# US 11,909,561 B2 · Transmission in an inactive state

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- Number: US 11,909,561 B2
- Document ID: US11909561B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/586,957
- Filed: 2022-01-28
- Published: 2022-05-19
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2019-12-20
- Assignees: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Sanjeewa Herath; Javad Abdoli; Jianglei Ma
- Inventors: Sanjeewa Herath; Javad Abdoli; Jianglei Ma
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11909561B2

## CPC

- H04L 25/0226: {sounding signals per se}
- H04L 1/0061: {Error detection codes}
- H04L 5/0051: {of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal}
- H04W 56/0005: {synchronizing of arrival of multiple uplinks}
- H04W 56/0045: {compensating for timing error by altering transmission time}
- H04W 68/005: {Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication}
- H04W 72/23: in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
- H04W 76/11: Allocation or use of connection identifiers
- H04L 1/0003: {by switching between different modulation schemes}
- H04L 1/0009: {by adapting the channel coding (H04L1/1812 takes precedence)}
- H04W 76/27: Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide control signaling mechanisms to support data transmission by a user equipment (UE) that is in the RRC_INACTIVE state and, more generally, in any inactive state. Beyond simply supporting data transmission by a user equipment that is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, aspects of the present application provide mechanisms for configuring the UE for preamble transmission or sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission and for toggling between such transmissions. Aspects of the present application relate to mechanisms for enabling Timing Advance estimation, which mechanisms are not burdened with high overhead and which allow the UE to remain in the RRC_INACTIVE state.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
receiving, by a user equipment (UE) from a base station, a control message, the control message instructing the UE to configure a sounding reference signal (SRS) for SRS transmission in a radio resource control (RRC) inactive (RRC_INACTIVE) state, wherein the UE is in a RRC connected (RRC_CONNECTED) state;
responsive to the receiving the control message, entering, by the UE, into the RRC_INACTIVE state from the RRC_CONNECTED state; and
transmitting, by the UE, a sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission while in the RRC_INACTIVE state.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the SRS transmission comprises a semi-persistent SRS transmission.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising activating the semi-persistent SRS transmission responsive to receiving a media access control-control element (MAC-CE).

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising deactivating the semi-persistent SRS transmission responsive to receiving a media access control-control element (MAC-CE).

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 where the SRS transmission comprises a periodic SRS transmission.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, further comprising activating the periodic SRS transmission responsive to the receiving the control message.

### Claim 7

A user equipment (UE) comprising:
a receiver configured to receive, from a base station, a control message, the control message instructing the UE to configure a sounding reference signal (SRS) for SRS transmission in a radio resource control (RRC) inactive (RRC_INACTIVE) state, wherein the UE is in a RRC connected (RRC_CONNECTED) state;
a processor configured to, responsive to the receiving the control message, enter into the RRC_INACTIVE state from the RRC_CONNECTED state; and
a transmitter configured to transmit a SRS transmission while the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The UE of claim 7, wherein the SRS transmission comprises a semi-persistent SRS transmission.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The UE of claim 8, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the semi-persistent SRS transmission as activated by a media access control-control element (MAC-CE).

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The UE of claim 8, wherein the transmitter is further configured to cease transmitting the semi-persistent SRS transmission as deactivated by a media access control-control element (MAC-CE).

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The UE of claim 7, wherein the SRS transmission comprises a periodic SRS transmission.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The UE of claim 11 wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the semi-persistent SRS transmission responsive to the receiver receiving the control message.

### Claim 13

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, that when executed by a processor in a user equipment (UE), cause the processor to perform the following method:
receiving, from a base station, a control message, the control message instructing the UE to configure a sounding reference signal (SRS) for SRS transmission in a radio resource control (RRC) inactive (RRC_INACTIVE) state, wherein the UE is in a RRC connected (RRC_CONNECTED) state;
responsive to the receiving the control message, entering into the RRC_INACTIVE state from the RRC_CONNECTED state; and
transmitting a SRS transmission while in the RRC_INACTIVE state.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the SRS transmission comprises a semi-persistent SRS transmission.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises activating the semi-persistent SRS transmission responsive to receiving a media access control-control element (MAC-CE).

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises deactivating the semi-persistent SRS transmission responsive to receiving a media access control-control element (MAC-CE).

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the SRS transmission comprises a periodic SRS transmission.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises activating the periodic SRS transmission responsive to the receiving the control message.