Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1
Connection Configuration
Field
The invention relates to communications.
Background
The following description of background art may include insights, discoveries,
understandings or disclosures, or associations together with disclosures not
known to
the relevant art prior to the present invention but provided by the invention.
Some such
contributions of the invention may be specifically pointed out below, whereas
other such
contributions of the invention will be apparent from their context.
It is envisaged that wireless data traffic will grow 10,000 fold within the
next
20 years due to ultra-high resolution video streaming, cloud-based work,
entertainment
and increased use of a variety of wireless devices. These will include
smartphones,
tablets and other devices, including machine type communications for the
programmable world. Mobile communications will have a wider range of use cases
and
related applications including video streaming, augmented reality, different
ways of data
sharing and various forms of machine type applications, including vehicular
safety,
different sensors and real-time Control.
Summary
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an
apparatus comprising: at least one processor and at least one memory including
a
computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code
configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least
to: transmit,
by a user device to an access node, a connection request comprising
information on
service, wherein the information on service is determined based on information
on
provided services in a cell the connection request is transmitted to; receive
configuration
information in response to the connection request and establishing a
connection based
on the configuration information, and, in response to the access node
detecting an
interruption in data transmission in relation to the connection; and receive
at least one
message indicating a reconfiguration to an intermediate state or a connection
release
based on the information on service, wherein in the intermediate state the
user device is
configured to carry out operations adapted to the service indicated in the
connection
request
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According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an
apparatus comprising: at least one processor and at least one memory including
a
computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code
configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least
to: receive,
by an access node, a connection request for a user device, the connection
request
comprising information on service, wherein the information on service is
determined
based on information on services provided by the access node; carry out a
connection
configuration in response to the connection request, wherein the connection
configuration is carried out based on the received information on service;
detect an
interruption in data transmission in relation to the configured connection;
and carry out,
in response to the interruption, either a reconfiguration to an intermediate
state or a
connection release based on the information on service, wherein in the
intermediate
state the user device is configured to carry out operations adapted to the
service
indicated in the connection request.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
method comprising: transmitting, by a user device to an access node, a
connection
request comprising information on service, wherein the information on service
is
determined based on information on provided services in a cell the connection
request is
transmitted to; receiving configuration information in response to the
connection request
and establishing a connection based on the configuration information, and, in
response
to the access node detecting an interruption in data transmission in relation
to the
connection; and receiving at least one message indicating a reconfiguration to
an
intermediate state or a connection release based on the information on
service, wherein
in the intermediate state the user device is configured to carry out
operations adapted to
the service indicated in the connection request.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
method comprising: receiving, by an access node, a connection request for a
user
device, the connection request comprising information on service, wherein the
information on service is determined based on information on services provided
by the
access node; carrying out a connection configuration in response to the
connection
request, wherein the connection configuration is carried out based on the
received
information on service; detecting an interruption in data transmission in
relation to the
configured connection; and carrying out, in response to the interruption,
either a
reconfiguration to an intermediate state or a connection release based on the
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information on service, wherein in the intermediate state the user device is
configured to
carry out operations adapted to the service indicated in the connection
request.
List of drawings
Some embodiments of the present invention are described below, by way of
example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 illustrates an example of a system;
Figure 2 is a flow chart;
Figure 3 is another flow chart;
Figure 4 illustrates an example of a signaling chart;
Figure 5 illustrates use case examples;
Figure 6 illustrates examples of apparatuses, and
Figure 7 illustrates other examples of apparatuses.
Description of some embodiments
The following embodiments are only examples. Although the specification
may refer to "an", "one", or "some" embodiment(s) in several locations, this
does not
necessarily mean that each such reference is to the same embodiment(s), or
that the
feature only applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different
embodiments
may also be combined to provide other embodiments. Furthermore, words
"comprising"
and "including" should be understood as not limiting the described embodiments
to
consist of only those features that have been mentioned and such embodiments
may
also contain also features, structures, units, modules etc. that have not been
specifically
mentioned.
Embodiments are applicable to any user device, such as a user terminal, as
well as to any network element, relay node, server, node, corresponding
component,
and/or to any communication system or any combination of different
communication
systems that support required fun ctionalities. The communication system may
be a
wireless communication system or a communication system
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utilizing both fixed networks and wireless networks. The protocols used, the
specifications of communication systems, apparatuses, such as servers and user
terminals, especially in wireless communication, develop rapidly. Such
development
may require extra changes to an embodiment. Therefore, all words and
expressions
should be interpreted broadly and they are intended to illustrate, not to
restrict,
embodiments.
In the following, different exemplifying embodiments will be described
using, as an example of an access architecture to which the embodiments may be
applied, a radio access architecture based on long term evolution advanced
(LTE
Advanced, LTE-A), without restricting the embodiments to such an architecture,
however. It is obvious for a person skilled in the art that the embodiments
may also
be applied to other kinds of communications networks having suitable means by
adjusting parameters and procedures appropriately. Some examples of other
options
for suitable systems are 5G, the universal mobile telecommunications system
(UMTS) radio access network (UTRAN or E-UTRAN), long term evolution (LTE, the
same as E-UTRA), wireless local area network (WLAN or WiFi), worldwide
interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), Bluetoothe, personal
communications services (PCS), ZigBee0, wideband code division multiple access
(WCDMA), systems using ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, sensor networks,
mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) and Internet Protocol multimedia subsystems
(IMS) or any combination thereof.
Figure 1 depicts examples of simplified system architectures only showing
some elements and functional entities, all being logical units, whose
implementation
may differ from what is shown. The connections shown in Figure 1 are logical
connections; the actual physical connections may be different. It is apparent
to a
person skilled in the art that the system typically comprises also other
functions and
structures than those shown in Figure 1.
The embodiments are not, however, restricted to the system given as an
example but a person skilled in the art may apply the solution to other
communication systems provided with necessary properties. Another example of a
suitable communications system is the 5G concept. It is assumed that radio
network
architecture in 5G may be quite similar to that of the LTE-advanced. 5G is
likely to
use multiple input ¨ multiple output (MIMO) antennas, many more base stations
or
nodes than the LTE (a so-called small cell concept), including macro sites
operating
in co-operation with smaller stations and perhaps also employing a variety of
radio
technologies for better coverage and enhanced data rates. 5G will likely be
comprised of more than one radio access technology (RAT), each optimized for
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certain use cases and/or spectrum. 5G mobile communications will have a wider
range of use cases and related applications including video streaming,
augmented
reality, different ways of data sharing and various forms of machine type
applications, including vehicular safety, different sensors and real-time
control.
5 It should be appreciated that future networks will most probably
utilise
network functions virtualization (NFV) which is a network architecture concept
that
proposes virtualizing network node functions into "building blocks" or
entities that
may be operationally connected or linked together to provide services. A
virtualized
network function (VNF) may comprise one or more virtual machines running
computer program codes using standard or general type servers instead of
customized hardware. Cloud computing or data storage may also be utilized. In
radio
communications this may mean node operations to be carried out, at least
partly, in
a server, host or node operationally coupled to a remote radio head. It is
also
possible that node operations will be distributed among a plurality of
servers, nodes
or hosts. It should also be understood that the distribution of labour between
core
network operations and base station operations may differ from that of the LTE
or
even be non-existent. Some other technology advancements probably to be used
are Software-Defined Networking (SDN), Big Data, and all-IP, which may change
the
way networks are being constructed and managed.
Figure 1 shows a part of a radio access network based on E-UTRA, LTE,
LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) or LTE/EPC (EPC = evolved packet core, EPC is
enhancement of packet switched technology to cope with faster data rates and
growth of Internet protocol traffic). E-UTRA is an air interface of LTE
Release 8
(UTRA= UMTS terrestrial radio access, UMTS= universal mobile
telecommunications system). Some advantages obtainable by LTE (or E-UTRA) are
a possibility to use plug and play devices, and Frequency Division Duplex
(FDD) and
Time Division Duplex (TDD) in the same platform.
Figure 1 shows user devices 100 and 102 configured to be in a wireless
connection on one or more communication channels 104 and 106 in a cell with a
(e)NodeB 108 providing the cell. The physical link from a user device to a
(e)NodeB
is called uplink or reverse link and the physical link from the (e)NodeB to
the user
device is called downlink or forward link.
Two other nodes (eNodeBs) are also provided, namely 114 and 116
which may have communications channels 118 and 120 to eNode B 108. The nodes
may belong to the network of a same operator or to the networks of different
operators. It should be appreciated that the number of nodes may vary, as well
as
the number of networks. User devices communicating with nodes 114 and 116 are
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not shown due to the sake of clarity. The nodes may have connections to other
networks, as well.
The NodeB, or advanced evolved node B (eNodeB, eNB) in LTE-
Advanced, is a computing device configured to control the radio resources of
communication system it is coupled to. The (e)NodeB may also be referred to as
a
base station, an access point or any other type of interfacing device
including a relay
station capable of operating in a wireless environment.
The (e)NodeB includes or is coupled to transceivers. From the
transceivers of the (e)NodeB, a connection is provided to an antenna unit that
establishes bi-directional radio links to user devices. The antenna unit may
comprise
a plurality of antennas or antenna elements. The (e)NodeB is further connected
to
core network 110 (CN). Depending on the system, the counterpart on the CN side
can be a serving gateway (S-GW, routing and forwarding user data packets),
packet
data network gateway (P-GW), for providing connectivity of user devices (UEs)
to
external packet data networks, or mobile management entity (MME), etc.
A communications system typically comprises more than one (e)NodeB in
which case the (e)NodeBs may also be configured to communicate with one
another
over links, wired or wireless, designed for the purpose. These links may be
used for
signalling purposes.
The communication system is also able to communicate with other
networks, such as a public switched telephone network or the Internet 112. The
communication network may also be able to support the usage of cloud services.
It
should be appreciated that (e)NodeBs or their functionalities may be
implemented by
using any node, host, server or access point etc. entity suitable for such a
usage.
The communication system may also comprise a central control entity, or
a like, providing facilities for networks of different operators to cooperate
for example
in spectrum sharing.
The user device (also called UE, user equipment, user terminal, terminal
device, etc.) illustrates one type of an apparatus to which resources on the
air
interface are allocated and assigned, and thus any feature described herein
with a
user device may be implemented with a corresponding apparatus, such as a relay
node. An example of such a relay node is a layer 3 relay (self-backhauling
relay)
towards the base station.
The user device typically refers to a portable computing device that
includes wireless mobile communication devices operating with or without a
subscriber identification module (SIM), including, but not limited to, the
following
types of devices: a mobile station (mobile phone), smartphone, personal
digital
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assistant (PDA), handset, device using a wireless modem (alarm or measurement
device, etc.), laptop and/or touch screen computer, tablet, game console,
notebook,
and multimedia device. It should be appreciated that a user device may also be
a
nearly exclusive uplink only device, of which an example is a camera or video
camera loading images or video clips to a network. A user device may also be a
device having capability to operate in Internet of Things (loT) network which
is a
scenario in which objects are provided with the ability to transfer data over
a network
without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. A user
device
may also be a device operating in a cyber-physical system (CPS) which is a
system
of collaborating computational elements controlling physical entities.
The user device (or in some embodiments a layer 3 relay node or a self-
backhauling node) is configured to perform one or more of user equipment
functionalities. The user device may also be called a subscriber unit, mobile
station,
remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal or user equipment (UE) just to
mention but a few names or apparatuses.
It should be understood that, in Figure 1, user devices are depicted to
include 2 antennas only for the sake of clarity. The number of reception
and/or
transmission antennas may naturally vary according to a current
implementation.
Additionally, although the apparatuses have been depicted as single
entities, different units, processors and/or memory units (not all shown in
Figure 1)
may be implemented.
It is obvious for a person skilled in the art that the depicted system is only
an example of a part of a radio access system and in practise, the system may
comprise a plurality of (e)NodeBs, the user device may have an access to a
plurality
of radio cells and the system may comprise also other apparatuses, such as
physical
layer relay nodes or other network elements, etc. At least one of the NodeBs
or
eNodeBs may be a Honne(e)nodeB. Additionally, in a geographical area of a
radio
communication system a plurality of different kinds of radio cells as well as
a plurality
of radio cells may be provided. Radio cells may be macro cells (or umbrella
cells)
which are large cells, usually having a diameter of up to tens of kilometres,
or
smaller cells such as micro-, femto- or picocells. The (e)NodeBs of Figure 1
may
provide any kind of these cells. A cellular radio system may be implemented as
a
multilayer network including several kinds of cells. Typically, in multilayer
networks,
one node B provides one kind of a cell or cells, and thus a plurality of (e)
Node Bs
are required to provide such a network structure.
For fulfilling the need for improving the deployment and performance of
communication systems, the concept of "plug-and-play" (e)NodeBs has been
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introduced. Typically, a network which is able to use "plug-and-play" (e)Node
Bs,
includes, in addition to Home (e)NodeBs (H(e)nodeBs), a home node B gateway,
or
HNB-GW (not shown in Figure 1). A HNB Gateway (HNB-GW), which is typically
installed within an operator's network may aggregate traffic from a large
number of
HNBs back to a core network.
In the following, an embodiment for connection configuration is disclosed
by means of Figure 2. The embodiment may be carried out by a user device. The
embodiment is suitable for adapting user device's operation mode to support
different services and/or applications in a resource usage effective manner.
For
example, requirements of machine-type communications (MTC) often deviate from
those of human centric communications (the various kinds of MTC will enable
the
wireless Internet of Things (loT)). A method for controlling an operational
state (and
related common and dedicated system information) in the existence of multi-
link,
multi-layer, multi-RATs and/or diverse applications or services using service
information based configurable states is provided. In describing embodiments
and
examples, LTE-related terminology may be used for clarification purposes. Such
terminology should not be taken as limiting the embodiments or examples,
however.
The embodiment starts in block 200.
In block 202, a connection request comprising information on service is
transmitted.
A connection request is transmitted to a network the user device wishes
to use for communications to inform the network on user device's service
needs. The
information in the message may vary, but in principle, information needed by
the
network for resource configuration is provided. The information on service may
be a
service identity (ID) and/or an application identity (ID). These identities
may be
standardized, informed as a part of random access or a corresponding procedure
(unicast or multicast), informed in broadcasts an access node providing a cell
transmits, negotiated between service providers, etc. They may be in the form
of a
list or table, for example. In 5G, it has been proposed that cells advertize
more
actively available services. Therefore a user device may request a service
that
provides the closest match to its capability and/or needs. The information on
service
may also comprise a mobility status of the user device. The mobility status
information may be based on location or tracking information (such as using
Global
Position System or range detection) and/or information obtained from speed
sensors
or radars, for example.
Information on service may also comprise indication of resources
dedicated to the service. This is useful information in network slicing,
wherein a
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machine-type-communication device may indicate to a network which network
slice
is applicable to the device or service.
A connection request may comprise information on user device's
capabilities or a separate message comprising the information may be
transmitted.
For example, capabilities of a smart phone may vary from model to model. A
connection request may also comprise information on user device's power saving
configuration or a power saving request. For example, a certain service or
application may have dedicated power saving settings or a power saving mode. A
connection request may be transmitted after a random access procedure or a
like
using the resources reserved or configured for a connection request.
In block 204, configuration information is received in response to the
connection request and a connection is established based on the configuration
information.
As a response to the connection request, a network sends a
confirmation or setup message or a like, wherein resources or configuration
for the
connection are informed. A user device establishes a connection to the network
based on this information.
In block 206, at least one message is received indicating a
reconfiguration to an intermediate state or a connection release based on the
information on service.
With an intermediate state it is mean a flexible operation state, which is
not an idle state but not "full" active state, either. In the intermediate
state, a user
device may carry out operations adapted to the service or application in
question.
Operations which may be configured to be carried out by a user device,
comprise
one or more of the following: user device registration (a user device may be
registered and known with a unique identifier in its tracking area which
typically
consists of multiple cells), tracking and/or location, packet forwarding,
camping,
reception of system information, monitoring a paging channel, authentication,
contention based uplink data transmission, etc.
One example of how service or application affects to operations carried
out in an intermediate state or that an idle state is not possible, is a user
device
participating in an activity, for example it is a vehicle moving along a road,
when it
has to gather certain information on itself and/or on its environment in which
case
configuration in relation to this user device may not be carried out freely by
the
access node, but the service and/or application determines the operations to
be
carried out in an intermediate state or prohibits an idle state. For example,
a vehicle
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using some kind of an automated driving aid may have to be able to communicate
with a service control unit in a specified manner.
Mobility status may be taken into consideration when operations in
relation to reconfiguration or connection release are carried out. Mobility
status may
5 differentiate a normal (=stationary, slowly moving or infrequent cell
changes) and
moving devices. Moving devices may have limitations in relation to an
intermediate
state. In one example, only those normal mobility state devices may be
configured
into an intermediate state. For another example, only those moving devices the
speed of which is above that of pedestrian may be configured into an
intermediate
10 state, for example as a part of fleet management or some collision
detection or
driving automated vehicles. Other devices may be configured to an idle state
for
saving resources.
The embodiment ends in block 208. The embodiment is repeatable in
many different ways, for example, reconfiguration may be repeated for changing
the
state from an intermediate state to an idle state or to active state.
In the following, another embodiment for connection configuration is
disclosed by means of Figure 3. The embodiment may be carried out by an access
node, server, host or a corresponding device. The access node, server or host
may
be a node providing a cellular coverage for general radio communications or it
may
an access node supporting a certain service, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V)
or
vehicle to anything (V2X) communications. The embodiment is suitable for
adapting
user device's operation mode to support different services and/or applications
in a
resource usage effective manner. For example, requirements of machine-type
communications (MTC) often deviate from those of human centric communications
(the various kinds of MTC will enable the wireless Internet of Things (loT)).
A method
for controlling an operational state (and related common and dedicated system
information) in the existence of multi-link, multi-layer, multi-RATs and/or
diverse
applications or services using service information based configurable states
is
provided. In describing embodiments and examples, LTE-related terminology may
be used for clarification purposes. Such terminology should not be taken as
limiting
the embodiments or examples, however.
The embodiment starts in block 300.
In block 302, a connection request for a user device is received. The
connection request comprises information on service.
A connection request is transmitted to a network the user device wishes to
use for communications to inform the network on user device's service needs.
The
information in the message may vary, but in principle, information needed by
the
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network for resource configuration is provided. The information on service may
be a
service identity (ID) and/or an application identity (ID). These identities
may be
standardized, informed as a part of random access or a corresponding procedure
(unicast or multicast), informed in broadcasts an access node providing a cell
transmits, negotiated between service providers, etc. They may be in the form
of a
list or table, for example. An access node may advertise information on its
services
by unicast, multicast or broadcast. Therefore a user device may request a
service
that provides the closest match to its capability and/or needs.
The information on service may also comprise a mobility status of the user
device. The mobility status information may be based on location or tracking
information (such as using Global Position System or range detection) and/or
information obtained from speed sensors or radars, for example.
Information on service may also comprise indication of resources
dedicated to the service. This is useful information in network slicing,
wherein a
machine-type-communication device may indicate to a network which network
slice
is applicable to the device or service.
A connection request may comprise information on user device's
capabilities or a separate message comprising the information may be
transmitted.
For example, capabilities of a smart phone may vary from model to model. A
connection request may also comprise information on user device's power saving
configuration or a power saving request. For example, a certain service or
application may have dedicated power saving settings or a power saving mode. A
connection request may be transmitted after a random access procedure or a
like
using the resources reserved for a connection request.
In block 304, a connection configuration in response to the connection
request is carried out.
Carrying out the connection configuration typically comprises transmitting
a connection configuration response, a confirmation or setup message or a
like,
wherein resources or configuration for the connection are informed. A user
device
establishes a connection to the network based on this information.
In block 306, an interruption in data transmission in relation to the
configured connection is detected.
The detection may be based on an inactivity timer, which counts the
duration of a pause. When the duration exceeds a predetermined threshold, an
interruption is registered. End-of-data -markers may also be used
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In block 308, in response to the interruption, either a reconfiguration to an
intermediate state or a connection release is carried out based on the
information on
service.
With an intermediate state it is mean a flexible operation state, which is
not an idle state but not "full" active state, either. In the intermediate
state, a user
device may carry out operations adapted to the service or application in
question.
Operations which may be configured to be carried out by a user device,
comprise
one or more of the following: user device registration (a user device may be
registered and known with a unique identifier in its tracking area which
typically
consists of multiple cells), tracking and/or location, packet forwarding,
camping,
reception of system information, monitoring a paging channel, authentication,
contention based uplink data transmission, etc.
Connection may be released, for example, if it is a one-off kind of a
service, such as uploading a video clip or making a call. In this case, a user
device
may be put in an idle state or mode.
One example of how service or application affects to operations carried
out in an intermediate state or that an idle state is not possible, is a user
device
participating in an activity, for example it is a vehicle moving along a road,
when it
has to gather certain information on itself and/or its environment in which
case
configuration in relation to this user device may not be carried out freely by
the
access node, but the service and/or application determines the operations to
be
carried out in an intermediate state or prohibits an idle state. For example,
a vehicle
using some kind of an automated driving aid may have to be able to communicate
with a service control unit in a specified manner.
Mobility status may be taken into consideration when operations in
relation to reconfiguration or connection release are carried out. Mobility
status may
differentiate a normal (=stationary, slowly moving or infrequent cell changes)
and
moving devices. Moving devices may have limitations in relation to an
intermediate
state. In one example, only those normal mobility state devices may be
configured
into an intermediate state. For another example, only those moving devices the
speed of which is above that of pedestrian may be configured into an
intermediate
state, for example as a part of fleet management or some collision detection
or
driving automated vehicles. Other devices may be configured to an idle state
for
saving resources.
Reconfiguration may be conveyed as a message comprising information
on availability of a user device's subscription, capability, context
information, security
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and/or authentication information, paging information, location information,
mobility
status information and/or procedure to update the location information.
From an access node's perspective, an interruption of transmission on a
connection can be seen as a function overloading that is to say creating
multiple
methods of the same name with different implementations. Calls to an
overloaded
function run a specific implementation of that function appropriate to the
context of
the call, allowing one function call to perform different tasks depending on
context.
In one embodiment, a mobility management entity is informed on
information on service as a part of a context setup procedure. Context may be
used
in authentication and/or accounting. With a mobility management entity it is
meant an
entity being responsible for idle mode user device paging, authentication
and/or
authorization, etc. When a mobility management entity is aware of information
on
service, it may, for example, carry out authentication service-based or
application-
based.
In another embodiment, the paging procedure may be initiated by the
radio access network for system access based on the information on service.
The embodiment ends in block 310. The embodiment is repeatable in
many different ways, for example, reconfiguration may be repeated for changing
a
state from an intermediate state to an idle state. Another option is a change
from an
intermediate state or idle state to active/connected state, when a user device
transmits a new connection request.
In the following, an exemplifying signaling chart is shown by means of
Figure 4. LTE-related terminology is used for clarification purposes. Such
terminology should not be taken as limiting the embodiments or examples,
however.
In the example, messages 1 (random access channel, RACH) and 2
(uplink grant) are for a random access process. By message 3 (radio resource
control, RRC, a connection request comprising mobility management identity
(MME ID), user device's identity (UE ID) and service information (service ID)
is
transmitted from user device to an access node (in this case eNB). The access
node
responses by transmitting a connection setup message (RRC conn. setup) to
which
the user devices responses by a connection setup complete message (RRC conn.
setup complete). The user device (UE) is on active state and has resources for
data
transmission. Next, the access node detects an interruption in the data
transmission.
Depending on the information on service, the access node chooses either a
connection release (7b) or reconfiguration to an intermediate state or mode
(7a).
From the access node's perspective, an interruption of transmission on a
connection
can be seen as a function overloading that is to say creating multiple methods
of the
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14
same name with different implementations. Calls to an overloaded function run
a
specific implementation of that function appropriate to the context of the
call, allowing
one function call to perform different tasks depending on context. In other
words,
interruption in transmission leads to either reconfiguration or connection
release. As
an option, a mobility management entity (MME) or similar functionality at
radio
access network is informed on information on service as a part of a context
setup
procedure (6).
In the following, some non-limiting case examples are presented by
means of Figures 5a and 5b. LTE-related terminology is used for clarification
purposes. Such terminology should not be taken as limiting the embodiments or
examples, however. LTE related terms are, for example, RRC (radio resource
control) and ECM (EPS connection management, wherein EPS means Evolved
Packet System).
In Figure 5a, a user device may be a machine-type communications
(MTC) device. Massive-MTC typically concerns massive deployments of low-cost
battery-powered sensors, actuators, remote controlled and/or remote-read
utility
meters, etc.. One example is a meter reading reporting sensors with an
extended
battery life requirement. In this case, there is no need for camping in a
cell, thus no
need for the device to be in an idle mode or state. This kind of a device only
needs a
registration and it can be put into power saving mode (one type of an
intermediate
state) when it is not transmitting data to a service control unit, for
example. In the
case user device is an ultra-reliable machine-type communications (U-MTC)
device,
a user device, when in an intermediate state, may camp on a cell, carry out
tracking
area procedures and monitor continuously one or more paging channels. Ultra-
reliable MTC relates to providing a certain service level with very high
probability.
Ultra-reliable MTC is also related to applications, where delay is a critical
factor, such
as remote driving, industrial control or remote surgery. The user device
states in
these cases are a connected/active state or an intermediate state. Therefore
this
example also depicts the case, wherein due to fast system access requirements,
idle
mode is not allowed.
Another example involves extreme mobile broadband (xMBB) which
provides, for example, traffic volume and data rates required by applications
as
virtual reality and augmented reality or extreme-resolution 3-dimensional TV.
In this
case, user device registration and capacity or capability based camping are
carried
out (cell capacity or radio access capability can be considered as one of the
factors
to prioritize a cell).
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In Figure 5b, another U-MTC case example is presented. This is
applicable to V2V or V2I (vehicle to infrastructure) communications. It is
assumed
that a user device has an "unlimited" power source as it is comprised in a
vehicle
and moving with a medium or high speed (not pedestrian). One approach to
provide
5 the required ultra-reliability is using multi-connectivity and transmitting
the same data
through multiple links. In this case, an access node is selected based on its
capability to provide the multi-connectivity. Another approach is to use
information on
mobility and/or service in reconfiguration to an intermediate state. The user
device,
when in an intermediate state, may camp on a cell, carry out tracking area
10 procedures and monitor continuously one or more paging channels. The
user device
camps on a cell with wide area coverage and local access nodes are prohibited.
The
access node may provide the user device with a list of suitable cells. In this
example,
information on mobility and/or service is used to avoid frequent handovers
form one
local cell to another. These two approaches may also be combined. The user
device
15 states in these cases are a connected/active state, intermediate state or
idle/disconnected state.
For quickly setting up a connection to a secondary cell, a user device
needs to keep up-to-date information on cells for example with the strongest
average
received signal powers on different frequency layers. This information may be
transferred as part of a connection request message sent to a master cell,
when the
user device changes its state from intermediate to active/connected, for
example. A
separate update message is also an option.
The steps/points, signaling messages and related functions described
above in Figure 2, 3 and 4 are in no absolute chronological order, and some of
the
steps/points may be performed simultaneously or in an order differing from the
given
one. Other functions may also be executed between the steps/points or within
the
steps/points and other signaling messages sent between the illustrated
messages.
Some of the steps/points or part of the steps/points can also be left out or
replaced
by a corresponding step/point or part of the step/point.
It should be understood that conveying, broadcasting, unicasting,
multicasting, signaling, transmitting and/or receiving may herein mean
preparing a
data conveyance, broadcast, transmission and/or reception, preparing a message
to
be conveyed, broadcast, signalled, transmitted and/or received, or a physical
transmission and/or reception itself, etc. on a case by case basis. The same
principle
may be applied to terms transmission and reception as well.
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16
An embodiment provides an apparatus which may be a user device or any
other suitable apparatus capable to carry out processes described above in
relation
to Figure 2.
It should be appreciated that the apparatus may include or otherwise be in
communication with a control unit, one or more processors or other entities
capable
of carrying out operations according to the embodiments described by means of
Figure 2. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart of Figure 2
and
any combination thereof may be implemented by various means or their
combinations, such as hardware, software, firmware, one or more processors
and/or
circuitry.
Figure 6 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an apparatus according
to an embodiment in relation to Figure 2 (a user device).
As an example of an apparatus according to an embodiment, it is shown
apparatus 600 including facilities in control unit 604 (including one or more
processors, for example) to carry out functions of embodiments according to
Figure
2. The facilities may be software, hardware or combinations thereof as
described in
further detail below.
In Figure 6, block 606 includes parts/units/modules needed for reception
and transmission, usually called a radio front end, RF-parts, radio parts,
remote radio
head, etc. The parts/units/modules needed for reception and transmission may
be
comprised in the apparatus or they may be located outside the apparatus the
apparatus being operationally coupled to them. The apparatus may also include
or
be coupled to one or more internal or external memory units.
Another example of apparatus 600 may include at least one processor
604 and at least one memory 602 including a computer program code, the at
least
one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one
processor, cause the apparatus at least to: transmit a connection request
comprising
information on service, receive configuration information in response to the
connection request and establishing a connection based on the configuration
information, and receive at least one message indicating a reconfiguration to
an
intermediate state or a connection release based on the information on
service.
It should be understood that the apparatus may include or be coupled to
other units or modules etc., such as radio parts or radio heads, used in or
for
transmission and/or reception. This is depicted in Figure 6 as optional block
606.
Yet another example of an apparatus comprises means (604, 606) for
transmitting a connection request comprising information on service, means
(604,
606) for receiving configuration information in response to the connection
request
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17
and means for (604, 606) establishing a connection based on the configuration
information, and means (604, 606) for receiving at least one message
indicating a
reconfiguration to an intermediate state or a connection release based on the
information on service.
It should be understood that the apparatus may include or be coupled to
other units or modules etc., such as radio parts or radio heads, used in or
for
transmission and/or reception. This is depicted in Figure 6 as optional block
606.
Although the apparatuses have been depicted as one entity in Figure 6,
different modules and memory may be implemented in one or more physical or
logical entities.
An embodiment provides an apparatus which may be a node, host or
server or any other suitable apparatus capable to carry out processes
described
above in relation to Figure 3.
It should be appreciated that the apparatus may include or otherwise be in
communication with a control unit, one or more processors or other entities
capable
of carrying out operations according to the embodiments described by means of
Figure 3. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart of Figure 3
and
any combination thereof may be implemented by various means or their
combinations, such as hardware, software, firmware, one or more processors
and/or
circuitry.
Figure 7 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an apparatus according
to an embodiment in relation to Figure 3. The apparatus may be an access
point,
node, host or server or any suitable apparatus to carry out processes
described
above in relation to Figure 3.
As an example of an apparatus according to an embodiment, it is shown
apparatus 700 including facilities in control unit 704 (including one or more
processors, for example) to carry out functions of embodiments according to
Figure
3. The facilities may be software, hardware or combinations thereof as
described in
further detail below.
In Figure 7, block 706 includes parts/units/modules needed for reception
and transmission, usually called a radio front end, RF-parts, radio parts,
remote radio
head, etc. The parts/units/modules needed for reception and transmission may
be
comprised in the apparatus or they may be located outside the apparatus the
apparatus being operationally coupled to them. The apparatus may also include
or
be coupled to one or more internal or external memory units.
Another example of apparatus 700 may include at least one processor
704 and at least one memory 702 including a computer program code, the at
least
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one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one
processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive a connection request for a
user
device, the connection request comprising information on service, carry out a
connection configuration in response to the connection
request, detect an
interruption in data transmission in relation to the configured connection, an
carry
out, in response to the interruption, either a reconfiguration to an
intermediate state
or a connection release based on the information on service.
It should be understood that the apparatus may include or be coupled to
other units or modules etc., such as radio parts or radio heads, used in or
for
transmission and/or reception. This is depicted in Figure 7 as optional block
706.
Yet another example of an apparatus comprises means (704, 706) for
receiving a connection request for a user device, the connection request
comprising
information on service, means (704, 706) for carrying out a connection
configuration
in response to the connection request, means (704, 706) for detecting an
interruption in data transmission in relation to the configured connection,
and means
(704, 706) for carrying out, in response to the interruption, either a
reconfiguration to
an intermediate state or a connection release based on the information on
service.
It should be understood that the apparatus may include or be coupled to
other units or modules etc., such as radio parts or radio heads, used in or
for
transmission and/or reception. This is depicted in Figure 7 as optional block
706.
Although the apparatuses have been depicted as one entity in Figure 7,
different modules and memory may be implemented in one or more physical or
logical entities.
An apparatus may in general include at least one processor, controller or
a unit or module designed for carrying out functions of embodiments
operationally
coupled to at least one memory unit (or service) and to typically various
interfaces.
Further, the memory units may include volatile and/or non-volatile memory. The
memory unit may store computer program code and/or operating systems,
information, data, content or the like for the processor to perform operations
according to embodiments described above in relation to Figures 2, 3, 4, 5a
and/or
5b. Each of the memory units may be a random access memory, hard drive, etc.
The
memory units may be at least partly removable and/or detachably operationally
coupled to the apparatus. The memory may be of any type suitable for the
current
technical environment and it may be implemented using any suitable data
storage
technology, such as semiconductor-based technology, flash memory, magnetic
and/or optical memory devices. The memory may be fixed or removable.
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The apparatus may be, include or be associated with at least one
software application, module, unit or entity configured as arithmetic
operation, or as
a program (including an added or updated software routine), executed by at
least
one operation processor. Programs, also called program products or computer
programs, including software routines, applets and macros, may be stored in
any
apparatus-readable data storage medium and they include program instructions
to
perform particular tasks. The data storage medium may be a non-transitory
medium.
The computer program or computer program product may also be loaded to the
apparatus. A computer program product may comprise one or more computer-
lo executable components which, when the program is run, for example by one or
more
processors possibly also utilizing an internal or external memory, are
configured to
carry out any of the embodiments or combinations thereof described above by
means of Figures 2, 3, 4, 5a and 5b. The one or more computer-executable
components may be at least one software code or portions thereof. Computer
programs may be coded by a programming language or a low-level programming
language.
Modifications and configurations required for implementing functionality of
an embodiment may be performed as routines, which may be implemented as added
or updated software routines, application circuits (ASIC) and/or programmable
circuits. Further, software routines may be downloaded into an apparatus. The
apparatus, such as a node device, or a corresponding component, may be
configured as a computer or a microprocessor, such as single-chip computer
element, or as a chipset, including at least a memory for providing storage
capacity
used for arithmetic operation and an operation processor for executing the
arithmetic
operation.
Embodiments provide computer programs embodied on a distribution
medium, comprising program instructions which, when loaded into electronic
apparatuses, constitute the apparatuses as explained above. The distribution
medium may be a non-transitory medium.
The computer program may be in source code form, object code form, or
in some intermediate form, and it may be stored in some sort of carrier,
distribution
medium, or computer readable medium, which may be any entity or device capable
of carrying the program. Such carriers include a record medium, computer
memory,
read-only memory, photoelectrical and/or electrical
carrier signal,
telecommunications signal, and software distribution package, for example.
Depending on the processing power needed, the computer program may be
executed in a single electronic digital computer or it may be distributed
amongst a
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number of computers. The computer readable medium or computer readable storage
medium may be a non-transitory medium.
Various techniques described herein may also be applied to a cyber-
physical system (CPS) (a system of collaborating computational elements
controlling
5 physical entities). CPS may enable the implementation and exploitation of
massive
amounts of interconnected ICT devices (sensors, actuators, processors
microcontrollers, etc.) embedded in physical objects at different locations.
Mobile
cyber physical systems, in which the physical system in question has inherent
mobility, are a subcategory of cyber-physical systems. Examples of mobile
physical
10 systems include mobile robotics and electronics transported by humans or
animals.
The techniques described herein may be implemented by various means.
For example, these techniques may be implemented in hardware (one or more
devices), firmware (one or more devices), software (one or more modules), or
combinations thereof. For a hardware implementation, the apparatus may be
15 implemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits
(ASICs),
digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs),
programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),
processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, digitally
enhanced
circuits, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described
herein, or
20 a combination thereof. For firmware or software, the implementation may be
carried
out through modules of at least one chip set (e.g., procedures, functions, and
so on)
that perform the functions described herein. The software codes may be stored
in a
memory unit and executed by processors. The memory unit may be implemented
within the processor or externally to the processor. In the latter case it may
be
communicatively coupled to the processor via various means, as is known in the
art.
Additionally, the components of systems described herein may be rearranged
and/or
complimented by additional components in order to facilitate achieving the
various
aspects, etc., described with regard thereto, and they are not limited to the
precise
configurations set forth in the given figures, as will be appreciated by one
skilled in
the art.
It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as technology
advances, the inventive concept may be implemented in various ways. The
invention
and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above but may
vary
within the scope of the claims.
