) determines whether
to re-configure the current RAN profile indexing settings. The cell
can determine whether reconfiguration is needed based on the
information related to the network dynamics, such as channel
condition, feedback from the CN, and/or the capability report from
the UE. When the cell determines to re-configure the current RAN
profile indexing settings, the cell executes block 455. Otherwise,
the cell executes block 454 and maintains the current RAN profile
settings.
[0078] In block 455, after determined to re-configure the current
RAN profile indexing settings, the cell (e.g., cell 310a) may
execute the RAN profile indexing operation, and reconfigure the RAN
profile, flapping to the physical layer, and the associated
indexing settings. The cell may update the RAN profile settings
based on the information related to network dynamics provided by
the CN and/or cell loading.
[0079] In block 456, after the reconfiguration, the cell (e.g.,
cell 310a) may broadcast the updated RAN profile indexing message
containing the updated RAN profile indexing information within its
cell coverage using a BCH.
[0080] In one implementation, after the cell (e.g., cell 310a)
broadcasts the updates or the changes to the RAN profile settings
to notify the UEs within its cell using the BCH, the cell may
(re)initiate the timer and transmit a predetermined/predefined time
interval value to the UE using a BCH. The predetermined/predefined
time interval value may be the same or different from the
previously predetermined/predefined time interval value.
[0081] The RAN profile indexing and physical layer configuration
mapping may be also transmitted to the UE through a dedicated RRC
message, a periodic system information (SI), or on-demand SI. For
example, after the cell (e.g., the cell 310a) transmits the updated
RAN profile settings using BCH to notify a respective UE within its
cell. The cell may initiate the timer and transmit a dedicated RRC
message containing the predefined time interval value to the
specific UE by unicast using the communication link provided by the
respective cell.
[0082] In another implementation, when the UE sends the request for
reconfiguring the RAN profile information to the cell communicated
therewith after the cell had just broadcasted the current RAN
profile indexing message, the cell may not re-configure the current
RAN profile settings until after the expiration of the
predetermined/predefined time interval.
[0083] Under a RAN sharing scenario (e.g., collocated cells for
different public land mobile networks (PLMNs)), the cells may have
corresponding indexing and physical layer configuration mapping for
each PLMN. Different PLMN networks may adopt different RAN profile
settings based on the applications/services provided.
[0084] User-Specific RAN Profile Indexing Implementation
[0085] Different from the cell-specific RAN profile implementation,
under a user-specific RAN profile implementation, each UE may have
its own dedicated RAN profile indexing and physical layer
configuration mapping information within a cell coverage. The UEs
within one cell coverage may have the same or have different RAN
profile indexing settings.
[0086] FIG. 5 illustrates a user-specific RAN profile indexing
operation, according to an exemplary implementation of the present
disclosure. Exemplary radio communication system 500 includes a
radio access network (RAN) and a core network (CN). The RAN
includes cell 510a and cell 510b. Each cell (e.g., cell 510a or
cell 510b) covers a geographical area. the radio coverage of cells
510a and cell 510b may have an overlapped geographical area as
depicted in FIG. 5. The cells are communicatively linked to a base
station (e.g., a physical base station, not explicitly shown in
FIG. 5). The operations of cells 510a and 510b are coordinated by
the base station. UEs 513a and 513b are presently located within
the radio coverage of cell 510a, and served by cell 510a. UE 513b
is moving toward the cell 510b, such that a handover procedure may
be implemented to UE 513b. During the handover procedure, cell 510a
is the source cell and cell 510b is the target cell.
[0087] In FIG. 5, radio communication equipment 511a may be
deployed in cell 510a to provide the radio converge to the
corresponding cell area. Radio communication equipment 511a
communicates with the base station, and provides services to the
UEs 513a and 513b. Radio communication equipment 511b may be also
deployed in cell 510b to provide the radio converge to the
corresponding cell area. Radio communication equipment 511b
communicates with the base station, and provides services to the
UEs within its cell coverage.
[0088] UE 513a and UE 513b in the present implementation may
support different physical layer configurations due to their
different capabilities, therefore have different RAN profiles and
physical layer configurations. UE 513a and UE 513b may have
different sets of indices and physical layer configuration mapping.
Specifically, UE 513a may adopt indices 1 through 9 corresponding
to PHY configurations 1 through 9, respectively. UE 513b may adopt
indices r through 7' corresponding to PHY configurations 1' through
7', respectively.
[0089] Cells 510a and 510b may execute RAN profile indexing
operation based on their individual communication capabilities,
types of subscription, service requirements, and QoS requirements
of UEs 513a and 513b.
[0090] In one implementation, the CN in radio communication system
500 may recommend the indexing and the PHY configuration setting
related to UE indexing to cells 510a and 510b based on its network
operation criteria, such as fronthaul and backhaul capabilities.
Different cells may require different PHY configurations to fulfill
end-to-end latency requirements. In one implementation, the CN may
include one or more network elements for configuring RAN profile
settings based on the network operating criteria, such as the
fronthaul capability between the UEs and the cells and/or the
backhaul capability between the cells in radio communication system
500.
[0091] When a cell does not assign a RAN profile indexing to a UE,
(e.g., did not signal the UE with an assigned RAN profile indexing
during an RRC connection establishment phase), the UE may use a
default PHY configuration for resource block processing during the
transmission/reception operations as depicted in FIG. 6A.
[0092] FIG. 6A shows a flowchart illustrating a method for a UE to
communicate with a cell, according to an exemplary implementation
of the present disclosure.
[0093] In block 601, when a UE (e.g., UE 513b) moves from one cell
coverage (e.g., the radio coverage of cell 510a) to a neighboring
cell coverage (e.g., the radio coverage of cell 510b), the UE
establishes an RRC connection with the neighboring cell.
[0094] In block 603, the UE (e.g., UE 513b) determines whether the
neighboring cell, now the serving cell, has assigned any RAN
profile indexing to the UE.
[0095] When the UE (e.g., UE 513b) determines that the serving cell
(e.g., cell 510b) did not assign any RAN profile indexing to the
UE, during the RRC connection establishment, the UE may execute
block 607 to perform UL/DL/SL transmissions with the serving cell
using a predefined default RAN profile setting. The default PHY
configuration may be pre-configured and stored in a memory of the
UE.
[0096] When the UE (e.g., UE 513b) determines that the serving cell
(e.g., cell 510b) assigned the RAN profile indexing to the UE, the
UE executes block 605 to perform UL/DL/SL transmissions with the
serving cell (e.g., cell 510b) using an assigned RAN profile
setting.
[0097] When the cell (e.g., cell 510b) does assign a RAN profile
indexing to the UE, the cell may further indicate which respective
RRC states (e.g. a connected state, an inactive state, or an idle
state), that each index of the RAN profile indexing could be
applied for, as depicted by FIG. 6B. In some other implementations,
the cell may assign one RAN profile indexing with one specific RRC
state. So, the cell may configure more than one RAN profile
indexing to the UE, where each RAN profile indexing is configured
for a specific RRC state.
[0098] FIG. 6B is a flowchart illustrating a method for signaling
RAN profile indexing under a user-specific RAN profile
architecture, according to an exemplary implementation of the
present application. When the cell does not indicate the RAN
profile indexing during different states, the UE may treat the RAN
profile indexing as being common for all RRC states or only limited
for the current RRC state of the UE.
[0099] In block 621, when a UE (e.g., UE 513b) moves from a cell
coverage (e.g., the radio coverage of cell 510a) to a neighboring
cell coverage (e.g., the radio coverage of cell 510b), the
neighboring cell receives a handover preparation request from the
serving cell, and establishes an RRC connection with the UE (e.g.,
UE 513b). In block 623, the neighboring cell (now the serving cell)
(e.g., the cell 510b) determines whether to assign a RAN profile
indexing to the UE (e.g., the UE 513b).
[0100] When the serving cell (e.g., cell 510b) decides to assign a
RAN profile indexing to the UE (e.g., UE 513b) during an RRC
connection establishment, the serving cell executes block 625 to
transmit a DCI message to the UE informing the assigned RAN profile
indices and the corresponding RRC states for subsequent UL/DL/SL
transmissions, for example, through unicast.
[0101] When the serving cell (e.g., cell 510b) decides not to
assign a RAN profile indexing to the UE (e.g., UE 513b) during the
RRC connection establishment, the cell executes block 627 to
perform subsequent UL/DL/SL transmissions with the UE using a
default RAN profile setting for all RRC states.
[0102] In one implementation, a cell (e.g., cell 510a or 510b) may
exchange the RAN profile indexing associated with its serving UEs
with a neighboring cell (e.g. during handover preparation stage)
through an X2 interface. When a UE (e.g., UE 513b) moves from a
cell coverage (e.g., the radio coverage of cell 510a) to a target
cell coverage (e.g., the radio coverage of cell 510b), the RAN
profile indexing acquisition procedures may not be required when
the target cell supports the original RAN profile indexing (e.g.,
the RAN profile indexing and mapping at cell 510a). Moreover, when
no RAN profile indexing is received by the UE (e.g., UE 513b)
during the handover preparation stage, the UE may automatically
assume to use the original RAN profile indexing for
transmission/reception with the target cell (e.g., cell 510b) and
other UE(s) in the sidelink.
[0103] Additionally, under the user-specific RAN profile, the RAN
profile indexing may be re-configured either semi-statically or
dynamically within the same cell coverage (e.g., the radio coverage
of cell 510a or 510b). In one implementation, the cell (e.g., cell
510a or 510b) may re-configure the RAN profile indexing for a
specific UE based on the running applications and operating
conditions of the serving cell. In another implementation, the RAN
profile indexing may be re-assigned, when the UE (e.g., UE 513a or
513b) is roaming in another PLMN. In yet another implementation,
the RAN profile indexing may be re-assigned, when the UE (e.g., the
UE 513a or 513b) makes a state transition when the UE is moving
from one cell to another (e.g., during a handover process).
[0104] In one implementation, the cell (e.g., cell 510a or 510b)
may transmit the RAN profile indexing information by an RRC message
or a media access control (MAC) control element (CE).
[0105] FIG. 6C is a flowchart illustrating a method for signaling
RAN profile indexing under a user-specific RAN profile
architecture, according to an exemplary implementation of the
present application. In block 631, cell 510a configures a plurality
of RAN profile settings (e.g., a plurality of sets of RAN
parameters), each of which maps to a corresponding one of a
plurality of physical layer configurations (e.g., PHY
configurations), to at least one UE (e.g., UE 513a and UE 513b)
within its cell coverage. In block 633, cell 510a assigns a
corresponding index to each of the plurality of RAN profile
settings of UE 513a and UE 513b. For example, cell 510a may assign
indices 1 through 9 to PHY configurations 1 through 9 of UE 513a.
Cell 510a may also assign indices 1' through 7' to PHY
configurations 1' through 7' of UE 513b.
[0106] In block 635, cell 510a provides a RAN profile indexing
message to each of UE 513a and UE 513b, where each of the RAN
profile indexing messages contains information on the RAN profile
settings (e.g., a plurality of sets of RAN parameters) and the
corresponding indices. Cell 510a may provide the corresponding RAN
profile indexing message to each of UE 513a and UE 513b at
predetermined (periodic or aperiodic) time intervals. In one
implementation, cell 510a may provide different predetermined time
intervals to UE 513a and UE 513b.
[0107] In block 637, cell 510a transmits a DCI message to each of
UE 513a and UE 513b to allocate resources to each UE. In block 639,
cell 510a transmits downlink data to each of UE 513a and UE 513b in
the corresponding allocated/assigned resource blocks in a PDSCH. In
the present implementation, the messages (e.g., the RAN profile
indexing messages in block 635, and the DCI messages in block 637)
are provided to UE 513a and UE 513b, for example, through
unicast.
[0108] The present application further provides three aspects that
are considered for indexing signaling procedure. The three aspects
are: (I) Indexing Format for Index Signaling; (II) Acknowledgement
of the RAN profile indexing and Physical layer configuration
mapping from a specific UE; (III) Notification for changes to RAN
profile indexing.
[0109] I. Indexing Format for Indexing Signaling
[0110] In one implementation, the RAN profile indexing information
may take the form of an information element (IE). FIG. 7 shows an
exemplary index format in the form of an information element,
according to an exemplary implementation of the present
application.
[0111] As shown in FIG. 7, a RAN profile indexing format in the
form of an information element (IE) comprises indices 0 through k,
where k is an integer, and each index is associated with a
corresponding RAN parameter IE, which comprising a set of RAN
parameters. Each RAN parameter IE may include a set of physical
layer configuration fields. The physical layer configuration may
include, but is not limited to, a sub-carrier spacing, a
multiplexing scheme, a channel coding scheme, a transmission time
interval (TTI), a cyclic prefix and a modulation scheme, where the
field addresses may be associated with the adopted physical layer
parameters linked to the index assigned. In one implementation, the
IE may further include the RRC states that each RAN profile index
(or each RAN profile indexing) is associated with. Each index may
be associated with a set of fields within the IE.
[0112] For example, Index 0 may correspond to a sub-carrier spacing
#1, a multiplexing #1, a channel coding scheme #2, a TTI #1, a CP
#1, and a modulation scheme #1. Index 1 may correspond to a
sub-carrier spacing #1, a multiplexing #1, a channel coding scheme
#1, a TTI #1, a CP #1, and a modulation scheme #1. Index k may
correspond to a sub-carrier spacing #1, a multiplexing #3, a
channel coding scheme #1, a TTI #2, a CP #1, and a modulation
scheme #4.
[0113] It may be advantageous to have the IE cover more
transmission related parameters. Thus, the IE shall not be limited
by the listed fields/elements shown in FIG. 7. Moreover, a cell may
optionally append the fields in the IE based on its determination
from the channel condition, the network system capability, and the
UE's capability. For the fields that do not appear in the IE, the
UE is to apply a set of default parameters.
[0114] Among other advantages, using information element to
conveying RAN profile indexing for signaling procedure allows a
cell to flexibly construct PHY configurations and to map the PHY
configurations to the respective information elements based on the
criteria, such as channel condition, service requirement, quality
of service (QoS) requirements and the like.
[0115] FIG. 8 illustrates a diagram of a bitmap indexing format,
according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure.
In FIG. 8, a predetermined bitmap 810 may be used by a cell for
signaling RAN profile indexing. Bitmap 810 has a fixed length and
limited number of components. The components include, but are not
limited to, sub-carrier spacing 821, channel coding 823, TTI value
825, and CP length 827. Bits can be allocated to represent the
physical layer configuration settings, such as a sub-carrier
spacing value, a channel coding mode, a TTI value, a CP length
value, a multiplexing mode, and/or a frame type mode. The cell may
configure the specific PHY configuration setting by manipulating
specific bits. The UE can later translate the specific bitmaps to
the dedicated PHY configurations.
[0116] A cell may include a network element specifying the payload
lengths of all indexing formats, and append the bitmap for each
associated index. The bitmap format of RAN profile indexing is
valid for all cells and UEs within the radio communication system
and UEs regardless of cell-specific or user-specific RAN profile
indexing.
[0117] II. Acknowledgement of RAN Profile Indexing for a Specific
UE
[0118] In practice, a UE may or may not support all of the physical
layer configuration settings (e.g., PHY configurations) defined by
the serving cell. Thus, it is necessary for the UE to transmit an
acknowledge message or a confirmation message to the cell, after
receiving the RAN profile indexing information.
[0119] In one implementation, when the cell signals the RAN profile
indexing information in a unicast manner to a specific UE within
its cell coverage (e.g., a user-specific scenario), the UE may
respond with a confirmation message upon receiving the RAN profile
indexing information. More specifically, when the UE is capable of
supporting all the indices that the cell has assigned, the
confirmation message is an acknowledge message (e.g., ACK message),
indicating that all RAN profile indexing currently defined is
applicable.
[0120] When the UE does not support one or more indices, the
confirmation message may contain a list of one or more RAN profile
indices that are not supported by the UE, indicating one or more
PHY configurations that are not supported by the UE. The UE may
further indicate in the confirmation message the reasons why the UE
does not support the PHY configurations. The cell operatively
performs scheduling and transmission operations based on the type
of confirmation message received from the UE after a predetermined
period of time, and facilitates the subsequent processing
accordingly. The predetermined period of time starts counting after
the cell transmits the RAN profile indexing information to the UE
by unicast transmission.
[0121] Under the user-specific RAN profile indexing scenario, a
cell may re-configure the current RAN profile indexing and PHY
configurations upon receiving the confirmation message.
Specifically, the cell may re-configure or modify the current
indexing and PHY configuration settings based on the list of
unsupported RAN profile indexing information received from the
UE.
[0122] In one implementation, the cell may signal the RAN profile
indexing information in a broadcast manner (e.g., by a system
information message) to one or more UEs within its radio coverage
(e.g., a cell-specific scenario). During the establishment of an
RRC connection, a UE may acquire the RAN profile indexing
information from the serving cell, and report its capability during
a UE capability negotiation process.
[0123] More specifically, an indexing confirm information element
(IE) may be appended in a UECapabilityInformation message to
indicate the invalid or unsupported RAN profile indexing. Under the
cell-specific scenario, the cell does not re-configure the current
RAN profile indexing after receiving the indexing confirm IE.
Moreover, if the UE sends a UECapabilityInformation message to the
cell indicating the RAN profile indexing that the UE does not
support, the cell is configured to record the UE capability
information, and avoids using the specific RAN profile indexing for
the respective UE during scheduling operation. If a UE does not
support all the RAN profile indexing defined by the serving cell,
the serving cell is to serve the particular UE with a default
slicing setting, (e.g., considering the respective UE as a legacy
UE).
[0124] In one implementation, when the UE, of which the cell is
communicating with, is in an idle state, the UE is not required to
send an acknowledge or confirmation signal. Instead, the cell is
required to ensure that the RAN profile indexing and the associated
physical layer configuration mapping for idle state is supported by
all UEs.
[0125] III. Notification for the Changes to RAN Profile
Indexing
[0126] A cell may re-configure the RAN profile indexing. In one
implementation, the cell may re-configure the RAN profile indexing
upon request from the UE (e.g., a user-specific setting), the core
network, and/or the neighboring cell. The RAN profile indexing
reconfiguration may include at least one of adding a new RAN
profile indexing and the associated physical layer configuration
mapping, deleting an existing RAN profile indexing, modifying the
physical layer configuration for a specific RAN profile indexing,
and canceling all of the existing RAN profile indexing and the
associated physical layer configuration mapping.
[0127] In one implementation, the cell may transmit an
RRCConnectionReconfiguration message or a specific system
information with an action field specifying the changes to the RAN
profile to the serving UEs. The bits specified in the action field
in the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message are used to indicate
the changes to RAN profile information. Table 1 below illustrates
an example of RRC profile indexing change notification.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 RRC Profile Indexing Change Notification.
Bits Action 00 Add 01 Delete 10 Modify 11 Cancel
[0128] When the action field is set to "00", the cell indicates
that a new RAN profile indexing and mapping corresponding to a PHY
configuration is added. When the action field is set to "01", the
cell indicates that a specified RAN profile indexing is removed
from the RAN profile indexing listing. When the action field is set
to "10", the cell indicates that a change is made to an existing
RAN profile indexing setting. Moreover, if the cell uses the
information element for RAN profile indexing signaling, the cell
may transmit the RAN profile indexing with delta information
representing the modified portion of the physical layer
configuration. If the cell uses the bitmap form for RAN profile
indexing signaling, the cell may transmit a new bitmap.
[0129] In another implementation, the cell may use an RRC message,
such as ProfileAdd, ProfileDelete, ProfileModify, or ProfileCancel,
for various actions to the RAN profile indexing settings.
[0130] After the UE receives the change notification of RAN profile
indexing, the UE may respond with a confirmation message to
acknowledge the support of the RAN profile changes.
[0131] The present application provides a RAN profile indexing
operation for cell-specific RAN profile indexing. FIG. 9A shows a
diagram illustrating a method for RAN profile signaling, according
to an exemplary implementation of the present application.
[0132] In block 901, a cell transmits (e.g., periodically,
aperiodically, or on-demand) to a UE a system information block x
(SIBx), containing cell-specific RAN profile indexing information,
where all RAN profile indexing in the cell-specific RAN profile is
common (e.g., the same) among all UEs served by the cell. The cell
may use bitmap form indexing signaling to indicate the associated
PHY configuration for the respective index. An exemplary form of
SIBx is provided below merely for illustration,
TABLE-US-00002 SIBx{ Index 0:= 010111 . . . 10; Index 1:= 100111 .
. . 11; . . . Index 4:= 001010 . . . 01 }.
[0133] In block 903, the cell and the UE perform an RRC connection
procedure and establish an RRC connection for subsequent data
transmission.
[0134] In block 905, while the UE performs the RRC connection
establishment, the UE receives the SIBx and records the RAN profile
information of the cell for later data transmission and reception
with the respective serving cell. The UE may further determine and
verify which RAN profile index the UE does not support based on the
UE capability.
[0135] In block 907, the UE transmits a UECapabilityInformation
message (e.g., RAN Profile Index 3) to the serving cell reporting
one or more indices that the UE does not support.
[0136] In block 909, the cell transmits a DCI message to the UE
upon PDCCH to indicate the resource block allocation processing for
the UE.
[0137] In block 911, the cell transmits another SIBx to
re-configure the RAN profile indexing. Specifically, when the cell
decides to re-configure one specific indexing (e.g., upon receiving
the request from UE(s) or the request from the CN or based on the
operating requirement of the cell), the cell appends the action
field in the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message or paging message
to indicate the changes in the SIBx.
[0138] For example, when the cell modifies Index 1 from "100111 . .
. 111" to "111111 . . . 111", the cell may page the UE and transmit
a new SIBx at a predefined time (e.g., after the modification
period). The UE may respond to the cell with a confirmation message
if the changes to the RAN profile indexing is unsupported by UE or
an acknowledge message if the UE is capable of supporting the
changes.
[0139] The present application provides a RAN profile indexing
operation for user-specific RAN profile indexing. FIG. 9B shows a
diagram illustrating a method for RAN profile signaling, according
to an exemplary implementation of the present application. Since
the cell in the present implementation adopts user-specific RAN
profile indexing, not RAN profile indexing need to be transmitted
in all system information (SI). Instead, a UE will first indicate
its capability.
[0140] In block 921, a UE transmits a UECapabilityInformation
message to a serving cell indicating the capability of the UE.
[0141] In block 923, the serving cell and the UE perform an RRC
connection procedure and establish an RRC connection for subsequent
data transmission.
[0142] In block 925, after establishing the RRC connection, the
serving cell transmits an RRCConnectionConfiguration message
containing RAN profile indexing information element (IE) to the UE
to indicate the corresponding RAN profile indexing for the UE based
on the UECapabilityInformation message.
[0143] An exemplary form of the RRCConnectionConfiguration message
may be:
TABLE-US-00003 RRCConnectionConfiguration{ Profile Indexing IE;
Index 0:= Spacing # 1, Multiplexing #3 . . . Index 1:= Spacing # 4,
Multiplexing #1 . . . . . . Index 3:= Spacing # 2, Multiplexing #1
. . . }
[0144] In block 927, the UE transmits a Profileconfirm message
after receiving the RRCConnectionConfiguration message to the
serving cell to indicate all of the invalid RAN profile indices
(e.g., the mapped physical layer configuration setting indicating
unsupported by the UE).
[0145] In block 929, upon receiving the Profileconfirm message from
the UE, the serving cell transmits a DCI message to the UE in a
PDCCH to indicate the resource block allocation processing for the
UE.
[0146] In block 931, the serving cell transmits a ProfileAdd
message to add an additional RAN profile indexing newly defined
when the cell determines to reconfigure the current RAN profile
settings for the respective UE.
[0147] An exemplary implementation of the present disclosure
provides a non-transitory computer-readable media, for storing a
computer executable program for the aforementioned methods for
signaling RAN profile indexing (e.g., as depicted by FIGS. 2, 4A,
4B, and 6B), for a UE to communicate with a serving cell (e.g., as
depicted by FIG. 6A), for user-specific and cell-specific RAN
profile indexing reconfiguration (e.g., as depicted respectively in
FIGS. 4C, 9A, and 9B). When the non-transitory computer readable
recording medium is read by a processor with communication
processing capability, the processor executes the aforementioned
RAN profile indexing methods as well as user-specific and cell
specific RAN profile indexing methods. The non-transitory
computer-readable media may be a floppy disk, a hard disk, a
compact disk (CD), a flash drive, a magnetic tape, accessible
online storage database or any type of storage media having similar
functionality, such as storing program instructions or data, known
to those skilled in the art.
[0148] FIG. 10 shows a block diagram illustrating a radio
communication equipment for a cell, according to an exemplary
implementation of the present application. The radio communication
equipment may be configured to implement the RAN profile indexing
algorithm depicted in FIG. 2. In FIG. 10, radio communication
equipment 1000 includes antenna module 1010, communication module
1020, memory 1030, and processing unit 1040. Antenna module 1010 is
coupled to communication module 1020. Communication module 1020 and
memory 1030 are configured to couple to processing unit 1040.
[0149] Antenna module 1010 may comprise one or more antennas, and
may be configured to perform beamforming omni-transmission with one
or more UEs within its serving cell. Communication module 1020 may
comprise one or more transmitters and one or more receivers for
allowing the cell to perform data transmission and reception with
the UEs within its cell coverage using antenna module 1010.
[0150] Processing unit 1040 is configured to control the operation
of the cell and function as the central processing core for the
cell. Memory 1020 is configured to store program instructions for
the execution by processing unit 1040. Memory 1020 is further
configured to allocate a memory space for storing RAN profile
indexing data and the corresponding physical layer configuration
settings. The program instructions stored upon execution by
processing unit 1040, causes the processing unit 1040 to implement
one or more the aforementioned methods for signaling RAN profile
indexing.
[0151] In one implementation, radio communication equipment 1000
may further include a timer (not explicitly shown in FIG. 10). The
timer is configured for timing a predefined time interval after
that radio communication equipment 1000 signals the RAN profile
indexing information to the one or more UEs within its radio
coverage using broadcast or unicast transmission. During the
predefined time interval, radio communication equipment 1000 may
not make any updates to its current RAN profile indexing and PHY
configurations.
[0152] Additionally, radio communication equipment 1000 may further
include other necessary network elements for supporting the network
operations of the cell may not be essential to the present
application. The details of such elements are hereby omitted for
brevity.
* * * * *