WO2024187445A1

WO2024187445A1 - Method, device, and system for establishing ue network connection

Info

Publication number: WO2024187445A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/081823
Authority: WO
Inventors: Feng Xie; Hanchao LIU; Fei Wang
Original assignee: ZTE Corp
Current assignee: ZTE Corp
Priority date: 2023-03-16
Filing date: 2023-03-16
Publication date: 2024-09-19
Anticipated expiration: 2025-09-16
Also published as: CN120642563A; EP4652802A1

Abstract

This disclosure relates generally to a method, device, and system for establishing or resuming a connection between a wireless terminal and a wireless network. One method performed by a wireless device is disclosed. The method may include: receiving, from a network node, a first message requesting setting up or resuming a connection between the wireless device and the network node, wherein the wireless device is in an idle state or an inactive state; and transmitting, to the network node, a second message as a response to the first message. The method may further include: wherein: the second message is used for, or facilitates the setting up or the resuming of the connection; and the method further comprises: establishing or resuming the connection between the wireless device and the network node.

Description

METHOD, DEVICE, AND SYSTEM FOR ESTABLISHING UE NETWORK CONNECTION

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure is directed generally to wireless communications, and particularly to a method, device, and system for establishing or resuming a connection between a wireless terminal and a wireless network.

BACKGROUND

With the rapid evolution of wireless communication technology, various applications, such as Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) and Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC) , are implemented to enrich services provided to users. For better user experience, such applications require lower latency for data transmission. Efficient signaling procedure is critical to reduce the latency in wireless network.

SUMMARY

This disclosure is directed to a method, device, and system for establishing a connection between a wireless terminal and a wireless network.

In some embodiments, a method performed by a wireless device is disclosed. The method may include: receiving, from a network node, a first message requesting setting up or resuming a connection between the wireless device and the network node, wherein the wireless device is in an idle state or an inactive state; and transmitting, to the network node, a second message as a response to the first message.

In some embodiments, a method performed by a network node is disclosed. The method may include: transmitting, to a wireless device, a first message requesting setting up or resuming a connection between the wireless device and the network node, wherein the wireless device is in an idle state or an inactive state; and receiving, from the wireless device, a second message as a response to the first message.

In some embodiments, there is a wireless device or a network node comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is configured to read code from the memory and implement any methods recited in any of the embodiments.

In some embodiments, a computer program product comprising a computer-readable program medium code stored thereupon, the code, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to implement any method recited in any of the embodiments.

The above embodiments and other aspects and alternatives of their implementations are described in greater detail in the drawings, the descriptions, and the claims below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example wireless communication network.

FIG. 2 shows an example wireless network node.

FIG. 3 shows an example user equipment.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary connection setup process using a paging message and a random access procedure.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary simplified UE to network connection setup process, without using a paging message and a random access procedure.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an exemplary simplified RRC connection establishment procedure for a UE in idle/inactive state.

FIG. 7 shows another flowchart of an exemplary simplified RRC connection establishment procedure for a UE in idle/inactive state.

FIG. 8 shows another flowchart of an exemplary simplified RRC connection establishment procedure for a UE in idle/inactive state.

FIG. 9 shows a flowchart for the UE to receive configuration information for receiving connection request.

FIG. 10 shows a flowchart for an exemplary connection establishment method according to one of the embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Wireless Communication Network

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary wireless communication network 100 that includes a core network 110 and a radio access network (RAN) 120. The core network 110 further includes at least one Mobility Management Entity (MME) 112 and/or at least one Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) . Other functions that may be included in the core network 110 are not shown in FIG. 1. The RAN 120 further includes multiple base stations, for example, base stations 122 and 124. The base stations may include at least one evolved NodeB (eNB) for 4G LTE, an enhanced LTE eNB (ng-eNB) , or a Next generation NodeB (gNB) for 5G New Radio (NR) , or any other type of signal transmitting/receiving device such as a UMTS NodeB. The eNB 122 communicates with the MME 112 via an S1 interface. Both the eNB 122 and gNB 124 may connect to the AMF 114 via an Ng interface. Each base station manages and supports at least one cell. For example, the base station gNB 124 may be configured to manage and support cell 1, cell 2, and cell 3.

The gNB 124 may include a central unit (CU) and at least one distributed unit (DU) . The CU and the DU may be co-located in a same location, or they may be split in different locations. The CU and the DU may be connected via an F1 interface. Alternatively, for an eNB which is capable of connecting to the 5G network, it may also be similarly divided into a CU and at least one DU, referred to as ng-eNB-CU and ng-eNB-DU, respectively. The ng-eNB-CU and the ng-eNB-DU may be connected via a W1 interface.

The wireless communication network 100 may include one or more tracking areas. A tracking area may include a set of cells managed by at least one base station. For example, tracking area 1 labeled as 140 includes cell 1, cell 2, and cell 3, and may further include more cells that may be managed by other base stations and not shown in FIG. 1. The wireless communication network 100 may also include at least one UE 160. The UE may select a cell among multiple cells supported by a base station to communication with the base station through Over the Air (OTA) radio communication interfaces and resources, and when the UE 160 travels in the wireless communication network 100, it may reselect a cell for communications. For example, the UE 160 may initially select cell 1 to communicate with base station 124, and it may then reselect cell 2 at certain later time point. The cell selection or reselection by the UE 160 may be based on wireless signal strength/quality in the various cells and other factors.

The wireless communication network 100 may be implemented as, for example, a 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE, or 5G cellular communication network. Correspondingly, the base stations 122 and 124 may be implemented as a 2G base station, a 3G NodeB, an LTE eNB, or a 5G NR gNB. The UE 160 may be implemented as mobile or fixed communication devices which are capable of accessing the wireless communication network 100. The UE 160 may include but is not limited to mobile phones, laptop computers, tablets, personal digital assistants, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, MTC/eMTC devices, distributed remote sensor devices, roadside assistant equipment, XR devices, and desktop computers. The UE 160 may also be generally referred to as a wireless communication device, or a wireless terminal. The UE 160 may support sidelink communication to another UE via a PC5 interface.

While the description below focuses on cellular wireless communication systems as shown in FIG. 1, the underlying principles are applicable to other types of wireless communication systems for paging wireless devices. These other wireless systems may include but are not limited to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and WiMax networks.

FIG. 2 shows an example of electronic device 200 to implement a network base station (e.g., a radio access network node) , a core network (CN) , and/or an operation and maintenance (OAM) . Optionally in one implementation, the example electronic device 200 may include radio transmitting/receiving (Tx/Rx) circuitry 208 to transmit/receive communication with UEs and/or other base stations. Optionally in one implementation, the electronic device 200 may also include network interface circuitry 209 to communicate the base station with other base stations and/or a core network, e.g., optical or wireline interconnects, Ethernet, and/or other data transmission mediums/protocols. The electronic device 200 may optionally include an input/output (I/O) interface 206 to communicate with an operator or the like.

The electronic device 200 may also include system circuitry 204. System circuitry 204 may include processor (s) 221 and/or memory 222. Memory 222 may include an operating system 224, instructions 226, and parameters 228. Instructions 226 may be configured for the one or more of the processors 221 to perform the functions of the network node. The parameters 228 may include parameters to support execution of the instructions 226. For example, parameters may include network protocol settings, bandwidth parameters, radio frequency mapping assignments, and/or other parameters.

FIG. 3 shows an example of an electronic device to implement a terminal device 300 (for example, a user equipment (UE) ) . The UE 300 may be a mobile device, for example, a smart phone or a mobile communication module disposed in a vehicle. The UE 300 may include a portion or all of the following: communication interfaces 302, a system circuitry 304, an input/output interfaces (I/O) 306, a display circuitry 308, and a storage 309. The display circuitry may include a user interface 310. The system circuitry 304 may include any combination of hardware, software, firmware, or other logic/circuitry. The system circuitry 304 may be implemented, for example, with one or more systems on a chip (SoC) , application specific integrated circuits (ASIC) , discrete analog and digital circuits, and other circuitry. The system circuitry 304 may be a part of the implementation of any desired functionality in the UE 300. In that regard, the system circuitry 304 may include logic that facilitates, as examples, decoding and playing music and video, e.g., MP3, MP4, MPEG, AVI, FLAC, AC3, or WAV decoding and playback; running applications; accepting user inputs; saving and retrieving application data; establishing, maintaining, and terminating cellular phone calls or data connections for, as one example, internet connectivity; establishing, maintaining, and terminating wireless network connections, Bluetooth connections, or other connections; and displaying relevant information on the user interface 310. The user interface 310 and the inputs/output (I/O) interfaces 306 may include a graphical user interface, touch sensitive display, haptic feedback or other haptic output, voice or facial recognition inputs, buttons, switches, speakers and other user interface elements. Additional examples of the I/O interfaces 306 may include microphones, video and still image cameras, temperature sensors, vibration sensors, rotation and orientation sensors, headset and microphone input /output jacks, Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors, memory card slots, radiation sensors (e.g., IR sensors) , and other types of inputs.

Referring to FIG. 3, the communication interfaces 302 may include a Radio Frequency (RF) transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) circuitry 316 which handles transmission and reception of signals through one or more antennas 314. The communication interface 302 may include one or more transceivers. The transceivers may be wireless transceivers that include modulation /demodulation circuitry, digital to analog converters (DACs) , shaping tables, analog to digital converters (ADCs) , filters, waveform shapers, filters, pre-amplifiers, power amplifiers and/or other logic for transmitting and receiving through one or more antennas, or (for some devices) through a physical (e.g., wireline) medium. The transmitted and received signals may adhere to any of a diverse array of formats, protocols, modulations (e.g., QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, or 256-QAM) , frequency channels, bit rates, and encodings. As one specific example, the communication interfaces 302 may include transceivers that support transmission and reception under the 2G, 3G, BT, WiFi, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) , High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) +, 4G /Long Term Evolution (LTE) , and 5G standards. The techniques described below, however, are applicable to other wireless communications technologies whether arising from the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) , GSM Association, 3GPP2, IEEE, or other partnerships or standards bodies.

Referring to FIG. 3, the system circuitry 304 may include one or more processors 321 and memories 322. The memory 322 stores, for example, an operating system 324, instructions 326, and parameters 328. The processor 321 is configured to execute the instructions 326 to carry out desired functionality for the UE 300. The parameters 328 may provide and specify configuration and operating options for the instructions 326. The memory 322 may also store any BT, WiFi, 3G, 4G, 5G or other data that the UE 300 will send, or has received, through the communication interfaces 302. In various implementations, a system power for the UE 300 may be supplied by a power storage device, such as a battery or a transformer.

UE and Network Connection

In a mobile communication system (e.g., a 5G system, a 4G LTE system, a 3G UMTS system, etc. ) , the UE and the network need to establish a connection for the transmission, for example, service data. A UE may be in various states, including idle state, inactive state and connected state. The UE may stay in different states and may transition from one state to another, depending on, for example, traffic activity.

In this disclosure, the network may include a Radio Access Network (RAN) which may further include one or more base stations. The network may further include a core network. A connection between the UE and the network may include, for example, a connection between the UE and a base station in the network, a connection between the UE and a cell in the network, etc.

As an example, in 5G New Radio (NR) , UE may be in one of three states: idle, inactive, or connected state. The UE state may also be described from a Radio Resource Control (RRC) perspective and may include these RRC states: RRC_IDLE, RRC_ACTIVE (RRC_Connected) and RRC_INACTIVE. Depending on the respective state, UE may or may not have a connection with the network (e.g., the RAN, which may include one or more base stations) .

If the UE is in a connected state, there is a connection between the UE and the network. In the connected state, service data (e.g., downlink, DL data, or uplink, UL data) can be transmitted between the UE and the network using the established connection.

On the other hand, for a UE in idle or inactive state, there is either no connection between the UE and the network, or the connection is suspended. If transmission of service data is needed between the UE and the network, a connection between the UE and the network will need to be established first. In this disclosure, to establish a connection may generally refer to create/setup a new connection, or resume a connection between the UE and the network.

For example, from the UE side, if there is data that needs to be transmitted to the network side and the UE is in idle or inactive state, UE will need to initiate a random access process in order to establish a connection with the network.

As an example, in existing wireless communication network, when the UE in idle or inactive state has service data to transmit, UE may transmit a connection request (e.g., a connection establishment request, a connect setup request, a connection resume request) to the network. The connection request may be included in the random access process. Exemplarily, the random access process may include follow steps:

(i) UE sends a preamble (e.g., in Msg1) to the network (e.g., a base station) ;

(ii) after reception of preamble, the base station sends back a random access response (RAR) (e.g., Msg2) to the UE;

(iii) UE sends to the base station a third message (e.g., Msg3) according to the UL grant indicated in the RAR. Msg3 may carry, for example, an RRC connection establishment request message; and

(iv) after successfully decoding Msg3, a fourth message (e.g., Msg4) is transmitted from the base station to the UE. The fourth message may carry RRC connection establishment information.

Upon completion of the random access process, the UE establishes an RRC connection with the network. Also note that other types of random access process may also be employed, such as a 2-step random access process, a contention based or a contention free random access process.

From the network side, if there is service data that needs to be transmitted to the UE and UE is in idle or inactive state, the network will need to page the UE. The UE, once paged, may initiate a random access process and establish a connection (e.g., setup a new connection, or resume a connection) with the network.

In existing wireless communication network, for the UE in idle or inactive state, the network may already have UE location information at a certain precision level. The precision level may be different for different UEs, or may be different for a same UE at different times.

In some scenarios, for the UE in idle or inactive state, the network may not have an accurate location information for the UE, and/or the network does not know which cell (s) the UE is covered by and/or served by. In this case, the network may only have an approximate location information for the UE, such as the tracking area (TA) of the UE, the radio access network notification area (RNA) of the UE, etc. Therefore, if the network needs to transmit service data to a UE in idle or inactive state, or if the network needs UE to enter the connected state for other reasons, the network needs to notify the UE through paging which triggers the UE to initiate, for example, a connection establishment request for establishing a connection with the network. In order to ensure that the UE can receive the paging message, the network may need to transmit paging message on a large number of cells in the areas (such as TA, RNA) where the UE may be located, although UE may only receive the paging message from one of the cells.

In some scenarios, for the UE in idle or inactive state, the network may have obtained certain information of the UE, including but not limited to, the location information that is more precise compared with the approximate location information described above, or one or more cells in which the UE is located/served/covered. According to the existing technology, the network will still need to initiate the paging process to notify UE and trigger the UE to initiate the connection establishment request. UE needs to monitor/receive paging messages and initiates random access. As described earlier, the UE needs to go through a multiple-steps signaling process to establish a connection with the network. FIG. 4 shows an example process for establishing a connection between UE and the network. This process may include following steps:

1. UE monitors/receives a paging messages from the network;

2. UE transmits MSG1 to the network. MSG1 may carry a random access preamble;

3. UE receives MSG2 from the network;

4. UE transmits a message to the network for requesting a connection setup. The message may include at least one of: an RRC connection establishment request (RRCSetupRequest) message; or an RRC connection resume request (RRCResumeRequest) message; and

5. UE receives a response message from the network. The response message may include at least one of: an RRC connection establishment (RRCSetup) message, or an RRC connection resume (RRCResume) message.

Therefore, for a UE in idle or inactive state, a lengthy 5-step process needs to be performed in order to establish a connection with the network. This obviously increases the latency for UE to receive data, and affects the user experience, especially for latency sensitive services.

In this disclosure, various embodiments aiming for simplifying the connection establishment process and reducing latency are described. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, if the network obtains information for locating a UE in idle or inactive state, including but not limited to location information of the UE, or one or more cells in which the UE is located, the network may attempt to set up an RRC connection with the UE by, for example, transmitting an RRC connection request, which may include an RRC connection setup request (e.g., via an RRC connection setup request message) , or an RRC connection resume request (e.g., via an RRC connection resume request message) to the UE. After receiving the RRC connection setup request or the RRC connection resume request, UE may respond with RRC connection setup message or RRC connection resume message to the network. Note that the network requests for RRC connection directly. A paging message for paging the UE, as well as the following random access process, are no longer needed.

The RRC connection is used for example purpose. Connections at other layers, such as physical layer, or Media Access Control (MAC) layer, may also apply.

FIG. 6 further shows a flowchart of the simplified RRC connection establishment procedure for a UE in idle/inactive state. The simplified procedure includes two steps:

Step 1:

UE receives a connection request (e.g., an RRC connection setup request or an RRC connection resume request) from the network; and

Step 2:

UE sends a response (e.g., an RRC connection setup message or an RRC connection resume message) to the network.

In this disclosure, various embodiments are disclosed to facilitate the network to obtain location related information of the UE.

In some example implementations, UE has been connected to the network before, the network retains the location related information of UE, and the location related information of UE has not changed.

In some example implementations, there is a measurement mechanism for detect UE location. For example, the network may receive a physical reference signal transmitted by the UE, and obtain location/position information of the UE via, for example, measuring the physical reference signal.

In some example implementations, the network may obtain the location related information of UE by employing a sensing or positioning function.

The network obtains the location information of UE through some area information.

In this disclosure, when UE in idle/inactive state, the UE network connection establishment/setup/resume process without using paging and/or random access procedure is referred to as a simplified UE network connection process. The simplified UE network connection process is achieved as a coordinated effort between UE and the network. In the simplified UE network connection process, the network may directly (e.g., without first using a paging message) initiate a connection request by sending a message/request to the UE, and the UE will response to the request, for example, to confirm and setup the connection. Note that this “handshake” process is initiated by the network. For example, UE is aware of (or is configured to be aware of) that a connection request (e.g., a layer 3 request, such as an RRC connection establishment request, or an RRC connection resume request, a layer 2 request via, for example, a MAC-CE, or a layer 1 request via, for example, DCI) may be directly initiated by the network without the need of a paging message, even the UE is in idle/inactive state. Therefore, UE is expected to monitor such request. Further, UE, when in idle/inactive state, is capable of handling such connection request from the network, without the need of monitoring/receiving a paging message and utilizing a random access procedure.

In some example implementations, UE may receive configuration information related to the simplified UE network connection process, for example, from the network. The configuration information indicates that the simplified UE network connection process is employed and that the network may initiate an RRC connection request directly without using a paging message. The configuration information may be sent via, for example, a system information message, a paging message, an RRC message (such as an RRC reconfiguration message, an RRC connection release messages, or an RRC connection rejection messages) , or a DLInformationTransfer (downlink information transfer) message. Note that a paging message may be used for sending the configuration information to the UE. Note that once UE is configured with or enabled with the simplified UE network connection process, a subsequent UE network connection establishment process (for UE in idle/inactive state) may employ the simplified version.

In order to save power, UE will discontinuously monitor and receive the connection request message (e.g., an RRC connection setup message, an RRC connection resume message, etc) . For example, a UE in idle/inactive state may periodically wake up, and monitors/receives an RRC connection request message. If there is no RRC connection request message received, UE may go back to sleep, otherwise UE will handle the connection request and a connection with the network may be established.

In some example implementations, the configuration information related to the simplified UE network connection process may include time domain resource information for the UE to receive connection request from the network. The time domain resource information may indicate a cycle/periodicity that the UE is expected to follow to monitor connection request message. The time domain resource information may also indicate an offset information which may indicate an offset relative to, for example, a system frame, a half frame, a sub-frame, a slot, a mini slot, a symbol, etc. The offset information and/or the cycle/periodicity information may be used by UE to calculate a time domain location when UE receives the request message.

In some example implementations, the configuration information related to the simplified UE network connection process may include frequency domain resource information for the UE to receive connection request from the network. The frequency domain resource information may indicate frequency resource such as Resource Block (s) (RBs) , Resource Elements (REs) , sub-carrier (s) , etc. The frequency domain resource information may also indicate a frequency hopping pattern for the UE to receive the connection request.

In some example implementations, the connection request message from the network may be carried on the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) , which may be indicated by or scheduled by, for example, Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) . Therefore, UE may discontinuously monitor the PDCCH for the indication/scheduling. The configuration information related to the simplified UE network connection process may include configuration for PDCCH, such as Control Resource Set (CORESET) , search space, etc.

In some example implementation, a UE may or may not be configured to and/or be able to support aforementioned simplified UE network connection process. UE side configuration related to the simplified UE network connection process may be sent to the network via, for example, an RRC connection establishment message, an RRC connection resume message, a UE assistance information message (UEAssistanceInformation) , a UE capability information message (UECapabilityInformation) , etc.

In some example implementations, the network may indicate the UE to enable or disable the support for simplified UE network connection process. Such indication may be sent via, for example, an RRC message, a Downlink Control Indication (DCI) message, a system information (SI) message, etc.

If the process of establishing connection between UE and network can be simplified, the latency of connection establishment will be greatly reduced and the user experience will be improved.

In this disclosure, various embodiments for implementing the simplified UE network process are described. With these embodiments, the connection process becomes more efficient with less signaling overhead, and therefore reducing the data transmission latency.

Details on these embodiments are described below.

Embodiment 1

In this embodiment, the network has data that needs to be transmitted to a UE which is in idle or inactive state. The network will transmit a connection request message, such as an RRC connection setup request message, or an RRC connection resume request message to the UE. As a response, the UE will transmit, for example, an RRC connection establishment message, an RRCSetupRequest message, an RRC connection resume message, or an RRCResumeRequest message to the network. A connection (such as an RRC connection) is then established between the UE and the network. FIG. 7 shows an exemplary flowchart illustrating this process.

Step 1:

UE receives indication information from the network, indicating that the network will employ the simplified UE network connection process. That is, the UE is expected to receive a connection request from the network even when the UE is in idle/inactive state, without being triggered by a paging message and/or without going through a complete random access procedure (e.g., 4-step random access, or 2-step random access) . The connection request may be sent by the network via, for example, an RRC connection establishment request message, an RRCSetupRequest message, an RRC connection resume request message, or an RRCResumeRequest message, etc.

The indication information may be sent via, for example, a broadcast message, such as a Master Information Block (MIB) message, a System Information Block 1 (SIB1) message, a System Information Block (SIB) message (e.g., SIB1, SIB2, …, SIB9. One or more SIB may be used) , or a System Information message. The indication information may also be sent via an RRC message, a Media Access Control -Control Element (MAC CE) message, etc.

In some example implementations, for a UE in idle state, the connection request may include an RRC connection establishment request. The RRC connection establishment request may be sent via, for example, an RRCSetupRequest message.

In some example implementations, for a UE in inactive state, the connection request may include an RRC connection resume request. The RRC connection resume request may be sent via, for example, an RRCResumeRequest message.

Step 2:

UE receives the connection request from the network.

Step 3:

UE sends a response to the network. The response may include an RRC connection establishment, an RRC connection resume, etc. The response is used for the setting up or the resuming of the connection, and may act as a confirmation, an acknowledgement, or an indication for proceeding with the connection establishment/resume. The response may include configurations that will be used for the connection establishment/resume.

In some example implementations, for a UE in idle state, the RRC connection establishment may be sent via, for example, an RRC connection establishment message, such as an RRCSetup message.

In some example implementations, for a UE in inactive state, the RRC connection resume may be sent via, for example, an RRC connection resume message, such as an RRCResume message.

In some example implementations, further, the response message (e.g., RRCSetup message, RRCResume message) may carry UE configuration information, such as UE assistance information (UEAssistanceInformation) , or UE capability information (UECapabilityInformation) .

In some example implementations, further, the response message (e.g., RRCSetup message, RRCResume message) may include UE configuration information, such as UE assistance information (UEAssistanceInformation) , or UE capability information (UECapabilityInformation) .

Embodiment 2

In some embodiments, the network has the ability to determine the location information of the UE. For example, the network may determine that the location information will not change after the UE transitions from connected state to idle/inactive state. For another example, a cell serving the UE still covers the UE after the UE transitions to the idle state or the inactive state from, for example, connected state. As an example, assuming UE is served by cell 1 when it is in connected (or active) state, the same cell, cell 1, still covers the UE after the UE transitions to the idle state or the inactive state. In other words, UE can still select cell 1 for service. In an example scenario, an idle/inactive UE may access the same cell as it accessed before entering the idle/inactive state. This scenario may happen if the UE is not moving, or if the UE's movement is restricted within the same cell that previously serving the UE. For yet another example, the network may be able to determine the location of the UE, even when the UE is in idle/inactive state.

When the network has data to transmit to the UE which is in idle/inactive state, the network may request connection setup directly with the UE. For example, the network will transmit a connection request message, such as an RRC connection setup request message, or an RRC connection resume request message to the UE, then the UE will transmit an RRC connection setup, or an RRC connection resume, as a response to the network, to setup the connection. An exemplary process is shown in FIG. 8.

Step 1:

UE receives the indication information from the network, indicating that the network will employ the simplified UE network connection process for subsequent n connection setups, n being a non-negative integer. That is, for the subsequent n connection setups (for UE in idle/inactive state) , the UE is expected to receive a connection request from the network, without being triggered by a paging message and/or without going through a complete random access procedure (e.g., 4-step random access, or 2-step random access) . The connection request may be sent by the network via, for example, an RRC connection establishment request message.

Alternatively, UE receives the indication information from the network, indicating that the network will employ the simplified UE network connection process for subsequent (following, or next) n connection resumes, n being a non-negative integer. The connection request may be sent by the network via, for example, an RRC connection resume request message.

Alternatively, UE receives the indication information from the network, indicating that the network will employ the simplified UE network connection process for subsequent n connection setups and resumes, (i.e., all setups and resumes count) , n being a non-negative integer. The connection request may be sent by the network via, for example, an RRC connection establishment request message, an RRC connection resume request message, etc.

As an example, the indication information may indicate for the following (next) connection setup, the simplified UE network connection process is employed (i.e., n = 1) . In other words, the simplified UE network connection process is applied only for the next connection setup.

As another example, the indication information may indicate for the subsequent 3 connection setups, the simplified UE network connection process is employed (i.e., n = 3) .

As another example, the indication information may indicate for the subsequent 6 connection setups and resumes (i.e., all setups and resumes count) , the simplified UE network connection process is employed (i.e., n = 6) .

In some example implementations, n may be predefined, or pre-configured, for example, by the network via a message/signaling. In this case, the indicate information does not need to explicitly specify the value of n, but would rather indicate that the simplified UE network connection process is started/enabled.

In some example implementations, the indication information may be sent via, for example, an RRC reconfiguration message (RRCReconfiguration) .

In some example implementations, another indication information may be sent to the UE indicating that the simplified UE network connection process is stopped/disabled, and the UE is then expected to receive a paging message, in order to make a connection to the network.

In some example implementations, the indication information may be sent via, for example, a broadcast message, such as a Master Information Block (MIB) message, a System Information Block 1 (SIB1) message, a System Information Block (SIB) message (e.g., SIB1, SIB2, …, SIB9. One or more SIBs may be used) , or a System Information (SI) message. The indication information may also be sent via an RRC message, a Media Access Control -Control Element (MAC CE) message, etc.

In some example implementations, there is an enablement mechanism for the simplified UE network connection process. Network may enable and disable the UE network connection process, by sending an indication via, for example, an RRC message, an RRC reconfiguration message, a MAC CE message, or a system information message, a Master Information Block (MIB) message, a System Information Block 1 (SIB1) message.

Step 2:

UE receives connection requests, such as RRC connection establishment request, or RRC connection resume request from the network for the next n connection establishments between the UE and the network. As described earlier, the next n connection establishments may be: the next n connection setups (e.g., to setup new connections) ; the next n connection resumes (e.g., to resume suspended connections) ; or the next n connection setups and resume s.

Step 3:

Step 3 applies when the connection establishment belongs to next n connection establishments, as indicated in step 1.

UE sends a response to the network. The response is used for the setting up or the resuming of the connection. Alternatively or additionally, the response may act as a confirmation, or an indication for proceeding with the connection establishment/resume, and may include configurations that will be used for the connection establishment/resume. The response may include an RRC connection establishment, an RRC connection resume, etc.

Embodiment 3

When the UE is in idle/inactive state, the network may transmit a connection request, such as an RRC connection establishment request or an RRC connection resume request to the UE. As a response, the UE may transmit an RRC connection setup message or an RRC connection resume message to the network. The response may act as a confirmation, or an indication for proceeding with the connection establishment. The response may include configurations that will be used for the connection establishment.

For receiving the connection request, UE may receive configuration information from the network first. When the UE is in idle/inactive state, it will discontinuously monitors/receives connection request, such as RRC connection setup request, or RRC connection resume request from the network, based on the configuration information. For example, based on the configuration information, UE may calculate a time domain resource and/or frequency domain resource for receiving the connection request. UE may obtain information on how to demodulate/decode the physical channel associated with connection request from the configuration information. Or, UE may identify whether the received connection establishment request applies to or targets itself. An exemplary process is shown in FIG. 9.

Step 1:

UE receives, from the network, configuration information for receiving connection request. The connection request may include a connection establishment request, a connection resume request, etc.

The configuration information may include: a time domain configuration for receiving the connection request; a frequency domain configuration for receiving the connection request; or a physical channel configuration for a physical channel carrying the connection request.

In example implementations, the time domain configuration may include at least one of:

● a frame information for one of: a system frame, a half frame, a sub frame;

● a set of occasions that the wireless device is expected to monitor the connection request;

● a periodicity for the wireless device to monitor the connection request; or

● an offset relative to the system frame, the half frame, or the sub frame. For example, UE may use the offset information, together with the frame information, to derive a start position of the connection request.

In example implementations, the frequency domain configuration may include at least one of:

● a carrier resource configuration;

● a sub-carrier resource configuration;

● a Bandwidth Part (BWP) resource configuration;

● a Resource Block (RB) configuration; or

● a frequency hopping configuration.

In example implementations, the physical channel configuration may include at least one of:

● configuration information of a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carrying the connection request; or

● configuration information of a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carrying scheduling information for the PDSCH (the PDSCH carries the connection request) .

In example implementations, the configuration information of the PDSCH may include at least one of:

● a time domain configuration of the PDSCH;

● a frequency domain configuration of the PDSCH; or

● a configuration of modulation and coding of the PDSCH.

In example implementations, the configuration information of the PDCCH may include at least one of:

● a Control Resource Set (CORESET) configuration corresponding to the PDCCH; or

● a search space configuration corresponding to the PDCCH.

In example implementations, the configuration information may be combined with other message (s) , such as the message to enable the simplified UE network connection process.

Step 2:

UE calculates the time and frequency resource position where the connection request may be received, and/or obtains the configuration information for demodulating/decoding the connection request, and/or determines whether the received connection request targets or applies to itself.

● a frame information associated with one of: a system frame, a half frame, a sub frame;

● a slot information for a slot or a mini slot;

● a symbol information for one or more symbols;

● a periodicity for the wireless device to monitor the connection request; or

● a carrier resource configuration;

● a sub-carrier resource configuration;

● a Bandwidth Part (BWP) resource configuration;

● a Resource Block (RB) configuration; or

● a frequency hopping configuration.

In example implementations, the configuration information for demodulating/decoding the connection request may include: the configuration information of the PDSCH that carries the connection request, or the configuration information of the PDCCH that schedules the PDSCH which carries the connection request.

● a time domain configuration of the PDSCH;

● a frequency domain configuration of the PDSCH; or

● a configuration of modulation and coding of the PDSCH.

● a CORESET configuration corresponding to the PDCCH; or

● a search space configuration corresponding to the PDCCH.

The connect request transmitted from the network may only target a specific UE, even though multiple UEs may receive it. A UE will need to determine whether the connection request targets (or applies to) itself based on, for example, a UE identifier carried in the connection request. The UE identifier may be explicit and may include at least one of:

● a permanent identification of UE;

● a globally unique temporary UE identifier;

● a shortened form of the globally unique temporary UE identifier;

● a processed UE permanent identifier;

● a processed globally unique temporary UE identifier;

● a shortened form of processed globally unique temporary UE identifier;

● a predefined UE identifier; or

● a randomly generated UE identifier.

In example implementations, a globally unique temporary UE identifier may include at least one of: a Globally Unique Temporary UE Identifier (GUTI) , a 5G Globally Unique Temporary UE Identifier (5G-GUTI) . The shortened forms of globally unique temporary UE identifier may include, for example, a 5G S-Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (5G-S-TMSI) . The shortened forms of the processed globally unique temporary UE identifier may include but not limited to: (5G-S-TMSI mod 1024) . Wherein "mod" is the mathematical modulo operator.

The UE identifier may also be implicit. For example, a transformation based on a UE identification may be used.

Note that the described features, advantages and characteristics of the present solution may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. For example, embodiment 3 may be combined with embodiments 1 and 2.

FIG. 10 shows an exemplary method 1000 for wireless communication. The method may include a portion or all of the following step: step 1010 receiving, from a network node, a first message requesting setting up or resuming a connection between the wireless device and the network node, wherein the wireless device is in an idle state or an inactive state; and step 1020, transmitting, to the network node, a second message as a response to the first message.

The exemplary method 1000 may further include: wherein: the second message is used for or facilitates the setting up or the resuming of the connection; and the method further comprises: establishing or resuming the connection between the wireless device and the network node.

Exemplarily, the second message may be used for the setting up or the resuming of the connection. For example, the second message may confirm or acknowledge the connection setup request or the connection resume request. The second message may further carry configuration information that may be used for the connection setup or resume.

The description and accompanying drawings above provide specific example embodiments and implementations. The described subject matter may, however, be embodied in a variety of different forms and, therefore, covered or claimed subject matter is intended to be construed as not being limited to any example embodiments set forth herein. A reasonably broad scope for claimed or covered subject matter is intended. Among other things, for example, subject matter may be embodied as methods, devices, components, systems, or non-transitory computer-readable media for storing computer codes. Accordingly, embodiments may, for example, take the form of hardware, software, firmware, storage media or any combination thereof. For example, the method embodiments described above may be implemented by components, devices, or systems including memory and processors by executing computer codes stored in the memory.

In this disclosure, multiple messages may be combined as a single message, and a single message may be split into multiple messages, so long as they carry the same content and/or serving the same purpose. For example, as described earlier, a message carrying configuration information may be combined with a message indicating the enablement of the simplified UE network connection process. For another example, the connection request message and/or the connect request response message may also carry configuration information that network node or the UE needs to pass to the other end.

Throughout the specification and claims, terms may have nuanced meanings suggested or implied in context beyond an explicitly stated meaning. Likewise, the phrase “in one embodiment/implementation” as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and the phrase “in another embodiment/implementation” as used herein does not necessarily refer to a different embodiment. It is intended, for example, that claimed subject matter includes combinations of example embodiments in whole or in part.

In general, terminology may be understood at least in part from usage in context. For example, terms, such as “and” , “or” , or “and/or, ” as used herein may include a variety of meanings that may depend at least in part on the context in which such terms are used. Typically, “or” if used to associate a list, such as A, B or C, is intended to mean A, B, and C, here used in the inclusive sense, as well as A, B or C, here used in the exclusive sense. In addition, the term “one or more” as used herein, depending at least in part upon context, may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in a singular sense or may be used to describe combinations of features, structures or characteristics in a plural sense. Similarly, terms, such as “a, ” “an, ” or “the, ” may be understood to convey a singular usage or to convey a plural usage, depending at least in part upon context. In addition, the term “based on” may be understood as not necessarily intended to convey an exclusive set of factors and may, instead, allow for the existence of additional factors not necessarily expressly described, again, depending at least in part on context.

Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present solution should be or are included in any single implementation thereof. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present solution. Thus, discussions of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout the specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.

Furthermore, the described features, advantages and characteristics of the present solution may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One of ordinary skill in the relevant art will recognize, in light of the description herein, that the present solution may be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the present solution.

Claims

A method for wireless communication, performed by a wireless device, comprising:

receiving, from a network node, a first message requesting setting up or resuming a connection between the wireless device and the network node, wherein the wireless device is in an idle state or an inactive state; and

transmitting, to the network node, a second message as a response to the first message.
The method of claim 1, wherein:

the second message is used for the setting up or the resuming of the connection; and

the method further comprises: establishing or resuming the connection between the wireless device and the network node.
The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein:

the first message comprises at least one of: a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment request message; an RRCSetupRequest message, an RRC connection resume request message, or an RRCResumeRequest message; and

the second message comprises at least one of: an RRC connection establishment message; an RRCSetup message, an RRC connection resume message; or an RRCResume message.
The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein:

in response to the wireless device being in the idle state, the first message comprises an RRC connection establishment request message or an RRCSetupRequest message, and the second message comprises an RRC connection establishment message or an RRCSetup message; and

in response to the wireless device being in the inactive state, the first message comprises an RRC connection resume request message or an RRCResumeRequest message, and the second message comprises an RRC connection resume message or an RRCResume message.
The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the second message comprises at least one of: UE assistance information of the wireless device, or UE capability information of the wireless device.
The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein before receiving the first message, the method further comprises:

receiving, from the network node, a third message comprising an indication information, the indication information indicating that a simplified connection setup process is enabled, wherein, in the simplified connection setup process, the network node initiating setting up or resuming a connection between the wireless device and the network node directly without using a paging message.
The method of claim 6, wherein the third message comprises at least one of:

an RRC reconfiguration message;

a Master Information Block (MIB) message;

a System Information (SI) message;

a System Information Block 1 (SIB1) message; or

a System Information Block (SIB) message.
The method of claim 6, wherein before receiving the first message, at least one of following conditions applies:

the network node is able to determine that location information for the wireless device is not changed after the wireless device transitions to the idle state or the inactive state from connected state;

the network node is able to determine that a cell serving the wireless device still covers the wireless device after the wireless device transitions to the idle state or the inactive state from connected state; or

the network node is able to determine the location information for the wireless device.
The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein before receiving the first message, the method further comprises:

receiving, from the network node, a fourth message comprising configuration information for the first message, the configuration information comprising at least one of:

a time domain configuration for receiving the first message;

a frequency domain configuration for receiving the first message; or

a physical channel configuration for a physical channel carrying the first message.
The method of claim 9, wherein the time domain configuration comprises at least one of:

a frame information for one of: a system frame, a half frame, a sub frame;

a set of occasions that the wireless device is expected to monitor the first message;

a periodicity for the wireless device to monitor the first message; or

an offset relative to the system frame, the half frame, or the sub frame.
The method of claim 9, wherein the frequency domain configuration comprises at least one of:

a carrier resource configuration;

a sub-carrier resource configuration;

a Bandwidth Part (BWP) resource configuration;

a Resource Block (RB) configuration; or

a frequency hopping configuration.
The method of claim 9, wherein the physical channel configuration comprises at least one of:

configuration information of a Physical Downlink Share Channel (PDSCH) carrying the first message; or

configuration information of a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carrying scheduling information for the PDSCH.
The method of claim 12, wherein the configuration information of the PDSCH comprises at least one of:

a time domain configuration of the PDSCH;

a frequency domain configuration of the PDSCH; or

a configuration of modulation and coding of the PDSCH.
The method of claim 12, wherein the configuration information of the PDCCH comprises at least one of:

a Control Resource Set configuration corresponding to the PDCCH; or

a search space configuration corresponding to the PDCCH.
The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the first message comprises receiving the first message based on following configuration information:

a time domain position of the first message;

a frequency domain position of the first message;

configuration of modulation and coding scheme applied to a physical channel associated with the first message; or

whether the first message targets the wireless device.
The method of claim 9, further comprising determining whether the first message targets the wireless device according to identification information of the wireless device carried in the first message.
The method of claim 16, wherein the identification information of the wireless device comprises at least one of:

a permanent identification of UE;

a globally unique temporary UE identifier;

a shortened form of the globally unique temporary UE identifier;

a processed UE permanent identifier;

a processed globally unique temporary UE identifier;

a shortened form of processed globally unique temporary UE identifier;

a predefined UE identifier; or

a randomly generated UE identifier.
A method for wireless communication, performed by a network node, comprising:

transmitting, to a wireless device, a first message requesting setting up or resuming a connection between the wireless device and the network node, wherein the wireless device is in an idle state or an inactive state; and

receiving, from the wireless device, a second message as a response to the first message.
The method of claim 18, wherein:

the second message is used for the setting up or the resuming of the connection; and

the method further comprises: establishing or resuming the connection between the wireless device and the network node.
The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein:

the first message comprises at least one of: a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment request message; an RRCSetupRequest message, an RRC connection resume request message, or an RRCResumeRequest message; and

the second message comprises at least one of: an RRC connection establishment message; an RRCSetup message, an RRC connection resume message; or an RRCResume message.
The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein:

in response to the wireless device being in the idle state, the first message comprises an RRC connection establishment request message or an RRCSetupRequest message, and the second message comprises an RRC connection establishment message or an RRCSetup message; and

in response to the wireless device being in the inactive state, the first message comprises an RRC connection resume request message or an RRCResumeRequest message, and the second message comprises an RRC connection resume message or an RRCResume message.
The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein the second message comprises at least one of: UE assistance information of the wireless device, or UE capability information of the wireless device.
The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein before transmitting the first message, the method further comprises:

transmitting, to the wireless device, a third message comprising an indication information, the indication information indicating that a simplified connection setup process is enabled, wherein, in the simplified connection setup process, the network node initiating setting up or resuming a connection between the wireless device and the network node directly without using a paging message.
The method of claim 23, wherein the third message comprises at least one of:

an RRC reconfiguration message;

a Master Information Block (MIB) message;

a System Information (SI) message;

a System Information Block 1 (SIB1) message; or

a System Information Block (SIB) message.
The method of claim 23, wherein before transmitting the first message, at least one of following conditions applies:

the network node is able to determine that location information for the wireless device is not changed after the wireless device transitions to the idle state or the inactive state from connected state;

the network node is able to determine that a cell serving the wireless device still covers the wireless device after the wireless device transitions to the idle state or the inactive state from connected state; or

the network node is able to determine the location information for the wireless device.
The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein before transmitting the first message, the method further comprises:

transmitting, to the wireless device, a fourth message comprising configuration information for the first message, the configuration information comprising at least one of:

a time domain configuration for the wireless device to receive the first message;

a frequency domain configuration for the wireless device to receive the first message; or

a physical channel configuration for a physical channel carrying the first message.
The method of claim 26, wherein the time domain configuration comprises at least one of:

a frame information for one of: a system frame, a half frame, a sub frame;

a set of occasions that the wireless device is expected to monitor the first message;

a periodicity for the wireless device to monitor the first message; or

an offset relative to the system frame, the half frame, or the sub frame.
The method of claim 26, wherein the frequency domain configuration comprises at least one of:

a carrier resource configuration;

a sub-carrier resource configuration;

a Bandwidth Part (BWP) resource configuration;

a Resource Block (RB) configuration; or

a frequency hopping configuration.
The method of claim 26, wherein the physical channel configuration comprises at least one of:

configuration information of a Physical Downlink Share Channel (PDSCH) carrying the first message; or

configuration information of a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carrying scheduling information for the PDSCH.
The method of claim 29, wherein the configuration information of the PDSCH comprises at least one of:

a time domain configuration of the PDSCH;

a frequency domain configuration of the PDSCH; or

a configuration of modulation and coding of the PDSCH.
The method of claim 29, wherein the configuration information of the PDCCH comprises at least one of:

a Control Resource Set configuration corresponding to the PDCCH; or

a search space configuration corresponding to the PDCCH.
The method of claim 26, wherein transmitting the first message comprises transmitting the first message based on following configuration information:

a time domain position of the first message;

a frequency domain position of the first message; or

configuration of modulation and coding scheme applied to a physical channel associated with the first message.
The method of claim 26, wherein transmitting the first message comprises:

adding identification information of the wireless device to the first message.
A device or network node for wireless communication comprising a memory for storing computer instructions and a processor in communication with the memory, wherein, when the processor executes the computer instructions, the processor is configured to implement a method of any one of claims 1-33.
A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable program medium with computer code stored thereupon, the computer code, when executed by one or more processors, causing the one or more processors to implement a method of any one of claims 1-33.