Management

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This invention relates generally to wireless networks and, more specifically, relates to vehicle-to-everything (V2X) Radio Access Technology and connection and mobility management.

BACKGROUND

[0002] This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention disclosed below. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived, implemented or described. Therefore, unless otherwise explicitly indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section. Abbreviations that may be found in the specification and/or the drawing figures are defined below, after the main part of the detailed description section.

[0003] The next generation of wireless network is typically referred to as G. One important service that is to be introduced in 5G is V2X (vehicle-to-everything), which includes services to allow, for example, vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communications and vehicle to infrastructure/networks (V2I/N) communications.

BRIEF SUMMARY

[0004] This section is intended to include examples and is not intended to be limiting,

[0005] In an example of an embodiment, a method is disclosed that includes monitoring, by an in-vehicle user equipment having a connection established with a wireless network, data corresponding to a vehicle; determining, at the in-vehicle user equipment, that the vehicle is in a first vehicle operating state from among a set of vehicle operating states based on the monitored data, wherein the set of states comprises at least a driving state, a parked state, and locked state; transmitting, from the in-vehicle user equipment, an indication of the first vehicle operating state to the wireless network; and causing, by the in-vehicle user equipment, the connection of the user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized for the first vehicle operating state.

[0006] An additional example of an embodiment includes a computer program, comprising code for performing the method of the previous paragraph, when the computer program is run on a processor. The computer program according to this paragraph, wherein the computer program is a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium bearing computer program code embodied therein for use with a computer.

[0007] An example of an apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more memories including computer program code. The one or more memories and the computer program code are configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: monitoring, by an in-vehicle user equipment having a connection established with a wireless network, data corresponding to a vehicle; determining, at the in-vehicle user equipment, that the vehicle is in a first vehicle operating state from among a set of vehicle operating states based on the monitored data, wherein the set of states comprises at least a driving state, a parked state, and locked state; transmitting, from the in-vehicle user equipment, an indication of the first vehicle operating state to the wireless network; and optimizing, by the in- vehicle user equipment, the connection of the user equipment with the wireless network for the first vehicle operating state.

[0008] In another example of an embodiment, an apparatus comprises means for monitoring, by an in-vehicle user equipment having a connection established with a wireless network, data corresponding to a vehicle; means for determining, at the in- vehicle user equipment, that the vehicle is in a first vehicle operating state from among a set of vehicle operating states based on the monitored data, wherein the set of states comprises at least a driving state, a parked state, and locked state; means for transmitting, from the in-vehicle user equipment, an indication of the first vehicle operating state to the wireless network; and means for causing, by the in-vehicle user equipment, the connection of the user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized for the first vehicle operating state. [0009] In an example of an embodiment, a method is disclosed that includes receiving, from an in-vehicle user equipment having a connection established with a wireless network, an indication of a first vehicle operating state of a vehicle from among a set of vehicle operating states based on the monitored data, wherein the set of states comprises at least a driving state, a parked state, and locked state; and causing the connection of the user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized for the first vehicle operating state by at least one of: updating one or more timers associated with the in-vehicle user equipment, and applying a QoS or bearer profile from among a plurality of QoS or bearer profiles.

[0010] An additional example of an embodiment includes a computer program, comprising code for performing the method of the previous paragraph, when the computer program is run on a processor. The computer program according to this paragraph, wherein the computer program is a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium bearing computer program code embodied therein for use with a computer.

[0011] An example of an apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more memories including computer program code. The one or more memories and the computer program code are configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving, from an in-vehicle user equipment having a connection established with a wireless network, an indication of a first vehicle operating state of a vehicle from among a set of vehicle operating states based on the monitored data, wherein the set of states comprises at least a driving state, a parked state, and locked state; and causing the connection of the user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized for the first vehicle operating state by at least one of: updating one or more timers associated with the in-vehicle user equipment, and applying a QoS or bearer profile from among a plurality of QoS or bearer profiles.

[0012] In another example of an embodiment, an apparatus comprises means for receiving, from an in-vehicle user equipment having a connection established with a wireless network, an indication of a first vehicle operating state of a vehicle from among a set of vehicle operating states based on the monitored data, wherein the set of states comprises at least a driving state, a parked state, and locked state; and means for causing the connection of the user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized for the first vehicle operating state by at least one of: updating one or more timers associated with the in-vehicle user equipment, and applying a QoS or bearer profile from among a plurality of QoS or bearer profiles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In the attached Drawing Figures:

[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting exemplary system in which the exemplary embodiments may be practiced;

[0015] FIG. 2 is a state-diagram illustrating various vehicle operation states (VOS) in accordance with exemplary embodiments;

[0016] FIG. 3A is an example message flow diagram for connection management (CM) and mobility management (MM) in accordance with exemplary embodiments; and FIG. 3B is an example message flow diagram for QoS management and bearer management in accordance with exemplary embodiments;

[0017] FIGS. 4A and 4B are example message flow diagrams illustrating message types containing VOS information in accordance with exemplary embodiments;

[0018] FIGS. 5A-5C are message flow diagrams in accordance with exemplary embodiments;

[0019] FIGS. 6A and 6B are example signaling diagrams for VOS-aware network- initiated bearer signalling and VOS-aware UE-initiated bearer signalling, respectively; and

[0020] FIGS. 7 and 8 are logic flow diagrams for vehicle operation state aware connection and mobility management, and illustrate the operation of an exemplary method or methods, a result of execution of computer program instructions embodied on a computer readable memory, functions performed by logic implemented in hardware, and/or interconnected means for performing functions in accordance with exemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. All of the embodiments described in this Detailed Description are exemplary embodiments provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention which is defined by the claims.

[0022] Although the description refers to some LTE terms, this should not be seen as limiting, and the embodiments described herein are equally applicable to other wireless networks, such as 5G wireless network for example. For example, the LTE term 'eNB' is equally applicable to a 5G base station (commonly referred to as a 'gNB') for the purposes of the description below.

[0023] In the context of a data network, a 'bearer' is a set of network parameters that defines data-specific treatment, which includes traffic prioritization, discontinuous reception (DRX), maximum throughput limits or guarantees, target delays, allocation and retention priority, etc. In Radio Access Technologies (RAT) such as UMTS and LTE, bearers have associated QoS-related parameters, such as delay target, scheduler priority value, DRX parameters, for example. These QoS-related parameters are used by the packet scheduler; and are mapped by QoS Class Indicators (QCI). In most cases, QCIs are assigned to a bearer based solely on the traffic type the bearer carries (for example, voice, video, data) or the associated MNO MVNO of the traffic source. The bearer mapping and the associated QCIs assignments are typically at the beginning of a call session, and not reassigned to provide the best quality of experience (QoE) to a user or thing (for example, a vehicle) at different times within a call session. For traditional use cases such as voice and web data for indoor users, pedestrians, and nomadic users, this is suitable as the radio quality and user Quality of Experience (QoE) targets would normally be similar throughout the session. However, when the device is inside a vehicle, the radio quality may vary significantly within a given session, and the latency and throughput requirements of applications may vary depending on how the vehicle is being used. This could lead to undesirable QoE for the in-vehicle device or user when the QoS assignment of the bearer configuration is based only on the data type or MNO/MVNO of the data source. Mismatches of the varying user-plane QoE requirements under different vehicle operation states with the statically provisioned QoS would lead to inefficient use of user-plane radio resources, strong interference due to congestion, and ultimately poorer network-wide KPIs. [0024] Mobility Management (MM) refers to the management of UE location and routing information held by the core network. Connection Management (CM) refers to the management of signaling connections between the UEs and the core network. MM and CM are independent but have some relation, for example, prior to registering a UE's location and routing information by the core network there must first be an established first signaling connection between the core network and the UE. Both MM and CM require control message communication (for example, EUTRA : RRC and SI) to perform the MM and CM procedures. The radio, access, and computing resources dedicated for CM and MM may be non-trivial for deployments with a large number of UEs per cell and may be the limiting factor to a base station's capacity in such situations. Therefore, effectively managing the amount of signaling for CM and MM to maximize the BS's signaling capacity while maintaining KPIs such as packet latency and attach time is necessary.

[0025] Traditionally, default and UE-specific parameters are either statically configured or dynamically configured for CM and MM based on the data traffic type. This is suitable for traditional use cases such as voice and web data for indoor users, pedestrians, and nomadic users, where the radio quality and user Quality of Experience (QoE) targets would normally be similar throughout the session. However, when a device is inside a vehicle, the radio quality may significantly vary within a session, and the latency requirements of applications may vary depending on how the vehicle is used. This would lead to undesirable QoE for the in-vehicle device or an overload in signaling, or both. Another issue is that there may be a mismatch of the control-plane requirements under statically provisioned CM and MM parameters that would lead to inefficient use of control-plane radio resources, and ultimately poorer network-wide KPIs.

[0026] Mobility state information has been used for other optimizations, such as in the following documents: A. Prasad, P. Lunden, O. Tirkkonen, C. Wijting, Mobility State Based Inter-Frequency Small Cell Discovery for Heterogenous Networks, Proc. IEEE 24 ^lh Annual Int'l Symp. on Personal, Indoor, and Mobile Radio Comms. (PIMRC), pp. 2057-2061, 2013; D. Wu, et. al, An Enhanced Mobility State Estimation Based Handover Optimization Algorithm in LTE-A Self-organizing Network, Proc. 6 ^th Int'l. Conf. on Ambient Sys., Networks and Tech. (A T-2015); and US Patent Publication No. US 20080119209 Al. [0027] These studies utilize heuristics of the vehicle mobility (speed) to perform optimization of radio-related parameters. However each one of these references suffers from one or more of the following disadvantages: failure to account for whether the vehicle is being driven, is parked, or is locked; failure to optimize the bearer and QoS assignments and the connection and mobility management of the radio connection; and failure to adjust CM/MM timers based on the VOS, leading to unsatisfactory in-vehicle UE QoE and un-optimized utilization of energy, computing and radio resources of V2X networks.

[0028] The exemplary embodiments herein describe techniques for vehicle operation state aware connection and mobility management and for vehicle operation state aware QoS and bearer management.

[0029] Additional description of these techniques is presented after a system into which the exemplary embodiments may be used is described.

[0030] Turning to FIG. 1, this figure shows a block diagram of one possible and non- limiting exemplary system in which the exemplary embodiments may be practiced. In FIG. 1, a user equipment (UE) 110 is in wireless communication with a wireless network 100. A UE is a wireless, typically mobile device that can access a wireless network. The UE 110 includes one or more processors 120, one or more memories 125, and one or more transceivers 130 interconnected through one or more buses 127. Each of the one or more transceivers 130 includes a receiver, Rx, 132 and a transmitter, Tx, 133. The one or more buses 127 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optics or other optical communication equipment, and the like. The one or more transceivers 130 are connected to one or more antennas 128. The one or more memories 125 include computer program code 123. The UE 110 includes a VOS module, comprising one of or both parts 140-1 and/or 140-2, which may be implemented in a number of ways. The VOS module may be implemented in hardware as VOS module 140-1 , such as being implemented as part of the one or more processors 120. The VOS module 140-1 may be implemented also as an integrated circuit or through other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the VOS module may be implemented as VOS module 140-2, which is implemented as computer program code 123 and is executed by the one or more processors 120. For instance, the one or more memories 125 and the computer program code 123 may be configured to, with the one or more processors 120, cause the user equipment 110 to perform one or more of the operations as described herein. The UE 110 communicates with eNB 170 via a wireless link 111.

[0031] The eNB (evolved NodeB) 170 is a base station (such as for LTE, long term evolution, for example) that provides access by wireless devices such as the UE 110 to the wireless network 100. The eNB 170 includes one or more processors 152, one or more memories 155, one or more network interfaces (N/W I/F(s)) 161, and one or more transceivers 160 interconnected through one or more buses 157. Each of the one or more transceivers 160 includes a receiver, Rx, 162 and a transmitter, Tx, 163. The one or more transceivers 160 are connected to one or more antennas 158. The one or more memories 155 include computer program code 153. The eNB 170 includes a configuration module, comprising one of or both parts 150-1 and/or 150-2, which may be implemented in a number of ways. The configuration module may be implemented in hardware as configuration module 150-1, such as being implemented as part of the one ormore processors 152. The configuration module 150-1 may be implemented also as an integrated circuit or through other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the configuration module may be implemented as configuration module 150-2, which is implemented as computer program code 153 and is executed by the one or more processors 152. For instance, the one or more memories 155 and the computer program code 153 are configured to, with the one or more processors 152, cause the eNB 170 to perform one or more of the operations as described herein. The one or more network interfaces 161 communicate over a network such as via the links 176 and 131. Two or more eNBs 170 communicate using, for example, link 176. The link 176 may be wired or wireless or both and may implement, for example, an X2 interface.

[0032] The one or more buses 157 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optics or other optical communication equipment, wireless channels, and the like. For example, the one or more transceivers 160 may be implemented as a remote radio head (RRH) 195, with the other elements of the eNB 170 being physically in a different location from the RRH, and the one or more buses 157 could be implemented in part as fiber optic cable to connect the other elements of the eNB 170 to the RRH 195. [0033] It is noted that description herein indicates that "cells" perform functions, but it should be clear that the eNB that forms the cell will perform the functions. The cell makes up part of an eNB. That is, there can be multiple cells per eNB. For instance, there could be three cells for a single eNB carrier frequency and associated bandwidth, each cell covering one-third of a 360 degree area so that the single eNB's coverage area covers an approximate oval or circle. Furthermore, each cell can correspond to a single carrier and an eNB may use multiple carriers. So if there are three 120 degree cells per carrier and two carriers, then the eNB has a total of 6 cells.

[0034] The wireless network 100 may include one or more network control elements (NCE) 190 that may include MME (Mobility Management Entity) and/or SGW (Serving Gateway) functionality, and which provides connectivity with a further network, such as a telephone network and/or a data communications network (for example, the Internet). The eNB 170 is coupled via a link 131 to the NCE 190. The link 131 may be implemented as, e.g., an SI interface. The NCE 190 includes one or more processors 175, one or more memories 171, and one or more network interfaces (NAV I/F(s)) 180, interconnected through one or more buses 185. The one or more memories 171 include computer program code 173. The one or more memories 171 and the computer program code 173 are configured to, with the one or more processors 175, cause the NCE 190 to perform one or more operations.

[0035] The wireless network 100 may implement network virtualization, which is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functionality into a single, software-based administrative entity, a virtual network. Network virtualization involves platform virtualization, often combined with resource virtualization. Network virtualization is categorized as either external, combining many networks, or parts of networks, into a virtual unit, or internal, providing network-like functionality to software containers on a single system. Note that the virtualized entities that result from the network virtualization are still implemented, at some level, using hardware such as processors 1 2 or 175 and memories 155 and 171, and also such virtualized entities create technical effects.

[0036] The computer readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The computer readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be means for performing storage functions. The processors 120, 152, and 175 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment, and may include one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The processors 120, 152, and 175 may be means for performing functions, such as controlling the UE 110, eNB 170, and other functions as described herein.

[0037] In general, the various embodiments of the user equipment 110 can include, but are not limited to, an in-vehicle UE (for example on-board equipment or other equipment such as a cell phone inside the vehicle), cellular telephones such as smart phones, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs) having wireless communication capabilities, portable computers having wireless communication capabilities, image capture devices such as digital cameras having wireless communication capabilities, gaming devices having wireless communication capabilities, music storage and playback appliances having wireless communication capabilities, Internet appliances permitting wireless Internet access and browsing, tablets with wireless communication capabilities, as well as portable units or terminals that incorporate combinations of such functions.

[0038] Having thus introduced one suitable but non-limiting technical context for the practice of the exemplary embodiments of this invention, the exemplary embodiments will now be described with greater specificity.

[0039] Example embodiments herein relate to the vehicle operation state (VOS), for example whether the vehicle is travelling, idling, unoccupied, etc. It is noted that VOS is in some ways associated with mobility state (i.e. speed) since idling and unoccupied vehicles are normally immobile, however the embodiments described herein are relevant regardless of a vehicle's speed. For example, when a vehicle is driving, regardless of speed, safety related message delivery latency is more critical compared to when the vehicle is parked. Non- limiting examples of safety related messages include DS C basic safety messages, ETSI Cooperative Awareness Messages, road hazard warnings, and work zone warnings. So inactivity timers can be set to higher value when the vehicle is driving to keep the vehicle longer in connected mode (for example, LTE: RPvC_CONNECTED) and thus reduce initial packet latency. The value of the inactivity timer does not have to change based on vehicle speed itself but merely on the vehicle's operation state as will be described in more detail below.

Vehicle Operation States

[0040] According to example embodiments, an in-vehicle UE (for example, on-board equipment or other equipment such as a cell phone inside the vehicle) has an apparatus that detects the VOS. Referring to FIG. 2, this figure is a state-diagram showing the relationship between different vehicle operation states. In particular, three primary vehicle operation states are shown, namely, VOS JDPJVING 202, VOS_PARKED 204, and VOS _^ LOCKED 206; and two secondary vehicle operation states are shown, namely, VOS_NON-DRTVING 208 and VOSJJNLOCKED 210. The various states shown in FIG. 2 may be used for user plane and control plane optimization. The primary vehicle operation states are defined as follows:

• VOS_DRTVING: A vehicle is actively being driven, for example, by a passenger or by the vehicle itself;

• VOS_PARKED: A vehicle is not actively being driven (for example, the vehicle is not being driven by a passenger or driving itself), and the vehicle accessories are unlocked for use;

• VOS_LOCKED: Vehicle accessories either are OFF or locked out.

[0041] The Secondary Vehicle Operation States are defined as follows:

• VOS_UNLOCKED: This state is the union of VOS_DRTVING 202 and VOS_PARKED 204; complement of VOS_LOCKED 206.

• VOS_NON-DRIVING: The union of VOS_PARKED 204 and VOSJLOCKED VOS 206; complement of VOS_ DRIVING 202.

[0042] In the VOS_DRTvTNG 202 state, it is assumed that the driver is operating the movement of the vehicle. Alternatively, the vehicle may be (semi)-autonomously driving. The vehicle does not need to be in motion, and the engine and electric motors do not need to be running to be in VOS_DRJVING 202. Normally, the vehicle is on the road, is involved in the road traffic, and may require low-latency connectivity for road safety messages or vehicle driving related messages.

[0043] In the VOS_LOCKED 206 state, at least some of the vehicle's accessories and functionalities, including navigation, infotainment, etc. are disabled. However, the vehicle's radio itself may be powered ON, for applications such as remote engine start, remote (un)locking, remote vehicle diagnostics, vehicle software updates, etc. These applications normally do not require a high priority in terms of latency since the vehicle is usually without passengers when the vehicle ignition is locked.

[0044] In the VOS_ PARKED 204 state, since the vehicle is not being driven, the vehicle is stationary (assuming that it is not being transported). However, since there are likely passengers inside the vehicle while the ignition is not locked, broadband connectivity for various applications such as infotainment and navigation are available. Some of these applications may require a guaranteed end-user Quality of Service.

VOS aware QoS and Bearer Management Components and Signaling Flow

[0045] FIGS. 3A and 3Bshow message flow diagrams in accordance with exemplary embodiments. In particular, the example shown in FIG. 3A is for connection management (CM) and mobility management (MM). FIG. 3A includes an in-vehicle user equipment 310 (corres onding to UE 110 for example) and radio/core network 350 component (corresponding to eNB 170 and/or NCE 190, for example). The in-vehicle UE 310 includes a VOS detector 312 that accepts data from the vehicle. Such data may be accepted from, for example, speedometer, key ignition status, and drivetrain status such as transmission or gearbox status. Alternatively, vehicle location data may be accepted (such as GPS data for example). From these inputs, the VOS detector determines a VOS value and transmits the VOS value utilizing the VOS data transmitter 314 to the radio/core network 350. For example, the VOS value may be sent to a connection manager (CM) and/or mobility manager (MM) in the radio network (for example a base station) via the wireless link (for example LTE Uu) or core network via the wireless and wired connection (for example LTE eNB-MME SI link).

[0046] In some example embodiments, the VOS detector 312 informs a timer change request (TCR) controller 316 within the in-vehicle UE 310. The TCR controller 316 then sends a TCR message to the Radio/Core Network 350 (for example CM/MM) via TCR transmitter 318.

[0047] The radio/core network 350 includes a VOS data receiver 351 and/or TCR receiver 352 for receiving the VOS value and/or TCR message, respectively. Based on this received information, a VOS aware CM/MM 353 changes or adjusts any one of the timers used in CM/MM of the in-vehicle UE 310. The changed timers govern the behavior of the CM/MM procedures. These timers may include for example: inactivity timer 355; idle-mode DRX/paging timer 354; periodic tracking area update timer 356, etc. Through the VOS-aware control plane, the optimized timing of the CM/MM state transitions improve the end user QoE, energy utilization, radio resource utilization, and network signaling capacity.

[0048] Referring now to FIG. 3B, this figure shows a message flow diagram for QoS and bearer management in accordance with example embodiments. FIG, 3B also includes in- vehicle user equipment or another network entity 310 and radio/core network 350 component (corresponding to eNB 170 and/or NCE 190, for example). The other network entity may be for example, any entity that centrally collects the location reports from one or more vehicles, and uses that to determine the VOS of each vehicle. The in- vehicle UE 310 includes a VOS detector 312 that accepts similar data as describe with reference to FIG. 3 A from the vehicle. The VOS detector 312 determines a VOS value, and the VOS value is sent via VOS data transmitter 314. The VOS value is received at the VOS data receiver 351 of the radio/core network 350 (e.g. base station or core network via a wireless and/or wired connection), which is then passed to the VOS aware QoS and bearer manager 383.

[0049] Alternatively, the VOS detector 312 may inform the bearer request controller 380 of the VOS value, which then sends a bearer connect, disconnect, or change request to the VOS aware QoS and bearer manager 383, namely, by utilizing the bearer request transmitter 381 and bearer request receiver 382.

[0050] The VOS aware QoS and bearer manager 383 then terminates, or reassigns the bearer and/or modifies the QoS assignment or parameterization of the bearer based on the received VOS information or the bearer connect/disconnect/change request. In some embodiments, services (such as voice, video, proximity services (ProSe), V2X safety services, for example) may adapt QoS to the momentary conditions of the VOS.

[0051] The VOS-aware QoS and bearer manager 383 may, for example, reside at a packet data network (PDN) gateway of the network, which assigns or reassigns the transport network bearers and their QoS. Based on the QoS and bearer (re)assignments, the transport layer, for example, at transport IP traffic prioritization 384 may then prioritize IP traffic based on the new bearer assignments and QoS parameters. In some examples, the VOS-aware QoS and Bearer manager may reside in a base station's radio resource manager (REM) which determines the radio bearers and their QoS. In parallel to the transport layer, at the radio layer, the radio packet scheduler 385 and the radio admission control 386 may optimize radio resource allocations based on the bearer and QoS. Accordingly, through the VOS aware QoS and bearer manager 383, the optimized transport and radio resource allocations benefit the end user QoE and the network KPI.

VOS-aware CM and MM Manager Operation

[0052] VOS-aware idle-mode DRX/paging timer (Mobility Management): A UE, while in idle-mode, can choose to implement discontinuous reception (DRX) on most radio frames in order to save energy, except on the radio frames where it may receive a paging message. When the UE-specific DRX timer (for example eDRX cycle) is long, the UE is able to conserve more energy, but suffers from longer average paging delays. The longer paging delays directly increase the duration of the connection establishment and the end-to-end latency of the first-arriving packets. The following table shows the relative values of a VOS-aware idle-mode DRX/paging timer 354 (or paging period):

Table 1

[0053] Table 1 above describes the mechanism for VOS-aware idle-mode DRX timer and paging timers. It can be algorithmically interpreted as follows: Let there be three pre-defined paging timer (i.e. eDRX cycle) profiles, labeled PTJD, PT_P, and PTJL, wherein the timer values have the following relation: PT_D < PT_P < PTJL. The actual values for each timer are implementation-specific. The paging timer specific to the UE is set or reset to PT JD under the VOS_DRIVING state; PT_P under the VOS_PARKED state; and to PTJL under VOS_LOCKED state. [0054] VOS-aware inactivity timer (Connection Management): The inactivity timer 355 defines the period for the indication of UE inactivity in both the DL and UL directions. When the inactivity timer for a UE expires, a UE in connected mode is sent to idle mode. A high value of the inactivity timer reduces the average latency in sending new packets (and improves QoE) to the UE, but lets the UE eat up more radio, computing, and energy resources. The following table shows the relative values for VOS-aware inactivity timer value for each VOS:

Table 2

[0055] Table 2 describes the mechanism for VOS-aware inactivity timers. It can be algorithmically interpreted as follows: Let there be three pre-defined inactivity timer profiles, labelled IT_D, IT_P, and IT_L, wherein the timer values have the ff. relation: IT_D < IT_P < IT_L. The actual values for each timer are implementation-specific. The paging timer specific to the UE is set or reset to IT_D under the VOS_DRIVT G state; IT_P under the VOS_PARKED state; and to IT L under VOSJLOCKED state.

[0056] VOS-aware penodic tracking area update timer (Mobility Management): The periodic tracking area update (TAU) timer defines the period for the next UE-triggered TAU since the last received TAU accept message or ATTACH accept message. When the TAU timer for a UE expires, the UE initiates a TAU request in order to provide a fresh update of its location to the core network. A high value of the TAU timer reduces the average amount of TAU signaling but increases the chances for unreachable UEs when being paged. A VOS-aware TAU timer value for each UE is, as follows: VOS state Periodic TAU Impact timer Relative

Value

VOS_DRTVING Low TAU must be more frequent for

VOS_DRIVING UEs because of vehicle movement.

VOS NON- High VOS LOCKED and VOSJPARKED UEs DRIVING are immobile, which reduces their chances of being unreachable during paging.

Periodic TAU timer is set to a high relative value to save on signaling messages

Table 3

[0057] Table 3 above describes the mechanism for VOS-aware Periodic Tracking Update timers. It can be algorithmically interpreted as follows: Let there be two predefined Periodic TAU timer profiles, labelled TT_D and TTJSf, wherein the timer values have the ff. relation: TT_D < TT_N. The actual values for each timer are implementation-specific. The periodic TAU timer specific to the UE is set or reset to TT D under the VOS_DRrVTNG state; and to TT_N under VOS_NON-DRTVTNG state.

VOS-aware QoS and Bearer Manager Operation

[0058] The VOS-aware QoS and bearer manager may optimize the user-plane's QoS and bearer configurations depending on VOS of the UE.

[0059] Voice or Video Quality Optimization'. According to some embodiments, the VOS-aware QoS and bearer manager may shorten voice or video bearer delay and packet loss targets to compensate for increased sound noise and radio channel variation during driving, such as shown in the following table for example:

VOS_NON- High The reduced in-cabin noise DRTVING would naturally improve the perceived voice quality, allowing for reduced use of radio resources. The very low Doppler radio channel would provide better link budgets, thus the requiring reduced use of radio resources. Therefore, reduced delay target and packet loss target for the UE under VOS_NON- DRIVING.

Table 4

[0060] Table 4 illustrates QoS and bearer assignment criterion to optimize voice or video quality, and can be algorithmically interpreted as follows: Let there be two bearer or QoS profiles, labelled QCI_VD and QCI_VN, wherein the delay target of QCI_VD is less than that of QCI_VN (QCI_VD_DT < QCI_VN_DT) and/or packet loss target of QCI_VD is less than that of QCI_VN (QCI_VD_PLT < QCI_VN_PLT). The QCI or bearer profile for incoming voice packet is (re)assigned by the manager to QCI_VD under the VOS_DPJVTNG state, and (re)assigned to QCIJVN under VOS_NON- DRIVING state.

[0061] Data service latency: Under VOS_LOCKED, there is no need for stringent delay target requirements for data services, simply because mobile broadband applications that benefit from the stricter delay targets are disabled. There is also no need for short DRX operation under VOS_LOCKED, since strict latency is not required. Accordingly, when the vehicle is VOS_LOCKED, bearers may be (re)assigned for the in-vehicle device with least-stringent latency requirements, and bearer-s ecific admission control may be applied to the re(assigned) bearers. For VOS- DRT TNG, the highest priority for radio resource use should be for safety applications, therefore, the priority and latency under VOS-DRTVTNG should be set at a medium level. Under VOS_PARKED, non-safety related data can be given the highest priority and lowest latency since the vehicle is not participating in road traffic and thus has reduced need for traffic safety transmission and reception. For example, the following table shows operation of the QoS and bearer manager to optimize the use radio resources for non-safety V2X applications: VOS state Bearer / QoS Assignment Impact

VOS_PARKED Low Latency or High Best QoE for mobile

priority Bearer / QoS for broadband data services and non-safety applications safety applications,

VOS_DRIVING Medium Latency or medium Give scheduling priority to priority Bearer / QoS for safety related applications. non-safety applications

VOS_LOCKED High Latency or low priority Frees up radio bearers and

Bearer / QoS for non-safety radio resources which other applications VOSJJNLOCKED users and services can utilize.

Table 5

[0062] Table 5 may be algorithmically interpreted as follows: Let there be three bearer or QoS profiles, labelled QCI_NSP, QCI_NSD, QCI_NSL, wherein the scheduler priority of each is as follows: QCI_NSP_PRIO > QCI_NSD_PRIO > QCI_NSL_PRIO. The QCI or bearer profile for incoming non-safety data packet is (re) assigned by the manager to QCI_NSP under the VOS_PARKED state; QCI_NSD under the VOS_DRTVLNG state; and to QCI_NSL under VOS_LOCKED state.

[0063] Sidelink Bearer (re)assignment: V2V is a proximity-based service and may use a 'sidelink' for communication between vehicles, similar to D2D as defined in 3 GPP R-12 for example. As such, the sidelink allows direct communications between neighboring vehicles. In some use cases, there is no need to activate the sidelink (e.g. in LTE: PC5) bearers with guaranteed QoS for vehicle-to-vehicle communication of safety information when the vehicle is VOSJNf ON-DRIVING. Therefore, deactivating existing sidelink bearers with guaranteed QoS when the vehicle is VOS NON- DRTVTNG frees up radio and computational resources for sidelink and uplink. The following table shows the QoS and bearer assignment criterion to (re)assign sidelink bearers: VOS state Bearer / QoS Assignment Impact

VOS_DRLVING (re)assign safety services to Reduced latency benefits

Sidelink Bearers with safety applications of the guaranteed QoS or QoS with user.

higher priority metric

VOS NON- (re)assign safety services to Frees up radio bearers and DRIVING Sidelink Bearers with no radio resources which other

: guaranteed QoS or QoS with VOS_DRIVING users and lower priority metric services can utilize for

safety applications.

Table 6

[0064] Table 6 can be algorithmically interpreted as follows: Let there be two bearer or QoS profiles, labelled QCI_SD and QCI_SN, wherein QCI_SD has a guaranteed bit rate and QCI_SN has a non-guaranteed bit rate. Alternatively, QCI_SD is a bearer with higher priority than QCI_SN. The QCI or bearer profile for the incoming sidelink data is (re)assigned by the manager to QCI_SD under the VOSJDRTVTNG state, and (reassigned to QCI_SN under VOS_NON-DRTvTNG state.

[0065] The use cases for VOS-aware user-plane and control-plane optimization described herein are merely exemplary, and it should be appreciated that other use cases are also possible.

[0066] According to example embodiments, the VOS may be detected (for example at the UE 110) as follows:

• VOS_DRTVTNG is detected when all the following conditions hold true:

o The vehicle ignition switch is not set to LOCK/OFF (ignition switch is set to ACC, ON, or START);

o The transmission is not set to PARK (transmission is set to DRIVE, NEUTRAL, REVERSE, or a gear number such as 1, 2, 3...); and the parking break is not applied.

• VOS_PARKED is detected when all the following conditions hold true:

o The vehicle ignition switch is not set to LOCK/OFF; o The transmission is set to PARK or the parking break is applied.

• VOSJLOCKED is detected when the vehicle ignition switch is set to LOCK OFF.

[0067] The VOS detection apparatus may be implementation specific. VOS states are not necessarily synchronous with the transition of the vehicle's mechanical transmission and ignition states. For example, from VOS_DRTVTNG, once the transmission is set to PARK, there can be a hysteresis timer, Ti,y _S t, before VOS_PARKED is triggered. On the other hand, the transition from VOS_DRTVING to VOS_PARKED may be triggered once the vehicle speed reaches below a certain speed limit, Snmit (typically Sumit = 0), over a certain amount of time, Tspeed-

[0068] In some example embodiments, VOS messages and/or TCR request messages may be sent only after a switch in VOS is detected in order to conserve signaling bandwidth. The VOS messages and/or TCR request messages may be included in, for example, 3 GPP RRC and NAS messaging such as in a new information element (IE), denoted herein as "vehOpState-rl5". The vehOpState-rl5 EE may include the following enumeration: {VOS_DRTVING, VOS_PARKED, VOSJLOCKED, RESERVED} . In some examples, the vehOpState IE may be a part of a standardized uplink RRC uplink message types, such as:

• RRCConnectionSetupComplete;

• RRCConnectionResumeComplete;

• ULInformationTransfer (NAS message).

[0069] In some example embodiments, when there is a VOS change while the UE is in RRC CONNECTED , than an RRCVehicleOpStatelnformation message type, which includes the vehOpState-rl5 IE, may be sent. The ULInformationTransfer including the vehOpState-rl5 IE may piggyback on the RRCVehicleOpStatelnformation message as an optional component,

[0070] FIG. 4A is a message flow diagram for connection management (CM) and mobility management (MM) in accordance with exemplary embodiments. At 422, the in- vehicle UE 402 detects a VOS change, and then indicates this change to the radio access network 404 via a VOS change message 424. The VOS change message 424 may be one of RRCConnectionSetupComplete; RRCConnectionResumeComplete; RRCVehicleOpStatelnformation; and UplinklnformationTransfer, and include the vehOpState-15 IE. The radio access network may then send the indication of the change in the in-vehicle UE's VOS to the Mobility Management Entity (MME) 406 via a message 426, such as an uplink NAS transport message. At 429, the MME 406 may update one or more timers to account for the change of VOS detected by the in-vehicle UE 402.

[0071] FIG. 4B is a message flow diagram for QoS and bearer management in accordance with exemplary embodiments. In the example shown in FIG. 4B, steps 422 and 424 are similar to the steps shown in FIG. 4A. In the example shown in FIG. 4B, the radio access network sends an indication of the change in the in-vehicle UE's VOS to the PDN gateway 438 via a message 426, such as an uplink NAS transport message. At 429, the PDN gateway 438 may (re)assign the bearer and/or modify the QoS assignment or parameterization of the bearer based on the received VOS information or the bearer connect/disconnect/change request.

[0072] Referring now to FIG. 5A, this figure is a message flow diagram for an example VOS-aware Idle-mode DRX/paging timer procedure and result. In this example, an in- vehicle UE 502 detects a change in VOS, and transmits a VOS message 508 to the radio access network 504. After the eDRX cycle assignment 510 by the mobility manager of the RAN 504, the assigned eDRX cycle is announced 512 to the in-vehicle UE 502. According to an example embodiment, the announcement 512 of the eDRX cycle may be the systemInfoModification-eDRX-rl3 IE of the paging message in 3GPP EUTRAN (see TS 36.331). The UE 502 and RAN 504 each configure the eDRX cycle, as shown by blocks 514 and 516, respectively, and use this cycle to govern the frequency of the paging messages 518.

[0073] Referring now to FIG. 5B, this figure is a message flow diagram for an example VOS-aware Inactivity Timer procedure and result. In this example, the in-vehicle UE 502 detects a change in the VOS 526, and transmits a VOS message 528 to the RAN 504. The connection manager of the RAN 504 assigns a UE-specific inactivity timer 530 and uses the UE-specific inactivity timer to detect when the UE 504 is inactive 532 to govern when to release the UE 502 into idle-mode. Within the 3GPP EUTRAN and SAE standards, the UE CONTEXT RELEASE REQUEST 534 and UE CONTEXT RELEASE COMMAND 536 messages between the RAN 504 and the MME 505 may be used to release the UE context, and the RRCConneciionRelease message 538 may be used to command the release of the UE 504 from connected mode to idle mode.

[0074] Referring now to FIG. 5C, this figure is a message flow diagram for an example VOS-aware Periodic TAU Timer procedure and result. In this example, the in-vehicle UE 502 detects a change in the VOS 540, and transmits a VOS message 542 to the RAN 504, which is then sent to the MME 505. The MME 505 performs assigns a PTAU timer 544 and announces the PTAU timer 546 to the RAN 504, and the RAN 504 announces the PTAU timer to the in- vehicle 502. The in-vehicle UE 502 configures the PTAU timer 548.Within the 3 GPP SAW context, the periodic TAU timer may labeled as T3412, and be announced to the in-vehicle UE 502 as part of an ATTACH ACCEPT message. The in-vehicle UE 502 uses the configured PTAU timer while it is in Idle- mode 550 in order to govern the frequency of the TAU requests. Within the 3 GPP SAE context, after expiry of the timer, the TAU request may be sent through the TRACKING AREA UPDATE REQUEST message 552.

[0075] The three elementary procedures for QoS and Bearer Management are activation (also known as set-up or assignment), modification (also known as reassignment), and deactivation (also known as release). These procedures may be either network initiated or UE-initiated, and apply to radio (between UE and RAN), RAB (between RAN and Core network), and NAS (between UE and Core) bearers. Within the 3 GPP context, for example, the associated signalling for bearer activation / modification / deactivation are described in TS 36.413 for radio and RAB bearers and TS 24.301 for NAS bearers.

[0076] The network initiated bearer management procedures are triggered by the VOS- aware QoS Bearer Manager, while the corresponding UE initiated processes are triggered by the bearer request controller of the UE.

[0077] Referring now to FIGS. 6A and 6B, these figures show example signaling diagrams for VOS-aware QoS and Bearer Management procedures. Figure 6A illustrates VOS-aware network-initiated bearer signalling according to an example embodiment. In FIG. 6 A, the in-vehicle UE (such as UE 110 for example) detects a VOS at 608, and transmits a VOS message 610 to the radio access network 604. The radio access network 604 also sends a VOS message 612 to the core network 606 indicating the detected VOS state of the in-vehicle UE 602. At blocks 614, 616 the radio access network 604 and core network 606 determine the radio bearer and QoS and E- RAB and NAS Bearer and QoS, respectively. Signalling is performed to activate/modify/deactivate the bearers as shown in FIG. 6A via Radio/NAS bearer request and accept messages 620, 622 and RAB NAS bearer request and accept messages 618, 624. Then, the in-vehicle UE 602 activates/modifies/deactivates the radio/NAS bearer as shown at 626; the radio access network 604 activates/modifies/deactivates the radio/RAB bearer as shown at 628; and the core network 606 activates/modifies/deactivates the RAB/NAS bearer as shown at 628.

[0078] FIG. 6B illustrates the VOS-aware UE-initiated bearer signalling. In the example shown in FIG. 6B, the in-vehicle UE detects the VOS 608, and then determines a bearer and QoS requirement 650. A resource allocation and/or disconnect radio NAS bearer request message 642 is transmitted to the radio access network 604, and a resource allocation/disconnect RAB / NAS Bearer Request 654 is sent to the core network 606. The signalling and procedures 614-630 are then performed similarly as described above with respect to FIG. 6A.

[0079] After the bearer procedures are completed, the new bearer and QoS context for the UE determine the behaviour of transport IP prioritization, radio packet scheduler, radio admission control, and other RRM and Transport functions as described above, for example, with reference to Tables 4 and 6 above.

[0080] FIG. 7 is a logic flow diagram for vehicle operation state aware connection and mobility management. This figure further illustrates the operation of an exemplary method or methods, a result of execution of computer program instructions embodied on a computer readable memory, functions performed by logic implemented in hardware, and/or interconnected means for performing functions in accordance with exemplary embodiments. For instance, the VOS module 140-1 and/or 140-2 may include multiples ones of the blocks in FIG. 7, where each included block is an interconnected means for performing the function in the block. The blocks in FIG. 7 are assumed to be performed by the UE 110, for example, under control of the VOS module 140-1 and/or 140-2 at least in part.

[0081] Referring to FIG. 7, according to an example embodiment a method is provided including monitoring, by an in-vehicle user equipment having a connection established with a wireless network, data corresponding to a vehicle as indicated by block 700; determining, at the in-vehicle user equipment, that the vehicle is in a first vehicle operating state from among a set of vehicle operating states based on the monitored data, wherein the set of states comprises at least a driving state, a parked state, and locked state as indicated by block 702; transmitting, from the in-vehicle user equipment, an indication of the first vehicle operating state to the wireless network as indicated by block 704; and causing, by the in-vehicle user equipment, the connection of the user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized for the first vehicle operating state as indicated by block 706.

[0082] Determining the first vehicle operating state may include: detecting a change from a second vehicle operating state in the set of vehicle operating states to the first vehicle operating state, and transmitting the indication of the First vehicle operating state may be performed in response to detecting the change. The vehicle data may include at least one of: an ignition state of the vehicle, and a transmission position of the vehicle. Determining that the vehicle is in a first vehicle operating state may include at least one of: determining that the vehicle is in the driving state by detecting, from the monitored data, that the vehicle is actively being driven; determining that the vehicle is in the parked state by detecting, from the monitored data, that the vehicle data indicates the transmission position is in PARK and the ignition state is set to START, ACC, or ON; and determining that the vehicle is in the locked state at least by detecting, from the monitored data, that the ignition state is LOCK/OFF. The set of vehicle operating states may include a subset of secondary states may include at least the following: an unlocked state and a non-driving state, such that the unlocked state indicates the vehicle is in either the driving state or the parked state, and the non-driving state indicates the vehicle is in either the parked state and the locked state. Causing the connection of the in-vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to determining that the vehicle is in the driving state, minimizing a latency of safety-related traffic by adjusting a first timer to a first value; in response to determining that the vehicle is in the locked state, conserving energy, signaling, and/or computing resources by adjusting the first timer to a second value; and in response to determining that the vehicle is in the parked state, adjusting the first timer to a third value, wherein the third value is between the first value and the second value. The first timer may be at least one of: a discontinuous reception timer and an inactivity timer. Causing the connection of the in-vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to determining that the vehicle is in the driving state, setting a value of a second timer such that the in-vehicle user equipment periodically reports its location to the wireless network at a first frequency; and in response to determining that the vehicle is in the non-driving state, setting the value of the second timer such that the in-vehicle user equipment periodically reports its location to the wireless network at a second frequency lower than the first frequency. Causing the connection of the in-vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to determining that the vehicle is in the driving state, applying a first delay target value and/or a first packet loss target value; and in response to determining that the vehicle is in the non-driving state, applying a second delay target value and/or a second packet loss target value, wherein the first delay target value is less than the second delay target value, and/or the first packet loss target value is less than the second packet loss target value. Causing the connection of the in-vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to determining that the vehicle is in the driving state, utilizing a sidelink bearer with at least one of: a guaranteed bit-rate and a first priority metric; and in response to determining that the vehicle is in the non-driving state, utilizing a sidelink bearer with at least one of: a non- guaranteed bit-rate and a second priority metric lower than the first priority metric. Causing the connection of the in-vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to determining that the vehicle is in the parked state, utilizing a low latency and/or high priority bearer for non-safety applications; in response to determining that the vehicle is in the locked state utilizing a high latency and/or low priority bearer for non-safety applications; and in response to determining that the vehicle is in the driving state, utilizing a medium latency and/or medium priority bearer for non-safety applications. Determining the first vehicle operating state may include detecting the vehicle is in the driving state independent of a speed of the vehicle. The vehicle may include the in-vehicle user equipment. The user equipment may be physically connected to the vehicle. The user equipment may be wirelessly connected to the vehicle.

[0083] According to another example embodiment, a computer program comprising program code for executing the method as in any of the preceding two paragraphs. The computer program may be a computer program product comprising a computer- readable medium bearing computer program code embodied therein for use with a computer

[0084] According to another example embodiment, an apparatus may include: means for monitoring, by an in-vehicle user equipment having a connection established with a wireless network, data corresponding to a vehicle; means for determining, at the in- vehicle user equipment, that the vehicle is in a first vehicle operating state from among a set of vehicle operating states based on the monitored data, wherein the set of states comprises at least a driving state, a parked state, and locked state; means for transmitting, from the in-vehicle user equipment, an indication of the first vehicle operating state to the wireless network; and means for causing, by the in-vehicle user equipment, the connection of the user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized for the first vehicle operating state.

[0085] The means for determining the first vehicle operating state may include: means for detecting a change from a second vehicle operating state in the set of vehicle operating states to the first vehicle operating state, and where the indication of the first vehicle operating state may be transmitted in response to detecting the change. The vehicle data may include at least one of: an ignition state of the vehicle, and a transmission position of the vehicle. The means for determining that the vehicle is in a first vehicle operating state may include at least one of: means for determining that the vehicle is in the driving state by detecting, from the monitored data, that the vehicle is actively being driven; means for determining that the vehicle is in the parked state by detecting, from the monitored data, that the vehicle data indicates the transmission position is in PARK and the ignition state is set to START, ACC, or ON; and means for determining that the vehicle is in the locked state at least by detecting, from the monitored data, that the ignition state is LOCK/OFF. The set of vehicle operating states may include a subset of secondary states may include at least the following: an unlocked state and a non-driving state, such that the unlocked state indicates the vehicle is in either the driving state or the parked state, and the non-driving state indicates the vehicle is in either the parked state and the locked state. The means for causing the connection of the in-vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to determination that the vehicle is in the driving state, means for minimizing a latency of safety-related traffic by adjusting a first timer to a first value; in response to determination that the vehicle is in the locked state, means for conserving energy, signaling, and/or computing resources by adjusting the first timer to a second value; and in response to determination that the vehicle is in the parked state, means for adjusting the first timer to a third value, wherein the third value is between the first value and the second value. The first timer may be at least one of: a discontinuous reception timer and an inactivity timer. The means for causing the connection of the in- vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to determination that the vehicle is in the driving state, means setting a value of a second timer such that the in-vehicle user equipment periodically reports its location to the wireless network at a first frequency; and in response to determination that the vehicle is in the non-driving state, means for setting the value of the second timer such that the in-vehicle user equipment periodically reports its location to the wireless network at a second frequency lower than the first frequency. The means for causing the connection of the in-vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to determination that the vehicle is in the driving state, means for applying a first delay target value and/or a first packet loss target value; and in response to determination that the vehicle is in the non-driving state, means for applying a second delay target value and/or a second packet loss target value, wherein the first delay target value is less than the second delay target value, and/or the first packet loss target value is less than the second packet loss target value. The means for causing the connection of the in-vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to determination that the vehicle is in the driving state, means for utilizing a sidelink bearer with at least one of: a guaranteed bit-rate and a first priority metric; and in response to determination that the vehicle is in the non- driving state, means for utilizing a sidelink bearer with at least one of: a non-guaranteed bit-rate and a second priority metric lower than the first priority metric. The means for causing the connection of the in-vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to determination that the vehicle is in the parked state, means for utilizing a low latency and/or high priority bearer for non-safety applications; in response to determination that the vehicle is in the locked state means for utilizing a high latency and/or low priority bearer for non-safety applications; and in response to determination that the vehicle is in the driving state, means for utilizing a medium latency and/or medium priority bearer for non-safety applications. The means for determining the first vehicle operating state may include means for detecting the vehicle is in the driving state independent of a speed of the vehicle. [0086] According to another embodiment, an apparatus, may include one or more processors and one or more memories including computer program code. The one or more memories and the computer program code are configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: monitoring, by an in- vehicle user equipment having a connection established with a wireless network, data corresponding to a vehicle; determining, at the in-vehicle user equipment, that the vehicle is in a first vehicle operating state from among a set of vehicle operating states based on the monitored data, wherein the set of states comprises at least a driving state, a parked state, and locked state; transmitting, from the in-vehicle user equipment, an indication of the first vehicle operating state to the wireless network; and causing, by the in-vehicle user equipment, the connection of the user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized for the first vehicle operating state.

[0087] FIG. 8 is a logic flow diagram for vehicle operation state aware connection and mobility management. This figure further illustrates the operation of an exemplary method or methods, a result of execution of computer program instructions embodied on a computer readable memory, functions performed by logic implemented in hardware, and/or interconnected means for performing functions in accordance with exemplary embodiments. For instance, the configuration module 150-1 and/or 150-2 may include multiples ones of the blocks in FIG. 8, where each included block is an interconnected means for performing the function in the block. The blocks in FIG, 8 are assumed to be performed by a base station such as eNB 170, for example, under control of the configuration module 150-1 and/or 150-2 at least in part.

[0088] Referring to FIG. 8, according to an example embodiment a method is provided including receiving, from an in-vehicle user equipment having a connection established with a wireless network, an indication of a first vehicle operating state of a vehicle from among a set of vehicle operating states based on the monitored data, wherein the set of states comprises at least a driving state, a parked state, and locked state as indicated by block 800; and causing the connection of the user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized for the first vehicle operating state by at least one of: updating one or more timers associated with the in-vehicle user equipment, and applying a QoS or bearer profile from among a plurality of QoS or bearer profiles as indicated by block 802. [0089] The received indication may be indicative of a change from a second vehicle operating state in the set of vehicle operating states to the first vehicle operating state. The vehicle data may include at least one of: an ignition state of the vehicle, and a transmission position of the vehicle. The driving state may indicate the vehicle is actively being driven. The parked state may indicate that the vehicle data indicates the transmission position is in PARK and the ignition state of the vehicle is set to START, ACC, or ON. The locked state may indicate that the ignition state of the vehicle is LOCK/OFF. The set of vehicle operating states may further include a subset of secondary states comprising at least the following: an unlocked state and a non-driving state, such that the unlocked state indicates the vehicle is in either the driving state or the parked state, and the non-driving state indicates the vehicle is in either the parked state and the locked state. Causing the connection of the user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized for the first vehicle operating state may include at least one of: in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the driving state, configuring a first timer associated with the in-vehicle user equipment with a first value so as to minimize a latency of safety-related traffic for the in-vehicle user equipment; in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the locked state, configuring the first timer associated to a second value so as to conserve energy, signaling, and/or computing resources; and in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the parked state, configuring the first timer to a third value, wherein the third value is between the first value and the second value. The first timer may be at least one of: a discontinuous reception timer and an inactivity timer. Causing the connection of the in- vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the driving state, configuring a value of a second timer to cause the in-vehicle user equipment to periodically report its location to the wireless network at a first frequency; and in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the non-driving state, configuring the value of the second timer to cause the in-vehicle user equipment to periodically report its location to the wireless network at a second frequency lower than the first frequency. Causing the connection of the in-vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the driving state, configuring a first delay target value and/or a first packet loss target value for the in-vehicle user equipment, and in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the non-driving state, configuring a second delay target value and/or a second packet loss target value for the in- ehicle user equipment, wherein the first delay target value is less than the second delay target value, and/or the first packet loss target value is less than the second packet loss target value. Causing the connection of the in- vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to determining that the vehicle is in the driving state, utilizing a sidelink bearer with at least one of: a guaranteed bit-rate and a first priority metric; and in response to determining that the vehicle is in the non-driving state, utilizing a sidelink bearer with at least one of: a non-guaranteed bit-rate and a second priority metric lower than the first priority metric. Causing the connection of the in-vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the parked state, configuring a low latency and/or high priority bearer for non-safety applications for the in-vehicle user equipment; in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the locked state configuring a high latency and/or low priority bearer for non-safety applications for the in-vehicle user equipment; and in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the driving state, configuring a medium latency and/or medium priority bearer for non-safety applications for the in-vehicle user equipment. The indication of the first vehicle operating state may indicate the vehicle is in the driving state independent of a speed of the vehicle.

[0090] According to another example embodiment, a computer program comprising program code for executing the method as in any of the preceding two paragraphs. The computer program may be a computer program product comprising a computer- readable medium bearing computer program code embodied therein for use with a computer

[0091] According to another embodiment, an apparatus, may include one or more processors and one or more memories including computer program code. The one or more memories and the computer program code are configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving, from an in- vehicle user equipment having a connection established with a wireless network, an indication of a first vehicle operating state of a vehicle from among a set of vehicle operating states based on the monitored data, wherein the set of states comprises at least a driving state, a parked state, and locked state; and causing the connection of the user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized for the first vehicle operating state by at least one of: updating one or more timers associated with the in-vehicle user equipment, and applying a QoS or bearer profile from among a plurality of QoS or bearer profiles

[0092] According to another embodiment, an apparatus, may include means for receiving, from an in-vehicle user equipment having a connection established with a wireless network, an indication of a first vehicle o erating state of a vehicle from among a set of vehicle operating states based on the monitored data, wherein the set of states comprises at least a driving state, a parked state, and locked state; and means for causing the connection of the user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized for the first vehicle operating state by at least one of: updating one or more timers associated with the in-vehicle user equipment, and applying a QoS or bearer profile from among a plurality of QoS or bearer profiles.

[0093] The received indication may be indicative of a change from a second vehicle operating state in the set of vehicle operating states to the first vehicle operating state. The vehicle data may include at least one of: an ignition state of the vehicle, and a transmission position of the vehicle. The driving state may indicate the vehicle is actively being driven. The parked state may indicate that the vehicle data indicates the transmission position is in PARK and the ignition state of the vehicle is set to START, ACC, or ON. The locked state may indicate that the ignition state of the vehicle is LOCK OFF. The set of vehicle operating states may further include a subset of secondary states comprising at least the following: an unlocked state and a non-driving state, such that the unlocked state indicates the vehicle is in either the driving state or the parked state, and the non-driving state indicates the vehicle is in either the parked state and the locked state. The means for causing the connection of the user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized for the first vehicle operating state may include at least one of: in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the driving state, means for configuring a first timer associated with the in-vehicle user equipment with a first value so as to minimize a latency of safety-related traffic for the in-vehicle user equipment; in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the locked state, means for configuring the first timer associated to a second value so as to conserve energy, signaling, and/or computing resources; and in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the parked state, means for configuring the first timer to a third value, wherein the third value is between the first value and the second value. The first timer may be at least one of: a discontinuous reception timer and an inactivity timer. The means for causing the connection of the in-vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the driving state, means for configuring a value of a second timer to cause the in-vehicle user equipment to periodically report its location to the wireless network at a first frequency; and in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the non-driving state, means for configuring the value of the second timer to cause the in-vehicle user equipment to periodically report its location to the wireless network at a second frequency lower than the first frequency. The means for causing the connection of the in-vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the driving state, means for configuring a first delay target value and/or a first packet loss target value for the in-vehicle user equipment, and in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the non-driving state, means for configuring a second delay target value and/or a second packet loss target value for the in-vehicle user equipment, wherein the first delay target value is less than the second delay target value, and/or the first packet loss target value is less than the second packet loss target value. The means for causing the connection of the in-vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to determining that the vehicle is in the driving state, means for utilizing a sidelink bearer with at least one of: a guaranteed bit-rate and a first priority metric; and in response to determining that the vehicle is in the non-driving state, means for utilizing a sidelink bearer with at least one of: a non-guaranteed bit-rate and a second priority metric lower than the first priority metric. The means for causing the connection of the in-vehicle user equipment with the wireless network to be optimized may include: in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the parked state, means for configuring a low latency and/or high priority bearer for non-safety applications for the in-vehicle user equipment; in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the locked state, means for configuring a high latency and/or low priority bearer for non-safety applications for the in-vehicle user equipment; and in response to receiving an indication that the vehicle is in the driving state, means for configuring a medium latency and/or medium priority bearer for non-safety applications for the in-vehicle user equipment. The indication of the first vehicle operating state may indicate the vehicle is in the driving state independent of a speed of the vehicle. A base station may comprise the apparatus. [0094] Without in any way limiting the scope, interpretation, or application of the claims appearing below, a technical effect of one or more of the example embodiments disclosed herein is that the timing of the CM/MM state transitions is optimized to improve the end user control plane's energy utilization, radio resource utilization, capacity, as well as call accessibility and call reliability KPIs. In- vehicle device QoE and network KPIs are also improved by utilizing VOS to manage bearers and their associated QoS parameters.

[0095] Embodiments herein may be implemented in software (executed by one or more processors), hardware (for example, an application specific integrated circuit), or a combination of software and hardware. In an example embodiment, the software (for example, application logic, an instruction set) is maintained on any one of various conventional computer-readable media. In the context of this document, a "computer- readable medium" may be any media or means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transport the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer, with one example of a computer described and depicted, for example, in FIG. 1. A computer-readable medium may comprise a computer-readable storage medium (for example, memories 125, 155, 171 or other device) that may be any media or means that can contain, store, and/or transport the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer. A computer-readable storage medium does not comprise propagating signals.

[0096] If desired, the different functions discussed herein may be performed in a different order and/or concurrently with each other. Furthermore, if desired, one or more of the above-described functions may be optional or may be combined.

[0097] Although various aspects of the invention are set out in the independent claims, other aspects of the invention comprise other combinations of features from the described embodiments and/or the dependent claims with the features of the independent claims, and not solely the combinations explicitly set out in the claims.

[0098] It is also noted herein that while the above describes example embodiments of the invention, these descriptions should not be viewed in a limiting sense. Rather, there are several variations and modifications which may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. [0099] The following abbreviations that may be found in the specification and/or the drawing figures are defined as follows:

eNB (or eNodeB) evolved Node B (e.g., an LTE base station)

CAM cooperative awareness message

CM connection management

DENM distributed environmental notification message

DRX discontinuous reception

EUTRAN evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network

VF interface

IE information element

KPI key performance indicator

LTE long term evolution

MM mobility management

MME mobility management entity

MNO mobile network operator

MV O mobile virtual network operator

NAS non-access stratum

NCE network control element

N/W network

QCI QoS class indicator

QoE quality of experience

RAT radio access technologies

RRC radio resource control

RRH remote radio head

Rx receiver

RAB radio access bearer

SGW serving gateway

TCR timer change request

Tx transmitter

UE user equipment

UMTS universal mobile telecommunications system

V2X vehicle-to-everything

VOS vehicle operation state