Patent Description:
The following relates generally to wireless communication and more specifically to timing advance reporting for latency reduction.

Wireless multiple-access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate on a municipal, national, regional, and even global level. An example telecommunication standard is LTE. LTE is designed to improve spectral efficiency, lower costs, improve services, make use of new spectrum, and better integrate with other open standards. LTE may use OFDMA on the downlink (DL), single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) on the uplink (UL), and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology.

A UE and a base station may communicate based on a timing delay between UL and DL transmissions. For example, an UL grant may be transmitted by a base station that grants the UE access to resources for UL transmission. The UE may then utilize the granted resources for an UL transmission after a time delay. In some cases, the time delay may be predetermined based on a maximum cell size supported by the base station. In other cases, the time delay may be based on a channel configuration or UE capabilities. If, however, the UE is well within the maximum cell size, the time delay may be more than sufficient for timing processing. Further, if the UE does not support or does not wish to communicate according to the capabilities used to determine the time delay, the time spent by the UE waiting for the time delay before transmitting an UL message may be wasted. This may cause inefficiencies through unneeded delay between UL and DL communications between the UE and the base station.

Patent application <CIT> relates to time aligning uplink transmissions by a mobile terminal in a mobile communication system, and to performing a handover of a mobile terminal to a target aggregation access point.

Aspects of the present invention are set out by the appended claims.

In a wireless communications system, such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system or a New Radio (NR) system, a user equipment (UE) and a base station may communicate using a timing configuration predetermined based on various network parameters such as cell size, channel configurations, etc. The timing configuration may be tailored according to UE operation, including an actual uplink timing advance employed by the UE. Accordingly, the UE may report a timing advance to facilitate selection of the timing configuration.

The timing configuration may indicate the time delay between uplink (UL) transmissions and downlink (DL) transmissions. For example, a base station may transmit a DL message to a UE over a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), which may be received by the UE. To indicate to the base station that the UE has successfully received the DL message, the UE may transmit an acknowledgement (ACK) message (via an UL channel) to the base station. To allow for processing of the DL message transmitted by the base station, the UE may transmit the ACK (or alternatively, if unsuccessfully received, a negative ACK (NACK)) after a time delay. In some cases, however, the time delay used for communication between the UE and base station may exceed the amount of time used by the UE for processing the received DL message. In such instances, the UE may still wait the amount of time indicated by the time delay prior to sending an ACK/NACK. Thus, even if the UE has successfully received the DL message, the UE may waste time waiting to transmit an ACK/NACK based on the timing configuration.

In some cases, the timing configuration may be predetermined based on various communication scenarios (e.g., the supported cell size) or UE capabilities (e.g., whether the UE supports communication via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or an enhanced PDCCH (EPDCCH)). As the UE may not support certain capabilities (e.g., EPDCCH) or as the UE moves within a cell, a shortened timing configuration that indicates a shortened time delay may be used. For example, a UE may determine an uplink timing advance, which may be based on the distance between the UE and the base station. The UE may then transmit an UL message to the base station indicating the UL timing advance. In some cases, the UE may determine whether the UL timing advance crosses or is within a range relative to a timing advance threshold.

The timing advance threshold may be predetermined or dynamically determined (e.g., by a base station). Multiple timing advance thresholds may also be considered. If the UL timing advance determined by the UE exceeds a threshold, the UE may then transmit an UL message indicating the UL timing advance. In some cases, if the UE falls within a range relative to one or more timing advance thresholds, the UE may also transmit an UL message indicating the UL timing advance. Further, if the UL timing advance determined by a UE does not cross a timing advance threshold or is not within a range relative to a timing advance threshold, the UE may choose not to send an UL message.

Once an UL message indicating the UL timing advance is received by the base station, the base station may determine a timing configuration to use for communication with the UE. For example, the base station may determine that the UL timing advance for the UE is below a timing advance threshold and may choose a shortened timing configuration for communication with the UE. The shortened timing configuration may indicate a shorter time delay between UL and DL transmissions. In some examples, the base station may determine that a longer timing configuration may be more appropriate for communicating with the UE and may therefore select, modify, or otherwise determine a timing configuration with a longer time delay between UL and DL transmission. Thus, according to the present disclosure, a UE and a base station may communicate using a timing configuration that may vary between short time delays and longer time delays depending on the situation.

Aspects of the disclosure introduce above are described below in the context of a wireless communications system. Examples of a timing configuration and a process flow that support timing advance reporting in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure are also described. Aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts that relate to timing advance reporting for latency reduction.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a wireless communications system <NUM> in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system <NUM> includes base stations <NUM>, UEs <NUM>, and a core network <NUM>. In some examples, the wireless communications system <NUM> may be an LTE/LTE-A network or a NR network. In some cases, wireless communications system <NUM> may support enhanced broadband communications, ultra-reliable (i.e., mission critical) communications, low latency communications, and communications with low-cost and low-complexity devices.

Each base station <NUM> may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area <NUM>. Communication links <NUM> shown in wireless communications system <NUM> may include UL transmissions from a UE <NUM> to a base station <NUM>, or DL transmissions from a base station <NUM> to a UE <NUM>. Control information and data may be multiplexed on an uplink channel or downlink according to various techniques. Control information and data may be multiplexed on a downlink channel, for example, using time division multiplexing (TDM) techniques, frequency division multiplexing (FDM) techniques, or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. In some examples, the control information transmitted during a transmission time interval (TTI) of a downlink channel may be distributed between different control regions in a cascaded manner (e.g., between a common control region and one or more UE-specific control regions). Base stations <NUM> may communicate with UEs <NUM> according to a timing configuration that is determined according to a UL timing advance of the UEs <NUM>.

The UEs <NUM> may be dispersed throughout the wireless communications system <NUM>, and each UE <NUM> may be stationary or mobile. A UE <NUM> may be referred to as a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology. A UE <NUM> may be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a personal electronic device, a handheld device, a personal computer, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, a machine type communication (MTC) device, an appliance, an automobile, or the like. The UEs <NUM> may determine an uplink timing advance based on a distance from a base station <NUM>, for example. A UE <NUM> may report its uplink timing advance to a base station <NUM>, which may be used to determine a timing configuration for communication with the UE <NUM>.

The UEs <NUM> may, in some cases, report a timing advance (e.g., a sidelink timing advance) to one another.

Some UEs <NUM>, such as MTC or Iota devices, may be low cost or low complexity devices, and may provide for automated communication between machines (i.e., Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication). The capabilities or limitations of such UEs <NUM> may be a factor or may impact a timing configuration.

The operators IP services may include the Internet, the Intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), and a Packet-Switched (PS) Streaming Service (PSS).

Wireless communications system <NUM> may operate in an ultra high frequency (UHF) frequency region using frequency bands from <NUM> to <NUM> (<NUM>), although in some cases wireless local area networks (WLANs) may use frequencies as high as <NUM>. This region may also be known as the decimeter band, since the wavelengths range from approximately one decimeter to one meter in length. In some cases, wireless communications system <NUM> may also utilize extremely high frequency (EHF) portions of the spectrum (e.g., from <NUM> to <NUM>). This region may also be known as the millimeter band, since the wavelengths range from approximately one millimeter to one centimeter in length. Thus, wireless communications system <NUM> may support millimeter wave (mmW) communications between UEs <NUM> and base stations <NUM>. Devices operating in mmW or EHF bands may have multiple antennas to allow beamforming.

In some cases, wireless communications system <NUM> may be a packet-based network that operates according to a layered protocol stack. The MAC layer may also use Hybrid ARQ (HARQ) to provide retransmission at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency.

Time intervals in LTE or NR, which may be supported by wireless communications system <NUM>, may be expressed in multiples of a basic time unit (which may be a sampling period of Ts = <NUM>/<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM> seconds). Time resources may be organized according to radio frames of length of <NUM> (Tf = 307200Ts), which may be identified by a system frame number (SFN) ranging from <NUM> to <NUM>. Each frame may include ten <NUM> subframes numbered from <NUM> to <NUM>. A subframe may be further divided into two <NUM> slots, each of which contains <NUM> or <NUM> modulation symbol periods (depending on the length of the cyclic prefix prepended to each symbol). Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol contains <NUM> sample periods. In some cases the subframe may be the smallest scheduling unit, also known as a TTI. In other cases, a TTI may be shorter than a subframe or may be dynamically selected (e.g., in short TTI bursts or in selected component carriers using short TTIs).

A resource element may consist of one symbol period and one subcarrier (e.g., a <NUM> frequency range). A resource block may contain <NUM> consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and, for a normal cyclic prefix in each OFDM symbol, <NUM> consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain (<NUM> slot), or <NUM> resource elements. The number of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (the configuration of symbols that may be selected during each symbol period). Thus, the more resource blocks that a UE <NUM> receives and the higher the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate may be.

Wireless communications system <NUM> may support operation on multiple cells or carriers, a feature which may be referred to as carrier aggregation (CA) or multi-carrier operation. A carrier may also be referred to as a component carrier (CC), a layer, a channel, etc. The terms "carrier," "component carrier," "cell," and "channel" may be used interchangeably herein. A UE <NUM> may be configured with multiple DL CCs and one or more UL CCs for carrier aggregation. Carrier aggregation may be used with both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) component carriers. Multiple base stations <NUM> or cells may communicate with a UE <NUM> in a dual connectivity configuration in which CCs are aggregated an the base stations <NUM> have a poor or non-ideal backhaul connection. In such cases, the cells associated with different base stations <NUM> may be in different timing adjustment groups (TAGs). A UE <NUM> may be physically located closer or near to certain base stations <NUM> of a dual connectivity (DC) configuration, so different uplink timing adjustment, and thus different timing configurations, may be applied for cells of different TAGs.

An eCC may be characterized by one or more features including wider bandwidth, shorter symbol duration, shorter TTIs (e.g., shortened TTIs (sTTIs) or micro TTIs (uTTIs)), and modified control channel configuration. An eCC may also be configured for use in unlicensed spectrum or shared spectrum (where more than one operator is allowed to use the spectrum). This may include the <NUM> Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. An eCC characterized by wide bandwidth may include one or more segments that may be utilized by UEs <NUM> that are not capable of monitoring the whole bandwidth or prefer to use a limited bandwidth (e.g., to conserve power). TTIs of shorter duration may be employed to facilitate shorter timing configurations.

A shorter symbol duration may be associated with increased subcarrier spacing. A TTI in an eCC may consist of one or multiple symbols. In some cases, the TTI duration (that is, the number of symbols in a TTI) may be variable. A shorter symbol duration is associated with increased subcarrier spacing. A device, such as a UE <NUM> or base station <NUM>, utilizing eCCs may transmit wideband signals (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, etc.) at reduced symbol durations (e.g., <NUM> microseconds (µs)). In some examples, a UE <NUM> may use a short TTI to shorten processing times, which may enable the UE <NUM> to transmit UL messages in response DL control information with reduced delay.

For example, wireless communications system <NUM> may employ LTE License Assisted Access (LTE-LAA) or LTE Unlicensed (LTE U) radio access technology or NR technology in an unlicensed band such as the <NUM> ISM band. When operating in unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands, wireless devices such as base stations <NUM> and UEs <NUM> may employ listen-before-talk (LBT) procedures to ensure the channel is clear before transmitting data. In some cases, operations in unlicensed bands may be based on a CA configuration in conjunction with CCs operating in a licensed band. Operations in unlicensed spectrum may include DL transmissions, UL transmissions, or both. Duplexing in unlicensed spectrum may be based on FDD, TDD or a combination of both.

Wireless systems that support low latency operations, such as wireless communications system <NUM>, may utilize timing configurations and TTI configurations to reduce a delay between UL and DL transmission. Thus, a UE <NUM> and a base station <NUM> may communicate using a timing configuration which may reduce a delay between UL and DL transmissions, which may involve shortened processing times for the UE <NUM> for reducing delay between UL and DL transmissions.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a wireless communications system <NUM> for timing advance reporting for latency reduction. Wireless communications system <NUM> may include a base station <NUM>-a and a UE <NUM>-a, which may be examples of the corresponding devices described with reference to <FIG>. Base station <NUM>-a and UE <NUM>-a may communicate over communication link <NUM>. Wireless communication system <NUM> may employ UL timing advance (TA) reporting from UE <NUM>-a to base station <NUM>-a to determine or configure a timing configuration with a reduced latency.

In some systems, timing between a DL transmission (e.g., an UL grant from base station <NUM>-a) and a corresponding UL message (e.g., transmitted by UE <NUM>-a over a PUSCH) may be set to a certain value, which may not be dynamically configured. As one example, the timing may be set at n + <NUM>, indicating that a transmission responsive to signaling received in TTI n may occur four (<NUM>) TTIs later. In some cases, this timing may be determined in relation to a worst-case scenario that accounts for a maximum TA (TAmax) that may be used for UE <NUM>-a, which may be set to any time value between <NUM> and <NUM>. In one example, TAmax may be set to a time value of <NUM> which may not account for the TA actually determined by UE <NUM>-a.

The timing may also be depend whether EPDCCH scheduling is allowed. As EPDCCH may be multiplexed according to an FDM scheme throughout a duration of a TTI, EPDCCH-based scheduling may cause UE <NUM>-a to decode an entire DL TTI before switching to UL operation. This may affect the timing at which the wireless communication system <NUM> anticipates UE <NUM>-a being capable of UL operation and therefore may also affect the timing configuration employed by UE <NUM>-a and base station <NUM>-b.

According to some aspects, timing between UL and DL TTIs may be reduced by reducing TAmax, restricting scheduling to PDCCH-based scheduling, or by determining an actual TA used by UE <NUM>-a, or a combination thereof. As one example, reducing TAmax and allowing only PDCCH based scheduling may allow for a shortened processing timing of n + <NUM>. In some cases TAmax may be reduced by setting TAmax to a first time value for a first given cell radius, setting TAmax to a second time value for a second given cell radius, etc. For example, TAmax may be reduced to a time value from <NUM> down to <NUM> for a cell radius of <NUM> or TAmax may be set to <NUM> for a cell radius of <NUM>, etc..

Reducing TAmax or employing an intermediate TA threshold, may allow base station <NUM>-a to schedule UE <NUM>-a according to various timing configurations (e.g., n + <NUM>, n + <NUM>, n + <NUM>, n + <NUM>). As one example, base station <NUM>-a may schedule UE <NUM>-a based on a determination whether the UL TA of UE <NUM>-a crosses a TAmax threshold. For instance, base station <NUM>-a may be configured to treat TAmax as a threshold that determines whether base station <NUM>-a schedules UE <NUM>-a according to a legacy processing timing (e.g., n + <NUM>) or a shortened processing timing (e.g., n + <NUM>). In one example, base station <NUM>-a may schedule UE <NUM>-a with the shortened processing timing when the TA of UE <NUM>-a is smaller than TAmax. Further, base station <NUM>-a may schedule UE <NUM>-a with the legacy processing timing when the TA of UE <NUM>-a is greater than TAmax.

In some cases, base station <NUM>-a may schedule the legacy and shortened processing timings according to CC groups under CA/ CA/DC operation. For example, base station <NUM>-a may schedule the legacy processing timings to a first CC group and schedule the shortened processing timings to a second CC group based on TA values for the respective CC groups.

In some examples, base station <NUM>-a may receive the TA information from UE <NUM>-a before determining the timing configuration to be used for UE <NUM>-a. Base station <NUM>-a may determine which processing timing to apply based on the TA information received from UE <NUM>-a. Typically, except during the initial access process (e.g., Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH)), base station <NUM>-a may not know the TA experienced by UE <NUM>-a and thus may be unable to accurately determine the TA to use for selecting a timing configuration. This may be due to UE <NUM>-a being allowed to autonomously adjust its UL transmission timing to track changes in received DL timing based on DL transmissions. In some cases, although the UL link may be clear, the DL link may be either blocked or experience a large delay spread. In such a scenario, the TA computed by base station <NUM>-a based on UL transmissions may be inaccurate. Accordingly, in order to enable processing timing modification based on the TA value, UE <NUM>-a may feedback its TA value to base station <NUM>-a.

In some cases, such as in the case of CA/DC operation, the TA for different Timing Advance Groups (TAGs) may be reported to base station <NUM>-a. For example, one or more UEs <NUM> in a first TAG may report the group TA for the first TAG to base station <NUM>-a, one or more UEs <NUM> in a second TAG may report the group TA for the second TAG to base station <NUM>-a, etc. In some instances, UE <NUM>-a may be part of a first TAG and a second TAG and may transmit a TA for each of the first TAG and the second TAG in an uplink message to base station <NUM>-a. Additionally or alternatively, UE <NUM>-a may piggyback reporting for a second TAG when reporting a TA for a first TAG.

In some examples, base station <NUM>-a applies the legacy or the shortened processing timing without knowing the actual TA value of UE <NUM>-a. For instance, base station <NUM>-a receives information from UE <NUM>-a indicating that the UE TA value has crossed or is within a range relative to a TA threshold. In such cases, UE <NUM>-a transmits this indication in an uplink message, but does not include an actual TA value. Thus, base station <NUM>-a may determine whether to apply the legacy or the shortened processing timing based on a determination of whether the TA seen at UE <NUM>-a is above the threshold or not and/or a determination of how close or far the TA value is to the threshold or how much TA headroom there is between the TA and TAmax. Consequently, base station <NUM>-a does not the timing configuration based on the actual TA value of UE <NUM>-a.

In some cases, base station <NUM>-a may configure two or more timing thresholds. For example, base station <NUM>-a may configure a TAmax1 as a first threshold and a TAmax2 as a second threshold, where TAmax1 is a time value different than TAmax2. Base station <NUM>-a may then determine the timing configuration with respect to the first and second thresholds.

According to some aspects, a timing threshold may be configured based on EPDCCH based scheduling being supported and the capabilities of UE <NUM>-a. In some cases, different UEs <NUM> may have different margins for operating under the shortened processing timings and/or different margins for operating under the legacy processing timings. Thus, multiple UEs <NUM> may be configured with different timing configurations. Further, a value of a timing threshold may be configured based on the configuration or capabilities of one or more UEs <NUM>. For example, a first timing value may be configured based on a configuration of a first UE <NUM> and a second timing threshold may be configured based on a configuration of a second UE <NUM>.

In some examples, base station <NUM>-a may consider a TA to be in a shortened processing region when the TA is below the timing threshold TAmax and consider a TA to be in a legacy processing region when the TA is above the timing threshold TAmax. In one example, UE <NUM>-a may send a TA report to base station <NUM>-a whenever the TA value of UE <NUM>-a falls within one of the shortened processing region and the legacy processing regions, as will be discussed below. Further, in some examples, the shortened processing region and the legacy processing regions may be split into multiple intervals, and UE <NUM>-a may send a TA report to base station <NUM>-a whenever the TA value of UE <NUM>-a crosses into one of the intervals of one of the regions.

In some examples, both the shortened processing region and the legacy processing region may include no feedback intervals. In one example, the shortened processing region may start at TA=<NUM> and end at TAmax, and the legacy processing region may start at TAmax and end at TA=<NUM>. In some examples, the no feedback interval of the shortened processing region may start at TA=<NUM> and end at the first interval of the shortened processing region, followed by one or more intervals of the shortened processing region up to TAmax. In some examples, the no feedback interval of the legacy processing region may start after one or more intervals of the legacy processing region and end at TA=<NUM>. In some cases, UE <NUM>-a may send a TA report to base station <NUM>-a whenever the TA value of UE <NUM>-a is in the shortened processing region, but not in the no feedback interval of the shortened processing region. Likewise, UE <NUM>-a may send a TA report to base station <NUM>-a whenever the TA value of UE <NUM>-a is in the legacy processing region, but not in the no feedback interval of the legacy processing region.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a TA timeline <NUM> for timing advance reporting for latency reduction. TA timeline <NUM> may include timeline <NUM>. As illustrated, timeline <NUM> may extend from TA=<NUM> to TA=<NUM>. In some examples, timeline <NUM> may extend to more or less than <NUM>. In some examples, TA timeline <NUM> structure may include timing threshold <NUM>. In some cases, timing threshold <NUM> may be set by a base station <NUM>. In some cases, timing threshold <NUM> may be set to a maximum TA (TAmax). As one example, TAmax may be set to <NUM>.

In one example, timeline <NUM> may be divided into two or more regions. As illustrated, timeline <NUM> may be divided into a shortened processing region <NUM> and a legacy processing region <NUM>. In some cases, the regions <NUM> and <NUM> may be separated by timing threshold <NUM>.

In some examples, shortened processing and legacy processing regions <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, may each be divided into two or more intervals. In one example, shortened processing region <NUM> may be divided into the same number of intervals as legacy processing region <NUM>. Alternatively, each region may be divided into a different number of intervals, where shortened processing region <NUM> includes more or less intervals than in legacy processing region <NUM>. As illustrated, shortened processing region <NUM> may include at least one interval. In some cases, shortened processing region <NUM> may include two or more intervals. As illustrated, shortened processing region <NUM> may include a first interval <NUM>, a second interval <NUM>, a third interval <NUM>, and a fourth interval <NUM>.

As shown, legacy processing region <NUM> may include at least one interval. In some cases, legacy processing region <NUM> may include two or more intervals. As illustrated, legacy processing region <NUM> may include a fifth interval <NUM>, a sixth interval <NUM>, a seventh interval <NUM>, and an eighth interval <NUM>. As shown, intervals <NUM>-<NUM> and/or intervals <NUM>-<NUM> may span a certain time period of N µs. As one example, intervals <NUM>-<NUM> and/or <NUM>-<NUM> may span an interval anywhere from <NUM> to <NUM>. In one example, each interval may span the same time period. Alternatively, at least one interval may span a time period different than the time period of one or more other intervals. For example, first interval <NUM> may span <NUM>, second interval <NUM> may span <NUM>, and so forth. In some examples, the time span of intervals adjacent to a timing threshold may be less than the time span of intervals not adjacent to the timing threshold. For example, fourth interval <NUM> and fifth interval <NUM> (i.e., adjacent to timing threshold <NUM>) may be configured to have a time span of <NUM>, while third interval <NUM> and sixth interval <NUM> (i.e., not adjacent to timing threshold <NUM>) may be configured to have a time span of <NUM>.

As shown, shortened processing and legacy processing regions <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, may include a total of <NUM> intervals. Thus, in some cases <NUM> bits may be used to map the TA of a UE <NUM> to one of the <NUM> intervals. As illustrated, first interval <NUM> of shortened processing region <NUM> may be assigned a bit value of <NUM>, second interval <NUM> of shortened processing region <NUM> may be assigned a bit value of <NUM>, and so forth, up to eighth interval <NUM> of legacy processing region <NUM> being assigned a bit value of <NUM>. In some cases, mapping the TA of the UE <NUM> to an interval may indicate the distance of the TA to the timing threshold TAmax. For example, when the TA of the UE <NUM> is in first interval <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may send the bits <NUM> to a base station <NUM> to indicate the TA of the UE <NUM> is in first interval <NUM>, which indicates to the base station <NUM> that the TA of the UE <NUM> has a distance (e.g., a time offset) of <NUM>-<NUM> from the TAmax timing threshold <NUM>.

In some examples, shortened processing region <NUM> and/or legacy processing region <NUM>, respectively, may include a no feedback zone. For example, shortened processing region <NUM> may include a no feedback zone <NUM>. In some examples, no feedback zone <NUM> of shortened processing region <NUM> may start at TA=<NUM> and end at first interval <NUM>. Additionally, or alternatively, legacy processing region <NUM> may include a no feedback zone <NUM>. In some examples, no feedback zone <NUM> of legacy processing region <NUM> may start at fourth interval <NUM> and end at TA=<NUM>.

In one example, a UE <NUM> may send a TA report to a base station <NUM> whenever the TA value of the UE <NUM> lies within one of shortened processing region <NUM> and legacy processing region <NUM>. In one example, the UE <NUM> may send a TA report to the base station <NUM> whenever the TA value of the UE <NUM> crosses into one of the intervals of one of the regions <NUM> or <NUM>. In one example, the base station <NUM> may consider a TA of the UE <NUM> to be in shortened processing region <NUM> when the TA is below timing threshold <NUM> and consider the TA to be in legacy processing region <NUM> when the TA is above timing threshold <NUM>.

In some examples, no feedback zone <NUM> of legacy processing region <NUM> may start after one or more intervals of legacy processing region <NUM> and end at TA=<NUM>. In some cases, the UE <NUM> may send a TA report to the base station <NUM> whenever the TA value of the UE <NUM> is in shortened processing region <NUM>, but not in no feedback zone <NUM> of shortened processing region <NUM>. Likewise, the UE <NUM> may send a TA report to the base station <NUM> whenever the TA value of the UE <NUM> is in legacy processing region <NUM>, but not in no feedback zone <NUM> of legacy processing region <NUM>.

In some cases, a non-uniform quantization of shortened processing region <NUM> and legacy processing region <NUM> may be implemented. For example, the time periods of the intervals may be reduced the closer the intervals get to TAmax to improve the accuracy of TAs the nearer the TAs are to TAmax.

In some examples, a base station <NUM> may change the processing timing when the TA feedback indicates that a threshold value is crossed. In some cases, defining multiple intervals may enable the base station <NUM> to track the changes in the TA over time. In some cases, the base station <NUM> may impose certain restrictions in order to ease the processing at a UE <NUM> based on how close the TA is to the TAmax timing threshold. For example, when the TA is relatively close to the timing threshold and the processing is based on the shortened processing timing, the base station <NUM> may choose to limit the Transport Block Size (TBS), to constrain the number of layers, to limit the CSI feedback requirement, and so forth. In some cases, the base station <NUM> limiting the TBS may enable the base station <NUM> to be flexible in terms of processing timing modifications.

In some examples, a base station <NUM> may receive TA headroom reporting from one or more CC groups. In some cases, different CC groups may be configured with different processing timing. As a result, the TA headroom may be reported for each CC group. When a UE <NUM> is configured with two or more TAGs, the TA headroom reporting may be performed separately for each group and/or jointly, at least within some groups. For example, the UE <NUM> may piggyback reporting for additional TAGs when reporting TA headroom for a first TAG (e.g., TAG1).

In addition to sending the TA headroom or the distance between the TA and TAmax, a UE <NUM> is configured to report its TA based on a predetermined time period whenever the TA is within one of a defined set of intervals. In some cases, an entire range of TA values may be quantized to reduce the overhead in the case of periodic TA reporting. In some examples, a uniform or non-uniform quantization may be implemented. In some cases, a report periodicity may be configured by a base station <NUM>. In some examples, a period of headroom reporting may be tuned based on a TA reporting history. The TA reporting history may include data indicating whether the TA of the UE <NUM> or TAG is decreasing or increasing in a consistent manner, how close or how far the TA value is to the one or more timing thresholds, and so forth.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a TA timeline <NUM> for timing advance reporting for latency reduction. TA timeline <NUM> may be one example of TA timeline <NUM>. TA timeline <NUM> may include timeline <NUM>. As illustrated, timeline <NUM> may extend from TA=<NUM> to TA=<NUM>. Alternatively, timeline <NUM> may extend to more or less than <NUM>. In some examples, TA timeline <NUM> structure may include a first timing threshold <NUM>, a second timing threshold <NUM>, and a third timing threshold <NUM>. In some cases, at least one of first timing threshold <NUM>, second timing threshold <NUM>, and third timing threshold <NUM> may be configured by a base station <NUM>. In some cases, first timing threshold <NUM> may be set to a first maximum TA (TAmax1), second timing threshold <NUM> may be set to a second maximum TA (TAmax2), and/or third timing threshold <NUM> may be set to a third maximum TA (TAmax3). As one example, TAmax1 may be set to <NUM>, TAmax2 may be set to <NUM>, and TAmax3 may be set to <NUM>.

In one example, timeline <NUM> may be divided into two or more regions. As illustrated, timeline <NUM> may be divided into a first shortened processing region <NUM>, a second shortened processing region <NUM>, a first legacy processing region <NUM>, and a second legacy processing region <NUM>. As shown, regions <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be separated by timing thresholds <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

In some examples, regions <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may each be divided into two or more intervals. In one example, each region may be divided into the same number of intervals as the other regions. Alternatively, at least one region may be divided into a different number of intervals than another region. As illustrated, first shortened processing region <NUM> may include a first interval <NUM> and a second interval <NUM>, second shortened processing region <NUM> may include a third interval <NUM> and a fourth interval <NUM>, first legacy processing region <NUM> may include a fifth interval <NUM> and a sixth interval <NUM>, and second legacy processing region <NUM> may include a seventh interval <NUM> and an eighth interval <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a process flow <NUM> for timing advance reporting for latency reduction. Process flow <NUM> may be implemented by a UE <NUM>-b and a base station <NUM>-b, as shown. UE <NUM>-b and base station <NUM>-b may be examples of aspects of a UE <NUM> and base station <NUM> as described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>.

At <NUM>, UE <NUM>-b may determine an UL TA associated with UE <NUM>-b. In some cases, the UL TA may be determined based on a distance between base station <NUM>-b and UE <NUM>-b.

At <NUM>, UE <NUM>-b may determine whether the UL TA determined in <NUM> exceeds a threshold. In some cases, UE <NUM>-b may determine that the UL TA crosses a threshold or is within a range relative to a threshold. The threshold may be a TAmax threshold as described above with reference to <FIG>. In some instances, multiple thresholds may be used in determining whether the UL TA exceeds, crosses, or falls within a range relative to one of the multiple thresholds.

At <NUM>, based on the determination in <NUM>, UE <NUM>-b may transmit an UL message to base station <NUM>-b. The UL message may include an indication of the UL TA value determined in <NUM>. In some instances, the UL message may include the UL TA value determined in <NUM>. In other instances, the UL message may indicate that the UL TA value crosses or is in a range relative to one or more thresholds.

At <NUM>, using information from or indicated by the UL message transmitted in <NUM>, base station <NUM>-b may determine a timing configuration to use for communication with UE <NUM>-b. The timing configuration may indicate a shorter or longer time delay between UL and DL transmission. The timing configuration may be selected from multiple timing configurations and may be based on the relative proximity of the UL TA value with respect to one or more thresholds. The timing configuration may be modified from a legacy timing configuration to a shortened timing configuration. In some examples, the timing configuration may indicate a longer time delay between UL and DL transmission.

At <NUM>, base station <NUM>-b may transmit according to the timing configuration determined in <NUM> to UE <NUM>-b. In some cases, the transmission may indicate the timing configuration or a change in timing configuration or may indicate the time delay to use for processing, which may then be used by UE <NUM>-b for communication with base station <NUM>-b.

<FIG> shows a block diagram <NUM> of a wireless device <NUM> that supports timing advance reporting for latency reduction in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Wireless device <NUM> may be an example of aspects of a UE <NUM> as described with reference to <FIG>. Wireless device <NUM> may include receiver <NUM>, UE timing manager <NUM>, and transmitter <NUM>. Wireless device <NUM> may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

Receiver <NUM> may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to timing advance reporting for latency reduction, etc.). Information may be passed on to other components of the device. The receiver <NUM> may be an example of aspects of the transceiver <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>.

UE timing manager <NUM> may be an example of aspects of the UE timing manager <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>.

UE timing manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions of the UE timing manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be executed by a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in the present disclosure. The UE timing manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations by one or more physical devices. In some examples, UE timing manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be a separate and distinct component in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In other examples, UE timing manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to a receiver, a transmitter, a transceiver, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or a combination thereof in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

UE timing manager <NUM> may determine an uplink timing advance for a UE based on a distance between the UE and a base station and transmit, to the base station, an uplink message that indicates the uplink timing advance.

<FIG> shows a block diagram <NUM> of a wireless device <NUM> that supports timing advance reporting for latency reduction in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Wireless device <NUM> may be an example of aspects of a wireless device <NUM> or a UE <NUM> as described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>. Wireless device <NUM> may include receiver <NUM>, UE timing manager <NUM>, and transmitter <NUM>. Wireless device <NUM> may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

UE timing manager <NUM> may be an example of aspects of the UE timing manager <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>. UE timing manager <NUM> may also include UE communication manager <NUM> and transmitting component <NUM>.

UE communication manager <NUM> may determine an uplink timing advance for a UE based on a distance between the UE and a base station. In some cases, the UE is capable of supporting communication via at least one of a PDCCH or an EPDCCH, or both.

Transmitting component <NUM> may transmit, to the base station, an uplink message that indicates the uplink timing advance and transmit multiple uplink messages to the base station, each of the multiple uplink messages indicating the timing advance for at least one of the multiple TAGs. In some cases, transmitting the uplink message includes periodically transmitting the uplink message. In some cases, the uplink message is transmitted based on the UE capability.

<FIG> shows a block diagram <NUM> of a UE timing manager <NUM> that supports timing advance reporting for latency reduction in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The UE timing manager <NUM> may be an example of aspects of a UE timing manager <NUM>, a UE timing manager <NUM>, or a UE timing manager <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>. The UE timing manager <NUM> may include UE communication manager <NUM>, transmitting component <NUM>, UE timing configuration component <NUM>, interval identification component <NUM>, UE reception component <NUM>, and group timing configuration component <NUM>. Each of these modules may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

UE timing configuration component <NUM> may determine that the uplink timing advance exceeds a threshold, where the uplink message is transmitted based on the determination that the threshold is exceeded and determine that the uplink timing advance has a value within a range of a maximum uplink timing advance value, where the uplink message is transmitted based on the determination that the uplink timing advance has the value within the range. In some cases, the indication of the timing configuration includes at least one of a TBS limit, a layer constraint, a CSI feedback limit, or a CCs limit, or any combination thereof. In some cases, the uplink timing advance is determined based on channel characteristic.

Interval identification component <NUM> may identify one or more intervals. In some cases, determining that the uplink timing advance has a value within the range includes identifying one or more intervals that represent an uplink timing advance value relative to the maximum uplink timing advance value, where the uplink message indicates at least one of the one or more intervals. In some cases, each of the one or more intervals has a same duration. In some cases, the one or more intervals have different durations. In some cases, the one or more intervals are UE-specific (e.g., based on a characteristic or capability of the particular UE).

UE reception component <NUM> may receive an indication of the one or more intervals from the base station, where the indication is UE-specific, and receive, from the base station, an indication of a timing configuration for the UE, the timing configuration based on the uplink timing advance.

Group timing configuration component <NUM> may determine timing for one or more TAGs. In some cases, determining the uplink timing advance includes determining a timing advance for each of multiple TAGs. In some cases, the uplink message indicates the timing advance for at least one of the multiple TAGs.

<FIG> shows a diagram of a system <NUM> including a device <NUM> that supports timing advance reporting for latency reduction in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Device <NUM> may be an example of or include the components of wireless device <NUM>, wireless device <NUM>, or a UE <NUM> as described above, e.g., with reference to <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>. Device <NUM> may include components for bi-directional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including UE timing manager <NUM>, processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, software <NUM>, transceiver <NUM>, antenna <NUM>, and I/O controller <NUM>. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more busses (e.g., bus <NUM>). Device <NUM> may communicate wirelessly with one or more base stations <NUM>.

Processor <NUM> may include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor <NUM> may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into processor <NUM>. Processor <NUM> may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting timing advance reporting for latency reduction).

Software <NUM> may include code to implement aspects of the present disclosure, including code to support timing advance reporting for latency reduction. Software <NUM> may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or other memory. In some cases, the software <NUM> may not be directly executable by the processor but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein.

<FIG> shows a block diagram <NUM> of a wireless device <NUM> that supports timing advance reporting for latency reduction in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Wireless device <NUM> may be an example of aspects of a base station <NUM> as described with reference to <FIG>. Wireless device <NUM> may include receiver <NUM>, base station timing manager <NUM>, and transmitter <NUM>. Wireless device <NUM> may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

Base station timing manager <NUM> may be an example of aspects of the base station timing manager <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>.

Base station timing manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions of the base station timing manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be executed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in the present disclosure. The base station timing manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations by one or more physical devices. In some examples, base station timing manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be a separate and distinct component in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In other examples, base station timing manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to a receiver, a transmitter, a transceiver, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or a combination thereof in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

Base station timing manager <NUM> may receive, from a UE, an uplink message that indicates an uplink timing advance for the UE, where the uplink timing advance is based on a distance between the UE and a base station and determine a timing configuration for the UE based on the uplink timing advance for the UE.

<FIG> shows a block diagram <NUM> of a wireless device <NUM> that supports timing advance reporting for latency reduction in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Wireless device <NUM> may be an example of aspects of a wireless device <NUM> or a base station <NUM> as described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>. Wireless device <NUM> may include receiver <NUM>, base station timing manager <NUM>, and transmitter <NUM>. Wireless device <NUM> may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

Base station timing manager <NUM> may also include communication manager <NUM> and timing configuration component <NUM>.

Communication manager <NUM> may receive, from a UE, an uplink message that indicates an uplink timing advance for the UE, where the uplink timing advance is based on a distance between the UE and a base station.

Timing configuration component <NUM> may determine a timing configuration for the UE based on the uplink timing advance for the UE, set one or more timing advance thresholds for one or more UEs based on capabilities of the one or more UEs, where the timing configuration for the UE is determined based on one or more of the timing advance thresholds, maintain a timing advance history for the UE based on the uplink timing advance, determine the timing configuration is based on the timing advance history, determine a timing advance report periodicity for the UE based on the timing advance history, and modify a reporting parameter for the UE based on the uplink timing advance. In some cases, determining the timing configuration includes setting multiple timing advance thresholds for the UE, where intervals between each of the multiple timing advance thresholds correspond to different timing configurations. In some cases, the modified reporting parameter includes at least one of a TBS limit, a layer constraint, a CSI feedback limit, or a CCs limit, or any combination thereof.

<FIG> shows a block diagram <NUM> of a base station timing manager <NUM> that supports timing advance reporting for latency reduction in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The base station timing manager <NUM> may be an example of aspects of a base station timing manager <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>. The base station timing manager <NUM> may include communication manager <NUM>, timing configuration component <NUM>, transmission component <NUM>, group timing configuration component <NUM>, timing analysis component <NUM>, and indication transmission component <NUM>. Each of these modules may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

Transmission component <NUM> may transmit an indication of the timing configuration to the UE in response to receiving the uplink message, transmit the timing advance report periodicity to the UE, and transmit the modified reporting parameter to the UE.

Group timing configuration component <NUM> may determine timing for one or more TAGs. In some cases, the uplink message includes one of a set of uplink messages, where each uplink message of the set of uplink messages indicates a timing advance for at least one of multiple TAGs. In some cases, determining the timing configuration includes determining the timing configuration for one or more of the multiple TAGs based on the indicated timing advance.

Timing analysis component <NUM> may determine that the uplink timing advance exceeds a threshold, where the timing configuration is determined based on the determination that the uplink timing advance exceeds the threshold and determine that the uplink timing advance has a value within a range of a maximum uplink timing advance value, where the timing configuration is determined based on the determination that the uplink timing advance has the value within the range. In some cases, determining that the uplink timing advance has a value within the range includes identifying one or more intervals that represent an uplink timing advance value relative to the maximum uplink timing advance value, where the uplink message indicates at least one of the one or more intervals. In some cases, each of the one or more intervals has a same duration. In some cases, the one or more intervals have different durations. In some cases, the one or more intervals are UE-specific.

Indication transmission component <NUM> may transmit an indication of the one or more intervals from the base station, where the indication is UE-specific.

<FIG> shows a diagram of a system <NUM> including a device <NUM> that supports timing advance reporting for latency reduction in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Device <NUM> may be an example of or include the components of base station <NUM> as described above, e.g., with reference to <FIG>. Device <NUM> may include components for bi-directional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including base station timing manager <NUM>, processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, software <NUM>, transceiver <NUM>, antenna <NUM>, network communications manager <NUM>, and base station communications manager <NUM>. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more busses (e.g., bus <NUM>). Device <NUM> may communicate wirelessly with one or more UEs <NUM>.

Processor <NUM> may include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor <NUM> may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into processor <NUM>. Processor <NUM> may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting timing advance reporting for latency reduction).

Base station communications manager <NUM> may manage communications with other base station <NUM>, and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications with UEs <NUM> in cooperation with other base stations <NUM>. For example, the base station communications manager <NUM> may coordinate scheduling for transmissions to UEs <NUM> for various interference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or joint transmission. In some examples, base station communications manager <NUM> may provide an X2 interface within an LTE/LTE-A wireless communication network technology to provide communication between base stations <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a flowchart illustrating a method <NUM> for timing advance reporting for latency reduction in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of method <NUM> may be implemented by a UE <NUM> or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of method <NUM> may be performed by a UE timing manager as described with reference to <FIG>. In some examples, a UE <NUM> may execute a set of codes to control the functional elements of the device to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE <NUM> may perform aspects the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At block <NUM> the UE <NUM> may determine an uplink timing advance for a UE based on a distance between the UE and a base station. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described with reference to <FIG>. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block <NUM> may be performed by a UE communication manager as described with reference to <FIG>.

At block <NUM> the UE <NUM> may transmit, to the base station, an uplink message that indicates the uplink timing advance. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described with reference to <FIG>. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block <NUM> may be performed by a transmitting component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At block <NUM> the UE <NUM> may receive, from the base station, an indication of a timing configuration for the UE, the timing configuration based on the uplink timing advance. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described with reference to <FIG>. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block <NUM> may be performed by a UE reception component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At block <NUM> the UE <NUM> may transmit multiple uplink messages to the base station, each of the multiple uplink messages indicating the timing advance for at least one of the multiple TAGs. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described with reference to <FIG>. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block <NUM> may be performed by a transmitting component as described with reference to <FIG>.

In some cases, determining the uplink timing advance includes determining a timing advance for each of multiple TAGs.

<FIG> shows a flowchart illustrating a method <NUM> for timing advance reporting for latency reduction in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of method <NUM> may be implemented by a base station <NUM> or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of method <NUM> may be performed by a base station timing manager as described with reference to <FIG>. In some examples, a base station <NUM> may execute a set of codes to control the functional elements of the device to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station <NUM> may perform aspects the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At block <NUM> the base station <NUM> may receive, from a UE, an uplink message that indicates an uplink timing advance for the UE, where the uplink timing advance is based on a distance between the UE and a base station. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described with reference to <FIG>. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block <NUM> may be performed by a communication manager as described with reference to <FIG>.

At block <NUM> the base station <NUM> may determine a timing configuration for the UE based on the uplink timing advance for the UE. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described with reference to <FIG>. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block <NUM> may be performed by a timing configuration component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At block <NUM> the base station <NUM> may transmit an indication of the timing configuration to the UE in response to receiving the uplink message. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described with reference to <FIG>. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block <NUM> may be performed by a transmission component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At block <NUM> the base station <NUM> may maintain a timing advance history for the UE based on the uplink timing advance. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described with reference to <FIG>. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block <NUM> may be performed by a timing configuration component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At block <NUM> the base station <NUM> may determine a timing advance report periodicity for the UE based on the timing advance history. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described with reference to <FIG>. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block <NUM> may be performed by a timing configuration component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At block <NUM> the base station <NUM> may transmit the timing advance report periodicity to the UE. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described with reference to <FIG>. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block <NUM> may be performed by a transmission component as described with reference to <FIG>.

The terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably. A code division multiple access (CDMA) system may implement a radio technology such as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), etc. CDMA2000 covers IS-<NUM>, IS-<NUM>, and IS-<NUM> standards. A time division multiple access (TDMA) system may implement a radio technology such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM).

An OFDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) <NUM> (Wi-Fi), IEEE <NUM> (WiMAX), IEEE <NUM>, Flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunications system (UMTS). "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP) LTE and LTE-A are releases of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, NR, and GSM are described in documents from the organization named "3GPP. While aspects an LTE or an NR system may be described for purposes of example, and LTE or NR terminology may be used in much of the description, the techniques described herein are applicable beyond LTE or NR applications.

In LTE/LTE-A networks, including such networks described herein, the term evolved node B (base station) may be generally used to describe the base stations. The wireless communications system or systems described herein may include a heterogeneous LTE/LTE-A or NR network in which different types of evolved node B (eNBs) provide coverage for various geographical regions. For example, each base station, gNB, or base station may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a small cell, or other types of cell. The term "cell" may be used to describe a base station, a carrier or component carrier associated with a base station, or a coverage area (e.g., sector, etc.) of a carrier or base station, depending on context.

Base stations may include or may be referred to by those skilled in the art as a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB), Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or some other suitable terminology. The geographic coverage area for a base station may be divided into sectors making up only a portion of the coverage area. The wireless communications system or systems described herein may include base stations of different types (e.g., macro or small cell base stations). The UEs described herein may be able to communicate with various types of base stations and network equipment including macro base stations, small cell base stations, gNBs, relay base stations, and the like. There may be overlapping geographic coverage areas for different technologies.

An base station for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro base station. An base station for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell base station, a pico base station, a femto base station, or a home base station. An base station may support one or multiple (e.g., two, three, four, and the like) cells (e.g., component carriers).

By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor.

The words "module," "mechanism," "element," "device," "component," and the like may not be a substitute for the word "means. " As such, no claim element is to be construed as a means plus function unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase "means for.

Claim 1:
A method for wireless communication, comprising:
a user equipment, UE, determining an uplink timing advance based at least in part on a distance between the UE and a base station (<NUM>);
determining that the uplink timing advance has a value within a range relative to a maximum uplink timing advance value, wherein determining that the uplink timing advance has a value within the range comprises identifying that the uplink timing advance value is within one or more of a defined set of intervals within the range that represent an uplink timing advance value relative to the maximum uplink timing advance value;
transmitting (<NUM>), to the base station, an uplink message, wherein the uplink message indicates at least one of the one or more intervals, wherein the uplink message is transmitted based at least in part on the indicated one or more uplink timing advance intervals , and wherein the uplink message excludes the value.