JP7594616B2 - Radio base station and user equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a radio base station and a user device used for remote control.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has established the specifications for Long Term Evolution (LTE), and is currently establishing the specifications for LTE-Advanced (hereinafter, LTE-Advanced is referred to as LTE) with the aim of further increasing the speed of LTE. 3GPP is also considering the specifications for a successor system to LTE, known as 5G New Radio (NR) or Next Generation (NG).

In the industrial Internet of things (IoT), there is discussion of using Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) to remotely control machines (e.g., robot arms) in production plants via an NR system (see Non-Patent Document 1).

In order to support remote control, Non-Patent Document 1 requires that the synchronization accuracy between the TSN control source and the TSN end station (a machine in a production plant) be kept to about 1 μs (= 1000 ns).

However, in the NR system, a synchronization error of about 500 ns occurs in the backhaul, which is the relay line connecting the core network and the radio base station (gNB).

Therefore, to meet the above requirements, it is necessary to limit the synchronization accuracy between the gNB and the user equipment (UE) to a synchronization deviation of about 500 ns.

3GPP TR 23.734 V16.0.0 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Study on enhancement of 5GS for Vertical and LAN Services (Release 16), 3GPP, December 2018

However, in gNB, the time synchronization between the TSN Grandmaster Clock (TSN GMC), which determines the operation timing of TSN, and the NR Grandmaster Clock (NR GMC), which determines the operation timing of gNB, can differ by up to about 32 μs per second when using a stratum 4 clock.

In contrast, in gNB, the minimum transmission period for conventional system information that reports the time is 80 ms.

As a result, with the conventional system information transmission cycle, it may not be possible to suppress the synchronization accuracy between the gNB and the UE to a synchronization deviation of around 500 ns.

The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a radio base station and user equipment that enable a TSN control source to remotely control TSN end stations with higher synchronization accuracy via an NR system.

A wireless base station (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a receiving unit (203) that receives time information that serves as a time reference within a specific network, a control unit (205) that shortens the transmission period of system information that includes the time information, and a transmitting unit (201) that broadcasts the system information at the shortened transmission period.

A radio base station (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a receiving unit (203) that receives time information that serves as a time reference within a specific network, a control unit (205) that sets at least one sub-transmission timing that is shifted in the time axis direction from a main transmission timing that periodically transmits system information including the time information, and a transmitting unit (201) that broadcasts the system information at the main transmission timing and the at least one sub-transmission timing.

A radio base station (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a receiving unit (203) that receives time information that serves as a time reference within a specific network, a control unit (205) that shortens the transmission period of system information including the time information and sets at least one sub-transmission timing by shifting a main transmission timing for periodically transmitting the system information including the time information in the time axis direction, and a transmitting unit (201) that broadcasts the system information at the shortened transmission period using a first frequency resource and broadcasts the system information at the main transmission timing and the at least one sub-transmission timing using a second frequency resource.

A wireless base station (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a receiving unit (203) that receives time information that serves as a time reference within a specified network, a control unit (205) that determines a clock that determines the time information and a frequency deviation ratio with respect to a clock that serves as an operating reference for the wireless base station, and a transmitting unit (201) that broadcasts system information including the time information and the frequency deviation ratio.

A radio base station (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a receiving unit (203) that receives time information that serves as a time reference within a specified network, a control unit (205) that includes the time information in an RRC message, and a transmitting unit (201) that transmits the RRC message to a specified user device (100).

A user device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit (105) that includes in a message a notification frequency of system information, including time information that serves as a time reference within a specific network, a transmission unit (101) that transmits the message to a wireless base station (200), and a reception unit (103) that receives the system information from the wireless base station (200) at a transmission period associated with the notification frequency.

A user device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a receiving unit (103) that periodically receives system information from a radio base station (200) including time information that serves as a time reference within a specified network, a control unit (105) that determines whether the receiving unit (103) has received the system information at a specified interval, and a transmitting unit (101) that notifies the specified network of an error message when the control unit (105) determines that the system information has not been received at the specified interval.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of a network 10. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of UE 100. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of gNB200. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the transmission period setting process by gNB200. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a first setting example of the transmission period. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a second example of setting the transmission period. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a third example of setting the transmission period. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the process of notifying the clock frequency deviation ratio by gNB200. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing unicast notification by gNB200. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a sequence of a notification process of the UE 100 regarding the notification frequency. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a flowchart of an error notification by the UE 100. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of UE100 and gNB200.

The following describes the embodiments with reference to the drawings. Note that identical or similar symbols are used for identical functions and configurations, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

(1) Overall Schematic Configuration of Network FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall schematic configuration of a network 10 according to an embodiment.

The network (prescribed network) 10 is a TSN network and includes a TSN grand master (TSN GM) 20, an NR system 30, and end stations 40. In the network 10, a TSN control source (not shown) remotely controls the end stations 40 in the production plant in real time via the NR system 30.

The TSN GM20 generates a highly accurate clock to generate TSN time. Hereafter, the clock generated by the TSN GM20 is called the TSN Grandmaster Clock (TSN GMC).

TSN time is the time standard within network 10. In network 10, to realize real-time remote control, the time of the TSN control source and the time of end station 40 must be synchronized with TSN time.

For this reason, the TSN GM 20 transmits the generated TSN time to the TSN control source and also transmits it to the end station 40 via the NR system 30.

The NR system 30 includes an NR grand master (NR GM) 31, a UE 100, a gNB 200, and a core network 300. The NR GM 31 oscillates a clock that determines the operation timing of the NR system 30. Hereinafter, the clock oscillated by the NR GM 31 is referred to as the NR grand master clock (NR GMC).

UE100 performs wireless communication according to NR between UE100, gNB200, and core network 300. UE100 periodically receives system information broadcast from gNB200. UE100 transmits the TSN time included in the system information to end station 40.

The gNB200 performs wireless communication in accordance with NR between the gNB200 and the core network 300. The gNB200 receives the TSN time from the core network 300.

The gNB200 includes the received TSN time in the system information. For example, the TSN time is included in System Information Block (SIB) 9, which broadcasts the time.

The gNB200 periodically broadcasts system information including the TSN time to the UE100 at a predetermined transmission timing based on the NR GMC.

The core network 300 communicates with the UE 100 via the gNB 200. The core network 300 has a User Plane Function (UPF) 310. The UPF 310 provides functions specialized for U-plane processing. The UPF 310 receives the TSN time from the TSN GM 20. The UPF 310 transmits the received TSN time to the gNB 200.

The end station 40 is a machine (e.g., a robot arm) installed in a production factory. The end station 40 receives the TSN time from the UE 100. The end station 40 updates the TSN time held by the end station 40 as needed based on the received TSN time.

The end station 40 receives a command from the TSN control source via the NR system 30. For example, the end station 40 determines whether the TSN time held by the end station 40 reaches the specified TSN time based on a specified TSN time included in the received command and the TSN time held by the end station 40.

When the end station 40 determines that the specified TSN time has been reached, it performs an operation based on the received command. In this way, the TSN control source performs time scheduling for operating the end station 40 based on the TSN time, thereby performing real-time remote control in the network 10.

(2) Functional block configuration of UE 100 Next, a functional block configuration of UE 100 will be described. Only the parts related to the features of this embodiment will be described below. Therefore, it goes without saying that the UE 100 includes other functional blocks that are not directly related to the features of this embodiment.

Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of UE 100. The hardware configuration of UE 100 will be described later. As shown in Figure 2, UE 100 includes a transmitting unit 101, a receiving unit 103, and a control unit 105.

The transmitter 101 transmits an uplink signal conforming to NR to the gNB 200. The transmitter 101 transmits a command from the TSN control source and the TSN time to the end station 40.

The receiver 103 receives a downlink signal conforming to NR from the gNB 200. For example, the receiver 103 receives commands from the TSN control source and system information from the gNB 200. The receiver 103 receives a response signal, etc. from the end station 40.

When the receiving unit 103 receives system information including the TSN time, the control unit 105 instructs the transmitting unit 101 to transmit the TSN time to the end station 40. When the control unit 105 receives a command from the TSN control source, the control unit 105 instructs the transmitting unit 101 to transmit the command to the end station 40.

The control unit 105 calculates the notification frequency and issues error notifications, as described below.

(3) Functional block configuration of the gNB 200 Next, a functional block configuration of the gNB 200 will be described. Only the parts related to the features of this embodiment will be described below. Therefore, it goes without saying that the gNB 200 includes other functional blocks that are not directly related to the features of this embodiment.

Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of gNB200. The hardware configuration of gNB200 will be described later. As shown in Figure 3, gNB200 includes a transmitter 201, a receiver 203, and a controller 205.

The transmitter 201 transmits commands and system information from the TSN control source to the UE 100.

The receiver 203 receives commands from the TSN control source and the TSN time from the core network 300.

When the receiving unit 203 receives the TSN time, the control unit 205 includes the received TSN time in the system information (e.g., SIB9). The control unit 205 instructs the transmitting unit 201 to periodically report the system information at a transmission timing based on the NR GMC.

The control unit 205 performs tasks such as setting the transmission period for system information (described later), calculating the clock frequency deviation ratio, unicast notification, and notifying multiple TSN times.

(4) Operation of the NR System Next, the operation of the NR system 30 in the network 10 will be described.

(4.1) Synchronization Accuracy Between the UE 100 and the gNB 200 As described above, in the network 10, in order to realize real-time remote control, it is necessary to synchronize the time of the TSN control source and the time of the end station 40 with the TSN time. However, if the synchronization accuracy between the TSN control source and the end station 40 is poor, a deviation occurs between the TSN time of the TSN control source and the TSN time of the end station 40 as time passes.

For this reason, for example, it is required that the synchronization accuracy between the TSN control source and end station 40 be suppressed to a synchronization deviation of about 1 μs.

On the other hand, in the NR system 30, a synchronization error of about 500 ns occurs in the backhaul, which is a relay line connecting the gNB 200 and the core network 300. Therefore, in order to meet the above-mentioned requirements, it is necessary to suppress the synchronization accuracy between the UE 100 and the gNB 200 to a synchronization error of about 500 ns.

(4.1.1) System Information Transmission Period
The gNB 200 broadcasts the TSN time using system information. However, in the gNB 200, the time synchronization between the TSN GMC and the NR GMC is shifted by a maximum of about 32 μs per second when a stratum 4 clock is used.

Conventionally, the minimum transmission period for system information is 80 ms, so the time synchronization between TSN GMC and NR GMC is off by up to about 2.56 μs.

For this reason, in order to keep the synchronization accuracy between UE100 and gNB200 to a synchronization deviation of about 500 ns, the transmission period of system information in gNB200 needs to be shorter than the conventional minimum transmission period of 80 ms.

Therefore, in this embodiment, a method for setting the system information transmission period to 10 ms in gNB200 is described. When the system information transmission period is set to 10 ms, the time synchronization between TSN GMC and NR GMC in gNB200 is suppressed to a maximum deviation of about 0.32 μS.

The transmission period of the system information is determined according to the synchronization accuracy between the TSN control source and the end station 40, the synchronization deviation in the backhaul in the NR system 30, and the synchronization accuracy between the TSN GMC and the NR GMC in the gNB 200. For this reason, the transmission period of the system information is not limited to 10 ms.

For example, if the synchronization deviation in the backhaul in the NR system 30 is improved, or if the synchronization accuracy between the TSN GMC and the NR GMC in the gNB 200 is improved, the transmission period of the system information can be set to a value greater than 10 ms.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the process of setting the transmission period. As shown in Figure 4, the gNB 200 receives the TSN time from the core network 300 (S11 in Figure 4).

In this case, gNB200 sets the transmission period of the system information based on any one of setting examples 1 to 3 described below (S13 in FIG. 4). gNB200 includes the TSN time in the system information and broadcasts the system information at the set transmission period (S15 in FIG. 4).

(4.1.1.1) Setting Example 1
In setting example 1, the gNB 200 sets a transmission period by multiplying the conventional system information transmission period by a coefficient SF (0<SF<1). The gNB 200 broadcasts the system information at the set transmission period.

Figure 5 is a diagram explaining example 1 of setting the transmission period. For example, as shown in Figure 5, gNB200 multiplies the conventional minimum system information transmission period of 80 ms by 1/8 to set the transmission period to 10 ms.

With this setting, gNB200 can broadcast system information at 10 ms intervals, i.e., with a transmission cycle of 10 ms.

The gNB200 receives multiple coefficients SF from the core network 300 as a group of coefficients SF. The gNB200 selects an appropriate coefficient SF from the group of coefficients SF.

The gNB200 may add an si-PeriodicitySF information element that specifies a group of coefficient SF to the SI-SchedulingInfo information element of the SIB1 message. This allows the gNB200 to share the group of coefficient SF between the UE100 and the gNB200 using the SIB1 message.

The gNB200 may report system information at a conventional transmission period in addition to the set transmission period. The gNB200 may also directly assign 10 ms as the minimum transmission period for system information.

(4.1.1.2) Setting Example 2
In setting example 2, the gNB 200 sets at least one transmission timing (secondary transmission timing) that is shifted by an offset in the time axis direction from the transmission timing (primary transmission timing) of the conventional system information transmission cycle. The gNB 200 broadcasts the system information at the set at least one transmission timing in addition to the conventional transmission timing.

Figure 6 is a diagram explaining a second example of setting a transmission cycle. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the gNB200 sets seven transmission timings by shifting the transmission timing of the conventional minimum system information transmission cycle of 80 ms by 10 ms each.

With this setting, gNB200 can broadcast system information at 10 ms intervals, i.e., with a transmission cycle of 10 ms.

The gNB200 receives multiple offset values OF from the core network 300 as a group of offset values OF. The offset value OF is a value that offsets the conventional transmission period in the time axis direction. In the example of FIG. 6, the offset values OF are 10 ms, 20 ms, 30 ms, 40 ms, 50 ms, 60 ms, and 70 ms. The gNB200 selects at least one appropriate offset value OF from the group of offset values OF.

The gNB200 may add an si-PeriodicityOffset information element that specifies a group of offset values OF to the SI-SchedulingInfo information element of the SIB1 message. This allows the gNB200 to share the group of offset values OF between the UE100 and the gNB200 using the SIB1 message.

(4.1.1.3) Setting Example 3
In setting example 3, gNB200 broadcasts system information in the first frequency resource at the transmission period set by the method in setting example 1, and broadcasts system information in the second frequency resource at the transmission timing set by the method in setting example 2.

Figure 7 is a diagram explaining a third example of setting the transmission period. For example, as shown in Figure 7, gNB200 multiplies the conventional system information transmission period of 80 ms by 1/4 to set the transmission period to 20 ms.

Based on this setting, gNB200 broadcasts system information using frequency resource BWP2 at 20 ms intervals, i.e., with a transmission period of 20 ms.

At the same time, gNB200 will set three transmission timings by shifting the transmission timing of the conventional system information minimum transmission period of 80 ms by 20 ms each.

Based on this setting, gNB200 can broadcast system information using frequency resource BWP3 at transmission timing intervals of 20 ms, i.e., with a transmission period of 20 ms.

Note that the transmission timing for frequency resource BWP2 is shifted by 10 ms on the time axis from the transmission timing for frequency resource BWP3.

With this setting, gNB200 can broadcast system information at 10 ms intervals on the time axis, i.e., with a transmission period of 10 ms.

The frequency resource is not limited to BWP and may be a component carrier (CC).

In addition, gNB200 may broadcast system information in one frequency resource at the transmission period set by the method of setting example 1, and may also broadcast system information at the transmission timing set by the method of setting example 2.

(4.1.2) Clock Frequency Deviation Ratio Next, a method will be described in which gNB200 calculates the clock frequency deviation ratio between the TSN GMC and NR GMC in gNB200, includes the TSN time and the clock frequency deviation ratio in the system information, and broadcasts the system information at a conventional transmission period.

This method allows the UE100 to correct the time synchronization deviation between the TSN GMC and the NR GMC based on the clock frequency deviation ratio. Therefore, the gNB200 does not need to deal with the time synchronization deviation between the TSN GMC and the NR GMC in the gNB200.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the process of notifying the clock frequency deviation ratio by gNB200. As shown in Figure 8, gNB200 receives the TSN time from the core network 300 (S21 in Figure 8).

The gNB200 calculates the clock frequency deviation ratio between the TSN GMC and the NR GMC at the gNB200 (S23 in Figure 8).

Specifically, the gNB200 calculates the value of the cumulative scaled rate offset (CSRO), which is a protocol parameter of the Generalized Precision Time Protocol (gPTP), as the clock frequency deviation ratio. Note that when directly connected to the TSN GM20, it only calculates the value of the neighbor rate ratio (NRR), which is a protocol parameter of the Generalized Precision Time Protocol (gPTP), as the clock frequency deviation ratio.

The gNB200 includes the received TSN time and the calculated clock frequency deviation ratio in the system information and broadcasts the system information at the conventional transmission period (S25 in Figure 8).

In addition, instead of reporting system information, gNB200 may notify UE100 of the TSN time and the clock frequency deviation ratio by unicast. In this case, for example, gNB200 notifies UE100 of the TSN time and the clock frequency deviation ratio by using RRC dedicated signaling.

(4.1.3) Unicast Notification Next, we will explain a method in which the gNB 200 notifies the UE 100 of the system information including the TSN time by unicast instead of broadcasting the system information including the TSN time.

By this method, when gNB200 receives the TSN time from the core network 300, it can directly notify UE100 of the TSN time without waiting a predetermined time (e.g., the transmission period of system information). Therefore, gNB200 does not have to deal with the time synchronization discrepancy between the TSN GMC and the NR GMC in gNB200.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing a flowchart of unicast notification. As shown in Figure 9, the gNB 200 receives the TSN time from the core network 300 (S31 in Figure 9).

The gNB200 includes system information including the TSN time in the RRC message (S33 in FIG. 9). The gNB200 transmits the RRC message to the UE100 (S35 in FIG. 9).

For example, RRC dedicated signaling may be used as the RRC message. In this case, the gNB200 includes the system information in a container in the RRC reconfiguration message.

(4.2) Notification of Broadcast Frequency Next, we will explain the method by which UE100 notifies gNB200 of the broadcast frequency of system information.

When gNB200 sets the transmission period of system information, it selects, for example, an appropriate coefficient SF from a group of coefficients SF (setting example 1), or selects at least one appropriate offset value OF from a group of offset values OF (setting example 2).

At this time, gNB200 can select coefficient SF or offset value OF depending on the reporting frequency of the system information notified by UE100.

Figure 10 is a diagram showing the sequence of the notification process of the notification frequency. As shown in Figure 10, UE 100 calculates the notification frequency of the system information required by UE 100 (S41 in Figure 10). UE 100 notifies gNB 200 of the notification frequency of the system information (S43 in Figure 10).

For example, in order to notify the gNB200 of the degree of synchronization accuracy required in the communication between the UE100 and the end station 40, the UE100 may notify the gNB200 of a system information request (SI request) depending on the Quality of Service (QoS) between the UE100 and the end station 40.

In order to notify gNB200 of the extent to which the system information transmission period can be shortened in communication between UE100 and gNB200, UE100 may notify gNB200 of a system information request depending on the UE type.

In communication between UE100 and gNB200, in order to notify the gNB3200 of the broadcast frequency capability that UE100 can receive, UE100 may notify the gNB3200 of a UE capability message including the broadcast frequency capability.

UE100 may notify gNB200 of the synchronization accuracy or reporting frequency required by UE100 by including it in a UEAssistanceInformation message.

Returning to FIG. 10, gNB200 sets the transmission period of the system information based on the notified broadcast frequency (S45 in FIG. 10). For example, gNB200 selects at least one of the coefficient SF and the offset value OF according to the notified broadcast frequency, and sets the transmission period of the system information.

The gNB200 broadcasts system information at the set transmission period (S47 in Figure 10).

(4.3) Error Notification Next, a process to be performed when the UE 100 is unable to receive system information in a required predetermined cycle will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11, UE 100 periodically receives system information including the TSN time (S51 in FIG. 11). UE 100 determines whether to receive system information at the required predetermined period (S53 in FIG. 11). If system information is being received at the predetermined period (S53 in FIG. 11: YES), UE 100 ends the process.

On the other hand, if system information is not received at the specified interval (S53 in FIG. 11: NO), the UE 100 notifies the core network 300 or the TSN control source of an error message via the gNB 200 (S55 in FIG. 11).

In addition, if UE100 detects a radio link failure (RLF), it may also notify the core network 300 or the TSN control source via gNB200.

(4.4) Notification of Multiple TSN Times Next, we will explain how the gNB200 notifies multiple UEs100 of different TSN times.

The gNB200 broadcasts one piece of system information including multiple TSN times to the UE100. In this case, a time identifier is associated with each TSN time. When the UE100 receives system information including multiple TSN times, the UE100 selects only the TSN time that is associated with the time identifier notified in advance from the upper layer from among the multiple TSN times.

The gNB200 may also notify each UE100 of the corresponding TSN time using RRC dedicated signaling.

The gNB200 may include different TSN times in each of the multiple pieces of system information and notify the multiple UEs100.

(5) Actions and Effects According to the above-described embodiment, the gNB 200 includes a receiving unit 203 that receives the TSN time, which is the time reference within the network 10, a control unit 205 that shortens the transmission period of system information including the TSN time, and a transmitting unit 201 that reports the system information at the shortened transmission period.

This configuration makes it possible to minimize the time synchronization discrepancy between the TSN GMC and NR GMC in the gNB200. As a result, the synchronization accuracy between the TSN control source and the TSN end station can be kept within the tolerance required for remote control.

Therefore, the TSN control source can remotely control the TSN end stations with higher synchronization accuracy via the NR system.

According to this embodiment, the control unit 205 multiplies the system information transmission period by a coefficient smaller than 1 to shorten the transmission period.

This configuration makes it easy to shorten the transmission period of system information.

According to this embodiment, the gNB 200 includes a receiving unit 203 that receives the TSN time, which is the time reference within the network 10, a control unit 205 that sets at least one sub-transmission timing that is shifted in the time axis direction from the main transmission timing that periodically transmits system information including the TSN time, and a transmitting unit 201 that broadcasts the system information at the main transmission timing and at least one sub-transmission timing.

This configuration makes it possible to minimize the time synchronization discrepancy between the TSN GMC and NR GMC in the gNB200. As a result, the synchronization accuracy between the TSN control source and the TSN end station can be kept within the tolerance range that can be achieved by remote control.

Therefore, the TSN control source can remotely control the TSN end stations with higher synchronization accuracy via the NR system.

According to this embodiment, the gNB 200 includes a receiving unit 203 that receives the TSN time, which is the time reference within the network 10; a control unit 205 that shortens the transmission period of system information including the TSN time and sets at least one sub-transmission timing by shifting the main transmission timing for periodically transmitting the system information including the TSN time in the time axis direction; and a transmitting unit 201 that broadcasts the system information at the shortened transmission period using a first frequency resource and broadcasts the system information at the main transmission timing and at least one sub-transmission timing using a second frequency resource.

This configuration makes it possible to prevent an increase in the allocation of resources for transmitting system information, including TSN time, in a single frequency resource.

According to this embodiment, gNB200 includes a receiving unit 203 that receives the TSN time that serves as the time reference within network 10, a control unit 205 that determines the clock frequency deviation ratio between the TSN GMC that determines the TSN time and the NR GMC that serves as the operating reference for gNB200, and a transmitting unit 201 that broadcasts system information including the TSN time and the clock frequency deviation ratio.

With this configuration, the UE100 side can correct the time synchronization deviation between the TSN GMC and the NR GMC based on the clock frequency deviation ratio. Therefore, the gNB200 does not have to deal with the time synchronization deviation between the TSN GMC and the NR GMC in the gNB200.

According to this embodiment, the gNB 200 includes a receiving unit 203 that receives the TSN time, which is the time reference within the network 10, a control unit 205 that includes the TSN time in an RRC message, and a transmitting unit 201 that transmits an RRC message to a specific UE 100.

With this configuration, when gNB200 receives the TSN time from the core network 300, it can directly notify a specific UE100 of the TSN time without waiting a specific time (e.g., the transmission period of system information). Therefore, gNB200 does not need to deal with the time synchronization discrepancy between the TSN GMC and the NR GMC in gNB200.

According to this embodiment, the UE 100 includes a control unit 105 that includes in a message the reporting frequency of system information, including the TSN time that serves as the time reference within the network 10, a transmission unit 101 that transmits a message to the gNB 200, and a reception unit 103 that receives the system information from the gNB 200 at a transmission period associated with the reporting frequency.

With this configuration, gNB200 can set the transmission period of system information including the TSN time according to the reporting frequency of the system information notified by UE100. Therefore, gNB200 can report system information including the TSN time based on the capabilities of UE100.

According to this embodiment, the UE 100 includes a receiving unit 103 that periodically receives system information from the gNB 200, the system information including the TSN time that serves as the time reference within the network 10, a control unit 105 that determines whether the receiving unit 103 has received the system information at a predetermined period, and a transmitting unit 101 that notifies the network of an error message when the control unit 105 determines that the system information has not been received at the predetermined period.

With this configuration, UE100 can notify the network that it has not received system information including TSN time at a predetermined interval.

(6) Other Embodiments The contents of the present invention have been described above in accordance with the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these descriptions, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements are possible.

The block diagrams (FIGS. 2 and 3) used to explain the above-mentioned embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using one device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more devices that are physically or logically separated and directly or indirectly connected (e.g., using wires, wirelessly, etc.). The functional blocks may be realized by combining the one device or the multiple devices with software.

Functions include, but are not limited to, judgement, determination, judgment, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, election, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, deeming, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assignment. For example, a functional block (component) that performs the transmission function is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. As mentioned above, there are no particular limitations on the method of realization for each.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned UE 100 and gNB 200 may function as a computer that performs processing of the wireless communication method of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the device. As shown in FIG. 12, the device may be configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, and a bus 1007.

In the following description, the term "apparatus" may be interpreted as a circuit, device, unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the apparatus may be configured to include one or more of the apparatuses shown in the figure, or may be configured to exclude some of the apparatuses.

Each functional block of the device is realized by any hardware element of the computer device, or a combination of such hardware elements.

Furthermore, each function of the device is realized by loading a specific software (program) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, causing the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication by the communication device 1004, and control at least one of reading and writing data in the memory 1002 and storage 1003.

The processor 1001, for example, runs an operating system to control the entire computer. The processor 1001 may be configured as a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control unit, an arithmetic unit, registers, etc.

The processor 1001 also reads out programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002, and executes various processes according to these. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least some of the operations described in the above-mentioned embodiments. Furthermore, the various processes described above may be executed by one processor 1001, or may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The programs may be transmitted from a network via a telecommunications line.

The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of, for example, a Read Only Memory (ROM), an Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), etc. The memory 1002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory (primary storage device), etc. The memory 1002 can store a program (program code), software module, etc., capable of executing a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be, for example, at least one of an optical disk such as a Compact Disc ROM (CD-ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, and the like. Storage 1003 may also be referred to as an auxiliary storage device. The above-mentioned recording medium may be, for example, a database, a server, or other suitable medium including at least one of memory 1002 and storage 1003.

The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmitting/receiving device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, etc.

The communication device 1004 may be configured to include a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, and the like to realize, for example, at least one of Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD).

The input device 1005 is an input device (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, etc.) that accepts input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (e.g., a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that performs output to the outside. Note that the input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be integrated into one configuration (e.g., a touch panel).

In addition, each device such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002 is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

Furthermore, the device may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

In addition, the notification of information is not limited to the aspects/embodiments described in the present disclosure, and may be performed using other methods. For example, the notification of information may be performed by physical layer signaling (e.g., Downlink Control Information (DCI), Uplink Control Information (UCI)), higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling, broadcast information (Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), other signals, or a combination of these. In addition, the RRC signaling may be called an RRC message, and may be, for example, an RRC Connection Setup message, an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message, etc.

Each aspect/embodiment described in this disclosure may be applied to at least one of systems using Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), Future Radio Access (FRA), New Radio (NR), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and other suitable systems, and next-generation systems enhanced based on these. In addition, multiple systems may be combined (e.g., a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A and 5G, etc.).

The processing steps, sequences, flow charts, etc. of each aspect/embodiment described in this disclosure may be reordered unless inconsistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order and are not limited to the particular order presented.

Specific operations that are described as being performed by a base station in this disclosure may also be performed by its upper node in some cases. In a network consisting of one or more network nodes having a base station, it is clear that various operations performed for communication with a terminal may be performed by at least one of the base station and other network nodes other than the base station (e.g., MME or S-GW, etc., but are not limited to these). Although the above example shows a case where there is one other network node other than the base station, it may also be a combination of multiple other network nodes (e.g., MME and S-GW).

Information, signals (information, etc.) may be output from a higher layer (or a lower layer) to a lower layer (or a higher layer). They may be input and output via multiple network nodes.

The input and output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or may be managed using a management table. The input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or appended. The output information may be deleted. The input information may be sent to another device.

The determination may be based on a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean (true or false) value, or a numerical comparison (e.g., with a predetermined value).

Each aspect/embodiment described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the execution. In addition, notification of specific information (e.g., notification that "X is the case") is not limited to being done explicitly, but may be done implicitly (e.g., not notifying the specific information).

Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

Software, instructions, information, etc. may also be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and/or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave, etc.), then these wired and/or wireless technologies are included within the definition of a transmission medium.

The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

Note that the terms explained in this disclosure and the terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings. For example, at least one of the channel and the symbol may be a signal (signaling). Also, the signal may be a message. Also, the component carrier (CC) may be called a carrier frequency, a cell, a frequency carrier, etc.

As used in this disclosure, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

In addition, the information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using absolute values, may be represented using relative values from a predetermined value, or may be represented using other corresponding information. For example, radio resources may be indicated by an index.

The names used for the above-mentioned parameters are not intended to be limiting in any respect. Furthermore, the formulas etc. using these parameters may differ from those explicitly disclosed in this disclosure. The various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements may be identified by any suitable names, and therefore the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not intended to be limiting in any respect.

In this disclosure, terms such as "base station (BS)", "wireless base station", "fixed station", "NodeB", "eNodeB (eNB)", "gNodeB (gNB)", "access point", "transmission point", "reception point", "transmission/reception point", "cell", "sector", "cell group", "carrier", and "component carrier" may be used interchangeably. A base station may also be referred to by terms such as macrocell, small cell, femtocell, and picocell.

A base station can accommodate one or more (e.g., three) cells (also called sectors). If the base station accommodates multiple cells, the overall coverage area of the base station can be divided into multiple smaller areas, and each smaller area can also be provided with communication services by a base station subsystem (e.g., a small indoor base station (Remote Radio Head: RRH)).

The term "cell" or "sector" refers to part or all of the coverage area of a base station and/or a base station subsystem that provides communication services within that coverage.

In this disclosure, terms such as "Mobile Station (MS)", "user terminal", "User Equipment (UE)", and "terminal" may be used interchangeably.

A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable terminology.

At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be called a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, etc. At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be a device mounted on a moving body, the moving body itself, etc. The moving body may be a vehicle (e.g., a car, an airplane, etc.), an unmanned moving body (e.g., a drone, an autonomous vehicle, etc.), or a robot (manned or unmanned). At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be a device that does not necessarily move during communication operations. For example, at least one of the base station and the mobile station may be an Internet of Things (IoT) device such as a sensor.

In addition, the base station in the present disclosure may be read as a mobile station (user terminal, the same applies below). For example, each aspect/embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to a configuration in which communication between a base station and a mobile station is replaced with communication between multiple mobile stations (which may be called, for example, Device-to-Device (D2D), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, the mobile station may be configured to have the functions of a base station. Furthermore, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" may be read as terms corresponding to communication between terminals (for example, "side"). For example, the uplink channel, downlink channel, etc. may be read as a side channel.

Similarly, a mobile station in this disclosure may be interpreted as a base station. In this case, the base station may be configured to have the functions of a mobile station.

The terms "connected" and "coupled", or any variation thereof, refer to any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read as "access". As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, as well as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and optical (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

The reference signal may also be abbreviated as Reference Signal (RS) or may be called a pilot depending on the applicable standard.

As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

Any reference to elements using designations such as "first," "second," etc., used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed therein or that the first element must precede the second element in some way.

When the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Additionally, the term "or," as used in this disclosure, is not intended to be an exclusive or.

In this disclosure, where articles have been added through translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combined" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different."

Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended as an illustrative example and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure.

The above-mentioned user equipment is useful because, in simultaneous communication with multiple radio base stations, it is possible to transmit uplink signals at transmission timings that are compatible with the multiple radio base stations.

10 Network
20 TSN GM
30 NR system
31NRGM
40 End Station
100UE
101 Transmitter
103 Receiving unit
105 Control section
200 gNB
201 Transmitter
203 Receiving unit
205 Control Unit
300 Core Network
310 UPF
1001 Processor
1002 Memory
1003 Storage
1004 Communication equipment
1005 Input Device
1006 Output device
1007 Bus

Claims (3)

A receiver that receives, from a radio base station, a TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking) time and a frequency deviation ratio between a first clock that determines the TSN time and a second clock that is an operation timing of a 5G system including a radio base station and a terminal;
a control unit that corrects a time synchronization error between the first clock and the second clock based on the frequency error ratio;
a transmission unit that transmits the TSN time to an end station after the control unit corrects the time synchronization deviation;
Equipped with
The terminal is notified in advance of a specific identifier associated with the TSN time,
The control unit is a terminal that, when the receiving unit receives multiple TSN times each associated with a multiple identifier, selects the TSN time associated with the specific identifier from the multiple TSN times . A wireless communication system including a wireless base station and a terminal,
The wireless base station includes a transmitter that transmits, to the terminal, a TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking) time and a frequency deviation ratio between a first clock that determines the TSN time and a second clock that is an operation timing of the wireless communication system;
The terminal includes:
A receiving unit that receives the TSN time and the frequency deviation ratio from the wireless base station;
a control unit that corrects a time synchronization error between the first clock and the second clock based on the frequency error ratio;
a transmission unit that transmits the TSN time to an end station after the control unit corrects the time synchronization deviation;
Equipped with
The terminal is notified in advance of a specific identifier associated with the TSN time,
A wireless communication system in which, when the receiving unit receives multiple TSN times each corresponding to a multiple identifier, the control unit selects the TSN time corresponding to the specific identifier from the multiple TSN times . A step in which a radio base station transmits a time-sensitive networking (TSN) time and a frequency deviation ratio between a first clock that determines the TSN time and a second clock that is an operation timing of a 5G system including the radio base station and the terminal to the terminal;
The terminal receives the TSN time and the frequency deviation ratio from the wireless base station;
The terminal corrects a time synchronization deviation between the first clock and the second clock based on the frequency deviation ratio;
The terminal corrects the time synchronization deviation and then transmits the TSN time to an end station;
Equipped with
The terminal is notified in advance of a specific identifier associated with the TSN time,
A wireless communication method in which, in the receiving step, when the terminal receives multiple TSN times each corresponding to a multiple identifier, the terminal selects the TSN time corresponding to the specific identifier from the multiple TSN times .

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