IP Library Granted Patent US 12,369,130
Granted Patent B2
US 12,369,130 · App. 17/303,801 · Granted Jul 22, 2025

User equipment timing misalignment reporting in non-terrestrial networks

Inventors: Ayan Sengupta (San Diego, CA); Alberto Rico Alvarino (San Diego, CA); Xiao Feng Wang (San Diego, CA); Le Liu (Fremont, CA); Bharat Shrestha (San Diego, CA); Liangping Ma (San Diego, CA); Peter Gaal (San Diego, CA); Jun Ma (San Diego, CA); Umesh Phuyal (San Diego, CA)
Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
H04W56/001H04W56/006H04W72/0446H04W72/23H04W74/0833H04W84/06
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,369,130
App. No.
17/303,801
Granted
Jul 22, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a user equipment (UE) may determine timing misalignment information for a timing misalignment between an uplink timeline and a downlink timeline associated with a non-terrestrial cell. The UE may transmit the timing misalignment information to a satellite associated with the non-terrestrial cell. Numerous other aspects are described.

Claims (90)

1. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

one or more memories comprising instructions; and

one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:

determine a timing misalignment between an uplink timeline and a downlink timeline associated with a non-terrestrial cell; and

output, for transmission to a network entity associated with the non-terrestrial cell via a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), information about the timing misalignment, the output being based at least in part on an event that comprises an amount of change between the information about the timing misalignment and previous information about the timing misalignment satisfying a threshold.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the information about the timing misalignment includes at least one of:

an indication of the timing misalignment, or

an indication of a geolocation of the apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the information about the timing misalignment includes an indication of the timing misalignment; and

wherein the indication of the timing misalignment includes an indication of an offset between the uplink timeline and the downlink timeline.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the offset is indicated as at least one of:

a quantity of slots between the uplink timeline and the downlink timeline,

a quantity of subframes between the uplink timeline and the downlink timeline,

a quantity of radio frames between the uplink timeline and the downlink timeline, or

an amount of time between the uplink timeline and the downlink timeline.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the indication of the offset identifies the offset from among a plurality of candidate offsets configured for the apparatus.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions and to cause the apparatus to:

determine a measured offset; and

select, as the offset for the timing misalignment, a candidate offset of the plurality of candidate offsets nearest the measured offset.

7. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the offset is indicated as a time duration range or as a time-domain resource range.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:

identify a collision between an uplink transmission in which the information about the timing misalignment is included and reception of a downlink transmission, the information about the timing misalignment being output for transmission based at least in part on a priority associated with the uplink transmission being greater than a priority associated with the downlink transmission.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions and to cause the apparatus to:

determine an updated timing misalignment between the uplink timeline and the downlink timeline associated with the network entity; and

output, for transmission, information about the updated timing misalignment to the network entity.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors, to output the information about the timing misalignment, are configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:

output, for transmission, the information about the timing misalignment on a periodic or semi-persistent uplink grant.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the event further comprises:

a specification-defined event.

12. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

a transceiver;

one or more memories comprising instructions; and

one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to cause the UE to:

determine a timing misalignment between an uplink timeline and a downlink timeline associated with a non-terrestrial cell; and

transmit, via the transceiver, to a network entity associated with the non-terrestrial cell and via a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), information about the timing misalignment, the transmission being based at least in part on an event that comprises an amount of change between the information about the timing misalignment and previous information about the timing misalignment satisfying a threshold.

13. The UE of claim 12 , wherein the information about the timing misalignment includes at least one of:

an indication of the timing misalignment, or

an indication of a geolocation of the UE.

14. The UE of claim 12 , wherein the information about the timing misalignment includes an indication of the timing misalignment; and

wherein the indication of the timing misalignment includes an indication of an offset between the uplink timeline and the downlink timeline.

15. The UE of claim 14 , wherein the offset is indicated as at least one of:

a quantity of slots between the uplink timeline and the downlink timeline,

a quantity of subframes between the uplink timeline and the downlink timeline,

a quantity of radio frames between the uplink timeline and the downlink timeline, or

an amount of time between the uplink timeline and the downlink timeline.

16. The UE of claim 14 , wherein the indication of the offset is provided from among a plurality of candidate offsets configured for the UE.

17. The UE of claim 16 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to cause the UE to:

determine a measured offset; and

select, as the offset for the timing misalignment, a candidate offset of the plurality of candidate offsets nearest the measured offset.

18. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

one or more memories comprising instructions; and

one or more processors configured to execute the instructions and cause the apparatus to:

determine a timing misalignment between an uplink timeline and a downlink timeline associated with a non-terrestrial cell;

output, for transmission to a network entity associated with the non-terrestrial cell via a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), information about the timing misalignment; and

identify a collision between an uplink transmission in which the information about the timing misalignment is included and reception of a downlink transmission, the information about the timing misalignment being output for transmission based at least in part on a priority associated with the uplink transmission being greater than a priority associated with the downlink transmission.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , further comprising a transceiver configured to transmit the information about the timing misalignment, wherein the apparatus is configured as a user equipment.

20. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

a transceiver;

one or more memories comprising instructions; and

one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:

determine a timing misalignment between an uplink timeline and a downlink timeline associated with a non-terrestrial cell; and

transmit, via the transceiver and to a network entity associated with the non-terrestrial cell, information about the timing misalignment, wherein the information is transmitted via a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE).

21. The UE of claim 20 , wherein the information about the timing misalignment includes at least one of:

an indication of the timing misalignment, or

an indication of a geolocation of the apparatus.

22. The UE of claim 20 , wherein the information about the timing misalignment includes an indication of the timing misalignment; and

wherein the indication of the timing misalignment includes an indication of an offset between the uplink timeline and the downlink timeline.

23. The UE of claim 22 , wherein the offset is indicated as at least one of:

a quantity of slots between the uplink timeline and the downlink timeline,

a quantity of subframes between the uplink timeline and the downlink timeline,

a quantity of radio frames between the uplink timeline and the downlink timeline, or

an amount of time between the uplink timeline and the downlink timeline.

24. The UE of claim 22 , wherein the indication of the offset identifies the offset from among a plurality of candidate offsets configured for the apparatus.

25. The UE of claim 24 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions and cause the apparatus to:

determine a measured offset; and

select, as the offset for the timing misalignment, a candidate offset of the plurality of candidate offsets nearest the measured offset.

26. The UE of claim 22 , wherein the offset is indicated as a time duration range or as a time-domain resource range.

27. The UE of claim 20 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions and cause the apparatus to:

identify a collision between an uplink transmission in which the information about the timing misalignment is included and reception of a downlink transmission, the information about the timing misalignment being output for transmission based at least in part on a priority associated with the uplink transmission being greater than a priority associated with the downlink transmission.

28. The UE of claim 20 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions and cause the apparatus to:

determine an updated timing misalignment between the uplink timeline and the downlink timeline associated with the network entity; and

output, for transmission, information about the updated timing misalignment to the network entity.

29. The UE of claim 20 , wherein the one or more processors, to output the information about the timing misalignment, are configured to execute the instructions and cause the apparatus to:

output, for transmission, the information about the timing misalignment on a periodic or semi-persistent uplink grant.

30. The UE of claim 20 , wherein the one or more processors, to output the information about the timing misalignment, are configured to execute the instructions and cause the apparatus to:

output, for transmission the information about the timing misalignment based at least in part on an event,

wherein the event comprises at least one of:

a specification-defined event, or

an amount of change between the information about the timing misalignment and previous information about the timing misalignment satisfying a threshold.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 25, 2021
From: SENGUPTA, AYAN; RICO ALVARINO, ALBERTO; WANG, XIAO FENG; LIU, LE; SHRESTHA, BHARAT; MA, LIANGPING; GAAL, PETER; MA, JUN; PHUYAL, UMESH
To: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 057284/0460 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62706060 · Jul 29, 2020
Related Publication 20220039033A1 · Feb 3, 2022
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