CN112740811B - Method, apparatus and computer readable medium for early data transmission of resource information - Google Patents

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for resource information for early data transmission are provided. The resource information for initiating EDT between the terminal device and the network device is sent in a secure signaling with minimal impact on the terminal device energy consumption. Only authorized terminal devices acquire resources. The consumption of signalling is reduced.

Description

Method, device and computer-readable medium for early data transmission of resource information

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to communication technology, and more particularly, to methods, devices, and computer-readable media for resource information for early data transmission.

Background technique

In recent communication systems, one of the features is the transmission of small data packets as part of a single access. The signaling and energy consumption overhead associated with connection establishment needs to be minimized as much as possible to support the transmission of small data packets. Early Data Transfer (EDT) in the uplink during random access has been introduced. The terminal device is able to transmit small data as part of message 3 of the random access procedure without establishing a radio resource control (RRC) connection.

Summary of the invention

Generally, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods for resource information for early data transmission and corresponding network devices and terminal devices.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a terminal device. The terminal device includes: at least one processor; at least one memory, including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to: receive first information related to a resource via dedicated RRC signaling in a radio resource control (RRC) connection between the terminal device and a network device, the resource being allocated for initiating an early data transfer (EDT) between the terminal device and the network device. The terminal device is also caused to obtain a resource based on the first information. The terminal device is also caused to initiate an EDT to the network device using the resource.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network device. The network device includes: at least one processor; at least one memory, including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the network device to: send first information related to a resource via dedicated RRC signaling in a radio resource control (RRC) connection between a terminal device and the network device, the resource being allocated for initiating an early data transmission (EDT) between the terminal device and the network device. The network device is also caused to receive a data packet from the terminal device using the resource.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method. The method includes: receiving, via dedicated radio resource control (RRC) signaling in a radio resource control (RRC) connection between a terminal device and a network device, first information related to a resource, the resource being allocated for initiating an early data transfer (EDT) between the terminal device and the network device. The method also includes obtaining the resource based on the first information. The method also includes initiating an EDT to the network device using the resource.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method. The method includes: sending first information related to a resource via dedicated RRC signaling in a radio resource control (RRC) connection between a terminal device and a network device, the resource being allocated for initiating an early data transfer (EDT) between the terminal device and the network device. The method also includes receiving a data packet from the terminal device using the resource.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processing unit of a machine, causes the machine to implement the method according to the third aspect of the present disclosure.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides another computer-readable medium, wherein the other computer-readable medium stores instructions thereon, which, when executed by at least one processing unit of a machine, causes the machine to implement the method according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure.

In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an apparatus for communication. The apparatus includes a component for receiving first information related to a resource via dedicated RRC signaling in a radio resource control (RRC) connection between a terminal device and a network device, the resource being allocated for initiating an early data transfer (EDT) between the terminal device and the network device. The apparatus also includes a component for obtaining the resource based on the first information. The apparatus also includes a component for initiating an EDT to the network device using the resource.

In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides another apparatus for communication. The apparatus includes a component for sending first information related to a resource via dedicated RRC signaling in a radio resource control (RRC) connection between a terminal device and a network device, the resource being allocated for initiating an early data transfer (EDT) between the terminal device and the network device. The apparatus also includes a component for receiving a data packet from the terminal device using the resource.

Other features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will also be apparent from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate by way of example the principles of embodiments of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG2 shows a flow chart of a method for communication implemented at a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG3 shows a flow chart of a method for communication implemented at a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

4 is a schematic diagram illustrating interaction between a terminal device and a network device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG5 is a schematic diagram illustrating interaction between a terminal device and a network device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements.

Detailed ways

The subject matter described herein will now be discussed with reference to several example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are discussed only for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to better understand and thereby implement the subject matter described herein, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the subject matter.

The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms of "a", "an" and "the" are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that when used herein, the terms "include", "comprise", "include", "include" and/or "include" specify the presence of the features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not exclude the presence or increase of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.

It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/actions mentioned may not occur in the order indicated in the figures. For example, depending on the functions/actions involved, two functions or actions shown in succession may actually be performed simultaneously, or may sometimes be performed in the reverse order.

As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-LOT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network equipment in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including but not limited to first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, and/or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to various communication systems. Considering the rapid development of communications, of course, there will be future types of communication technologies and systems that may embody the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to only the above-mentioned systems.

The term "network device" includes, but is not limited to, a base station (BS), a gateway, a management entity, and other suitable equipment in a communication system. The term "base station" or "BS" means a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, a low power node (e.g., a femto, a pico, a router, etc.).

The term "terminal device" includes, but is not limited to, "user equipment (UE)" and other suitable terminal devices capable of communicating with network devices. For example, "terminal device" may refer to a terminal, a mobile terminal (MT), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS), or an access terminal (AT).

As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

(a) pure hardware circuit implementation (such as implementation in analog and/or digital circuitry only); and

(b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

(i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuitry and software/firmware, and

(ii) any portion of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s), software and memory(s) that work in conjunction to cause a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions; and

(c) Hardware circuit(s) and/or processor(s) that require software (e.g., firmware) to run but may be absent when not needed for operation, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor.

This definition of “circuitry” applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term “circuitry” also covers an implementation of a pure hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term “circuitry” also covers (for example and if applicable to a particular claim element) a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

As mentioned above, EDT technology has been introduced.A further enhancement to small data transmission has been considered with the possibility that the terminal device uses pre-configured resources to transmit small data without initiating a random access procedure at all.

As part of the EDT mechanism, the network equipment allocates resources for Message 3 (Msg3) transmissions for the maximum TBS size broadcast via system information, and only provides resource allocations as part of the uplink grant in Message 2. According to the current specification, the random access resources used to send a preamble to request EDT are broadcast so that any terminal device can attempt to send a preamble and obtain resources for its Msg3 transmission. However, this may also be misused by ordinary terminal devices that have larger data packets to send through multiple such attempts rather than establishing a regular RRC connection.

Furthermore, since the resources dedicated to NB-IoT/eMTC devices are very limited, the use of resources for early data transmission and the use of pre-configured resources for small data transmission needs to be provided in a secure manner so that terminal devices authorized for such features should be able to access and successfully use the resources for early data transmission. Unauthorized UEs may also use the maximum resources allocated for EDT transmission to send their data, thereby reducing the success rate of reliable terminal devices for early data transmission.

The presence of terminal devices that send unsecured data via Msg3 and terminal devices that use EDT very frequently instead of establishing an RRC connection can be detected based on the measurement indicators collected at the network equipment related to the EDT access process. However, if the network only wants to provide EDT functionality to authorized terminal devices, there is no mechanism in the standard to prevent all terminal devices from sending EDT preambles.

In order to at least partially solve the above and other potential problems, embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions for resource information for early data transmission. Some example embodiments of the present disclosure are now described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that since the present disclosure goes beyond these limited embodiments, the detailed description given herein for these drawings is for illustrative purposes.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication environment 100 in which an embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented. The communication environment 100 as a part of a communication network includes a network device 120 and a terminal device 110-1, a terminal device 110-2, ..., a terminal device 110-N (which may be collectively referred to as "terminal device 110"). It should be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices shown in FIG. 1 is given for the purpose of illustration without any limitation. The communication system 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices. It should be understood that the communication system 100 may also include other elements omitted for clarity purposes. The network device 120 may communicate with the terminal device 110.

The communication in the communication system 100 can be implemented according to any appropriate communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G) and fifth generation (5G), etc., wireless local area network communication protocols such as wireless radio and Institute of Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and/or any other currently known or later developed. In addition, the communication can utilize any appropriate wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplexer (FDD), time division duplexer (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) and/or any currently known or later developed technology.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, resource information for initiating EDT between a terminal device and a network device is sent in secure signaling, which has minimal impact on the energy consumption of the terminal device. Only authorized terminal devices obtain resources, which reduces signaling consumption.

Fig. 2 shows a flow chart of a method 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 200 may be implemented at the terminal device 110-1.

At block 210, terminal device 110-1 receives first information regarding resources allocated for initiating EDT between terminal device 110-1 and network device 120 via dedicated RRC signaling in an RRC connection between terminal device 110-1 and network device 120. The first information may be sent in any suitable downlink RRC message.

In some embodiments, the EDT service may be linked to a subscription. For example, if the terminal device 110-1 is authorized for the EDT service, the first information may be sent to the terminal device 110-1. The first information is sent via dedicated signaling only when the terminal device 110-1 is authorized for EDT transmission.

At block 220, the terminal device 110-1 obtains resources based on the first information. The resources may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: time domain resources for EDT for each supported coverage enhancement (CE) level, frequency domain resources for EDT for each supported coverage enhancement (CE) level, a preamble list or a random access resource list for initiating EDT, and a maximum transport block size (TBS) for each supported CE level.

The resource may refer to an EDT preamble configuration for Msg3-EDT transmission. The first information may also refer to a grant-free transmission for Msg1-EDT transmission or a preconfigured resource generally used for grant-free transmission.

In some embodiments, if the first information includes a cell-specific identifier, the terminal device 110-1 may receive second information of the resource in the system information from the network device 120. The second information may be scrambled based on the cell-specific identifier. For example, the second information may be broadcast in the system information. In such a case, the system information may include some additional parameters. For example, the system information may include one or more of the following as an octet string: EDT-RACH-preamble information, EDT-preconfigured resource direct access.

The terminal device 110-1 may determine the cell-specific identifier from the first information.The terminal device 110-1 may further decode the second information based on the cell-specific identifier to obtain the resource.

If the first information is sent via dedicated RRC signaling, the first information may not be scrambled but encrypted by an AS layer security key. Terminal device 110-1 may obtain the resource and the validity period of the timer for the resource from the first information.

If the terminal device 110-1 has a valid cell-specific identifier, the terminal device 110-1 decodes the resource from the second information using the cell-specific identifier. The decoded string is mapped to EDT preamble system information, time and frequency resources for EDT preamble list, EDT resources for direct access, time and frequency information for pre-configured access, periodicity, and maximum transport block size (TBS) for the area.

In an example embodiment, if the terminal device 110-1 has not stored resource information related to the EDT for the network device 120, and if the network device indicates that the first information is encrypted or scrambled, the terminal device 110-1 initiates an RRC connection establishment process for a normal connection to send its small data. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 also indicates that it is capable of the EDT mechanism.

At block 230, terminal device 110-1 uses the resource to initiate an EDT to network device 120. In this way, only authorized terminal devices can use the resource to initialize an EDT, thereby avoiding abuse of the EDT.

In some embodiments, terminal device 110-1 may determine whether a resource is invalid. For example, terminal device 110-1 may receive an indication from network device 120 indicating that a resource is invalid. For example, network device 120 may modify a cell-specific identifier to prevent a single terminal device from reusing the resource for other accesses. If the cell-specific identifier is changed, network device 120 may send an indication indicating that the resource is invalid. For example, the indication may be a security change flag in system information.

If the terminal device 110-1 receives a resource invalid indication, the terminal device 110-1 may stop initiating EDT using the resource. The terminal device 110-1 may attempt to use conventional procedures for the next data transmission and obtain a new cell-specific identifier via dedicated RRC signaling. In another embodiment, the terminal device 110-1 may establish an RRC connection again to receive third information associated with another resource, which is allocated for EDT.

In other embodiments, if the terminal device 110-1 fails in the random access process based on the obtained resources, the terminal device 110-1 can fall back to the RRC transmission and obtain the latest cell-specific identifier to decode the information for the third terminal. In another embodiment, the terminal device 110-1 can determine whether the resource is invalid based on the valid time period for the resource. The network device 120 can send a resource invalid indication during the valid time period. Even if the valid time period has not expired, the terminal device 110-1 can also stop the initiation of EDT.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110-1 may receive fourth information including a list of cells where resources are available. The terminal device 110-1 may use the resources to initiate another EDT to another network device. The other network device is located in a cell in the list.

In some embodiments, terminal device 110 - 1 may also receive a time and/or frequency offset of the EDT resource to determine where the EDT is located.

In some embodiments, the apparatus for executing method 200 (eg, terminal device 110-1) may include various components for executing the corresponding steps in method 200. These components may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, it may be implemented by a circuit or a software module.

In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for receiving first information related to resources via dedicated RRC signaling in a radio resource control (RRC) connection between a terminal device and a network device, the resources being allocated for initiating early data transfer (EDT) between the terminal device and the network device; a component for obtaining the resources based on the first information; and a component for initiating EDT to the network device using the resources.

In some embodiments, the first information includes a cell-specific identifier or a specific identifier for a group of cells, and the component for obtaining resources includes: a component for receiving second information of resources in system information from a network device, the second information being scrambled based on the cell-specific identifier; and a component for decoding the resources from the second information based on the cell-specific identifier to obtain the resources.

In some embodiments, the first information further indicates a validity period for the resource.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: a component for determining that a resource is invalid; a component for initiating EDT for stopping use of the resource; and a component for establishing an RRC connection between the terminal device and the network device for receiving third information associated with another resource, the other resource being allocated for EDT.

In some embodiments, means for determining that the resource is invalid includes means for receiving an indication from the network device indicating that the resource is invalid; and means for determining that the resource is invalid based on the indication.

In some embodiments, means for determining that a resource is invalid includes means for determining that a resource is invalid in response to expiration of a validity period for the resource.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for receiving fourth information from the network device, the fourth information comprising a list of cells where resources are available; and means for initiating EDT to another network device using the resources, the other network device being associated with at least one cell in the list.

In some embodiments, the resources include at least one of the following: time domain resources for EDT for each supported coverage enhancement (CE) level, frequency domain resources for EDT for each supported coverage enhancement (CE) level, a preamble code list or a random access resource list for initiating EDT, and a maximum transport block size (TBS) for each supported CE level.

FIG3 shows a flow chart of a method 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 300 may be implemented at the network device 120.

At block 310, the network device 120 sends first information regarding resources allocated for initiating an early data transfer (EDT) between the terminal device and the network device via dedicated radio resource control (RRC) signaling in a radio resource control (RRC) connection between the terminal device 110-1 and the network device 120. The first information may be sent in any suitable downlink RRC message.

In some embodiments, the EDT service may be linked to a subscription. For example, if the terminal device 110-1 is authorized for the EDT service, the network device 120 may send the first information to the terminal device 110-1. The first information is sent via dedicated signaling only when the terminal device 110-1 is authorized for EDT transmission.

The resource may refer to an EDT preamble configuration for Msg3-EDT transmission. The resource may also refer to a preconfigured resource for grant-free transmission of Msg1-EDT transmission.

In some embodiments, if the first information includes a cell-specific identifier, the network device 120 may scramble the second information based on the cell-specific identifier and send the second information to the terminal device 110-1. The second information may be broadcast as part of the system information. The network device 120 may scramble the second information based on the cell-specific identifier. In such a case, the system information may include some additional parameters. For example, the system information may include one or more of the following as an octet string: EDT-RACH-preamble information, EDT-preconfigured resource direct access.

If the first information is sent via dedicated RRC signaling, the first information may not be scrambled but encrypted by an AS layer security key.The first information may also indicate a validity period of a timer for a resource.

At block 320, network device 120 receives a data packet from the terminal device using the resource.

In some embodiments, network device 120 may send an indication to terminal device 110-1 indicating that the resource is invalid. For example, network device 120 may modify the cell-specific identifier to prevent a single terminal device from reusing the resource for other accesses. If the cell-specific identifier is changed, network device 120 may send an indication indicating that the resource is invalid.

In another embodiment, network device 120 may send third information associated with another resource that is allocated for EDT. In some embodiments, network device 120 may send fourth information that includes a list of cells where the resource is available. In some embodiments, network device 120 may also send a time and/or frequency offset of the EDT resource to determine where the EDT is located.

In some embodiments, a device for executing method 300 (e.g., network device 120) may include various means for executing the corresponding steps in method 300. These means may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, it may be implemented by a circuit or a software module.

In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for sending first information related to resources via dedicated RRC signaling in a radio resource control (RRC) connection between a terminal device and a network device, the resources being allocated for initiating an early data transfer (EDT) between the terminal device and the network device; and a component for receiving data packets from the terminal device using the resources.

In some embodiments, wherein the first information comprises a cell-specific identifier, the apparatus further comprises: means for sending second information of the resource in the system information, the second information being scrambled based on the cell-specific identifier.

In some embodiments, the first information further indicates a validity period for the resource.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: a component for broadcasting an indication indicating that a resource is invalid; and a component for sending third information associated with another resource via dedicated RRC signaling in an RRC connection between the terminal device and the network device, the other resource being allocated for initiating EDT.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: a component for sending fourth information to the terminal device, the fourth information comprising a list of cells where resources are available.

In some embodiments, the resources include at least one of the following: time domain resources for EDT for each supported coverage enhancement (CE) level, frequency domain resources for EDT for each supported coverage enhancement (CE) level, a preamble code list or a random access resource list for initiating EDT, and a maximum transport block size (TBS) for each supported CE level.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an interaction 400 between a terminal device and a network device 120. For illustrative purposes, Fig. 4 is described with reference to an interaction between a terminal device 110-1 and a network device 120. It will be appreciated that the interaction 400 illustrated in Fig. 4 is merely an example.

The network device 120 may scramble 4005 the second information based on the cell specific identifier. The network device 120 may broadcast 4010 the second information in system information. The network device 120 may send 4020 the first information for decoding resources from the first information to the terminal device 110-1 via dedicated RRC signaling.

The terminal device 110-1 may determine 4030 the cell specific identifier from the first information.The terminal device 110-1 may decode 4040 the resource from the second information based on the cell specific identifier to obtain 4045 the resource.

The network device 120 may also send 4050 an indication indicating that the resource is invalid. The terminal device 110-1 may determine 4060 that the resource is invalid based on the indication. The terminal device 110-1 may stop 4070 initiating the EDT. The terminal device 110-1 may again establish 4080 the RRC connection. The network device may send 4090 third information associated with another resource allocated to the EDT.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an interaction 500 between a terminal device and a network device 120. For illustrative purposes, Fig. 5 is described with reference to an interaction between a terminal device 110-1 and a network device 120. It will be appreciated that the interaction 500 shown in Fig. 5 is merely an example.

The network device 120 may send 5010 the first information via RRC signaling in the RRC connection. The terminal device 110-1 may determine 5020 the validity period from the first information. The terminal device 110-1 may obtain 5025 resources.

The network device 120 may also send 5030 an indication indicating that the resource is invalid. The terminal device 110-1 may determine 5040 that the resource is invalid based on the indication. If the validity of the time expires, the terminal device 110-1 may also determine 5040 that the resource is invalid. The terminal device 110-1 may stop 5050 the indication of the EDT. The terminal device 110-1 may establish 5060 the RRC connection again. The network device may send third information associated with another resource allocated for the EDT.

6 is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 600 may be implemented at the network device 120. The device 600 may also be implemented at the terminal device 110-1. As shown, the device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to the (multiple) processors 610, and one or more transmitters and/or receivers (TX/RX) 640 coupled to the processor 610.

Processor 610 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network, and may include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 600 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips, that are time slaved to a clock synchronized with a master processor.

Memory 620 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as, by way of non-limiting example, non-transitory computer-readable storage media, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory.

The memory 620 stores at least a portion of the program 630. The TX/RX 640 is used for bidirectional communication. The TX/RX 640 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although in practice the access nodes mentioned in this application may have multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary to communicate with other network elements.

It is assumed that the program 630 includes program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 610, enable the device 600 to operate in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, as discussed herein with reference to Figures 2 to 5. That is, the embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by computer software that may be executed by the processor 610 of the device 600, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform the above-mentioned various processes and operations. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

Although this specification contains many specific implementation details, these should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of any disclosure or content that may be claimed, but should be interpreted as a description of features specific to the specific disclosure of a particular implementation. Certain features described in this specification in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments or in any suitable sub-combination, respectively. In addition, although the features may be described above as working in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, in some cases, one or more features in the claimed combination may be excluded from the combination, and the claimed combination may involve a sub-combination or a variant of a sub-combination.

Similarly, although operations are depicted in a particular order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or that all of the illustrated operations be performed to achieve the desired results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. In addition, the separation of various system components in the above-described embodiments should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated into a single software product, or packaged into multiple software products.

When read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in view of the foregoing description, various modifications and adaptations to the foregoing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will become clear to those skilled in the art. Any and all modifications will still fall within the scope of the non-limiting and exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art to which these embodiments of the present disclosure relate who benefit from the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the associated drawings will be able to conceive of other embodiments of the present disclosure set forth herein.

Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.Although specific terms are used herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims (7)

1. A terminal device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to:

receiving, via dedicated RRC signaling in a radio resource control, RRC, connection between a terminal device and a network device, first information related to resources allocated for initiating early data transmission, EDT, between the terminal device and the network device;

obtaining the resource based on the first information; and

using the resource to initiate the EDT to the network device,

wherein the first information comprises a cell-specific identifier, and wherein the terminal device is caused to obtain the resource by:

receiving second information of the resources in system information from the network device, the second information being scrambled based on the cell-specific identifier;

determining the cell-specific identifier from the first information; and

the resources are decoded from the second information based on the cell-specific identifier to obtain the resources.

2. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the first information further indicates a validity period for the resource.

3. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

determining that the resource is invalid;

stopping initiation of EDT using the resource; and

the RRC connection established between the terminal device and the network device is for receiving third information associated with another resource allocated for the EDT.

4. A terminal device according to claim 3, wherein the terminal device is caused to determine that the resource is not valid by:

receiving an indication from the network device indicating that the resource is invalid; and

the resource is determined to be invalid based on the indication.

5. A terminal device according to claim 3, wherein the terminal device is caused to determine that the resource is not valid by:

in response to expiration of the validity period for the resource, determining that the resource is invalid.

6. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

receiving fourth information from the network device, the fourth information comprising a list of cells for which the resource is available; and

the EDT is initiated to another network device associated with at least one cell in the list using the resource.

7. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the resources comprise at least one of:

the CE level of time domain resources for the EDT are enhanced for each supported coverage,

the CE level of frequency domain resources for the EDT are enhanced for each supported coverage,

a list of preambles for initiating the EDT,

maximum transport block size TBS for each supported CE level, and

and the random access resource list is used for triggering the EDT.