Huawei Technologies Co., Limited

Mediatek Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Future Wei Technologies, Inc.

Mediatek Corporation

China Academy of Telecommunications Technology

Xuelong Wang

Bingzhao Li

Nathan Edward Tenny

Zhenzhen Cao

Haibo Xu

Bin Xu

Lei Chen

Henrik Olofsson

Jun Wang

Xiaodong Yang

Wei Quan

Xiaoli Shi

Jian Wang

Chia-Chun Hsu

Hong Wang

Haifeng Yu

Junren Chang

Bo Lin

Zheng Yu

Tao Chen

Sha Ma

Shukun Wang

Xin Xiong

Xiao Xiao

Hao Bi

Mazin Ali Al-Shalash

Yiru Kuang

Ying Huang

Li Chai

Hongzhuo Zhang

Hongcheng Zhuang

Guorong Li

Haiyan Luo

Tianle Deng

Guan-Yu Lin

Ming-Yuan Cheng

Johan Christer Johansson

Peter Legg

Aimin Justin Sang

Yu Ding

Huan Yun Zhang

Binsong Tang

Lei Li

Shiyan Ren

Lei Mao

Yuanyuan Zhang

Juan Zheng

Jialin Zou

Haitao Xia

Ping Song

Yuchen Wang

Zhixun Tang

Yang He

Pradeep Jose

Chun-Fan Tsai

Lixin Sun

Johan Christer Qvarfordt

Xuejun Yang

Xin You

Lingshuai Kong

Shlai Zhu

Per Johan Mikael Johansson

Legg Peter

Johansson Johan

Shiai Zhu

Johan Johansson

Huan Zhang

Xiaonan Zhang

Apparatus and methods are provided for Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) operation with a user equipment (UE) combined HARQ process for the multicast broadcast services (MBS). The UE established a UE combined HARQ process to receive HARQ transmissions for the MBS from both the point-to-mjultipoint (PTM) leg and the point-to-point (PTP) leg. The HARQ transmission received from the PTM leg is from a network PTM HARQ process and the HARQ transmission received from the PTP leg is from a network PTP HARQ process for the UE. The new data indicator (NDI) or the redundant version (RV) value is used to indicate a HARQ retransmission. The network PTM and PTP HARQ processes use the same HARQ ID. HARQ ID information is carried in DCI for the PTM leg and the PTP leg for MBS data packets.

Methods and apparatus of HARQ operation for transmission of multicast broadcast service

Apparatus and methods are provided for path switch with service continuity for the UE from the indirect relay link to direct cell link or vice versa. In one novel aspect, the UE is configured with measurement report configuration, which includes triggering event for sending the measurement report. The network sends path switch command to the UE to initiate the path switch based on the measurement report. The UE path switch includes intra-gNB and inter-gNB path switch between the indirect relay link and the direct cellular link. The triggering events are a measurement of the target direct Uu link is an offset better than a measurement of the serving sidelink for a indirect link to direct link switch and a measurement of the PC5 link is better than a predefined threshold for direct link to indirect link switch.

Methods and apparatus of path switch based service continuity for ue-to- network relay

Apparatus and methods are provided for sidelink relay-based UE-to-network communication. The disclosure describes the relay UE performing delayed relay forwarding upon determining the remote UE is in the DRX cycle based on the PC5 configuration. The relay UE buffers the relay traffic and/or sends a suspending indication to the base station to request the base station to suspend the relay traffic to the remote UE. The disclosure describes the relay UE monitoring paging occasions configured for itself and receives paging message from the network intended for the remote UE in one non-connected RRC state. The relay UE sends a PC5 paging message to the remote UE that is in the non-connected RRC state through the established SL based on the received paging message. The disclosure describes the network storing the SL association between the relay UE and the remote UE to the network.

Methods and apparatus of sidelink relay based data communication

Apparatus and methods are provided for L2-based sidelink relay for packet routing. In novel aspect, the L2-based sidelink relay for packet routing is configured based on interest indications from one or more candidate UEs and corresponding UE report from candidate UEs. In one embodiment, the UE report is received from an Uu interface RRC message or an RRC message forwarded through an Xn interface from a serving gNB. The L2 relay configuration includes one or more elements comprising an adaptation layer address of nodes in the relay path, and a packet routing table. The adaption layer is between an RRC layer and a PDCP layer. The packet routing table includes one or more elements including adaptation layer addresses, a relay path ID, and a next hop address. In one embodiment, the relay path includes one or more relay hops.

Packet routing for layer-2-based sidelink relay

Apparatus and methods are provided for reliable multicast transmission with compact protocol stack. In one novel aspect, compact protocol stacks are configured for the UE and the base station handling both the PTM RB and the PTP RB. The compact protocol stack is either configured a compact RLC entity or a compact PDCP entity. The UE monitors a PTM LCH and a PTP LCH and sends feedback to the network with the PTP RB. The base station transmits MBS data packets in the PTM mode to the one or more subscriber UE, monitors feedback report from each subscriber UEs through corresponding PTP RB, and retransmits MBS data packets to one or more UEs through corresponding PTP RBs based on corresponding feedback reports. PTM-to-PTP and PTP-to-PTM mode switches are performed when triggering events are detected. The mode switch notification is sent to UEs via MAC CE or RLC control PDU.

Reliable multicast transmission with compact protocol stack

Apparatus and methods are provided for sidelink configuration and traffic forwarding for L2 UE-to-UE relay. In one novel aspect, the relay UE configures sidelink configuration for both direct PC5 link between the relay UE and the remote UE and indirect PC5 link between two remote UEs. The relay UE performs traffic forwarding for remote UEs based on the adaptation information included within the SL-SCH sub-header of PC5 MAC sub-PDU. In one embodiment, the UE establishes sidelinks, configures end-to-end SLRB, activates the end-to-end SLRB, and forwards data packets between the remote UEs based on bearer mapping. The end-to-end SLRBs are activated automatically or are activated by a PC5 MAC control element (CE) or RRC message between the remote UEs. In another embodiment, the bearer mapping correlates the end-to-end SLRB ID with a plurality of sidelink relay channel IDs.

Sidelink configuration and traffic forwarding for layer-2 UE-to-UE relay

Apparatus and methods are provided for connection establishment and bearer mapping for L2-based sidelink UE-to-Network relay. In one novel aspect, the connection establishment is triggered by a Uu RRC message or a PC5 RRC message of the Sidelink Relay Channel Configuration Request. In one embodiment, the establishing of one or more sidelink relay channels is triggered by a resource control (RRC) message of Sidelink Relay Channel Configuration Request. In one embodiment, the relay UE sends a PC5 RRC message of Sidelink Relay Channel Configuration Request to the remote UE based on a Uu RRC message from the gNB. In another embodiment, the relay UE sends a sidelink UE information (SUI) to the gNB with UE information for the relay and remote UEs. In another embodiment, the bearer mapping is based on a mapping between a relay channel ID and a Uu bearer ID of a mapped relay radio bearer.

Connection establishment and bearer mapping for UE-to-network relay

Apparatus and methods are provided for sidelink relay channel establishment. In one novel aspect, the relay UE established sidelink relay channels upon receiving sidelink relay connection request. In one embodiment, the request comes from the base station for the in-network relay UE. In another embodiment, the request comes from a remote UE requesting the service for the out-of-network relay UE. The relay UE performs the traffic relay between the two end nodes of the sidelink replay path at the L2 or at L3. In another embodiment, a specific PC5 RRC message is used to initiate the relay channel establish procedure between the relay UE and the remote UE. In another embodiment, the network sends the configurations of the relay channel to the relay UE before the start of the procedure. The mapping between relay channel ID and the end-to-end RB index is maintained in the relay UE for bearer mapping.

Methods and apparatus for sidelink relay channel establishment

A method of connection establishment through a relay UE for a remote UE is proposed. The remote and relay UEs first perform discovery and establish a PC5 radio resource control (PC5-RRC) connection. Upon receiving a request from the remote UE, the relay UE and a serving gNB perform a relaying procedure for establishment of the remote UE's signalling radio bearer 1 (SRB1). The relay UE configures PC5 RLC channels for relaying of SRB1 towards the remote UE. The remote UE then enters an RRC_CONNECTED state. The remote UE and gNB establish security. The gNB configures additional data radio bearers (DRBs) for relaying. The relay UE configures PC5 RLC channels for relaying of the additional DRBs towards the remote UE. The DRBs can then be used for exchange of data between the remote UE and the gNB.

Connection establishment for layer 2 UE-to-network relay

A method executed by a relay UE is provided. The relay UE receives an incoming SideLink (SL) transmission from the first remote UE on the first RLC channel, wherein the first RLC channel is associated with an SL Radio Bearer (SLRB) ID, in which the incoming SL transmission includes the first identifier, which includes the SLRB ID and a first UE ID. The relay UE sends an outgoing SL transmission to a second remote UE on a second RLC channel according to the SLRB ID and the first UE ID.

Apparatuses and methods for SideLink (SL) communication in a User Equipment (UE)-to-UE relaying architecture

A data transmission method and a communications apparatus are provided. One data transmission example method includes that a core network user plane device receives a first data packet sent by an access network device, where the first data packet includes uplink data of a terminal device and identification information of the terminal device. The core network user plane device obtains context information of the terminal device based on the identification information of the terminal device. The core network user plane device processes the uplink data based on the context information of the terminal device.

Data transmission method and communications apparatus

This application provides a communication method and apparatus. The method includes: A network device pre-allocates a first identifier to a terminal device. When the terminal device has a requirement for adjusting the first identifier, the terminal device may send a first message carrying first information to the network device, to request the network device to adjust the first identifier. According to the method and the apparatus in this application, the identifier of the terminal device may be flexibly adjusted.

Communication method and apparatus

Mechanism of relay UE discovery and relay UE selection and reselection for remote UE data transmission with a serving base station via relay UE is proposed. A method operable for relay UE selection and reselection of remote UE is provided. The UE considers additional criteria such as relay load other than purely radio signal quality (e.g., RSRP) criteria. The relay load can serve different purpose for relay UE and remote UE. The relay load can be the criteria for UE to become a relay UE or not. It can be the criteria for a remote UE to select another UE as its relay UE.

Relay selection and reselection

A random access method and device. The method includes receiving, by user equipment, a radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message from a first network device, the RRC connection reconfiguration message indicating a primary serving cell of the second network device for a user equipment, an active uplink bandwidth part (BWP) in the primary serving cell, and an active downlink BWP in the primary serving cell, the RRC connection reconfiguration message includes an uplink BWP identifier indicating the active uplink BWP and a downlink BWP identifier indicating the active downlink BWP, the uplink BWP identifier corresponds to the active uplink BWP, the downlink BWP identifier corresponds to the active downlink BWP, and initiating, by the user equipment, a random access procedure to the second network device on the active uplink BWP and the active downlink BWP.

Random access method and device

A communication method and an apparatus are provided. The method includes: receiving, by a terminal device, a first command sent by a network device, wherein the first command carries a first identifier, and is used to activate a first bandwidth part (BWP) indicated by the first identifier, and the first BWP is a BWP on a first component carrier (CC); and ignoring the first command when the terminal device does not support the first BWP and a second BWP being in an active state at the same time, wherein the second BWP is a BWP in the active state on a second CC, and the second CC is different from the first CC. According to the application, the terminal device may determine, based on a capability of the terminal device, to ignore an improper command, to optimize a problem of switching an active BWP in a carrier aggregation scenario.

Communication method and communications apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Beijing, China

Xuelong Wang