SECOND MESSAGE DIFFERENTIATION IN RANDOM ACCESS PROCEDURE

Abstract

A method (1900) performed by a first UE for establishing a connection with an access point. The method includes the first UE transmitting (s1904) a random access, RA, preamble to an access point. The method also includes the first UE receiving (s1906) a message transmitted by the access point. The method also includes the first UE determining (s1908) a priority value included in or associated with the message. The method also includes the first UE determining (s1910), based on the priority value, whether or not the message is intended for a UE other than the first UE. The message is a downlink control message that was received within RAR window

Claims

1-41. (canceled)

42. A method performed by a first user equipment (UE) for establishing a connection with an access point, the method comprising: the first UE transmitting a random access (RA) preamble to an access point using a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) configuration; the first UE receiving a message transmitted by the access point, wherein the message includes a priority value indicating a priority level or the message is associated with the priority value, and the priority value included in or associated with the message is based on the PRACH configuration that was used by the UE to transmit the RA preamble; the first UE determining the priority value included in or associated with the message; and the first UE determining, based on the priority value, whether or not the message is intended for a UE other than the first UE, wherein the message is a downlink control message that was received within a RA response, RAR, window, or the message is a first RA response.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the message is a first downlink control message that was received within the RAR window, and the method further comprises the first UE searching for a second downlink control message within the RAR window as a result of determining that the downlink control message is intended for a UE other than the first UE.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the message is the first RA response and includes the priority value.

45. The method of claim 42, wherein the message is the first RA response, and determining the priority value comprises: determining whether a priority specific scrambling was used to transmit the first RA response.

46. The method of claim 44, further comprising: receiving a second RA response, determining that the first RA response is not intended for the first UE, and as a result of determining that the first RA response is not intended for the first UE, further performing the steps of: determining a second priority value associate with the received second RA response; and determining, based on the second priority value, whether or not the second RA response is intended for a UE other than the first UE.

47. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program comprising instructions which when executed by processing circuitry of a user equipment (UE) causes the UE to perform the method of claim 42.

48. A first user equipment (UE), the first UE comprising: a transmitter for transmitting a random access (RA) preamble to an access point using a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) configuration; a receiving for receiving a message transmitted by the access point, wherein the message includes a priority value indicating a priority or the message is associated with the priority value, and the priority value included in or associated with the message is based on the PRACH configuration that was used by the UE to transmit the RA preamble; processing circuitry for i) determining the priority value included in or associated with the message and ii) determining, based on the priority value, whether or not the message is intended for a UE other than the first UE, wherein the message is a downlink control message that was received within a RA response, RAR, window, or the message is a first RA response.

49. The first UE of claim 48, wherein the message is a first downlink control message that was received within the RAR window, and the first UE is configured to search for a second downlink control message within the RAR window as a result of determining that the downlink control message is intended for a UE other than the first UE.

50. The first UE of claim 48, wherein the message is the first RA response and includes the priority value.

51. The first UE of claim 48, wherein the message is the first RA response, and determining the priority value comprises determining whether a priority specific scrambling was used to transmit the first RA response.

52. The first UE of claim 50, wherein the first UE is configured to: receive a second RA response, determine that the first RA response is not intended for the first UE, and as a result of determining that the first RA response is not intended for the first UE, determine a second priority value associate with the received second RA response, and determine, based on the second priority value, whether or not the second RA response is intended for a UE other than the first UE.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form part of the specification, illustrate various embodiments.

[0061] FIG. 1 illustrates a 4-step random access produce.

[0062] FIG. 2 illustrates a 2-step random access procedure.

[0063] FIG. 3 shows an example of the PRACH occasion configuration in NR.

[0064] FIG. 4 shows an example of the SSB to PRACH occasion mapping

[0065] FIG. 5 shows the MAC RAR is octet aligned, and it provides the temporary C-RNTI for the message 3 and message 4.

[0066] FIG. 6 shows the structure of a fallbackRAR.

[0067] FIG. 7 shows the structure of a successRAR,

[0068] FIG. 8 shows an example where two sets of PRACH occasions are configured separately for a first category of UEs (e.g., high priority UEs) and a second category of UEs (e.g., non-high priority UEs), respectively, according to one embodiment.

[0069] FIG. 9 shows an example where two sets of PRACH occasions are configured separately for different types of UEs, according to another embodiment.

[0070] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to some embodiments.

[0071] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to some embodiments.

[0072] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to some embodiments.

[0073] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to some embodiments.

[0074] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to some embodiments.

[0075] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to some embodiments.

[0076] FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to some embodiments.

[0077] FIG. 17 illustrates a network node according to some embodiments.

[0078] FIG. 18 illustrates a UE according to some embodiments.

[0079] FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0080] FIG. 1 illustrates a random access (RA) procedure being performed by a UE 102. This RA procedure can be used by UEs to establish a connection (e.g., a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection) with a network node 104 (e.g., an access point, which is also known as a base station). The RA procedure shown in FIG. 1 is the 4-step RA procedure, also referred to as the Type-1 random access procedure in 3GPP TS 38.213, but other RA procedures exist (e.g., the 2-step RA procedure, which is shown in FIG. 2). In a first step, UE 102 initiates the RA procedure by transmitting a random-access preamble (RAP) (a.k.a., “Message 1” or “Msg 1”) on the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH). After detecting the Msg1, the network node 104 (e.g., a 5G base station (gNB)) responds by transmitting to the UE on the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) Downlink Control Information (DCI) (e.g., DCI format 1_0) to prepare the UE to receive a random-access response (RAR) (a.k.a., “Message 2” or “Msg2”) and then sends the RAR on the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). In the third step, after successfully decoding Msg2, the UE 102 continues the procedure by transmitting a message (a.k.a., “Message 3” or “Msg3”) on the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). Msg3 is or contains an RRC connection establishment request. In the last step of the procedure, the gNB transmits a message (a.k.a., “Message 4” or “Msg4”) on the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) for contention resolution. Msg3 includes a rrcSetupRequest message, which contains the establishmentCause Information Element (IE) which contains a value indicating the reason that caused the UE 102 to initiate the connection establishment, e.g., emergency call, mission critical services, multimedia priority services, etc. The network node 104 identifies the type of connection request being requested by UE 102 by decoding the establishmentCause IE received in msg3, based on which, the network node 104 decides whether this request shall be admitted or rejected, based on the network traffic load situation and available resource in the network.

[0081] The 2-step random access produce, also referred to as Type-2 random access procedure in TS 38.213, is illustrated in FIG. 2. In the first step, a UE sends on the PUSCH a first message (MsgA) that includes a random access preamble together with higher layer data such as an RRC connection request possibly with some small payload. After detecting the MsgA, the access point sends to the UE DCI (e.g., DCI format 1_0) on the PDCCH and then sends an RAR (a.k.a., “MsgB”) which includes a UE identifier assignment, timing advance information, contention resolution message, etc.

[0082] UEs are pre-configured to different groups depending on the UE or/and service priority. For example, different priority groups can be defined based on the UE Access Identity numbers or/and the Access Categories.

[0083] A network node can configure different PRACH configurations for different UE/service groups that are associated to different priorities. A UE selects which configuration to use for random-access preamble transmission based on its associated priority group. By detection of the random-access preamble transmitted from a UE, the network node can identify the UE priority, and thereby making an early decision on differentiated admission control for this UE.

[0084] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, two sets of PRACH occasions are configured separately for normal priority and high priority UEs respectively, assuming 2 levels of UE priority are defined.

[0085] To be able to differentiate the 2.sup.nd message when the PRACH occasions are separately configured, the following embodiments are described.

[0086] 1. Different RA-RNTI or MSGB-RNTI Values for Different PRACH Occasion Sets Configured for UE Priority or Service Priority.

[0087] 1.1 Offsets

[0088] In one embodiment, an offset is added to generate different RA-RNTI or MSGB-RNTI values for different priority UEs. As an example, one offset is added to a RA-RNTI or MSGB-RNTI for the high priority UE if two priorities are defined, i.e. “normal priority UE” and “high priority UE”, as shown below:

RARNTI.sub.highPrio=RARNTI+RNTI.sub.offset for 4-step RA

MSGBRNTI.sub.highPrio=MSGBRNTI+RNTI.sub.offset for 2-step RA

where the RNTI.sub.offset can depend on maximum value of the RA-RNTI or MSGB-RNTI according to the actual PRACH configuration (e.g., 2-step RA or 4-step RA) for the normal priority UE such that:

RNTI.sub.offset=14×80×8×4 for 4-step RA

RNTI.sub.Offset=14×80×8×6 for 2-step RA.

[0089] If more than 2 priorities are defined, different offset values can be added in the RNTI calculation to make sure that RNTI values for different priorities are unique.

[0090] In one example, when only the 4-step RACH is supported in the cell, the RNTI.sub.offset can be 14×80×8×2 for high priority UEs, i.e. MSGB-RNTI values used for legacy2-step RA is used by high priority UEs in this cell for 4-step RA procedure.

[0091] In another example, when only 2-step RACH is supported in the cell, the RNTI.sub.offset can be −14×80×8×2 for high priority UEs, i.e. the RA-RNTIs used for legacy 4-step RACH will be used for high priority UEs in this cell for 2-step RA procedure.

[0092] In one embodiment, an offset can be added to the ID of PRACH occasions in frequency domain f_id. As an example, two groups of PRACH occasions are separately configured, one for normal priority UEs, the other for high priority UEs, then the f_id_high for high priority UEs can be:

f_id_high=f_id+f_id_offset

where the f_id is the PRACH occasion index in frequency domain for normal priority UEs, f_id_offset can be the number of PRACH occasions FDMed for normal priority UEs.

[0093] 1.2 Include the PRACH Occasions for PRACH Preambles Corresponding to all Priority Classes when Calculating the RA-RNTI or MSGB-RNTI Although the PRACH Occasions May be Separately Configured.

[0094] As an example, the s_id, t_id, and f_id, as described above, which are used in calculating the RNTI, can be for the PRACH occasions for UEs with all priorities within one NR frame, i.e. 10 ms.

RA-RNTI=1+s_id+14×t_id+14×80×f_id+14×80×8×ul_carrier_id

MSGB-RNTI=1+s_id+14×t_id+14×80×f_id+14×80×8×ul_carrier_id+14×80×8×2

[0095] For the number f_id, it can be numbered within a range of total possible PRACH occasions for all PRACH configurations for different UE priorities, e.g. in FIG. 9, two PRACH occasion sets are configured for 2 priorities of UEs, where f_id will be from 0 to 4, since there're totally 5 PRACH occasions (3 for normal priority RA, 2 for high priority RA) on different PRBs. Note that even if the high priority PRACH occasions do not overlap with normal priority PRACH occasions in time domain, the number of PRACH occasions FDMed are still 5 as long as they're not on the same PRBs.

[0096] In a variant of this embodiment, the network configures the number of FDMed PRACH occasions for legacy UEs (e.g. msg1-FDM in SIB1) and the number of FDMed PRACH occasions for high priority UEs (e.g., msg1-FDM-HighPriority in SIB1) such that the total number of PRACH occasions multiplexed in frequency for all priority levels (e.g., msg1-FDM+msg1-FDM-HighPriority) is less than or equal to 8.

[0097] In addition, the value of f_id to be used for deriving RA-RNTI or MSGB-RNTI for high priority UEs is defined as msg1-FDM<=f_id<msg1-FDM+msg1-FDM-HighPriority.

[0098] With this method, the formula of the RA-RNTI and MSGB-RNTI will not be changed.

[0099] In another variant of this embodiment, the maximum number of PRACH occasions in frequency for all UE priorities with different PRACH configurations is more than 8, in which case the formula will be updated according to the maximum number PRACH occasions on different PRBs, say F_ID_MAX:

RA-RNTI=1+s_id+14×t_id+14×80×f_id+14×80×F_ID_MAX×ul_carrier_id

MSGB-RNTI=1+s_id+14×t_id+14×80×f_id+14×80×F_ID_MAX×ul_carrier_id+14×80×F_ID_MAX×2.

[0100] In some sub-embodiment of this variant, the maximum number of PRACH occasions on different PRBs for all UE priorities with different PRACH configurations may be determined based on the number of PRACH configurations.

[0101] For example, for each PRACH configuration, the maximum number of PRACH occasions is 8, and the total number PRACH occasions multiplexed in frequency can be 8*N PRACH occasions, where N is the number of PRACH configurations for different priority of UEs or services. E.g. the RNTI can be calculated in below formulas, where F_ID_MAX_PerRACHConfig means maximum number of ROs per PRACH configuration, and N is the number of PRACH configurations:

RA-RNTI=1+s_id+14×t_id+14×80×f_id+14×80×F_ID_MAX_PerRACHConfig×N×ul_carrier_id;

MSGB-RNTI=1+s_id+14×t_id+14×80×f_id+14×80×F_ID_MAX_PerRACHConfig×N×ul_carrier_id+14×80×F_ID_MAX_PerRACHConfig×N×2.

[0102] Note that even for the case where different UE priorities share the same PRACH occasion configuration but are differentiated by using different sets of preamble indexes per PRACH occasion, it can be still be beneficial to use the above proposed methods to design different RA-RNTI or MSGB-RNTI values for different UE priorities. By doing so, the transmission of RARs associated to different UE priorities can be scheduled and handled independently.

[0103] 2. The Same RA-RNTI or MSGB-RNTI is Allowed for Different PRACH Occasion Sets Configured for Different UE or Service Priorities.

[0104] If the legacy equations for calculating the value of RA-RNTI or MSGB-RNTI are reused for all levels of UE priorities, then, differentiation of the Msg2 or MsgB transmission for different priority UEs can be enabled by either adding priority level indication in the DCI scheduling Msg2/MsgB, or adding priority level indication in associated RAR.

[0105] 2.1 Indicate the UE or Service Priority Level in a DCI Scheduling RAR or msgB.

[0106] With this method, a UE can check both the RA-RNTI/MSGB-RNTI value and the priority indication field in the DCI to determine whether the PDCCH is expected for scheduling its corresponding RAR.

[0107] As an example of embodiment 3, shown below, a 2-bit field “Priority level” is added in the DCI to indicate the priority of the UE/Service.

[0108] UE-Priority field can be defined in below table and included in the DCI, where the large the value is, the higher the priority is.

TABLE-US-00005 Priority level 0 Normal 1 Priority 3 2 Priority 2 3 Priority 1

[0109] The following information is transmitted by means of the DCI format 1_0 (with CRC scrambled by RA-RNTI or msgB-RNTI):

TABLE-US-00006 - Frequency domain resource assignment -┌log.sub.2 (N.sub.RB.sup.DL,BWP (N.sub.RB.sup.DL,BWP +1)/2)┐ bits; - N.sub.RB.sup.DL,BWP is the size of CORESET 0 if CORESET 0 is configured for the cell and N.sub.RB.sup.DL,BWP is the size of initial DL bandwidth part if CORESET 0 is not configured for the cell; - Time domain resource assignment - 4 bits as defined in Clause 5.1.2.1 of TS 38.214; - VRB-to-PRB mapping - 1 bit according to Table 7.3.1.2.2-5; - Modulation and coding scheme - 5 bits as defined in Clause 5.1.3 of TS 38.214, using Table 5.1.3.1-1; - TB scaling - 2 bits as defined in Clause 5.1.3.2 of TS 38.214; - LSBs of SFN - 2 bits for the DCI format 1_0 with CRC scrambled by msgB-RNTI or 2 bits as defined in Clause 8 of TS 38.213 for operation in a cell with shared spectrum channel access; 0 bit otherwise; - Priority level - 2 bits to indicate the priority of the UE to which the RAR is targeted; - Reserved bits - 12 bits for the DCI format 1_0 with CRC scrambled by msgB-RNTI or for operation in a cell with shared spectrum channel access; otherwise 14 bits.

[0110] 2.2 A UE Monitors all Possible RA-RNTI Addressed or MsgB-RNTI Addressed PDCCHs in Order to Decode its Associated RAR/MsgB.

[0111] This means when multiple PRACH configurations are configured, UE needs to determine the maximum number of PDCCHs with CRC scrambled by same RA-RNTI or MSGB-RNTI value to be monitored within the RAR window, based on the PRACH configurations from the network. UE will continue monitor the PDCCHs for RAR until the maximum number of PDCCHs reached or until an expected RAR (e.g. associated to its priority level or associated to it's UE ID) is decoded.

[0112] As an example, in FIG. 9, assuming we number the ROs in frequency domain to be RO 0, RO 1, RO 2, RO 3, RO4 from the lower frequency to high frequency, RO 0, RO1, RO2 are configured for normal priority UEs, RO 3 and RO 4 are configured for high priority UEs. If a high priority UE selects an RO 3 for a 4-step random access, then same RA-RNTI addressed RARs may be received from normal priority UEs on RO 0 since RO 3 and RO 0 have same values of s_id, t_id, and f_id in the formula for RA-RNTI calculation as described in section 2.1.4.1. In this case, the added priority level indication field in the DCI, as mentioned in a previous embodiment, can be used for a UE to determine if the scheduled Msg2/MsgB contains the RAR associated to itself.

[0113] 2.3. Multiplex all RARs with the Same RA-RNTI or MsgB-RNTI in the Same PDSCH in Response to the 1.sup.st Message on Different ROs with Different PRACH Configurations for Different Priority of UEs.

[0114] With this method, multiple RAR messages for all UEs with different priorities will be multiplexed in one PDSCH when same RA-RNTI or MSGB-RNTI is calculated, and the RAR determination can be based on the received RAR messages.

[0115] For example, the RAR message can be differentiated based on one or more of the following: 1) a priority ID in RAR; 2) a contention resolution ID or C-RNTI (contention resolution ID and C-RNTI are available in success RAR in 2-step RACH, which are carried in MsgA PUSCH); 3) Preamble ID if the preamble IDs for different priorities of UEs are different; 4) Different RAR MAC subheader for different UE priorities (e.g., include priority information in the subheader); 5) a priority specific scrambling of PDSCH used for RAR, such that normal priority PDSCH for RAR is scrambled as in release 15 and 16, while higher than normal priority PDSCH will have another scrambing (legacy UEs will be able to only decode normal priority RAR, while UEs with this feature will be able to decode RAR by using new defined descrambling; and can be scrambling of all bits of the payload in PDSCH or only scrambling of only the CRC in PDSCH for RAR).

Summary of Various Embodiments

[0116] A1. A method (1000, see FIG. 10) performed by a first user equipment, UE (104), for establishing a connection with an access point (e.g., gNB), the method comprising: the first UE detecting (s1002) a need to obtain a particular type of service (e.g., a high priority service such as a mission critical service); the first UE detecting (s1004) a need to establish a connection with an access point (e.g., gNB) in order to obtain the particular type of service (e.g., a mission critical service); the first UE selecting (s1006) a first random access, RA, preamble; the first UE transmitting (s1008) the selected RA preamble to the access point during a particular symbol of a particular slot; the first UE calculating (s1010) a first temporary identifier, TI, (e.g., an RA-RNTI), based on the particular symbol and the particular slot, wherein the first TI, TI_1, is calculated such that TI_1 would be different than a second TI, TI_2, calculated by a second UE as a result of the second UE transmitting to the access point during the same particular symbol of the same particular slot a second RA preamble; and the first UE using TI_1 to detect that a downlink control message (e.g., DCI) transmitted by the access point is intended for the first UE (s1012).

[0117] A2. The method of embodiment A1, wherein TI_1=TI_2+TI.sub.Off, where TI.sub.Off is a predetermined offset value.

[0118] A3. The method of embodiment A2, wherein: TI_2=a+(b×s_id)+(c×t_id)+(d×f_id)+(e×ul_c_id), or TI_2=a+(b×s_id)+(c×t_id)+(d×f_id)+(e×ul_c_id)+f, and wherein s_id is a symbol index, t_id is a slot index, f_id is a Physcial Random Access Channel (PRACH) occasion frequency index, ul_c_id is 0 or 1, a is in integer greater than or equal to 1, b is in integer greater than or equal to 1, c is in integer greater than or equal to 1, d is in integer greater than or equal to 1, e is in integer greater than or equal to 1, and f is in integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0119] A4. the method of embodiment A3, wherein calculating TI_1 comprises calculating: TI_1=a+(b×s_id)+(c×t_id)+(d×f_id)+(e×ul_c_id)+TI.sub.Off, or TI_1=a+(b×s_id)+(c×t_id)+(d×f_id)+(e×ul_c_id)+f+TI.sub.Off.

[0120] A5. The method of any one of embodiments A1-A4 wherein TI.sub.Off=(14×80×8×4), or TI.sub.Off=(14×80×8×6).

[0121] A6. The method of embodiment A1, wherein calculating TI_1 comprises: TI_1=a+(b×s_id)+(c×t_id)+(d×(f_id+f.sub.Off))+(e×ul_c_id), or TI_1=a+(b×s_id)+(c×t_id)+(d×(f_id+f.sub.Off))+(e×ul_c_id)+f, and wherein s_id is the index of the particular symbol, t_id is the index of the particular slot, f_id is the index of the particular PRACH occasion in the frequency domain that was used by the first UE to transmit the first RA preamble, f.sub.Off is a predefined offset value, ul_c_id is 0 or 1, a is in integer greater than or equal to 1, b is in integer greater than or equal to 1, c is in integer greater than or equal to 1, d is in integer greater than or equal to 1, e is in integer greater than or equal to 1, and f is in integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0122] A7. The method of embodiment A6, wherein 0≤f_id<f_id_max, and f_id_max is the total number of PRACH occasions that are frequency multiplexed for a first category of UEs (e.g., high priority UEs).

[0123] A8. The method of embodiment A6 or A7, wherein f.sub.Off is the total number of PRACH occasions that are frequency multiplexed for a second category of UEs (e.g., non-high priority UEs).

[0124] A9. The method of embodiment A1, wherein calculating TI_1 comprises calculating: TI_1=a+(b×s_id)+(c×t_id)+(d×f_id)+(e×ul_c_id), or TI_1=a+(b×s_id)+(c×t_id)+(d×f_id)+(e×ul_c_id)+f, wherein s_id is the index of the particular symbol, t_id is the index of the particular slot, f_id is the index of the particular PRACH occasion in the frequency domain that was used by the first UE to transmit the first RA preamble and f_id is greater than or equal to msg1-FDM and f_id is less than (msg1_FDM_2+msg1_FDM_1), msg1_FDM_1 is the total number of PRACH occasions that are frequency multiplexed for a first category of UEs (e.g., high priority UEs), msg1_FDM_2 is the total number of PRACH occasions that are frequency multiplexed for a second category of UEs (e.g., non-high priority UEs), ul_c_id is 0 or 1, a is in integer greater than or equal to 1, b is in integer greater than or equal to 1, c is in integer greater than or equal to 1, d is in integer greater than or equal to 1, e is in integer greater than or equal to 1, and f is in integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0125] A10. The method of embodiment A9, wherein e=14×80×8, or e=14×80×F_ID_MAX, where F_ID_MAX is the total number of PRACH occasions multiplexed in the frequency domain, or e=14×80×F_ID_MAX×N, where F_ID_MAX is the total number of PRACH occasions multiplexed in the frequency domain per PRACH configuration and N is the total number of PRACH configurations.

[0126] A11. The method of embodiment A10, wherein N is equal to a total number of supported priority levels.

[0127] A12. The method of any one of embodiments A3-A12, wherein 0≤s_id<14, 0≤t_id<80, a=1, b=1, c=14, d=1120, e=8960, and f=17920.

[0128] B1. A method (1100, see FIG. 11) performed by an access point (104) (e.g., gNB), the method comprising: the access point receiving (s1102) a first random access, RA, preamble transmitted by a first user equipment, UE, during a particular symbol of a particular slot; the access point determining (s1104) a first temporary identifier, TI, (e.g., an RA-RNTI), based on the particular symbol and the particular slot, wherein the first TI, TI_1, is calculated such that TI_1 would be different than a second TI, TI_2, calculated by the access point as a result of the access point receiving a second RA preamble transmitted by a second UE during the same particular symbol of the same particular slot; the access point using TI_1 to scramble a portion of a message (e.g., the CRC of a DCI) intended for the first UE (s1106); and the access point transmitting (s1108) the message to the first UE.

[0129] B2. The method of embodiment B2, wherein determining TI_1 comprises: the access point determining whether the first UE has used a PRACH configuration reserved for high priority UEs to transmit the RA preamble; and determining TI_1 by calculating TI_1 using a first procedure if it is determined that the first UE has used the PRACH configuration reserved for high priority UEs to transmit the RA preamble, otherwise calculating TI_1 using a second procedure.

[0130] B3. The method of embodiment B2, wherein calculating TI_1 using the first procedure comprises: calculating TI_1=a+(b×s_id)+(c×t_id)+(d×f_id)+(e×ul_c_id)+TI.sub.Off, or calculating TI_1=a+(b×s_id)+(c×t_id)+(d×f_id)+(e×ul_c_id)+f+TI.sub.Off, wherein s_id is the index of the particular symbol, t_id is the index of the particular slot, f_id is the index of the particular PRACH occasion in the frequency domain that was used by the first UE to transmit the first RA preamble, ul_c_id is 0 or 1, TI.sub.Off is a predetermined offset, a is in integer greater than or equal to 1, b is in integer greater than or equal to 1, c is in integer greater than or equal to 1, d is in integer greater than or equal to 1, e is in integer greater than or equal to 1, and f is in integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0131] B4. The method of embodiment B3, wherein TI.sub.Off=(14×80×8×4), or TI.sub.Off=(14×80×8×6).

[0132] B5. The method of embodiment B2, wherein calculating TI_1 using the first procedure comprises: calculating TI_1=a+(b×s_id)+(c×t_id)+(d×(f_id+f.sub.Off))+(e×ul_c_id), or calculating TI_1=a+(b×s_id)+(c×t_id)+(d×(f_id+f.sub.Off))+(e×ul_c_id)+f, and wherein s_id is the index of the particular symbol, t_id is the index of the particular slot, f_id is the index of the particular PRACH occasion in the frequency domain that was used by the first UE to transmit the first RA preamble, f.sub.Off is a predefined offset value, ul_c_id is 0 or 1, a is in integer greater than or equal to 1, b is in integer greater than or equal to 1, c is in integer greater than or equal to 1, d is in integer greater than or equal to 1, e is in integer greater than or equal to 1, and f is in integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0133] B6. The method of embodiment B5, wherein 0≤f_id<f_id_max, and f_id_max is the total number of PRACH occasions that are frequency multiplexed for high prority UEs.

[0134] B7. The method of embodiment B5 or B6, wherein f.sub.Off is the total number of PRACH occasions that are frequency multiplexed for non-high priority UEs.

[0135] B8. The method of embodiment B2, wherein calculating TI_1 using the first procedure comprises: calculating TI_1=a+(b×s_id)+(c×t_id)+(d×f_id)+(e×ul_c_id), or calculating TI_1=a+(b×s_id)+(c×t_id)+(d×f_id)+(e×ul_c_id)+f, wherein s_id is the index of the particular symbol, t_id is the index of the particular slot, f_id is the index of the particular PRACH occasion in the frequency domain that was used by the first UE to transmit the first RA preamble and f_id is greater than or equal to msg1-FDM and f_id is less than (msg1-FDM+msg1-FDM-HighPriority), msg1-FDM is the total number of PRACH occasions that are frequency multiplexed for non-high priority UEs, msg1-FDM-HighPriority is the total number of PRACH occasions that are frequency multiplexed for high priority UEs, ul_c_id is 0 or 1, a is in integer greater than or equal to 1, b is in integer greater than or equal to 1, c is in integer greater than or equal to 1, d is in integer greater than or equal to 1, e is in integer greater than or equal to 1, and f is in integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0136] B9. The method of embodiment B8, wherein e=14×80×8, or e=14×80×F_ID_MAX, where F_ID_MAX is the total number of PRACH occasions multiplexed in the frequency domain, or e=14×80×F_ID_MAX×N, where F_ID_MAX is the total number of PRACH occasions multiplexed in the frequency domain per PRACH configuration and N is the total number of PRACH configurations.

[0137] B10. The method of embodiment B9, wherein N is equal to a total number of supported priority levels.

[0138] B11. The method of any one of embodiments B3-B10, wherein 0≤s_id<14, 0≤t_id<80, a=1, b=1, c=14, d=1120, e=8960, and f=17920.

[0139] C1. A method (1200, see FIG. 12) performed by a first user equipment, UE, for establishing a connection with an access point (e.g., gNB), the method comprising: the first UE transmitting (s1204) a random access, RA, preamble to the access point (generally, prior to this step s1204, the UE detects (s1202) a need to establish a connection with the access point); the first UE receiving (s1206), within a RA response (RAR) window, a first downlink control message (e.g., DCI) transmitted by the access point; the first UE determining (s1208) a priority value included in the first downlink control message; and the first UE determining (s1210), based on the priority value, whether or not the downlink control message is intended for a UE other than the first UE.

[0140] C2. The method of embodiment C1, further comprising the first UE searching for a second downlink control message within the RAR window as a result of determining that the downlink control message is intended for a UE other than the first UE.

[0141] C3. The method of embodiment C2, wherein the first UE terminates the search for the second downlink control message as a result of determining that a configured time search window has expired (e.g., determining that a particular timer has expired).

[0142] D1. A method (1300, see FIG. 13) performed by an access point (104) (e.g., gNB), the method comprising: receiving (s1302) a random access, RA, preamble transmitted by a user equipment, UE; determining (s1304) a PRACH configuration that was used by the UE to transmit the random access preamble; generating (s1306) a downlink control message (e.g., DCI); and transmitting (s1308) the downlink control message to the UE, wherein generating the downlink control message comprises: selecting (s1306a) a priority value based on the PRACH configuration that was used by the UE to transmit the RA preamble; and including (s1306b) the priority value in a field of the downlink control message.

[0143] D2. The method of embodiment D1, wherein determining the PRACH configuration that was used by the UE comprises or consists of determining a set of preambles to which the preamble transmitted by the UE belongs (e.g., determining whether the preamble transmitted by the UE is included in a set of preambles dedicated to high priority UEs).

[0144] E1. A method (1400, see FIG. 14) performed by a first user equipment, UE (104), for establishing a connection with an access point (104) (e.g., gNB), the method comprising: the first UE transmitting (s1404) a random access, RA, preamble to the access point (generally, prior to this step s1404, the UE detects (s1402) a need to establish a connection with the access point); the first UE receiving (s1406) a first RA response transmitted by the access point; the first UE determining (s1408) a priority value associate with the received first RA response; and the first UE determining (s1410), based on the priority value, whether or not the first RA response is intended for a UE other than the first UE.

[0145] E2. The method of embodiment E1, wherein determining a priority value associate with the received RA response comprises determining a priority value included in the RA response.

[0146] E3. The method of embodiment E1, wherein determining a priority value associate with the received RA response comprises determining whether a priority specific scrambling was used to transmit the RA response.

[0147] E4. The method of any one of embodiments E1-E3, wherein receiving the first RA response comprise receiving an RA message comprising: i) the first RA response and a ii) second RA response.

[0148] E5. The method of embodiment E4, further comprising the first UE, as a result of determining that the first RA response is not intended for the first UE, further performing the steps of: determining a second priority value associate with the received second RA response; and determining, based on the second priority value, whether or not the second RA response is intended for a UE other than the first UE.

[0149] F1. A method (1500, see FIG. 15) performed by an access point (104) (e.g., gNB), the method comprising: receiving (s1502) a random access, RA, preamble transmitted by a first user equipment, UE (102); determining (s1504) a PRACH configuration that was used by the first UE to transmit the random access preamble (e.g., determining the PRACH configuration that was used by the UE comprises or consists of determining a set of preambles to which the preamble transmitted by the UE belongs); generating (s1506) a first RA response for responding to the RA preamble; and transmitting (s1508) the first RA response to the first UE, wherein generating (s1506) the first RA response comprises: selecting (s1506a) a priority value based on the PRACH configuration that was used by the first UE to transmit the RA preamble and including the priority value in a field of the first RA response; or determining (s1506b) a priority based on the PRACH configuration and scrambling the first RA based on the determined priority.

[0150] F2. The method of embodiment F1, wherein transmitting the first RA response comprises transmitting the first RA response on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0151] F3. The method of embodiment F2, wherein transmitting the first RA response comprises transmitting on the PDSCH an RA message comprising i) the first RA response and ii) a second RA response for a second UE that has a different priority than the first UE.

[0152] F4. The method of embodiment F3, further comprising, prior to transmitting the RA message on the PDSCH, transmitting a control message (e.g., DCI) comprising information identifying a PDSCH resource that will be used to transmit the message on the PDSCH.

[0153] F5. The method of embodiment F1-F4, wherein determining the PRACH configuration that was used by the UE comprises or consists of determining a set of preambles to which the preamble transmitted by the UE belongs (e.g., determining whether the preamble transmitted by the UE is included in a set of preambles dedicated to high priority UEs).

[0154] G1. A method (1600, see FIG. 16) performed by a first user equipment, UE (102), for establishing a connection with an access point (104) (e.g., gNB), the method comprising: the first UE transmitting (s1604) a random access, RA, preamble to the access point (generally, prior to this step s1604, the UE detects (s1602) a need to establish a connection with the access point); the first UE receiving (s1606) a first downlink control message (e.g., DCI) transmitted by the access point; the first UE using (s1608) information included in the first downlink control message to receive a first RA response transmitted by the access point; the first UE determining (s1610) that the first RA response is intended for another UE; and as a result of determining that the first RA response is intended for another UE, the first UE searching (s1612) for a second downlink control message transmitted by the access point.

[0155] G2. The method of embodiment G1, further comprising: the UE receiving the second downlink control message; the first UE using information included in the second downlink control message to receive a second RA response transmitted by the access point; the first UE determining that the second RA response is intended for the UE.

[0156] G3. The method of embodiment G2, further comprising: the UE using information included in the second RA response to transmit a connection request to the access point.

[0157] G4. The method of embodiment G1, wherein the first UE continues searching for a downlink control message transmitted by the access point until the first UE's corresponding RA response is detected or the configured maximum number of downlink control message detections is reached or a configured time widow for monitoring the downlink control message is expired.

[0158] H1. A method (1900, see FIG. 19) performed by a first user equipment, UE, for establishing a connection with an access point. The method includes: the first UE transmitting (s1904) a random access, RA, preamble to an access point; the first UE receiving (s1906) a message transmitted by the access point; the first UE determining (s1908) a priority value included in or associated with the message; and the first UE determining (s1910), based on the priority value, whether or not the message is intended for a UE other than the first UE, wherein the message is a downlink control message that was received within a RA response, RAR, window, or the message is a first RA response.

[0159] H2. The method of embodiment H1, wherein the message is a first downlink control message that was received with the RAR window, and the method further comprises the first UE searching for a second downlink control message within the RAR window as a result of determining that the downlink control message is intended for a UE other than the first UE.

[0160] H3. The method of embodiment H1, wherein the message is the first RA response, and determining the priority value comprises: i) determining a priority value included in the first RA response, or ii) determining whether a priority specific scrambling was used to transmit the first RA response.

[0161] H4. The method of embodiment H3, further comprising: receiving a second RA response, determining that the first RA response is no intended for the first UE, and as a result of determining that the first RA response is not intended for the first UE, further performing the steps of: determining a second priority value associate with the received second RA response; and determining, based on the second priority value, whether or not the second RA response is intended for a UE other than the first UE.

[0162] FIG. 17 is a block diagram of network node 104, according to some embodiments, for performing network node methods disclosed herein. As shown in FIG. 17, network node 104 may comprise: processing circuitry (PC) 1702, which may include one or more processors (P) 1755 (e.g., one or more general purpose microprocessors and/or one or more other processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and the like), which processors may be co-located in a single housing or in a single data center or may be geographically distributed (i.e., network node 104 may be a distributed computing apparatus); at least one network interface 1768 comprising a transmitter (Tx) 1765 and a receiver (Rx) 1767 for enabling network node 104 to transmit data to and receive data from other nodes connected to a network 110 (e.g., an Internet Protocol (IP) network) to which network interface 1768 is connected; communication circuitry 1748, which is coupled to an antenna arrangement 1749 comprising one or more antennas and which comprises a transmitter (Tx) 1745 and a receiver (Rx) 1747 for enabling network node 104 to transmit data and receive data (e.g., wirelessly transmit/receive data); and a local storage unit (a.k.a., “data storage system”) 1708, which may include one or more non-volatile storage devices and/or one or more volatile storage devices. In embodiments where PC 1702 includes a programmable processor, a computer program product (CPP) 1741 may be provided. CPP 1741 includes a computer readable medium (CRM) 1742 storing a computer program (CP) 1743 comprising computer readable instructions (CRI) 1744. CRM 1742 may be a non-transitory computer readable medium, such as, magnetic media (e.g., a hard disk), optical media, memory devices (e.g., random access memory, flash memory), and the like. In some embodiments, the CRI 1744 of computer program 1743 is configured such that when executed by PC 1702, the CRI causes network node 104 to perform steps described herein (e.g., steps described herein with reference to the flow charts). In other embodiments, network node 104 may be configured to perform steps described herein without the need for code. That is, for example, PC 1702 may consist merely of one or more ASICs. Hence, the features of the embodiments described herein may be implemented in hardware and/or software.

[0163] FIG. 18 is a block diagram of UE 102, according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 18, UE 102 may comprise: processing circuitry (PC) 1802, which may include one or more processors (P) 1855 (e.g., one or more general purpose microprocessors and/or one or more other processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and the like); communication circuitry 1848, which is coupled to an antenna arrangement 1849 comprising one or more antennas and which comprises a transmitter (Tx) 1845 and a receiver (Rx) 1847 for enabling UE 102 to transmit data and receive data (e.g., wirelessly transmit/receive data); and a local storage unit (a.k.a., “data storage system”) 1808, which may include one or more non-volatile storage devices and/or one or more volatile storage devices. In embodiments where PC 1802 includes a programmable processor, a computer program product (CPP) 1841 may be provided. CPP 1841 includes a computer readable medium (CRM) 1842 storing a computer program (CP) 1843 comprising computer readable instructions (CRI) 1844. CRM 1842 may be a non-transitory computer readable medium, such as, magnetic media (e.g., a hard disk), optical media, memory devices (e.g., random access memory, flash memory), and the like. In some embodiments, the CRI 1844 of computer program 1843 is configured such that when executed by PC 1802, the CRI causes UE 102 to perform steps described herein (e.g., steps described herein with reference to the flow charts). In other embodiments, UE 102 may be configured to perform steps described herein without the need for code. That is, for example, PC 1802 may consist merely of one or more ASICs. Hence, the features of the embodiments described herein may be implemented in hardware and/or software.

CONCLUSION

[0164] This disclosure provides different embodiments for differentiating the 2nd message (msg2 or msgB) for different categories of UEs (e.g., UEs with different priorities) and different PRACH configurations identified in the 1st step of the random access procedure. For example, the following embodiments are provided: 1) introduce different RNTI calculation methods for different priority UEs (e.g., include an offset to RA-RNTI or MSGB-RNTI); 2) number all the PRACH occasions for UEs with different priorities instead of numbering them separately so that different PRACH occasions will always have different RA-RNTI or MSGB-RNTI values; 3) include a field in the DCI scheduling the RAR (i.e., msg2 or msgB) to indicate which priority the RAR is for; 4) allow same RA-RNTI, but UE needs to monitor all possible RA-RNTI addressed PDCCHs; and 5) Multiplex all RARs with same RA-RNTI or MsgB-RNTI in the same PDSCH in response to the 1st message on different ROs for different priority of UEs.

[0165] While various embodiments are described herein, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of this disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

[0166] Additionally, while the processes described above and illustrated in the drawings are shown as a sequence of steps, this was done solely for the sake of illustration. Accordingly, it is contemplated that some steps may be added, some steps may be omitted, the order of the steps may be re-arranged, and some steps may be performed in parallel.