Abstract: Methods of positioning UEs based on a sidelink interface are proposed, in an environment where the locations of multiple UEs may not be known to one another. The positioning methods are facilitated by a distinguished server UE, which may store information about the locations and/or configurations of one or more peer UEs and function as a positioning server to provide assistance data, collect measurements, and in some cases compute a location estimate for one or more peer UEs.

Abstract: An apparatus operated as a relay node in a wireless mesh network for route discovery comprises processing circuitry that receives, from a first neighbor node, a discovery request including a request for a route to a destination node. When the routing table of the first node contains routes to the destination node, the first node sends, to the first neighbor node, a discovery response including information about these routes. When the routing table of the first node does not contain a route to the destination node, the first node sends, to a second neighbor node, a discovery request for a route to the destination node. When the first node receives, from the second neighbor node, a discovery message including information of routes to a destination node. The first node transmits, to the first neighbor node, a discovery response including information of these routes.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for sidelink relay based data transmission with multiple paths. In one novel aspect, multiple transceiving paths is established between a source node and a destination, wherein at least one path includes a sidelink connection with a relay node. The sidelink relay adaptation protocol (SRAP) layer or the PDCP layer of the source node performs data split or data duplication for egress data packets before delivering the egress data to multiple corresponding RLC entities. The source node aggregates ingress data packets received from the multiple transceiving paths at the source node. In one embodiment, one transceiving path among the multiple transceiving paths is selected as a primary path. In one embodiment, the source node performs data split or data duplication at the SRAP layer per packet or per RB. In another embodiment, the source node performs data split or data duplication based on a preconfigured threshold.

Abstract: This disclosure provides an apparatus operated as a relay node in a wireless mesh network for packet routing. The apparatus comprises processing circuitry that receives a packet including indications of a source node and a destination node. When the relay node is not the destination node, the processing circuitry determines whether the packet includes a path ID identifying a delivery route for the packet. When the packet includes the path ID and a routing table of the relay node includes a first next-hop node associated with the path ID, the processing circuitry transmits the packet to the first next-hop node. When the packet does not include the path ID or the routing table does not include the first next-hop node, the processing circuitry transmits the packet to one of a second next-hop node associated with the destination node and a third next-hop node associated with an intermediate destination node.

Abstract: A method at a network node of a radio access network (RAN) for managing a context of a user equipment (UE) operating in an inactive mode, the method comprising: receiving, from a second network node, a context retrieval request comprising a UE identifier and a first message, the first message being protected with a first cryptographic key; validating the first message using a stored cryptographic key associated with a UE context indicated by the UE identifier; and sending a context retrieval response message to the second network node containing a relocation indication of whether the UE context is to be relocated to the second network node.

Abstract: Embodiments provide a data receiving status reporting method and apparatus. The method includes: determining, by first user equipment, a status of receiving at least one packet data convergence protocol layer protocol data unit PDCP PDU by second user equipment, where the at least one PDCP PDU is forwarded by the first user equipment to the second user equipment after being received by the first user equipment through a communications link between the first user equipment and a network device; and sending, by the first user equipment, a first status report to the network device, where the first status report is used to indicate the status of receiving the at least one PDCP PDU by the second user equipment.

Abstract: Embodiments of this application relate to the communications field, and provide a route update method, the method, comprising: sending a medium access control protocol data unit (MAC PDU), wherein the MAC PDU comprises a first buffer status report (BSR); and canceling, in response to the sending of the MAC PDU, a scheduling request triggered prior to the MAC PDU assembly, wherein the first BSR comprises a buffer status up to the last event that triggers a BSR prior to the MAC PDU assembly.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for the RRC message segmentation. In one novel aspect, the UE obtains the size Z of the RRC message and the size limit L of the underlying transmission at layer S of the UE protocol stack, wherein the layer S either the RRC layer, the PDCP layer, or a sublayer between an RRC layer and a PDCP layer. The UE triggers RRC message segmentation upon detecting Z is greater than L. In another embodiment, the layer R of the protocol stack of the UE receives, in order, a sequence of chunks of an RRC message, reassembles of the RRC message, wherein the layer R is selected from a same layer as the layer S and a layer higher than the layer S. In one novel aspect, the size limitation L is either predefined or obtained through network notification or UE inquiry.

Abstract: Methods of positioning UEs based on a sidelink interface are proposed, in an environment where the locations of multiple UEs may not be known to one another. The positioning methods are facilitated by a distinguished server UE, which may store information about the locations and/or configurations of one or more peer UEs and function as a positioning server to provide assistance data, collect measurements, and in some cases compute a location estimate for one or more peer UEs.

Abstract: A method for operating a user equipment (UE) includes detecting an occurrence of an overheating condition in the UE, and based thereon, determining a first set of operating capabilities of the UE from a second set of operating capabilities of the UE, where the first and second set of operating capabilities are associated with a connection between the UE and a network entity, and where the first set of operating capabilities is a reduction in operating capability of the UE when compared to the second set of operating capabilities, triggering a transfer of UE capability information associated with the first set of operating capabilities, and applying, by the UE, the first set of operating capabilities to the connection.

Abstract: A method executed by a relay UE is provided. The relay UE establishes a first Radio Link Control (RLC) channel between a first remote UE and the relay UE, in which the first RLC channel is associated with a first end-to-end identifier. The relay UE establishes a second RLC channel between a second remote UE and the relay UE, in which the second RLC channel is associated with the first end-to-end identifier or a second end-to-end identifier. The relay UE receives an incoming SideLink (SL) transmission from the first remote UE on the first RLC channel, in which the incoming SL transmission includes the first end-to-end identifier. The relay UE sends an outgoing SL transmission to the second remote UE on the second RLC channel, in which the outgoing SL transmission includes one of the first end-to-end identifier and the second end-to-end identifier.

Abstract: An indirect-to-indirect path switching procedure is proposed for transferring operation of a remote user equipment (UE) from a first relay UE to a second relay UE, while preserving continuity of the user's service(s) offered by a cellular network through the first and second relay UEs, in a layer 2 UE-to-network relaying architecture.

Abstract: A method for receiving device position determination includes receiving beamformed position reference signals (BF-PRSs) on a plurality of communications beams from at least two transmitting devices in accordance with a BF-PRS configuration, making at least one observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) measurement in accordance with the BF-PRSs on the plurality of communications beams, and transmitting OTDOA feedback including the at least one OTDOA measurement.

Abstract: An indication method, including receiving, by first user equipment, a first message sent by second user equipment, where the first message includes information indicating that the second user equipment supports an evolved user equipment-to-network relay function, and receiving, by the first user equipment, a second message sent by a network device, where the second message includes information indicating that the network device supports an evolved user equipment-to-network relay, or the second message includes information indicating that a cell in which the network device sends the second message supports an evolved user equipment-to-network relay.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for sidelink relay-based UE-to-network communication. In one novel aspect, the relay UE performs delayed relay forwarding upon determining the remote UE is in the DRX cycle based on the PC5 configuration. The relay UE buffers the relay traffic and/or sends a suspending indication to the base station to request the base station to suspend the relay traffic to the remote UE. In another novel aspect, the relay UE monitors paging occasions configured for itself and receives paging message from the network intended for the remote UE in one non-connected RRC state. The relay UE sends a PC5 paging message to the remote UE that is in the non-connected RRC state through the established SL based on the received paging message. In one embodiment, the network stores the SL association between the relay UE and the remote UE to the network.

Abstract: A system and method of communicating sounding reference signals (SRSs) in a cellular time division duplex (TDD) mmWave system. A transmission point (TP) may transmit beamformed reference signals to a user equipment (UE), each of the beamformed reference signals having been transmitted according to a beam direction in a set of beam directions available to the TP. The TP may receive a feedback message from the UE that identifies one of the beamformed reference signals transmitted to the UE. The TP may select, from the set of beam directions available to the TP, a subset of beam directions for SRS reception based on the feedback message received from the UE, and receive uplink SRS signals according to beam directions in the subset of beam directions. The set of beam directions available to the TP includes at least one beam direction that is excluded from the subset of beam directions.

Abstract: A method is provided to support remote UE transmitting recommended bit rate query to the base station via the processing of relay UE. In one novel aspect, a new sidelink MAC CE is introduced to indicate the desired bit rate for a specific sidelink logical channel or for a specific Uu/SL radio bearer. In one novel aspect, after receiving the recommended bit rate query MAC CE, the relay UE forwards the MAC CE of this remote UE to the base station over Uu interface after adding information related to remote UE identity. In one novel aspect, the recommended bit rate query MAC CE, when received by the relay UE, is mapped to a specific uplink logical channel priority value or a specific uplink logical channel priority level, which can be used to compare priority with other UL data or UL MAC CE.

Abstract: In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may be a UE. The UE receives, from a base station, configurations of one or more measurement gaps for the UE to perform measurements of PRSs. The UE receives an indication for selecting one measurement gap of the one or more measurement gaps. The UE performs measurements of PRSs within the one measurement gap.

Abstract: Signalling and protocol methods are proposed to allow positioning operations with signals of the cellular system for a UE in idle or inactive mode. In one novel aspect, UL-PRS is embedded in the RACH procedure: a set of RACH preambles with the functionality of UL-PRS are defined. These preambles are sent by the UE to the serving gNB to initiate a RACH procedure, and the following signalling could convey the measurement results. In another novel aspect, positioning operations on the network side are triggered through an AMF. The AMF may elect not to bring the UE to connected mode before transferring the location request to an LMF; instead, the AMF may indicate that the UE is in idle mode and it expects to page the UE with a subsequent message from the LMF.

Abstract: A method of a relay user equipment (UE) can include receiving, at the relay UE, from a first neighbor UE, a communication request message for establishing a connection between an initiating UE and a target UE, the communication request message including first security-establishment-related information originating from the initiating UE for establishing a security association between the initiating UE and the target UE; modifying the communication request message to add second security-establishment-related information for establishing a security association between the relay UE and a second neighbor UE; and transmitting to the second neighbor UE the modified communication request message that includes the first security-establishment-related information originating from the initiating UE for establishing the security association between the initiating UE and the target UE, and the second security-establishment-related information added by the relay UE for establishing the security association between the rela