Tunnel setup for split bearers in multi-rat dual connectivity (MR-DC) and NR-NR dual connectivity (NR-DC)
11523448 · 2022-12-06
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
International classification
H04W28/02
ELECTRICITY
Abstract
Embodiments include methods, performed by a master node (MN) in a radio access network, for establishing radio resources between a secondary node (SN) and a user equipment (UE). Such embodiments include sending, to the SN, a request identifying one or more QoS flows to be setup between the SN and the UE; and receiving, from the SN, a response including identification of one or more radio bearers that were admitted by the SN in association with the requested QoS flows. Such embodiments also include sending, to the SN, identifiers of one or more tunnels for forwarding downlink user-plane (DL UP) data over an interface between the SN and the MN. Each tunnel identifier is associated with a respective admitted radio bearer. Embodiments also include complementary methods performed by a SN, as well as network nodes configured to perform the various methods.
Claims
1. A method, performed by a master node (MN) in a radio access network, for establishing radio resources between a secondary node (SN) and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: sending, to the SN, an SN Addition Request message identifying one or more quality-of-service (QoS) flows to be setup between the SN and the UE, wherein the one or more QoS flows are related to SN-terminated radio bearers that require resources provided by the MN; receiving, from the SN, an SN Addition Request Acknowledge message including identification of one or more radio bearers that were admitted by the SN in association with the requested QoS flows; and sending, to the SN, address information including respective identifiers of one or more tunnels for forwarding downlink user-plane (DL UP) data over an Xn-U interface between the SN and the MN for SN-terminated bearers, wherein each tunnel identifier is associated with one of the following: a secondary cell group (SCG) split bearer; or a master cell group (MCG) bearer.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a tunnel for one or more of the admitted radio bearers.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein each tunnel identifier includes a tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID) and an Internet Protocol (IP) address.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, from the SN via at least one of the one or more tunnels, DL UP data associated with at least one of the QoS flows; and transmitting the received DL UP data to the UE over a radio interface.
5. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a network node, of a radio access network, configured for multi-connectivity as a master node (MN) for a user equipment (UE), configure the network node to perform the method of claim 1.
6. A method, performed by a secondary node (SN) in a radio access network, for establishing radio resources between the SN and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from the MN, an SN Addition Request message identifying one or more quality-of-service (QoS) flows to be setup between the SN and the UE, wherein the one or more QoS flows are related to SN-terminated radio bearers that require resources provided by the MN; sending, to the MN, an SN Addition Request Acknowledge message including identification of one or more radio bearers that were admitted in association with the requested QoS flows; and receiving, from the MN, address information including respective identifiers of one or more tunnels for forwarding downlink user-plane (DL UP) data over an Xn-U interface between the SN and the MN for SN-terminated bearers, wherein each tunnel identifier is associated with one of the following: a secondary cell group (SCG) split bearer; or a master cell group (MCG) bearer.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising admitting the one or more radio bearers in association with the requested QoS flows.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein each tunnel identifier includes a tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID) and an Internet Protocol (IP) address.
9. The method of claim 6, further comprising sending, to the MN via at least one of the tunnels, DL data associated with at least one of the QoS flows.
10. A network node, of a radio access network, configured for multi-connectivity as a secondary node (SN) for a user equipment (UE), the network node comprising: a communication interface configured to communicate with the UE and with a network node configured for multi-connectivity as a master node (MN) for the UE; and processing circuitry operably coupled to the communication interface, whereby the processing circuitry and the communication interface are configured to perform the method of claim 6.
11. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a network node, of a radio access network, configured for multi-connectivity as a secondary node (SN) for a user equipment (UE), configure the network node to perform the method of claim 6.
12. A network node, of a radio access network, configured for multi-connectivity as a master node (MN) for a user equipment (UE), the network node comprising: a communication interface configured to communicate with the UE and with a network node configured for multi-connectivity as a secondary node (SN) for the UE; and processing circuitry operably coupled to the communication interface, whereby the processing circuitry and the communication interface are configured to: send, to the SN, an SN Addition Request message identifying one or more quality-of-service (QoS) flows to be setup between the SN and the UE, wherein the one or more QoS flows are related to SN-terminated radio bearers that require resources provided by the MN; receive, from the SN, an SN Addition Request Acknowledge message including identification of one or more radio bearers that were admitted by the SN in association with the requested QoS flows; and send, to the SN, address information including respective identifiers of one or more tunnels for forwarding downlink user-plane (DL UP) data over an Xn-U interface between the SN and the MN for SN-terminated bearers, wherein each tunnel identifier is associated with one of the following: a secondary cell group (SCG) split bearer; or a master cell group (MCG) bearer.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(18) Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Other embodiments, however, are contained within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, the disclosed subject matter should not be construed as limited to only the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, the following terms are used throughout the description given below: Radio Node: As used herein, a “radio node” can be either a “radio access node” or a “wireless device.” Radio Access Node: As used herein, a “radio access node” (or “radio network node”) can be any node in a radio access network (RAN) of a cellular communications network that operates to wirelessly transmit and/or receive signals. Some examples of a radio access node include, but are not limited to, a base station (e.g., a New Radio (NR) base station (gNB) in a 3GPP Fifth Generation (5G) NR network or an enhanced or evolved Node B (eNB) in a 3GPP LTE network), a high-power or macro base station, a low-power base station (e.g., a micro base station, a pico base station, a home eNB, or the like), and a relay node. Core Network Node: As used herein, a “core network node” is any type of node in a core network. Some examples of a core network node include, e.g., a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW), a Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF), or the like. Wireless Device: As used herein, a “wireless device” (or “WD” for short) is any type of device that has access to (i.e., is served by) a cellular communications network by communicate wirelessly with network nodes and/or other wireless devices. Unless otherwise noted, the term “wireless device” is used interchangeably herein with “user equipment” (or “UE” for short). Some examples of a wireless device include, but are not limited to, a UE in a 3GPP network and a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device. Communicating wirelessly can involve transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying information through air. Network Node: As used herein, a “network node” is any node that is either part of the radio access network or the core network of a cellular communications network. Functionally, a network node is equipment capable, configured, arranged, and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a wireless device and/or with other network nodes or equipment in the cellular communications network, to enable and/or provide wireless access to the wireless device, and/or to perform other functions (e.g., administration) in the cellular communications network.
(19) Note that the description given herein focuses on a 3GPP cellular communications system and, as such, 3GPP terminology or terminology similar to 3GPP terminology is oftentimes used. However, the concepts disclosed herein are not limited to a 3GPP system. Furthermore, although the term “cell” is used herein, it should be understood that (particularly with respect to 5G NR) beams may be used instead of cells and, as such, concepts described herein apply equally to both cells and beams.
(20) As briefly mentioned above, although the DC variants that utilize the 5GC (e.g., NE-DC, NGEN-DC, or NR-DC) provide various advantages, they also introduce various problems that do not exist in LTE-DC and EN-DC, primarily due to the differences in the QoS frameworks of 5GC and EPC. These issues are discussed in more detail below. Various DC procedures are specified in 3GPP TS 37.340, both for the variants utilizing the 5GC (i.e., NE-DC, NGEN-DC or NR-NR DC), as well as for variants utilizing the EPC (i.e., EN-DC) cases. Furthermore, detailed descriptions of messages exchanged over Xn interface between the MN and SN are provided in 3GPP TS 38.423. Nevertheless, certain aspects of these technical specifications (TS) relevant to embodiments of the present disclosure are presented below.
(21) LTE-NR tight interworking (a form of EN-DC, with the terms being used interchangeably herein) is currently being discussed for Release 15. In this context, the major changes from LTE DC are the introduction of: Split UP bearer from the SN, also referred to as SCG split bearer. In this case, the SN is also referred to as a SgNB (secondary gNB), where gNB is an acronym for NR base station. Split RRC bearer (i.e., one RRC connection via MN and SN lower layers), also referred to as split SRB; and Direct RRC connection between SN and UE, also referred to as SCG SRB, direct SRB, or SRB3.
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(23) For the first phase of 5G standardization and 5G deployment, the most likely scenario is that MN will apply LTE, and the SN will apply the NR interface, currently under standardization. Nevertheless, it should be appreciated that the explanation can equally apply to various scenarios where the MN and SN nodes utilize various radio interface technologies, e.g., both MN and SN can utilize LTE, NR, and/or other technologies, each without restriction by the other node. In some exemplary embodiments, the MN and/or SN can be subject to the RAN split architecture (e.g., CU and DU), discussed in greater detail below.
(24) As shown in
(25) Similarly,
(26) One motivation for introducing such multiple RRC instances in NR DC, and in particular for EN-DC, is to enable the MN and SN to semi-autonomously control radio resources. For example, MN can allocate resources from some spectrum using LTE, while SN can be responsible for configuring and allocating resources from some other spectrum that uses NR. Challenges for allocating resources in LTE and NR may differ substantially. For example, NR might be allocated in a spectrum where beamforming is highly desirable, while LTE might be allocated in a spectrum with good coverage but with very congested resources. As such, it is important that the SN has some level of autonomy to configure and manage the UE on its associated resources. On the other hand, the overall responsibility for connectivity to the UE may remain with MN node, such the MN node has overall responsibility for mobility, UE state changes, meeting quality of service demands, etc.
(27) Another motivation of introducing split RRC bearers is to provide “RRC diversity” that can enable better mobility robustness and improved signaling/control message delivery between the network and the UE. For example, an RRC message (e.g., handover message or any other reconfiguration message) can be sent over the better of the two links, MeNB-UE and SgNB-UE, even if one link has deteriorated significantly. It is also possible to send duplicate messages over both MeNB-UE and SgNB-UE to achieve a better success-rate and faster delivery if the links are error prone. Such benefits of “RRC diversity” are not available in the current LTE DC solution, and 3GPP has therefore undertaken the challenge to enable such RRC diversity. Having RRC diversity may prove particularly important for use cases requiring ultra-reliable connections with low latency, often called URLLC (Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication).
(28) As illustrated in
(29) In EN-DC, at initial connection establishment SRB1 uses E-UTRA PDCP. After initial connection establishment MCG SRBs (SRB1-2) can be configured by the network to use either E-UTRA PDCP or NR PDCP. A PDCP version change (release of old PDCP and establish of new PDCP) of SRBs can be supported in either direction (i.e., from E-UTRA PDCP to NR PDCP or vice-versa) via a handover procedure (reconfiguration with mobility) or, for the initial change from E-UTRA PDCP to NR PDCP, with a reconfiguration without mobility, when the network knows there is no UL data in buffer and before the initial security activation. For EN-DC capable UEs, NR PDCP can be configured for DRBs and SRBs also before EN-DC is configured.
(30) If the SN is a gNB (i.e., for EN-DC and NGEN-DC), the UE can be configured to establish an SRB with the SN (SRB3) to enable RRC PDUs for the SN to be sent directly between the UE and the SN. RRC PDUs for the SN can only be transported directly to the UE for SN RRC reconfiguration not requiring any coordination with the MN. Measurement reporting for mobility within the SN can be done directly from the UE to the SN if SRB3 is configured. Split SRB is supported for all MR-DC options, allowing duplication of RRC PDUs generated by the MN, via the direct path and via the SN. Split SRB uses NR PDCP. This version of the specification does not support the duplication of RRC PDUs generated by the SN via the MN and SN paths.
(31) In EN-DC, the SCG configuration is kept in the UE during suspension. The UE releases the SCG configuration (but not the radio bearer configuration) during resumption initiation.
(32) With reference to
(33) There are three different bearer types in MR-DC: MCG bearer, SCG bearer, and split bearer. However, the UE- and network-side protocol terminations differ for these bearer types depending on the type of MR-DC utilized. For MR-DC using the EPC (e.g., EN-DC), the UE and network protocol terminations for these three bearer types are depicted in
(34) For MR-DC using 5GC (e.g., NGEN-DC, NE-DC), the UE- and network-side protocol terminations for these three bearer types are depicted in
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(36) The SN Addition procedure is initiated by the MN and is used to establish a UE context at the SN in order to provide radio resources from the SN to the UE. For bearers requiring SCG radio resources, this procedure can be used to add at least the initial serving cell of the SCG. This procedure can also be used to configure an SN-terminated MCG bearer (where no SCG configuration is needed). The operations shown in the exemplary procedure of
(37) In operation 1, the MN decides to request the target SN to allocate radio resources for one or more specific PDU Sessions/QoS Flows, indicating QoS Flows characteristics (QoS Flow Level QoS parameters, PDU session level transport network layer (TNL) address information, and PDU session level Network Slice info). For example, the TNL address information can include a GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP) Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (TEID) and a TNL Internet Protocol (IP) address, such as defined in 3GPP TS 38.423. This TNL address information generally identifies a “tunnel.” Accordingly, in the following description, the terms “tunnel information,” “tunnel identifier(s),” and “TNL address information” are used interchangeably.
(38) In addition, for bearers requiring SCG radio resources, MN indicates the requested SCG configuration information, including the entire UE capabilities and the UE capability coordination result. In this case, the MN also provides the latest measurement results for the SN to use when choosing and configuring the SCG cell(s). The MN can also request the SN to allocate radio resources for split SRB operation. The MN can also provide the needed security information to the SN (e.g., even if no SN-terminated bearers are setup) to enable SRB3 to be setup based on SN decision. For bearer options that require Xn-U resources between the MN and the SN, MN can also provide Xn-U TNL address information, e.g., Xn-U DL (i.e., downlink) TNL address information for SN-terminated bearers and Xn-U UL (i.e., uplink) TNL address information for MN terminated bearers. The SN may reject the request.
(39) In operation 2, If the RRM entity in the SN is able to admit the resource request, it allocates respective radio resources and, dependent on the bearer type options, respective transport network resources. For bearers requiring SCG radio resources the SN triggers UE Random Access so that synchronisation of the SN radio resource configuration can be performed. The SN decides the PSCell and other SCG SCells and provides the new SCG radio resource configuration to the MN in a SN RRC configuration message contained in the SN Addition Request Acknowledge message. In case of bearer options that require Xn-U resources between the MN and the SN, the SN provides Xn-U TNL address information for the respective E-RAB, Xn-U UL TNL address information for SN-terminated bearers, Xn-U DL TNL address information for MN terminated bearers. For SN-terminated bearers, the SN provides the NG-U DL TNL address information for the respective PDU Session and security algorithm. If SCG radio resources have been requested, the SCG radio resource configuration is provided.
(40) In operation 3, the MN sends the MN RRC reconfiguration message to the UE including the SN RRC configuration message, preferably without modifying it. In operation 4, the UE applies the new configuration and replies to MN with MN RRC reconfiguration complete message, including a SN RRC response message for SN, if needed. In case the UE is unable to comply with (part of) the configuration included in the MN RRC reconfiguration message, it performs the reconfiguration failure procedure. In operation 5, the MN informs the SN that the UE has completed the reconfiguration procedure successfully via SN Reconfiguration Complete message, including the encoded SN RRC response message, if received from the UE.
(41) In operation 6, if configured with bearers requiring SCG radio resources, the UE performs synchronization towards the PSCell configured by the SN. The order in which the UE sends the MN RRC reconfiguration complete message and performs the Random-Access (RA) procedure towards the SCG is not defined. Moreover, a successful RA procedure towards the SCG is not required for a successful completion of the RRC Connection Reconfiguration procedure. In operation 7, in case of SN-terminated bearers using RLC AM, the MN sends SN Status Transfer to the SN.
(42) In operation 8, in case of SN-terminated bearers using RLC AM, and dependent on the bearer characteristics of the respective QoS Flows, the MN may take actions to minimize service interruption due to activation of MR-DC (Data forwarding). In operations 9-12, for SN-terminated bearers, the update of the UP path towards the 5GC is performed via PDU Session Path Update procedure.
(43) In the SN-Addition Request message (operation 1), the MN sends a list of the UE's QoS flows/bearers that it wants to be handled by the SN (e.g., either as SN-terminated flows or MN-terminated bearers).
(44) In the PDU Session Resource Setup Info—SN terminated IE, the MN provides a list of the QoS flows that it wants the SN to setup (i.e., SN-terminated) and also provides an “Offered GBR QoS Flow information”, which is an indication to the SN that it can add this flow as part of a split bearer and how much resource the MN is willing to provide for the sake of this flow (It is up to the SN to use this resource or not). The UL NG-U UP TNL Information at UPF IE is sent also to the SN to provide the tunnel information for sending the UL data to the core network.
(45) Note that the information in the PDU Session Resource Setup Info—SN terminated IE (
(46) In the PDU Session Resource Setup Info—MN terminated IE (
(47) In the SN-Addition Request Acknowledge message (operation 2), the SN can provide the list of the QoS flows/bearers that it has admitted (either as SCG bearers, SCG split bearers or MCG split bearers) in the PDU session resources admitted to be added List IE (shown in
(48) In the PDU Session Resource Setup Response Info—SN terminated IE (
(49) In the PDU Session Resource Setup Info—MN terminated IE (
(50) As explained above, during an SN addition procedure, the MN provides QoS flow level—rather than bearer-level—information for the SN-terminated bearers because it doesn't know how the SN will decide to map the QoS flows into bearers. In other words, the MN does not know how many DRBs the SN will setup and for how many of these DRBs the SN will request MCG resources. This prevents the MN from providing tunnel information that is to be used for transmitting split bearer data. When the SN responds, it provides the UL tunnel information (e.g., in the SN UL PDCP UP TNL Information IE that is shown in
(51) Accordingly, current solutions (e.g., as specified in 3GPP standards) neither provide nor facilitate the correct setup of SCG split bearers in MR-DC utilizing a 5GC network. Consequently, only UL data transmission is possible over the Xn interface for SN-terminated bearers (i.e., no DL data). As such, it is not possible to setup bidirectional SN-terminated bearers or SN-terminated MCG bearers.
(52) Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure address these and other problems and/or shortcomings of prior solutions by providing mechanisms to facilitate proper tunnel setup for radio resources (e.g., split bearers) in MR-DC and NR-NR DC. In some exemplary embodiments, the current SN reconfiguration complete message can be augmented and/or improved to provide the tunnel information from the MN to the SN during the SN addition procedure. For example, when sending the SN Reconfiguration Complete message, the MN can be aware of the of the number of DRBs that the SN has decided to setup and is aware of the DRB-flow mapping.
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(55) Note that although these embodiments, illustrated by exemplary
(56) In other exemplary embodiments, the SN Addition Request and/or SN Addition Request Acknowledge messages can be augmented and/or improved facilitate tunnel information exchange for SN-terminated bearers. More specifically, the MN can provide a list of tunnel identifiers to the SN in the SN addition request message, and the SN can identify which members of the list that it has chosen in the SN addition request acknowledge message. As one example, the MN can include in the SN Addition Request message one tunnel identifier (e.g., MN DL TEID and IP address) for each QoS Flow that the MN is requesting the SN to admit and/or terminate. The SN can then decide how many DRBs to establish for the requested QoS flows, and then provide in the SN Addition Request Acknowledge message the list of DRBs and, for each DRB, one SN UL tunnel identifier and one MN DL identifier (selected, e.g., from among the ones provided by the MN in the SN Addition Request message). For example, depending on how many bearers the SN sets up on behalf of these requested QoS flows, it can use some number of the indicated tunnels.
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(59) In these exemplary embodiments, since the MN provides the DRB-ID space that the SN can use, it knows the maximum number of bearers that the SN can configure. As such, in the above realizations, the maximum number of tunnels required to be included can be less than the maximum number of DRBs that the UE is capable of supporting.
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(61) In response to receiving an SN Addition Request message that contains an enhanced PDU Session Resource Setup Info—SN terminated IE (including, e.g., the realizations shown in
(62) In some embodiments, some specific rules can be defined such that the MN can steer and/or guide the SN's choice of UP TNL information. For example, I in the PDU Session Resource Setup Info IE, the MN can provide the following flow-IP tuples: {flow1, DL-IP-address1}, {flow2, DL-IP-address1}, {flow3, DL-IP-address2}, {flow4, DL-IP-address2}. After receipt, the SN can decide to setup DRB1 for flow1-2 and DRB2 for flow3-4, based on its own requirements and/or preferences (e.g., not directed by the MN). Thus, the SN provides the following DRB-flow-IP tuples in the PDU Session Resource Setup Response Info IE: {DRB1, flow1-2, DL-IP-address1}, {DRB2, flow3-4, DL-IP-address2}.
(63) In this manner, such embodiments facilitate the MN steering the SN's choice toward specific IP addresses. This can be useful, for example, when the MN has a split CU-DU architecture (e.g., one CU, multiple DUs) with DL-IP-address-1 is provided by DU1 and DL-IP-address-2 provided by DU2. It can also be useful in a non-split scenario in which the gNB is distributed in different logical units that may use different IP addresses.
(64) Other realizations of an enhanced PDU Session Resource Setup Info—SN terminated IE can be employed to reduce the amount of information (e.g., signaling) conveyed in this IE. One possible realization is illustrated in
(65) In other exemplary embodiments, the SN Addition Request message can be augmented and/or enhanced to include an ordered list of tunnel information. In such embodiments, the SN addition request acknowledge message can remained unchanged. The list order can indicate a selection preference or requirement. In such case, the SN and MN can select and/or utilize tunnels provided by the MN, starting from the first in the list and proceeding according to the list order.
(66) For example, if the SN decides to admit n bearers, the SN choose the first n tunnels provided in the PDU session resource setup info IE. In other words, if the MN has provided {tunnel1, tunnel2, tunnelX}, and the SN has admitted n bearers (n≤X), then MN will assume that the SN is using tunnel1 for the first bearer in the DRBs To Be Setup List provided by the SN, tunnel2 for the second bearer, etc. without any explicit indication by the SN.
(67) These exemplary embodiments also can be used in conjunction with the realizations illustrated by
(68) Various orders of the DRBs to Be Setup Item IEs in the DRBs to Be Setup List of the PDU Session Resource Setup Response Info—SN terminated IE can also be utilized. In some embodiments, the SN can order the bearers in this list according to the order of the tunnel information that was chosen for that bearer. For example, the first bearer in the list is using the first tunnel information that was made available in one of the options discussed above, the second bearer is using the second tunnel info, etc.
(69) The various embodiments discussed above can provide different advantages and/or benefits, such that different embodiments may be desirable and/or preferable according to different situations. For example, the enhanced SN reconfiguration complete message (e.g., as illustrated by
(70) Note that although these embodiments, illustrated by exemplary enhancements shown in
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(72) The exemplary method and/or procedure illustrated in
(73) The exemplary method and/or procedure can also include the operations of block 920, in which the MN can receive, from the SN, a response including identification of one or more radio bearers that were admitted by the SN in association with the requested QoS flows. For example, the admitted radio bearers can include secondary cell group (SCG) bearers, master cell group (MCG) bearers, and SCG split bearers, as illustrated in
(74) In some embodiments, the exemplary method and/or procedure can also include the operations of block 930, where the MN can select a tunnel for one or more of the admitted radio bearers. The tunnels be selected for the SN-terminated radio bearers that require resources provided by the MN, such as SCG split bearers and MCG bearers, as illustrated in
(75) The exemplary method and/or procedure can also include the operations of block 940, where the MN can send, to the SN, identifiers of one or more tunnels (e.g., the tunnels selected in block 930) for forwarding DL UP data over an interface between the SN and the MN (e.g., an Xn interface). Each tunnel identifier is associated with a respective admitted radio bearer (e.g., an SN-terminated radio bearer that requires resources provided by the MN). In some embodiments, each tunnel identifier can include a tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID) and an Internet Protocol (IP) address.
(76) In some embodiments, the exemplary method and/or procedure can also include the operations of block 950, where the MN can receive, from the SN via at least one of the one or more tunnels, DL UP data associated with at least one of the QoS flows. In such embodiments, the exemplary method and/or procedure can also include the operations of block 960, where the MN can transmit the received DL UP data to the UE over a radio interface.
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(78) The exemplary method and/or procedure illustrated in
(79) In some embodiments, the exemplary method and/or procedure can also include the operations of block 1020, in which the SN can admit one or more radio bearers in association with the requested QoS flows. The exemplary method and/or procedure can also include the operations of block 1030, in which the SN can send, to the SN, a response including identification of one or more radio bearers that were admitted (e.g., in block 1020) in association with the requested QoS flows. For example, the admitted radio bearers can include secondary cell group (SCG) bearers, master cell group (MCG) bearers, and SCG split bearers, as illustrated in
(80) The exemplary method and/or procedure can also include the operations of block 1040, in which the SN can receive, from the MN, identifiers of one or more tunnels for forwarding downlink (DL) user-plane (UP) data over an interface between the SN and the MN (e.g., an Xn interface). Each tunnel identifier can be associated with a respective admitted radio bearer. For example, each tunnel identifier can be associated with an SN-terminated radio bearer that requires resources provided by the MN, such as a secondary cell group (SCG) split bearer or a master cell group (MCG) bearer, as illustrated in
(81) In some embodiments, the exemplary method and/or procedure can also include the operations of block 1050, where the SN can send (e.g., forward), to the MN via at least one of the one or more tunnels, DL UP data associated with at least one of the QoS flows.
(82) Although the subject matter described herein can be implemented in any appropriate type of system using any suitable components, the embodiments disclosed herein are described in relation to a wireless network, such as the example wireless network illustrated in
(83) The wireless network can comprise and/or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, and/or radio network or other similar type of system. In some embodiments, the wireless network can be configured to operate according to specific standards or other types of predefined rules or procedures. Thus, particular embodiments of the wireless network can implement communication standards, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and/or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G standards; wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the IEEE 802.11 standards; and/or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave and/or ZigBee standards.
(84) Network 1106 can comprise one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTNs), packet data networks, optical networks, wide-area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks to enable communication between devices.
(85) Network node 1160 and WD 1110 comprise various components described in more detail below. These components work together in order to provide network node and/or wireless device functionality, such as providing wireless connections in a wireless network. In different embodiments, the wireless network can comprise any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and/or any other components or systems that can facilitate or participate in the communication of data and/or signals whether via wired or wireless connections.
(86) Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, NBs, eNBs, and gNBs). Base stations can be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and can then also be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station can be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node can also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and/or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station can also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).
(87) Further examples of network nodes include multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell/multicast coordination entities (MCEs), core network nodes (e.g., MSCs, MMEs), O&M nodes, OSS nodes, SON nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., E-SMLCs), and/or MDTs. As another example, a network node can be a virtual network node as described in more detail below.
(88) In
(89) Similarly, network node 1160 can be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and an RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which can each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which network node 1160 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components can be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC can control multiple NodeB's. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, can in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, network node 1160 can be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components can be duplicated (e.g., separate device readable medium 1180 for the different RATs) and some components can be reused (e.g., the same antenna 1162 can be shared by the RATs). Network node 1160 can also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1160, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies can be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 1160.
(90) Processing circuitry 1170 can be configured to perform any determining, calculating, or similar operations (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as being provided by a network node. These operations performed by processing circuitry 1170 can include processing information obtained by processing circuitry 1170 by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.
(91) Processing circuitry 1170 can comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and/or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 1160 components, such as device readable medium 1180, network node 1160 functionality. For example, processing circuitry 1170 can execute instructions stored in device readable medium 1180 or in memory within processing circuitry 1170. Such functionality can include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 1170 can include a system on a chip (SOC).
(92) In some embodiments, processing circuitry 1170 can include one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1172 and baseband processing circuitry 1174. In some embodiments, radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1172 and baseband processing circuitry 1174 can be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1172 and baseband processing circuitry 1174 can be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units
(93) In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein as being provided by a network node, base station, eNB or other such network device can be performed by processing circuitry 1170 executing instructions stored on device readable medium 1180 or memory within processing circuitry 1170. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality can be provided by processing circuitry 1170 without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device readable medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a device readable storage medium or not, processing circuitry 1170 can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to processing circuitry 1170 alone or to other components of network node 1160, but are enjoyed by network node 1160 as a whole, and/or by end users and the wireless network generally.
(94) Device readable medium 1180 can comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device readable and/or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and/or instructions that can be used by processing circuitry 1170. Device readable medium 1180 can store any suitable instructions, data or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc. and/or other instructions capable of being executed by processing circuitry 1170 and, utilized by network node 1160. Device readable medium 1180 can be used to store any calculations made by processing circuitry 1170 and/or any data received via interface 1190. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 1170 and device readable medium 1180 can be considered to be integrated.
(95) Interface 1190 is used in the wired or wireless communication of signaling and/or data between network node 1160, network 1106, and/or WDs 1110. As illustrated, interface 1190 comprises port(s)/terminal(s) 1194 to send and receive data, for example to and from network 1106 over a wired connection. Interface 1190 also includes radio front end circuitry 1192 that can be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, antenna 1162. Radio front end circuitry 1192 comprises filters 1198 and amplifiers 1196. Radio front end circuitry 1192 can be connected to antenna 1162 and processing circuitry 1170. Radio front end circuitry can be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1162 and processing circuitry 1170. Radio front end circuitry 1192 can receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection. Radio front end circuitry 1192 can convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1198 and/or amplifiers 1196. The radio signal can then be transmitted via antenna 1162. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 1162 can collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by radio front end circuitry 1192. The digital data can be passed to processing circuitry 1170. In other embodiments, the interface can comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.
(96) In certain alternative embodiments, network node 1160 may not include separate radio front end circuitry 1192, instead, processing circuitry 1170 can comprise radio front end circuitry and can be connected to antenna 1162 without separate radio front end circuitry 1192. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of RF transceiver circuitry 1172 can be considered a part of interface 1190. In still other embodiments, interface 1190 can include one or more ports or terminals 1194, radio front end circuitry 1192, and RF transceiver circuitry 1172, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and interface 1190 can communicate with baseband processing circuitry 1174, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).
(97) Antenna 1162 can include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals. Antenna 1162 can be coupled to radio front end circuitry 1190 and can be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and/or signals wirelessly. In some embodiments, antenna 1162 can comprise one or more omni-directional, sector or panel antennas operable to transmit/receive radio signals between, for example, 2 GHz and 66 GHz. An omni-directional antenna can be used to transmit/receive radio signals in any direction, a sector antenna can be used to transmit/receive radio signals from devices within a particular area, and a panel antenna can be a line of sight antenna used to transmit/receive radio signals in a relatively straight line. In some instances, the use of more than one antenna can be referred to as MIMO. In certain embodiments, antenna 1162 can be separate from network node 1160 and can be connectable to network node 1160 through an interface or port.
(98) Antenna 1162, interface 1190, and/or processing circuitry 1170 can be configured to perform any receiving operations and/or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and/or signals can be received from a wireless device, another network node and/or any other network equipment. Similarly, antenna 1162, interface 1190, and/or processing circuitry 1170 can be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and/or signals can be transmitted to a wireless device, another network node and/or any other network equipment.
(99) Power circuitry 1187 can comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry and can be configured to supply the components of network node 1160 with power for performing the functionality described herein. Power circuitry 1187 can receive power from power source 1186. Power source 1186 and/or power circuitry 1187 can be configured to provide power to the various components of network node 1160 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). Power source 1186 can either be included in, or external to, power circuitry 1187 and/or network node 1160. For example, network node 1160 can be connectable to an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry 1187. As a further example, power source 1186 can comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry 1187. The battery can provide backup power should the external power source fail. Other types of power sources, such as photovoltaic devices, can also be used.
(100) Alternative embodiments of network node 1160 can include additional components beyond those shown in
(101) In some embodiments, a wireless device (WD, e.g., WD 1110) can be configured to transmit and/or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a WD can be designed to transmit information to a network on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the network. Examples of a WD include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cell phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, gaming consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback appliances, wearable devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablets, laptops, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart devices, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), mobile-type communication (MTC) devices, Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, etc.
(102) A WD can support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) and can in this case be referred to as a D2D communication device. As yet another specific example, in an Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, a WD can represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and/or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and/or measurements to another WD and/or a network node. The WD can in this case be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which can in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the WD can be a UE implementing the 3GPP narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) standard. Particular examples of such machines or devices are sensors, metering devices such as power meters, industrial machinery, or home or personal appliances (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, etc.) personal wearables (e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.). In other scenarios, a WD can represent a vehicle or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and/or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation. A WD as described above can represent the endpoint of a wireless connection, in which case the device can be referred to as a wireless terminal. Furthermore, a WD as described above can be mobile, in which case it can also be referred to as a mobile device or a mobile terminal.
(103) As illustrated, wireless device 1110 includes antenna 1111, interface 1114, processing circuitry 1120, device readable medium 1130, user interface equipment 1132, auxiliary equipment 1134, power source 1136 and power circuitry 1137. WD 1110 can include multiple sets of one or more of the illustrated components for different wireless technologies supported by WD 1110, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, just to mention a few. These wireless technologies can be integrated into the same or different chips or set of chips as other components within WD 1110.
(104) Antenna 1111 can include one or more antennas or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals, and is connected to interface 1114. In certain alternative embodiments, antenna 1111 can be separate from WD 1110 and be connectable to WD 1110 through an interface or port. Antenna 1111, interface 1114, and/or processing circuitry 1120 can be configured to perform any receiving or transmitting operations described herein as being performed by a WD. Any information, data and/or signals can be received from a network node and/or another WD. In some embodiments, radio front end circuitry and/or antenna 1111 can be considered an interface.
(105) As illustrated, interface 1114 comprises radio front end circuitry 1112 and antenna 1111. Radio front end circuitry 1112 comprise one or more filters 1118 and amplifiers 1116. Radio front end circuitry 1114 is connected to antenna 1111 and processing circuitry 1120, and can be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1111 and processing circuitry 1120. Radio front end circuitry 1112 can be coupled to or a part of antenna 1111. In some embodiments, WD 1110 may not include separate radio front end circuitry 1112; rather, processing circuitry 1120 can comprise radio front end circuitry and can be connected to antenna 1111. Similarly, in some embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1122 can be considered a part of interface 1114. Radio front end circuitry 1112 can receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection. Radio front end circuitry 1112 can convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1118 and/or amplifiers 1116. The radio signal can then be transmitted via antenna 1111. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 1111 can collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by radio front end circuitry 1112. The digital data can be passed to processing circuitry 1120. In other embodiments, the interface can comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.
(106) Processing circuitry 1120 can comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and/or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other WD 1110 components, such as device readable medium 1130, WD 1110 functionality. Such functionality can include providing any of the various wireless features or benefits discussed herein. For example, processing circuitry 1120 can execute instructions stored in device readable medium 1130 or in memory within processing circuitry 1120 to provide the functionality disclosed herein.
(107) As illustrated, processing circuitry 1120 includes one or more of RF transceiver circuitry 1122, baseband processing circuitry 1124, and application processing circuitry 1126. In other embodiments, the processing circuitry can comprise different components and/or different combinations of components. In certain embodiments processing circuitry 1120 of WD 1110 can comprise a SOC. In some embodiments, RF transceiver circuitry 1122, baseband processing circuitry 1124, and application processing circuitry 1126 can be on separate chips or sets of chips. In alternative embodiments, part or all of baseband processing circuitry 1124 and application processing circuitry 1126 can be combined into one chip or set of chips, and RF transceiver circuitry 1122 can be on a separate chip or set of chips. In still alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1122 and baseband processing circuitry 1124 can be on the same chip or set of chips, and application processing circuitry 1126 can be on a separate chip or set of chips. In yet other alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1122, baseband processing circuitry 1124, and application processing circuitry 1126 can be combined in the same chip or set of chips. In some embodiments, RF transceiver circuitry 1122 can be a part of interface 1114. RF transceiver circuitry 1122 can condition RF signals for processing circuitry 1120.
(108) In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein as being performed by a WD can be provided by processing circuitry 1120 executing instructions stored on device readable medium 1130, which in certain embodiments can be a computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality can be provided by processing circuitry 1120 without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a device readable storage medium or not, processing circuitry 1120 can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to processing circuitry 1120 alone or to other components of WD 1110, but are enjoyed by WD 1110 as a whole, and/or by end users and the wireless network generally.
(109) Processing circuitry 1120 can be configured to perform any determining, calculating, or similar operations (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as being performed by a WD. These operations, as performed by processing circuitry 1120, can include processing information obtained by processing circuitry 1120 by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored by WD 1110, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.
(110) Device readable medium 1130 can be operable to store a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc. and/or other instructions capable of being executed by processing circuitry 1120. Device readable medium 1130 can include computer memory (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM) or Read Only Memory (ROM)), mass storage media (e.g., a hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device readable and/or computer executable memory devices that store information, data, and/or instructions that can be used by processing circuitry 1120. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 1120 and device readable medium 1130 can be considered to be integrated.
(111) User interface equipment 1132 can include components that allow and/or facilitate a human user to interact with WD 1110. Such interaction can be of many forms, such as visual, audial, tactile, etc. User interface equipment 1132 can be operable to produce output to the user and to allow and/or facilitate the user to provide input to WD 1110. The type of interaction can vary depending on the type of user interface equipment 1132 installed in WD 1110. For example, if WD 1110 is a smart phone, the interaction can be via a touch screen; if WD 1110 is a smart meter, the interaction can be through a screen that provides usage (e.g., the number of gallons used) or a speaker that provides an audible alert (e.g., if smoke is detected). User interface equipment 1132 can include input interfaces, devices and circuits, and output interfaces, devices and circuits. User interface equipment 1132 can be configured to allow and/or facilitate input of information into WD 1110, and is connected to processing circuitry 1120 to allow and/or facilitate processing circuitry 1120 to process the input information. User interface equipment 1132 can include, for example, a microphone, a proximity or other sensor, keys/buttons, a touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port, or other input circuitry. User interface equipment 1132 is also configured to allow and/or facilitate output of information from WD 1110, and to allow and/or facilitate processing circuitry 1120 to output information from WD 1110. User interface equipment 1132 can include, for example, a speaker, a display, vibrating circuitry, a USB port, a headphone interface, or other output circuitry. Using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuits, of user interface equipment 1132, WD 1110 can communicate with end users and/or the wireless network, and allow and/or facilitate them to benefit from the functionality described herein.
(112) Auxiliary equipment 1134 is operable to provide more specific functionality which may not be generally performed by WDs. This can comprise specialized sensors for doing measurements for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communication such as wired communications etc. The inclusion and type of components of auxiliary equipment 1134 can vary depending on the embodiment and/or scenario.
(113) Power source 1136 can, in some embodiments, be in the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic devices or power cells, can also be used. WD 1110 can further comprise power circuitry 1137 for delivering power from power source 1136 to the various parts of WD 1110 which need power from power source 1136 to carry out any functionality described or indicated herein. Power circuitry 1137 can in certain embodiments comprise power management circuitry. Power circuitry 1137 can additionally or alternatively be operable to receive power from an external power source; in which case WD 1110 can be connectable to the external power source (such as an electricity outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Power circuitry 1137 can also in certain embodiments be operable to deliver power from an external power source to power source 1136. This can be, for example, for the charging of power source 1136. Power circuitry 1137 can perform any converting or other modification to the power from power source 1136 to make it suitable for supply to the respective components of WD 1110.
(114)
(115) In
(116) In
(117) In the depicted embodiment, input/output interface 1205 can be configured to provide a communication interface to an input device, output device, or input and output device. UE 1200 can be configured to use an output device via input/output interface 1205. An output device can use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a USB port can be used to provide input to and output from UE 1200. The output device can be a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. UE 1200 can be configured to use an input device via input/output interface 1205 to allow and/or facilitate a user to capture information into UE 1200. The input device can include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display can include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor can be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, another like sensor, or any combination thereof. For example, the input device can be an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a digital camera, a microphone, and an optical sensor.
(118) In
(119) RAM 1217 can be configured to interface via bus 1202 to processing circuitry 1201 to provide storage or caching of data or computer instructions during the execution of software programs such as the operating system, application programs, and device drivers. ROM 1219 can be configured to provide computer instructions or data to processing circuitry 1201. For example, ROM 1219 can be configured to store invariant low-level system code or data for basic system functions such as basic input and output (I/O), startup, or reception of keystrokes from a keyboard that are stored in a non-volatile memory. Storage medium 1221 can be configured to include memory such as RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, or flash drives. In one example, storage medium 1221 can be configured to include operating system 1223, application program 1225 such as a web browser application, a widget or gadget engine or another application, and data file 1227. Storage medium 1221 can store, for use by UE 1200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.
(120) Storage medium 1221 can be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), floppy disk drive, flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as a subscriber identity module or a removable user identity (SIM/RUIM) module, other memory, or any combination thereof. Storage medium 1221 can allow and/or facilitate UE 1200 to access computer-executable instructions, application programs or the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system can be tangibly embodied in storage medium 1221, which can comprise a device readable medium.
(121) In
(122) In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of communication subsystem 1231 can include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. For example, communication subsystem 1231 can include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. Network 1243b can encompass wired and/or wireless networks such as a local-area network (LAN), a wide-area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another like network or any combination thereof. For example, network 1243b can be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and/or a near-field network. Power source 1213 can be configured to provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to components of UE 1200.
(123) The features, benefits and/or functions described herein can be implemented in one of the components of UE 1200 or partitioned across multiple components of UE 1200. Further, the features, benefits, and/or functions described herein can be implemented in any combination of hardware, software or firmware. In one example, communication subsystem 1231 can be configured to include any of the components described herein. Further, processing circuitry 1201 can be configured to communicate with any of such components over bus 1202. In another example, any of such components can be represented by program instructions stored in memory that when executed by processing circuitry 1201 perform the corresponding functions described herein. In another example, the functionality of any of such components can be partitioned between processing circuitry 1201 and communication subsystem 1231. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components can be implemented in software or firmware and the computationally intensive functions can be implemented in hardware.
(124)
(125) In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein can be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in one or more virtual environments 1300 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes 1330. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node is not a radio access node or does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node), then the network node can be entirely virtualized.
(126) The functions can be implemented by one or more applications 1320 (which can alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) operative to implement some of the features, functions, and/or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein. Applications 1320 are run in virtualization environment 1300 which provides hardware 1330 comprising processing circuitry 1360 and memory 1390. Memory 1390 contains instructions 1395 executable by processing circuitry 1360 whereby application 1320 is operative to provide one or more of the features, benefits, and/or functions disclosed herein.
(127) Virtualization environment 1300, comprises general-purpose or special-purpose network hardware devices 1330 comprising a set of one or more processors or processing circuitry 1360, which can be commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors, dedicated Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), or any other type of processing circuitry including digital or analog hardware components or special purpose processors. Each hardware device can comprise memory 1390-1 which can be non-persistent memory for temporarily storing instructions 1395 or software executed by processing circuitry 1360. Each hardware device can comprise one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 1370, also known as network interface cards, which include physical network interface 1380. Each hardware device can also include non-transitory, persistent, machine-readable storage media 1390-2 having stored therein software 1395 and/or instructions executable by processing circuitry 1360. Software 1395 can include any type of software including software for instantiating one or more virtualization layers 1350 (also referred to as hypervisors), software to execute virtual machines 1340 as well as software allowing it to execute functions, features and/or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein.
(128) Virtual machines 1340, comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and can be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1350 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of the instance of virtual appliance 1320 can be implemented on one or more of virtual machines 1340, and the implementations can be made in different ways.
(129) During operation, processing circuitry 1360 executes software 1395 to instantiate the hypervisor or virtualization layer 1350, which can sometimes be referred to as a virtual machine monitor (VMM). Virtualization layer 1350 can present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to virtual machine 1340.
(130) As shown in
(131) Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.
(132) In the context of NFV, virtual machine 1340 can be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of virtual machines 1340, and that part of hardware 1330 that executes that virtual machine, be it hardware dedicated to that virtual machine and/or hardware shared by that virtual machine with others of the virtual machines 1340, forms a separate virtual network elements (VNE).
(133) In the context of NFV, Virtual Network Function (VNF) is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more virtual machines 1340 on top of hardware networking infrastructure 1330, and can correspond to application 1320 in
(134) In some embodiments, one or more radio units 13200 that each include one or more transmitters 13220 and one or more receivers 13210 can be coupled to one or more antennas 13225. Radio units 13200 can communicate directly with hardware nodes 1330 via one or more appropriate network interfaces and can be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station.
(135) In some embodiments, some signaling can be affected with the use of control system 13230 which can alternatively be used for communication between the hardware nodes 1330 and radio units 13200.
(136) With reference to
(137) Telecommunication network 1410 is itself connected to host computer 1430, which can be embodied in the hardware and/or software of a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server or as processing resources in a server farm. Host computer 1430 can be under the ownership or control of a service provider, or can be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. Connections 1421 and 1422 between telecommunication network 1410 and host computer 1430 can extend directly from core network 1414 to host computer 1430 or can go via an optional intermediate network 1420. Intermediate network 1420 can be one of, or a combination of more than one of, a public, private or hosted network; intermediate network 1420, if any, can be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, intermediate network 1420 can comprise two or more sub-networks (not shown).
(138) The communication system of
(139) Example implementations, in accordance with an embodiment, of the UE, base station and host computer discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to
(140) Communication system 1500 can also include base station 1520 provided in a telecommunication system and comprising hardware 1525 enabling it to communicate with host computer 1510 and with UE 1530. Hardware 1525 can include communication interface 1526 for setting up and maintaining a wired or wireless connection with an interface of a different communication device of communication system 1500, as well as radio interface 1527 for setting up and maintaining at least wireless connection 1570 with UE 1530 located in a coverage area (not shown in
(141) Communication system 1500 can also include UE 1530 already referred to. The UE's hardware 1535 can include radio interface 1537 configured to set up and maintain wireless connection 1570 with a base station serving a coverage area in which UE 1530 is currently located. Hardware 1535 of UE 1530 can also include processing circuitry 1538, which can comprise one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays or combinations of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. UE 1530 further comprises software 1531, which is stored in or accessible by UE 1530 and executable by processing circuitry 1538. Software 1531 includes client application 1532. Client application 1532 can be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 1530, with the support of host computer 1510. In host computer 1510, an executing host application 1512 can communicate with the executing client application 1532 via OTT connection 1550 terminating at UE 1530 and host computer 1510. In providing the service to the user, client application 1532 can receive request data from host application 1512 and provide user data in response to the request data. OTT connection 1550 can transfer both the request data and the user data. Client application 1532 can interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides.
(142) It is noted that host computer 1510, base station 1520 and UE 1530 illustrated in
(143) In
(144) Wireless connection 1570 between UE 1530 and base station 1520 is in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to UE 1530 using OTT connection 1550, in which wireless connection 1570 forms the last segment. More precisely, the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein can improve flexibility for the network to monitor end-to-end quality-of-service (QoS) of data flows, including their corresponding radio bearers, associated with data sessions between a user equipment (UE) and another entity, such as an OTT data application or service external to the 5G network. These and other advantages can facilitate more timely design, implementation, and deployment of 5G/NR solutions. Furthermore, such embodiments can facilitate flexible and timely control of data session QoS, which can lead to improvements in capacity, throughput, latency, etc. that are envisioned by 5G/NR and important for the growth of OTT services.
(145) A measurement procedure can be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other network operational aspects on which the one or more embodiments improve. There can further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring OTT connection 1550 between host computer 1510 and UE 1530, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and/or the network functionality for reconfiguring OTT connection 1550 can be implemented in software 1511 and hardware 1515 of host computer 1510 or in software 1531 and hardware 1535 of UE 1530, or both. In embodiments, sensors (not shown) can be deployed in or in association with communication devices through which OTT connection 1550 passes; the sensors can participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software 1511, 1531 can compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of OTT connection 1550 can include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not affect base station 1520, and it can be unknown or imperceptible to base station 1520. Such procedures and functionalities can be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements can involve proprietary UE signaling facilitating host computer 1510's measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like. The measurements can be implemented in that software 1511 and 1531 causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using OTT connection 1550 while it monitors propagation times, errors etc.
(146)
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(150) The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the disclosure. Various modifications and alterations to the described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings herein. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous systems, arrangements, and procedures that, although not explicitly shown or described herein, embody the principles of the disclosure and can be thus within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Various exemplary embodiments can be used together with one another, as well as interchangeably therewith, as should be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art.
(151) The term unit, as used herein, can have conventional meaning in the field of electronics, electrical devices and/or electronic devices and can include, for example, electrical and/or electronic circuitry, devices, modules, processors, memories, logic solid state and/or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for carrying out respective tasks, procedures, computations, outputs, and/or displaying functions, and so on, as such as those that are described herein.
(152) Any appropriate steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual apparatuses. Each virtual apparatus may comprise a number of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include Digital Signal Processor (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and/or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause the respective functional unit to perform corresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
(153) As described herein, device and/or apparatus can be represented by a semiconductor chip, a chipset, or a (hardware) module comprising such chip or chipset; this, however, does not exclude the possibility that a functionality of a device or apparatus, instead of being hardware implemented, be implemented as a software module such as a computer program or a computer program product comprising executable software code portions for execution or being run on a processor. Furthermore, functionality of a device or apparatus can be implemented by any combination of hardware and software. A device or apparatus can also be regarded as an assembly of multiple devices and/or apparatuses, whether functionally in cooperation with or independently of each other. Moreover, devices and apparatuses can be implemented in a distributed fashion throughout a system, so long as the functionality of the device or apparatus is preserved. Such and similar principles are considered as known to a skilled person.
(154) Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
(155) In addition, certain terms used in the present disclosure, including the specification, drawings and exemplary embodiments thereof, can be used synonymously in certain instances, including, but not limited to, e.g., data and information. It should be understood that, while these words and/or other words that can be synonymous to one another, can be used synonymously herein, that there can be instances when such words can be intended to not be used synonymously. Further, to the extent that the prior art knowledge has not been explicitly incorporated by reference herein above, it is explicitly incorporated herein in its entirety. All publications referenced are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
(156) Example embodiments of the techniques and apparatus described herein include, but are not limited to, the following enumerated examples:
(157) 1. A method, performed by a master node (MN) in a radio access network (RAN), for establishing radio resources between a secondary node (SN) and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:
(158) sending, to the SN, a request identifying one of more quality-of-service (QoS) flows to be setup between the SN and the UE; receiving, from the SN, an identification of one or more radio bearers that were admitted by the SN in association with the requested QoS flows; and sending, to the SN, identifiers of one or more tunnels for forwarding user-plane (UP) data to a core network, each tunnel identifier associated with a respective admitted radio bearer.
2. The method of embodiment 1, wherein each tunnel identifier comprises a tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID) and an Internet Protocol (IP) address.
3. A method, performed by a master node (MN) in a radio access network (RAN), for establishing radio resources between a secondary node (SN) and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: sending, to the SN, a request identifying: one or more quality-of-service (QoS) flows to be setup between the SN and the UE; and one or more tunnels for forwarding user-plane (UP) data to a core network; receiving, from the SN, a response identifying: one or more radio bearers that were admitted by the SN in association with the requested QoS flows; and for each of the admitted radio bearers, a tunnel selected by the SN, from among the one or more tunnels provided in the request, for forwarding UP data associated with the particular admitted radio bearer to the core network.
4. The method of embodiment 3, wherein the request includes one tunnel identifier associated with each of the requested QoS flows.
5. The method of any of embodiments 3-4, wherein the number of tunnel identifier included in the request is less than or equal to the maximum number of radio bearers admittable by the SN.
6. The method of any of embodiments 3-5, wherein the response implicitly identifies the tunnel selected for each admitted radio bearer based on the association between the admitted radio bearer and the requested QoS flow.
7. The method of any of embodiments 3-6, wherein each tunnel identifier comprises a tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID) and an Internet Protocol (IP) address.
8. A method, performed by a secondary node (SN) in a radio access network (RAN), for establishing radio resources between the SN and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a master node (MN) in the RAN, a request identifying one of more quality-of-service (QoS) flows to be setup between the SN and the UE; admitting one or more radio bearers in association with the requested QoS flows; sending, to the MN, an identification of the admitted radio bearers in association with the requested QoS flows; and receiving, from the MN, identifiers of one or more tunnels for forwarding user-plane (UP) data to a core network, each tunnel identifier associated with a respective admitted radio bearer.
9. The method of embodiment 8, wherein each tunnel identifier comprises a tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID) and an Internet Protocol (IP) address.
10. A method, performed by a secondary node (SN) in a radio access network (RAN), for establishing radio resources between the SN and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a master node (MN) in the RAN, a request identifying: one or more quality-of-service (QoS) flows to be setup between the SN and the UE; and one or more tunnels for forwarding user-plane (UP) data to a core network; admitting one or more radio bearers in association with the requested QoS flows; sending, to the MN, a response identifying: the admitted radio bearers in association with the requested QoS flows; and for each of the admitted radio bearers, a tunnel selected by the SN, from among the one or more tunnels provided in the request, for forwarding UP data associated with the particular admitted radio bearer to the core network.
11. The method of embodiment 10, wherein the request includes one tunnel identifier associated with each of the requested QoS flows.
12. The method of any of embodiments 9-11, wherein the number of tunnel identifier included in the request is less than or equal to the maximum number of radio bearers admittable by the SN.
13. The method of any of embodiments 9-12, wherein the response implicitly identifies the tunnel selected for each admitted radio bearer based on the association between the admitted radio bearer and the requested QoS flow.
14. The method of any of embodiments 9-13, wherein each tunnel identifier comprises a tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID) and an Internet Protocol (IP) address.
15. A master node (MN) configured to communicate with a secondary node (SN) in a radio access network (RAN), the MN comprising: a communication interface; and processing circuitry operably coupled to the communication interface and configured to perform any of the steps of any of embodiments 1-7; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the MN.
16. A secondary node (SN) configured to communicate with a master node (MN) in a radio access network (RAN), the SN comprising: a communication interface; and processing circuitry operably coupled to the communication interface and configured to perform any of the steps of any of embodiments 8-14; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the SN.
17. A communication system including a host computer comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a communication interface configured to forward the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the cellular network comprises a base station having a radio interface and processing circuitry, the base station's processing circuitry configured to perform any of the operations comprising embodiments 1-14.
18. The communication system of the previous embodiment further including the base station.
19. The communication system of the previous two embodiments, further including the UE.
20. The communication system of the previous three embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application.
21. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a User Equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host computer, providing user data; and at the host computer, initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the base station, wherein the base station performs any of the operations comprising any of embodiments 1-14.
22. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the base station, transmitting the user data.
23. The method of the previous two embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host computer by executing a host application, the method further comprising, at the UE, executing a client application associated with the host application.
24. A communication system including a host computer comprising a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a User equipment (UE) to a base station, wherein the base station comprises a radio interface and processing circuitry, the base station's processing circuitry is configured to perform operations of any of embodiments 1-14.
25. The communication system of the previous embodiment further including the base station.
26. The communication system of the previous two embodiments, further including the UE, wherein the UE is configured to communicate with the base station.
27. The communication system of the previous three embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application; and the UE is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing the user data to be received by the host computer.