Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and a communication device. The method is applied to an intermediate node in an environmental Internet of Things (A-IoT) system, and comprises the following steps: sending first information, the first information being used for requesting to authenticate the intermediate node as an excitation source of the A-IoT system; the excitation source is used for providing carrier waves for tags in the A-IoT system. Second information is received, the second information is used for indicating an authentication result, and the authentication result is used for indicating whether the intermediate node serves as an excitation source of the A-IoT system or not. Wherein the intermediate node is also used as a reader-writer in the A-IoT system to communicate with the tag. The invention provides an implementation process of taking intermediate node authentication as a system excitation source, and carrier transmission can be carried out in a multi-subcarrier mode, so that the capability of resisting frequency selective fading of the carrier sent by the excitation source is improved, and the anti-interference capability of the carrier is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to a communication method and a communication device. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of communication technology, the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) defines ambient internet of things (A-IoT) technology.

[0003] The communication system of A-IoT in A-IoT technology includes a reader and a tag, the reader can be implemented by a network device, such as a base station, and the tag can be implemented by an internet of things terminal, such as a passive / semi-passive / active tag. The tag device has a simple function and needs to rely on the carrier assisted communication provided by the excitation source device. When the base station is used as the excitation source, it will cause the communication coverage between the base station and the tag to be relatively limited, and the power consumption of the base station is large. In addition, the carrier transmitted by the commonly used excitation source device only supports single tone transmission, and the carrier has poor ability to resist frequency selective fading.

[0004] Therefore, how to realize other devices as the excitation source of the system and improve the ability of the carrier transmitted by the excitation source to resist frequency selective fading is a technical problem that needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device, which provides an implementation process of authenticating an intermediate node as an excitation source of a system, and can perform carrier transmission in a multi-subcarrier mode, thereby improving the ability of the carrier transmitted by the excitation source to resist frequency selective fading and improving the anti-interference ability of the carrier.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to an intermediate node in an ambient internet of things (A-IoT) system. The method includes sending first information, the first information being used to request authentication of the intermediate node as an excitation source of the A-IoT system, the excitation source being used to provide a carrier to a tag in the A-IoT system. The method further includes receiving second information, the second information being used to indicate an authentication result, the authentication result being used to indicate whether the intermediate node is the excitation source of the A-IoT system. The intermediate node is further used to perform communication between a reader and the tag in the A-IoT system.

[0007] The execution subject of the scheme in the first aspect can be an intermediate node, a module (such as a chip system) in the intermediate node, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the intermediate node, and is not limited to this. For ease of description, the intermediate node is described below as an example.

[0008] In the above scheme, the intermediate node requests to provide a carrier for the tag as an excitation source in the A-IoT system. The intermediate node can also serve as a reader / writer in the system, has a read / write function, and supports receiving a reflected signal of the tag. The intermediate node needs to pass through capability authentication before serving as an excitation source. The authentication process of the intermediate node is disclosed and specified, and the network access process of the intermediate node is standardized.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the authentication result is used to indicate that the intermediate node serves as an excitation source of the system. The method further includes receiving first configuration information, the first configuration information being used to indicate a configuration of the carrier transmitted by the intermediate node. The intermediate node transmits the carrier to the tag according to the first configuration information.

[0010] In the above scheme, the intermediate node is authenticated as an excitation source of the system, and the intermediate node further receives first configuration information and configures the carrier according to the first configuration information to transmit a carrier configured accordingly to the tag.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the configuration of the carrier includes configuration information of a single-subcarrier mode and / or a multi-subcarrier mode carrier. The configuration information of the multi-subcarrier mode carrier includes at least one of the following parameters: a frequency domain position, a number of subcarriers, a transmission power of the carrier, a guard interval time, a transmission start time of the carrier, a transmission end time of the carrier, a transmission period of the carrier, and a duration of the carrier.

[0012] In the above scheme, the first configuration information indicates the configuration of the carrier transmitted by the intermediate node. The first configuration information indicates that the intermediate node transmits a multi-subcarrier and / or a single-subcarrier. When the first configuration information indicates that the intermediate node transmits a multi-subcarrier, the configuration information of the carrier in the multi-subcarrier mode further includes related parameters. According to the corresponding parameters, the intermediate node can transmit a subcarrier suitable for the current system, and when a multi-subcarrier is transmitted, the frequency selective fading effect of the channel can be improved, the reflected signal capability can be improved, and the anti-interference capability can be improved.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the configuration of the carrier includes a frequency hopping mode of the carrier transmitted in the multi-subcarrier mode. In the frequency hopping mode, different time units have different single subcarriers.

[0014] In the scheme, the first configuration information indicates that the intermediate node transmits multiple subcarriers, and the multiple subcarriers are transmitted in a frequency hopping manner. In the frequency hopping manner, different subcarriers occupy different time units, and different subcarriers occupy different time units.

[0015] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first information further indicates capability information of the intermediate node. The capability information includes at least one of the following: single subcarrier and / or multiple subcarrier capability supported by the intermediate node, carrier transmission capability of the intermediate node, and carrier-based signal and / or reflected signal receiving capability of the intermediate node.

[0016] In the scheme, the first information reported by the intermediate node further includes capability information of the intermediate node, to indicate single subcarrier and / or multiple subcarrier capability supported by the intermediate node, carrier transmission capability, and carrier-based signal and / or reflected signal receiving capability. The network element can authenticate the most suitable excitation source for the current system, tag, and the like according to suitable conditions. The capability information of the intermediate node is reasonably utilized, to further reduce power consumption of the system, time for the tag to receive a carrier, and the like, and to improve response speed of the overall system.

[0017] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the capability information of the intermediate node includes multiple subcarrier capability supported by the intermediate node. The carrier transmitted by the intermediate node to the tag includes at least two subcarriers for uplink data transmission, and the number of subcarriers is allocated according to demodulation capability of the intermediate node and remaining resource conditions.

[0018] In the scheme, the capability information of the intermediate node includes multiple subcarrier capability supported by the intermediate node. The network element can configure according to the number of subcarriers in the configuration information transmitted by the network element, and the intermediate node transmits a corresponding carrier according to the configuration information. The carrier transmitted by the intermediate node to the tag includes at least two subcarriers for uplink data transmission, and the number of subcarriers is allocated by the network device according to demodulation capability of the intermediate node and remaining resource conditions. The intermediate node transmits a reasonable number of subcarriers under the premise of ensuring normal operation, fully utilizes the demodulation capability and the remaining resources, and further improves operation efficiency and resource utilization of the system.

[0019] It should be understood that the network device in the implementations of the present application includes but is not limited to a base station, a core network device, an operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM) device, and the like, and the present application does not make special limitations thereon.

[0020] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the authentication result indicates that the intermediate node is not used as an excitation source of the system.

[0021] In the above solution, the authentication result of the intermediate node indicates that the intermediate node is not used as the incentive source of the system. It should be understood that the number of intermediate nodes that initiate the authentication request as the incentive source is not particularly limited in the present application, and can be one or more. The authentication of the intermediate node fails, and the authentication process with other intermediate nodes does not affect each other.

[0022] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to an ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) system. The method includes receiving first information, and authenticating an intermediate node as an incentive source of the A-IoT system according to the first information. The incentive source is used to provide a carrier to a tag in the A-IoT system. The method further includes sending second information based on the first information, the second information being used to indicate an authentication result. The authentication result is used to indicate whether the intermediate node is the incentive source of the A-IoT system. The intermediate node is further used to communicate between a reader-writer and the tag in the A-IoT system.

[0023] The execution subject of the solution in the second aspect can be a network device, or a module (such as a chip system) in the network device, or a logic node, a logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the function of the network device, and the present application does not make a special limitation thereon. For ease of description, the network device is taken as an example in the following description.

[0024] It should be understood that the network device in the implementation manner of the present application includes but is not limited to a base station, a core network device, an operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM) device, and the present application does not make a special limitation thereon.

[0025] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the authentication result is used to indicate that the intermediate node is the incentive source of the system. The method further includes sending first configuration information, the first configuration information being used to indicate the configuration of the carrier sent by the intermediate node.

[0026] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the configuration of the carrier includes single-subcarrier mode and / or multi-subcarrier mode carrier configuration information. When the configuration information indicates that the carrier in the multi-subcarrier mode is sent, the configuration information of the carrier includes at least one of the following parameters: a frequency domain position, a number of subcarriers, a transmission power of the carrier, a guard interval time, a transmission start time of the carrier, a transmission end time of the carrier, a transmission period of the carrier, and a duration of the carrier.

[0027] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the configuration of the carrier includes that the carrier sent in the multi-subcarrier mode is in a frequency hopping manner, and different single subcarriers are present on different time units in the frequency hopping manner.

[0028] In some implementations of the second aspect, in combination with the second aspect, the first information further indicates capability information of the intermediate node. The capability information includes at least one of: single-subcarrier and / or multi-subcarrier capability supported by the intermediate node, carrier transmission capability of the intermediate node, and carrier-based signal and / or reflected signal receiving capability of the intermediate node.

[0029] In some implementations of the second aspect, in combination with the second aspect, the capability information of the intermediate node includes multi-subcarrier capability supported by the intermediate node. The method further includes: based on the demodulation capability of the intermediate node and the remaining resource condition, indicating a number of subcarriers transmitted by the intermediate node for uplink data transmission. The number of subcarriers is included in the information indicating the configuration of the carrier.

[0030] In a specific implementation, the number of subcarriers is included in the first configuration information.

[0031] In some implementations of the second aspect, in combination with the second aspect, the authentication result indicates that the intermediate node is not used as an excitation source of the system.

[0032] In some implementations of the second aspect, in combination with the second aspect, the authentication result indicates that the intermediate node is used as an excitation source of the system. The method further includes: the base station and / or the OAM sends first synchronization information to the first network element, to inform the first network element that the A-IoT system uses the intermediate node as an excitation source.

[0033] In a specific implementation, the first network element includes a core network element. Specifically, it includes but is not limited to a tag management function (TMF) network element, an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, an ambient IoT management function (AIoTMF), etc., or other network elements, which are not specifically limited in the present application.

[0034] It should be understood that the related solutions and technical effects in the implementations of the second aspect can refer to the technical effects in the implementations of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0035] The third aspect provides a communication method applied to a network device in an ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) system. The system further includes an auxiliary terminal device and a tag. The auxiliary terminal device is configured to transmit a carrier to enable communication between the tag and the network device. The method includes: transmitting second configuration information, which is used to indicate configuration information of a carrier transmitted by the auxiliary terminal device to support transmission in a multi-subcarrier mode.

[0036] The execution subject of the scheme in the third aspect can be a network device, or a module (such as a chip system) in the network device, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device, and the present application does not make a special limitation thereon. For ease of description, the network device is taken as an example in the following description.

[0037] It should be understood that the network device in the implementation manner of the present application includes but is not limited to a base station, a core network device, an operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM) device, and the present application does not make a special limitation thereon.

[0038] In the scheme, the network device sends the second configuration information to the auxiliary terminal device that passes the authentication, to instruct the auxiliary terminal device to send a carrier transmitted in a multi-subcarrier mode, and instruct the auxiliary terminal device to send a multi-subcarrier. When the multi-subcarrier is sent, the effect of resisting the frequency-selective fading of a channel can be improved, the ability of reflecting a signal can be improved, and the anti-interference capability can be improved.

[0039] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementation manners of the third aspect, the configuration information of the carrier includes at least one of the following parameters: a frequency domain position, a number of subcarriers, a transmission power of the carrier, a guard interval time, a transmission start time of the carrier, a transmission end time of the carrier, a transmission period of the carrier, and a duration of the carrier.

[0040] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementation manners of the third aspect, the configuration information of the carrier further includes configuration of the carrier transmitted in the multi-subcarrier mode as a frequency hopping mode. In the frequency hopping mode, different time units have different single-subcarriers.

[0041] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementation manners of the third aspect, the method further includes instructing, by the network device, the auxiliary terminal device to send a number of subcarriers for uplink data transmission based on the demodulation capability of the auxiliary terminal device and the remaining resource condition. The number of subcarriers is included in the information for instructing the configuration of the carrier and is sent.

[0042] In a specific implementation manner, the number of subcarriers is included in the second configuration information and is sent.

[0043] It should be understood that the related scheme and technical effects in the implementation manners of the third aspect can refer to the technical effects in the implementation manners of the first aspect, and the present application will not repeat them here.

[0044] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to an auxiliary terminal device in an Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) system. The system also includes a network device and a tag, wherein the auxiliary terminal device is configured to transmit a carrier wave to enable communication between the tag and the network device. The method includes receiving second configuration information, the second configuration information instructing the auxiliary terminal device to transmit configuration information for a carrier wave supporting transmission in multi-subcarrier mode. The auxiliary terminal device transmits the carrier wave to the tag based on the second configuration information.

[0045] The implementation entity of the solution described in the fourth aspect may be an auxiliary terminal device, a module within the auxiliary terminal device (such as a chip system), or a logical node, logic module, or software that implements all or part of the auxiliary terminal device's functions, without limitation. For ease of description, the following description uses an auxiliary terminal device as an example.

[0046] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the configuration information of the carrier includes at least one of the following parameters: frequency domain position, the number of subcarriers, the transmission power of the carrier, the protection interval time, the transmission start time of the carrier, the transmission end time of the carrier, the transmission period of the carrier, and the duration of the carrier.

[0047] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the carrier configuration information further includes configuring the carrier transmitted in the multi-subcarrier mode to be in a frequency hopping mode. In the frequency hopping mode, different single subcarriers are present in different time units.

[0048] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the carrier configuration information includes the number of subcarriers. The carrier transmitted by the auxiliary terminal device to the tag includes at least two subcarriers for uplink data transmission, and the number of subcarriers is allocated based on the demodulation capability of the auxiliary terminal device and the remaining resources.

[0049] It should be understood that in some specific implementations, the auxiliary terminal device only acts as an excitation source of the system to send carrier signals to the tags, does not support the reception of tag reflection signals, and does not have read and write functions.

[0050] In a fifth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising one or more of a first device, a second device, and a third device, wherein the first device is used to implement the method provided by the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect; the second device is used to implement the method provided by the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect; and the third device is used to implement the method provided by the third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0051] In a sixth aspect, a communication system is provided, including a first device and a second device, wherein the first device is configured to implement the method provided in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect; and the second device is configured to implement the method provided in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0052] In a seventh aspect, a communication system is provided, including a second device and a third device, wherein the second device is configured to implement the method provided in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect; and the third device is configured to implement the method provided in the third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0053] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, which is configured to perform the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect to the fourth aspect. Specifically, the device can include units and / or modules for performing the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, such as a processing unit and / or a communication unit.

[0054] In an implementation, the device is a communication apparatus (e.g., an intermediate node, e.g., a network device, e.g., an auxiliary terminal device). When the device is a communication apparatus, the communication unit can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface; and the processing unit can be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0055] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system or circuit for a communication apparatus (e.g., an intermediate node, e.g., a network device, e.g., an auxiliary terminal device). When the device is a chip, chip system or circuit for a communication apparatus, the communication unit can be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or related circuitry, etc. on the chip, chip system or circuit; and the processing unit can be at least one processor, a processing circuit or a logic circuit, etc.

[0056] In a ninth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes at least one processor configured to execute computer programs or instructions to perform the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect to the fourth aspect. Optionally, the device further includes a memory configured to store the computer programs or instructions. Optionally, the device further includes a communication interface through which the processor reads the computer programs or instructions.

[0057] In an implementation, the device is a communication apparatus (e.g., an intermediate node, e.g., a network device, e.g., an auxiliary terminal device).

[0058] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system or circuit for a communication apparatus (e.g., an intermediate node, e.g., a network device, e.g., an auxiliary terminal device).

[0059] In a tenth aspect, a processor is provided for executing the method provided in the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0060] For the sending and obtaining / receiving operations involved in the processor, if no special description is made, or if it does not contradict the actual role or inherent logic in the related description, it can be understood as the processor output and receiving, input operations, and can also be understood as the sending and receiving operations performed by the radio frequency circuit and the antenna, and the present application does not limit this.

[0061] Optionally, the apparatus further comprises a memory for storing a program; and the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer program or instructions in the memory.

[0062] Optionally, the apparatus further comprises a communication interface. The communication interface is coupled to the processor and can be used to input information to the processor or output information in the processor.

[0063] In an eleventh aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided. The computer readable medium stores program codes for execution by an apparatus. The program codes include codes for executing the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0064] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions which, when the computer program product is run on a computer, cause the computer to execute the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0065] In a thirteenth aspect, a chip is provided. The chip comprises a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions on a memory through the communication interface and executes the method provided in any possible implementation of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0066] Optionally, as an implementation, the chip further comprises a memory. The memory stores computer programs or instructions. The processor is configured to execute the computer programs or instructions on the memory. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the processor is configured to execute the method provided in any possible implementation of the first aspect to the fourth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0067] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a reflection communication performed by an excitation source transmitting a carrier is shown.

[0068] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable is shown.

[0069] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of another communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable is shown.

[0070] Figure 4 A typical topology structure of an A-IoT system is shown.

[0071] Figure 5 A stimulation source architecture in an A-IoT typical topology architecture is shown.

[0072] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0073] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided by another embodiment of the present application.

[0074] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided by still another embodiment of the present application.

[0075] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0076] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0077] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided by another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0078] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0079] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are first explained.

[0080] Firstly, in the present application, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "multiple or at least two" is two or more than two.

[0081] Secondly, in each embodiment of the present application, unless there is a special description and a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referenced, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0082] Third, various numerical numbers involved in the present application are only used for distinguishing, and do not limit the protection scope of the present application. The size of the serial numbers involved in the present application does not mean the execution sequence, and the execution sequence of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic. For example, the terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth" and other various terms labels in the specification and claims of the present application and the drawings (if any) are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not have to be used to describe a specific sequence or chronological order. Among them, the data thus used can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein.

[0083] Meanwhile, any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Rather, the use of "exemplary" or "for example" and the like is intended to present the relevant concept in a specific manner for ease of understanding.

[0084] Fourth, the terms "comprise" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a process, method, system, product or device comprising a series of steps or units does not have to be limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but can include other steps or units not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0085] Fifth, in the present application, "for indicating" can be understood as "enabling", and "enabling" can include direct enabling and indirect enabling. When describing that a certain information is used to enable A, it can include that the information directly enables A or indirectly enables A, and it does not mean that A must be carried in the information.

[0086] The information enabled by the information is called to-be-enabled information, and there are many ways to enable the to-be-enabled information in the implementation process, for example, but not limited to, the to-be-enabled information can be directly enabled, such as the to-be-enabled information itself or the index of the to-be-enabled information. The to-be-enabled information can also be indirectly enabled by enabling other information, where the other information and the to-be-enabled information have an association relationship. The to-be-enabled information can also be enabled only in part, and the other part of the to-be-enabled information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the enabling of a specific information can also be realized by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (such as a protocol), thereby reducing the enabling overhead to a certain extent. Meanwhile, the common part of each information can be identified and uniformly enabled to reduce the enabling overhead caused by enabling the same information separately.

[0087] Six, in this application, "pre-configuration" can include pre-definition, for example, protocol definition. Wherein, "pre-definition" can be realized by pre-storing corresponding code, table or other means for indicating related information in the device (for example, including various network elements), and the specific implementation of the application is not limited.

[0088] Seven, "storage" or "save" in this application can refer to saving in one or more memories. The one or more memories can be separately arranged or integrated in the encoder or decoder, processor or communication device. The one or more memories can be partially separately arranged and partially integrated in the decoder, processor or communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, which is not limited.

[0089] Eight, "protocol" in this application can refer to standard protocols in the field of communication, which can include fourth generation (4th generation, 4G) network, fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) network protocol, new radio (new radio, NR) protocol, 5.5G network protocol, sixth generation (6th generation, 6G) network protocol and related protocols applied in future communication system, which is not limited in this application.

[0090] Nine, the arrows or blocks shown by the dashed lines in the schematic diagram of the drawing part of the specification of this application represent optional steps or optional modules.

[0091] Ten, in this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " represents that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in this application is only a description of the association between the objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural.

[0092] Eleven, in this application, the indication includes direct indication (also known as explicit indication) and implicit indication. Directly indicating information A means including information A. Implicitly indicating information A means indicating information A by the corresponding relationship between information A and information B and directly indicating information B. The corresponding relationship between information A and information B can be pre-defined, pre-stored, pre-burned or pre-configured.

[0093] Twelfth, in this application, information C is used for the determination of information D, which includes that information D is determined only based on information C, and also includes that information D is determined based on information C and other information. In addition, information C used for the determination of information D can also be the case of indirect determination, such as the case that information D is determined based on information E, and information E is determined based on information C.

[0094] Thirteenth, in this application, "device A sends information A to device B" can be understood as that the destination of the information A or the intermediate network element in the transmission path between the destination is device B, which can include direct or indirect sending information to device B.

[0095] Fourteenth, in this application, "device B receives information A from device A" can be understood as that the source of the information A or the intermediate network element in the transmission path between the source is device A, which can include direct or indirect receiving information from device A. The information may be processed as necessary between the source and the destination of the information transmission, such as format change, etc., but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be similarly understood, and will not be described here.

[0096] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: 5th generation (5G) communication system, new radio (NR) system, long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, wireless local area network (WLAN) system, satellite communication system and other communication systems, such as 6th generation (6G) communication system, etc.

[0097] The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to device to device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC) and internet of things (IoT) communication system or other communication systems.

[0098] A device in the communication system can send / receive signals to / from another device. The signals can include information, signaling, data, etc. The device can be replaced with an entity, a network entity, a network element, a communication device, a communication module, a node, a user equipment, a mobile device, a communication node, etc. Embodiments of the present application take the device as an example for description. For example, the communication system can include at least one terminal device and at least one network device. The network device can send downlink signals to the terminal device, and / or the terminal device can send uplink signals to the network device.

[0099] In embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device.

[0100] The terminal device can be a device providing voice / data, such as a handheld device with wireless connection function, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. Currently, some examples of the terminal are: a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), etc. Embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0101] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can also be a wearable device. The wearable device can also be referred to as a wearable smart device, which is a general term of devices that are designed and developed by applying wearable technology to daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothes, shoes, and the like. The wearable device is a portable device that is directly worn on the body or integrated into clothes or accessories of a user. The wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also has powerful functions through software support and data interaction and cloud interaction. The general wearable smart device includes a device with full functions and large size, which can realize complete or partial functions without relying on a smart phone, such as a smart watch or smart glasses, and a device that focuses on a certain application function and needs to be used in cooperation with other devices, such as a smart phone, such as various smart wristbands and smart jewelry for monitoring vital signs.

[0102] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the terminal device can be a terminal device, or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal device or used in cooperation with the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices. In the embodiments of the present application, only the device for implementing the function of the terminal device is taken as an example for description, and the present application is not limited in this regard.

[0103] The network device in the embodiments of the present application can be a device for communicating with a terminal device, and the network device can also be referred to as an access network device or a radio access network device, such as a base station and the like. The network device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) for accessing a terminal device to a wireless network. The base station can broadly cover various names in the following or be replaced by the following names, such as: Node B (NodeB), evolved Node B (eNB), next generation Node B (gNB), relay station, access point, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), primary station, secondary station, motor slide retainer (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), CU, DU, RU, positioning node, RAN intelligent controller (RIC), and the like. The RAN device including the CU node and the DU node splits the protocol layer of the eNB in the long term evolution (LTE) system, and the functions of part of the protocol layer are centralized in the CU, and the remaining part or all of the protocol layer functions are distributed in the DU and controlled by the CU. The access network device can also be a reader device.

[0104] The base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node, or the like, or a combination thereof. The base station can also refer to a communication module, modem, or chip for being disposed in the foregoing devices or apparatuses. The base station can also be a mobile switching center, a device assuming a base station function in D2D, V2X, M2M communication, a network side device in a 6G network, a device assuming a base station function in a future communication system, and the like. The base station can support networks of the same or different access technologies. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, and the like. For example, the access network device in the V2X technology can be a road side unit (RSU). The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device.

[0105] A base station can be fixed, or mobile. For example, a helicopter or unmanned aerial vehicle can be configured to act as a mobile base station, with one or more cells that move in accordance with the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or unmanned aerial vehicle can be configured to act as a device that communicates with another base station.

[0106] The core network device is a collective term for various functional entities on the network side for managing users, data transmission, and base station configuration, including access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, user plane function (UPF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, tag management function (TMF) network elements, and the like.

[0107] In some deployments, a network device can be a device including a CU or a DU or including a CU and a DU or a device including a control plane CU node (central unit-control plane (CU-CP)) and a user plane CU node (central unit-user plane (CU-UP)) and a DU node. For example, a network device can include a gNB-CU-CP, a gNB-CU-UP, and a gNB-DU.

[0108] In different communication systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an open radio access network (ORAN) system, the CU can also be referred to as an open CU (O-CU), the DU can also be referred to as an open DU (O-DU), the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0109] In some deployments, wireless access is facilitated by a plurality of RAN nodes in cooperation to serve a terminal, different RAN nodes respectively implement part of functions of a base station. For example, a RAN node can be a CU, a DU, a CU-CP, a CU-UP, or a RU, etc. A CU and a DU can be separately arranged, or can also be included in the same network element, for example, in a BBU. A RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio unit, for example, included in a RRU, an AAU or a RRH.

[0110] A RAN node can support one or more types of front-haul interfaces, different front-haul interfaces respectively correspond to DUs and RUs having different functions. If a front-haul interface between a DU and a RU is a common public radio interface (CPRI), the DU is configured to implement one or more of baseband functions, and the RU is configured to implement one or more of radio frequency functions. If the front-haul interface between the DU and the RU is another interface, compared with the CPRI, part of baseband functions of downlink and / or uplink, for example, for downlink, one or more of precoding, digital beamforming (BF), or inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) / adding cyclic prefix (CP) are moved from the DU to the RU for implementation, for uplink, one or more of digital beamforming (BF), or fast Fourier transform (FFT) / removing cyclic prefix (CP) are moved from the DU to the RU for implementation.

[0111] In the embodiments of the present application, the apparatus for implementing the function of the network device can be a network device; it can also be an apparatus capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit plus a software module. The apparatus can be installed in the network device or used in matching with the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, only the apparatus for implementing the function of the network device is taken as an example for description, and the scheme of the embodiments of the present application is not limited.

[0112] The network device and / or the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on water surface; and can also be deployed on airplanes, balloons and satellites in the air. The scene where the network device and the terminal device are located is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the terminal device and the network device can be hardware devices, or software functions running on special hardware, software functions running on general hardware, such as virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform), or entities including special or general hardware devices and software functions. The specific form of the terminal device and the network device is not limited in the present application.

[0113] When the present application is applied in an A-IoT or IoT system, both the reader / writer and the tag device can be implemented based on the infrastructure in a cellular network. In other words, both the reader / writer and the tag can be devices in a cellular network. For example, the function of the reader / writer can be implemented by an access network device, such as a base station. The tag can be implemented by a terminal device in a cellular network, such as an extremely low power consumption and extremely low complexity IoT terminal. Non-contact data communication can be performed between the access network device and the terminal device, so as to read information from the terminal device and / or write information to be stored into the terminal device. It can be understood that, in the present application, the access network device can have the function of the reader / writer; the terminal device has the function of the tag, or the terminal device can be a terminal device in an A-IoT or IoT system.

[0114] With the development of communication technology, the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) defines ambient internet of things (A-IoT) technology. A-IoT is based on cellular network communication infrastructure, composed of a reader / writer (such as a base station) and a passive / semi-passive / active tag (the tag is a terminal in the cellular network, which can be understood as an extremely low power consumption and extremely low complexity IoT terminal), and the main services include inventory, positioning, sensing, command, etc. Typical application scenarios include logistics, warehousing, industrial manufacturing, identity recognition, environmental monitoring, etc.

[0115] The A-IoT in the A-IoT technology includes a network device and a first type of terminal device, or in other words, the A-IoT-based communication system includes a network device and a first type of terminal device. The first type of terminal device can be a device having the function of a tag device. In this case, both the reader / writer and the tag device can be implemented based on the infrastructure in the cellular network. In other words, both the reader / writer and the tag device can be devices in the cellular network. For example, the function of the reader / writer can be implemented by a network device, such as a base station. The tag device can be implemented by a terminal in the cellular network, such as an extremely low-power, extremely low-complexity Internet of Things terminal, i.e., a first type of terminal. Non-contact data communication can be performed between the network device and the first type of terminal, so as to read information from the first type of terminal and / or write information to be stored into the first type of terminal.

[0116] Next, the main services of the A-IoT are further described.

[0117] Specifically, the inventory service is to access the tag (A-IoT device) in the coverage range by using the reader / writer (which can be a base station / terminal), and the device that successfully accesses needs to send its own unique identifier to the reader / writer. The inventory service can also be referred to as the inventory operation, which can obtain the identifier information of the tag. For example, the reader / writer can use the query, acknowledgment (ACK) and the like to obtain the identifier information of the tag. In order to facilitate the inventory of the tag, the tag includes four session identifiers, and each session identifier corresponds to two inventory states: A and B. The inventory state is indicated by an inventory flag (sessInventoried flag). When the reader / writer selects a tag, the select command sent to the tag carries a session identifier, and the tag stores the session identifier. When the reader / writer performs the inventory service on the tag, the query command sent to the tag includes the session identifier, and at this time, the tag can flip the inventory state corresponding to the session identifier from A to B. If the reader / writer sends the query command again to perform the inventory service, since the inventory state in the tag is B, the tag will not respond to the reader / writer, thereby avoiding the same tag being inventoried multiple times in the same inventory cycle.

[0118] Specifically, the positioning service is to use some positioning signals to position the location of the tag.

[0119] Specifically, the sensing service is to report the sensing data, such as temperature data, of the tag to the base station.

[0120] Specifically, the command service can be some operation instruction, and it can be understood that the command service can include at least one of a read service, a write service, or a lock service. The read service can read an electronic product code (EPC) in a memory area of the tag, a tag identifier (TID), content stored in a reserved area of the tag, or content stored in a user memory area, etc. The write service can perform a write operation on the memory area of the tag, that is, the base station (BS) sends a downlink instruction and data, instructing the tag to write the data into its own memory. The kill service can make the tag never work. The lock service can lock the information of the tag, and can prevent the read service or the write service from being performed on the tag. Alternatively, the lock service can also lock the storage area, and can prevent or allow the read service or the write service to be performed on the storage area.

[0121] It should be understood that the above service processes and the like are only a specific service implementation manner, and other services or operations can also be performed between the tag and the reader, which will not be described here.

[0122] A-IoT technology is an extremely low-power and extremely low-complexity Internet of Things technology defined by the 3GPP plenary, which can be understood as an extension of passive radio frequency identification (RFID) in 3GPP. Although it has some principles in common with RFID, such as a similar inventory service process, more value-added scenarios are introduced in 3GPP.

[0123] The tag, electronic tag, and RFID tag are the common names of RFID. RFID is the abbreviation of Radio Frequency Identification. RFID technology can be divided into active, passive, and semi-passive. The passive tag can also be called passive IOT, that is, a passive Internet of Things device. Therefore, it can also be regarded as a terminal.

[0124] The reader includes a handheld or fixed device that reads (and sometimes writes) tag information, which is the original definition. It can also be understood as a device that communicates with the tag. The form can be a terminal, a base station, or a headend, a Pico Radio Unit (PRU), a transmission reception point (TRP), or other signal-sending nodes, or a device with read-write function. It can also be an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node or a smart repeater or a relay node, etc.

[0125] In the A-IoT system, the tag can also be referred to as an electronic tag or an RFID tag or a tag device. Alternatively, the tag can also be referred to as an A-IoT terminal device or an A-IoT device. In this application, the tag can also be regarded as a kind of terminal device.

[0126] In one classification method, the types of tags can be divided into passive tags, semi-passive tags and active tags. Among them, passive tags and semi-passive tags can use a communication method based on backscatter, and active tags use a communication method of actively generating a carrier wave.

[0127] In another classification method, the tags can be divided into the following three types of devices: device A: no energy storage, cannot independently generate signals, uses backscatter to transmit signals; device B: has energy storage, but cannot independently generate signals, uses backscatter to transmit signals, and the stored energy can amplify the reflected signal; device C: has energy storage, can independently generate signals, and has active radio frequency elements for transmission.

[0128] The tag uses a low-precision, low-power mid-low frequency ring oscillator or completely receives a downlink signal without a local oscillator. When the tag is working, the energy and carrier wave of the communication come from the reader, and the communication is based on reflected carrier wave.

[0129] For the above-mentioned device A and B, the tag needs to rely on the carrier wave (CW) for reflection communication, as shown in Figure 1

[0130] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a stimulating source transmitting a carrier wave for reflection communication is shown.

[0131] ​For the above-mentioned device A and device B, the signals cannot be generated independently, and the backscatter transmission signal is used. Figure 1 The tag shown is a specific implementation of the above-mentioned device A and device B, and the tag is wirelessly powered by the base station. The tag receives the downlink communication signal of the base station, but the tag cannot independently transmit the uplink signal to the base station. The auxiliary node transmits the excitation carrier CW, and the tag performs reflection communication based on the carrier and performs uplink communication with the base station. The base station transmits (TX) a downlink signal to the tag, and the base station receives (RX) an uplink signal from the tag.

[0132] In a specific implementation, the base station receives the uplink signal from the tag through frequency division duplex uplink (FDD UL) and transmits the downlink signal to the tag through frequency division duplex downlink (FDD DL).

[0133] In a specific implementation, the device that transmits the carrier can be a terminal, a network device, etc.

[0134] It should be understood that the device that transmits the carrier is generally referred to as a helper, which can be a terminal, a base station or a small station. The device only has downlink data transmission with the tag and has uplink and downlink data transmission with the reader / writer, which can be through an air interface or a wired connection. The present application does not make special limitations on this.

[0135] It should be understood that the reader / writer involved in the present embodiment can be a handheld or fixed reading or writing device for the tag information, and can also be understood as a device that communicates with the tag. The reader / writer can be a terminal device, an access network device, or a device with reading and writing functions. The reader / writer can also be an IAB node or a relay node.

[0136] As shown in Figure 1 , the reader / writer can transmit a carrier signal to the tag as an auxiliary node, and the tag receives the carrier signal through an antenna. The tag can adjust the information to be transmitted in the reflection signal. In the above manner, the tag uses a low-precision low-power consumption medium-low frequency ring oscillator or a completely local oscillator-free manner to receive the downlink signal, which can further reduce the power consumption of the tag in downlink reception.

[0137] A tag is a miniature wireless transceiver device, mainly including a built-in tag device antenna, a coupling element and a chip. The chip of the tag has a storage space capable of supporting the reader to read or write tag data. After the tag receives the radio frequency signal sent by the reader through the antenna, the coupling element can realize the coupling of the radio frequency signal, and then in the coupling channel, the chip of the tag can be powered and the data stored in the chip can be fed back to the reader through the antenna. A communication network composed of a reader and a tag based on a cellular network infrastructure can be referred to as a passive / passive internet of things (IoT) network or an ambient IoT (A IoT or A-IoT). The tag device can also be regarded as a terminal device, which can be an active tag device, a passive tag device or a semi-active tag device.

[0138] The ambient IoT system can be applied to passive or semi-passive IoT scenarios, for example, in logistics and warehouse scenarios, the tag can be used for goods inventory and tracking, and the status of the goods can also be monitored during the transportation of the goods; for example, in an industrial manufacturing scenario, the tag can be used for environmental and device state monitoring.

[0139] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applicable is shown.

[0140] First, the commonly used network elements in the O-RAN system are described briefly.

[0141] O-RAN central unit (O-CU): used to implement the radio resource control (RRC) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer and other control functions in the 3GPP standard.

[0142] O-RAN central unit control plane (O-CU-CP): similar to the CU-CP in the new radio (NR) system, used to implement the functions of the RRC layer and the control plane functions of the PDCP layer. It belongs to the O-CU part.

[0143] O-RAN Central Unit User Plane (O-CU-UP): Similar to CU-UP in NR system, used to implement the functions of SDAP layer, and the user plane functions of PDCP layer. It belongs to the part of O-CU.

[0144] O-RAN Distributed Unit (O-DU): Based on low-layer function split, used to implement the radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer, and higher physical layer (Higher PHY) in 3GPP standards. The higher physical layer functions include one or more of the following: forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding, scrambling / descrambling, or modulation / demodulation.

[0145] O-RAN Radio Unit (O-RU): Based on low-layer function split, used to implement the lower physical layer (Lower PHY) functions and radio frequency functions in 3GPP standards. The lower physical layer functions include one or more of the following: fast Fourier transform (FFT) transform / inverse fast Fourier transformation (iFFT) transform, digital beamforming, or extraction and filtering of physical random access channel (PRACH). Similar to the transmission reception point (TRP) or remote radio head (RRH) in 3GPP, but it includes low physical layer functions such as FFT / iFFT or PRACH extraction.

[0146] O-RAN Cloud (O-Cloud): As a cloud computing platform, it includes physical infrastructure nodes to host O-RAN functions such as RIC, O-DU, etc.; supports software components (such as operating systems, virtual machine monitors, container runtimes), management and orchestration functions.

[0147] As Figure 2As shown, the communication system comprises a first network element, a second network element, a third network element, an O-eNB, an O-CU-CP, an O-CU-UP, an O-DU, an O-RU and an O-Cloud.

[0148] The network elements (may also be referred to as nodes) described above can be connected to each other, for example, the first network element is connected to the O-Cloud through an O2 interface, the first network element is connected to the third network element, the O-eNB, the O-CU-CP, the O-CU-UP, the O-DU and the O-RU through an O1 interface, the first network element is connected to the O-RU through an open fronthaul M-Plane interface, the O-DU is connected to the O-RU through an open fronthaul M-Plane interface and an open fronthaul C / U / S-Plane interface, the third network element is connected to the O-eNB, the O-CU-CP, the O-CU-UP and the O-DU through an E2 interface, the O-CU-CP is connected to the O-DU through an F1-c interface, the O-CU-UP is connected to the O-DU through an F1-u interface, and the O-CU-CP is connected to the O-CU-UP through an E1 interface. For Figure 2 The specific description of the interfaces shown can be referred to the existing standards, and will not be described here.

[0149] In one possible example, the first network element can be a service management and orchestration framework (SMO), and the SMO network element has a function similar to a network management, and can also be a network element having a function similar to the SMO, and no limitation is made in this regard.

[0150] In one possible example, the second network element can be a non-real time RIC (Non-RT RIC), which is used to implement non-real time intelligent management of RAN functions, can implement an artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) workflow including model training and model updating, and guide applications / functions in the Near-RT RIC based on a policy. The Non-RT RIC is located in the SMO module. The second network element can also be a network element having a function similar to the Non-RT RIC, and no limitation is made in this regard.

[0151] One possible example, the third network element can be a near-real time RIC (Near-RT RIC) for implementing near-real time intelligent management of the RAN. Through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface, near-real time control and optimization of the modules and resources of the O-RAN are implemented. The third network element can also be a network element similar to the Near-RT RIC, which is not limited.

[0152] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of another communication system to which embodiments of the application are applicable is shown.

[0153] As Figure 3 shown, an access network device (RAN, which can be an eNB or gNB or next generation access network device, for example) communicates with a core network (CN) over a backhaul and communicates with a user equipment (UE) over an air interface.

[0154] In one specific implementation, a baseband unit (BBU) in the access network device communicates with the core network (CN) over a backhaul, and a radio unit (RU) in the access network device communicates with at least one UE over an air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU over a fronthaul, and the BBU and the RU can or can not be co-located.

[0155] The BBU includes at least one control unit (CU) and at least one distributed unit (DU), which can communicate over at least one midhaul.

[0156] Next, the interfaces involved in the O-RAN architecture shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 are briefly described, as well as 3GPP interfaces.

[0157] A1 interface: interface between Non-RT RIC and Near-RT RIC, for intelligent and dynamic control of the internal wireless resources of the O-RAN. The Non-RT RIC provides policies, rich information, and machine learning (ML) model updates, etc. to the Near-RT RIC through the A1 interface, and the Near-RT RIC provides policy feedback to the Non-RT RIC through the A1 interface.

[0158] E2 interface: E2 interface is an open interface between two endpoints to connect Near-RT RIC and RAN nodes, including, for example, CU, DU in 5G, O-RAN compatible eNB in 4G, O-CU (O-CU-CP and / or O-CU-UP) in O-RAN, and / or O-DU, etc. RIC can obtain RAN node data collection and feedback through E2 node, and RAN node can obtain control feedback of Near-RT RIC through E2 node.

[0159] O1 interface: Interface between management entities in SMO and O-RAN modules for operation management, through which fault management, configuration management, accounting management, performance management, security management, software management, and file management are realized.

[0160] O2 interface: Interface between SMO and infrastructure management framework supporting O-RAN virtual network functions.

[0161] Open Fronthaul CUS-Plane interface: Including control plane C-Plane, user plane U-Plane, and synchronization plane S-Plane interface. Control plane is used for real-time control between O-DU and O-RU, for example, for O-DU to transmit weight to O-RU for beamforming, or for O-DU to perform power control on O-RU, etc. User plane is used for transmitting communication data between access network devices and terminals between DUs and RUs. Synchronization plane is used for O-DU to provide clock synchronization to O-RU.

[0162] NG interface: Interface between NR RAN devices (such as base stations, CUs, CU-CPs or CU-UPs) and NR core networks; wherein NG-u is the user plane NG interface, and NG-c is the control plane NG interface.

[0163] Xn interface: Interface between NR RAN devices (such as base stations, CUs, CU-CPs or CU-UPs); wherein Xn-u is the user plane Xn interface, and Xn-c is the control plane Xn interface.

[0164] X2 interface: Interface between LTE RAN devices; wherein X2-u is the user plane X2 interface, and X2-c is the control plane X2 interface. In NR, X2 interface is mainly used in E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity (EN-DC) scenario, in which the master station is LTE RAN device, which is connected to LTE core network through X2 interface.

[0165] E1 interface: interface between CU-CP and CU-UP.

[0166] F1-C interface: interface between CU-CP and DU.

[0167] F1-U interface: interface between CU-UP and DU.

[0168] 3GPP RAN TR 38.848 specifies four typical topologies for A-IoT, as shown in Figure 4

[0169] Figure 4 A typical topology structure of A-IoT system is shown.

[0170] Topology 1: including base station BS and A-IoT device.

[0171] In the structure of topology 1, the A-IoT device directly communicates with the base station in both directions, and interacts A-IoT data and / or signaling.

[0172] In a specific implementation, the communication between the base station and the A-IoT device is a uu interface, that is, air interface communication.

[0173] Topology 2: including base station BS, intermediate node (i-node) and A-IoT device.

[0174] In the structure of topology 2, there is an intermediate node between the A-IoT device and the base station, the A-IoT device and the intermediate node communicate in both directions, and the intermediate node and the base station communicate in both directions.

[0175] It should be understood that the intermediate node includes but is not limited to a relay, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a UE, etc., which transmits A-IoT data and / or signaling between the BS and the A-IoT device.

[0176] In a specific implementation, the communication between the intermediate node and the base station is a uu interface, that is, air interface communication.

[0177] Topology 3: including base station BS, assisting node and A-IoT device.

[0178] Topology 3 structure is divided into two cases of downlink assistance and uplink assistance.

[0179] ​In downlink assistance, the base station and the assistance node communicate in downlink. The assistance node receives data and / or signaling from the base station, the A-IoT device receives data and / or signaling from the assistance node, and the base station receives data and / or signaling from the A-IoT device.

[0180] In uplink assistance, the base station and the assistance node communicate in uplink. The base station receives data and / or signaling from the assistance node, the assistance node receives data and / or signaling from the A-IoT device, and the A-IoT device receives data and / or signaling from the base station.

[0181] In a specific implementation, the communication between the intermediate node and the base station is a uu interface, i.e. air interface communication.

[0182] Topology 4: including terminal UE and A-IoT device.

[0183] In the structure of topology 4, the A-IoT device directly communicates with the UE device in bidirectional communication, and interacts A-IoT data and / or signaling.

[0184] In a specific implementation, the UE device and the A-IoT device communicate through a sidelink.

[0185] In the above four topologies, when the A-IoT device is a passive tag or a semi-passive tag, it cannot actively send signals and needs to rely on carrier reflection communication.

[0186] Figure 5 The excitation source architecture in the typical topology architecture of A-IoT is shown.

[0187] In Figure 4 Based on the topology architecture shown, the UE can also be located within the coverage range provided by the reader. When the reader is a terminal, the communication between the UE and the reader can be regarded as transmission between terminals. When the reader is a base station, the communication between the UE and the reader is a uu interface, i.e. air interface communication.

[0188] Based on the topology 1 direct connection architecture, a terminal device is added as an excitation source to provide a carrier for the A-IoT device. The communication between the base station and the terminal device is a uu interface.

[0189] Based on the topology 2 separate architecture, a terminal device is added as an excitation source to provide a carrier for the A-IoT device. The base station is in the same row.

[0190] Based on the topology 3 separate architecture, for the UE-assisted downlink architecture, a carrier is provided by the UE or the base station. The downlink data of the A-IoT device comes from the UE, and the uplink data of the A-IoT device is sent to the base station. The base station and the terminal device communicate through a uu interface.

[0191] On the basis of the split architecture of topology 3, for the UE-assisted uplink architecture, the carrier is provided by the UE or the base station, and the downlink data of the A-IoT device comes from the base station, and the uplink data of the A-IoT device is sent to the UE.

[0192] It should be understood that the split architecture shown in topology 3 decouples the uplink and downlink data links of the A-IoT device.

[0193] In some optional implementations, the base station can be an access network device RAN, such as an eNB or a gNB or a next-generation access network device, etc.

[0194] In some optional implementations, the terminal device and the A-IoT device are co-located, that is, the serving base station of the terminal device and the A-IoT device establishes a connection of the Uu interface.

[0195] In some optional implementations, the terminal device and the A-IoT device are co-located, that is, the serving base station of the terminal device and the A-IoT device establishes a connection of the Uu interface.

[0196] On the basis of the direct connection architecture of topology 4, the terminal device 2 is added as an excitation source to provide a carrier for the A-IoT device.

[0197] For the above Figure 4 The topology 2 structure in the A-IoT system shown above, when the intermediate node communicates with the A-IoT device, the intermediate node may need to provide the CW as an excitation source for the A-IoT device to assist its communication. The system needs to authenticate the intermediate node request to act as an excitation source based on the excitation capability of the intermediate node, and only the intermediate node that passes the authentication can be authorized to send the CW as an excitation source.

[0198] In summary, the present application provides a communication method for authenticating whether an intermediate node can act as an excitation source of an A-IoT system and configuring the carrier sent by the intermediate node.

[0199] Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0200] Figure 6 A communication method 700 is provided, in which, under a topology structure of an A-IoT system, a network device instructs an excitation source to send a carrier propagated in a multi-tone mode.

[0201] In a specific implementation, under a topology structure of an A-IoT system, an intermediate node requests to act as an excitation source and is authenticated by a network device, specifically including the following steps.

[0202] S701: The intermediate node sends first information to the network device.

[0203] The first information is used to request authentication of the intermediate node as a stimulus source of the A-IoT system, and the stimulus source is used to provide a carrier to a tag in the A-IoT system.

[0204] The intermediate node is further used to communicate between a reader and the tag in the A-IoT system.

[0205] In an optional implementation, the first information is further used to indicate capability information of the intermediate node. The capability information includes at least one of the following: single-subcarrier and / or multi-subcarrier capability supported by the intermediate node, carrier transmission capability of the intermediate node, and carrier reception signal and / or reflection signal capability of the intermediate node.

[0206] S702: The network device authenticates the intermediate node as a stimulus source based on the second information.

[0207] In an optional implementation, the network device includes a base station, and the base station performs authentication of the intermediate node as a stimulus source after receiving the first information.

[0208] In another optional implementation, the network device includes an OAM network element, and the OAM network element performs authentication of the intermediate node as a stimulus source after receiving the first information.

[0209] In another optional implementation, the network device includes a core network element, and the core network element performs authentication of the intermediate node as a stimulus source after receiving the first information.

[0210] S703: The intermediate node receives second information.

[0211] The second information is used to indicate an authentication result, and the authentication result is used to indicate whether the intermediate node is a stimulus source of the A-IoT system.

[0212] In a specific implementation, the authentication result is used to indicate that the intermediate node is not a stimulus source of the system. The authentication result indicates that the intermediate node fails to be authenticated, and the authentication node is not used as a stimulus source of the system. Then, the request flow of the intermediate node ends.

[0213] In another specific implementation, the authentication result is used to indicate that the intermediate node is a stimulus source of the system. Then, the method 700 further includes the following steps:

[0214] S704: The intermediate node receives first configuration information.

[0215] The first configuration information is used to indicate a configuration of a carrier transmitted by the intermediate node.

[0216] In an optional implementation, the configuration of the carrier includes configuration information of a single-subcarrier mode and / or a multi-subcarrier mode carrier. The configuration information of the multi-subcarrier mode carrier includes at least one of the following parameters: a frequency domain position, a number of subcarriers, a transmission power of the carrier, a guard interval time, a transmission start time of the carrier, a transmission end time of the carrier, a transmission period of the carrier, and a duration of the carrier.

[0217] In an optional implementation, the configuration of the carrier includes that the carrier transmitted in the multi-subcarrier mode is in a frequency hopping mode. In the frequency hopping mode, different time units have different single subcarriers. The carrier transmitted to the tag in the frequency hopping mode includes at least two subcarriers, and the tag occupies the at least two subcarriers for different time durations.

[0218] S705: The intermediate node transmits the carrier 1.

[0219] The intermediate node transmits the carrier 1 to the tag according to the first configuration information.

[0220] In an optional implementation, the capability information of the intermediate node includes that the intermediate node supports a multi-subcarrier capability, and the intermediate node transmits the carrier 1 including at least two subcarriers for uplink data transmission to the tag. The number of subcarriers is allocated and scheduled by the network device according to the demodulation capability of the intermediate node and the remaining resource condition.

[0221] The network device includes, but is not limited to, a base station, a core network element, an OAM network element, and the like.

[0222] In another specific implementation, in a topology of an A-IoT system, an auxiliary device transmits a carrier as an excitation source to enable communication between a tag and a network device. The network device instructs the auxiliary device to transmit a carrier supporting multi-tone mode propagation. The method includes the following steps.

[0223] S706: The auxiliary device receives second configuration information.

[0224] The second configuration information is used to instruct the auxiliary terminal device to transmit configuration information of a carrier supporting multi-subcarrier mode transmission.

[0225] In an optional implementation, the configuration information of the carrier includes at least one of the following parameters: a frequency domain position, a number of subcarriers, a transmission power of the carrier, a guard interval time, a transmission start time of the carrier, a transmission end time of the carrier, a transmission period of the carrier, and a duration of the carrier.

[0226] In another optional implementation, the configuration information of the carrier further comprises configuration of the carrier transmitted in the multi-tone mode as a frequency hopping mode. In the frequency hopping mode, different subcarriers are used in different time units. In the frequency hopping mode, the carrier transmitted to the tag comprises at least two subcarriers, and the tag occupies the at least two subcarriers for different time durations.

[0227] S707: The auxiliary device transmits the carrier 2.

[0228] The auxiliary device transmits the carrier 2 to the tag according to the second configuration information.

[0229] In an optional implementation, the capability information of the auxiliary device comprises a multi-subcarrier supported by the intermediate node, and the carrier 2 transmitted by the auxiliary device to the tag comprises at least two subcarriers for uplink data transmission. The number of subcarriers is allocated and scheduled by the network device according to the demodulation capability of the auxiliary device and the remaining resources.

[0230] The network device includes, but is not limited to, a base station, a core network element, an OAM network element, and the like.

[0231] It should be understood that in some implementations, the single tone mode is also referred to as the single tone mode, which is only a difference in name and does not constitute any limitation on the protection scope of the present application. The carrier waveform (CW waveform) of the single tone includes a sinusoid carrier wave and the like, and the present application does not specially limit the carrier waveform of the single tone.

[0232] It should be understood that in some implementations, the multi-tone mode is also referred to as the multi-tone mode, which is only a difference in name and does not constitute any limitation on the protection scope of the present application. The carrier waveform (CW waveform) of the multi-tone includes an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal mapped on continuous subcarriers, and also includes multiple single tones, such as n discontinuous subcarriers in the frequency domain, and the like, and the present application does not specially limit the carrier waveform of the multi-tone.

[0233] When the carrier signal transmitted by the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device is a multi-tone, compared with a single tone, the multi-tone is more helpful to resist frequency selective fading.

[0234] It should be noted that the main difference between the auxiliary node and the intermediate node in the present application is that the intermediate node can be a reader or is also called as having a read-write function. The auxiliary node does not have a read-write function. For example, the auxiliary node only supports sending a carrier signal to the AIoT device and does not support receiving the reflected signal of the AIoT device. The intermediate node not only supports sending a carrier signal to the AIoT device, but also supports receiving the reflected signal of the AIoT device.

[0235] The authentication process of the intermediate node as the excitation source can be authenticated by the core network device, and can also be authenticated by the base station or the OAM network element. Next, the authentication process of the core network network element to the center node and the authentication process of the base station / OAM to the intermediate node are described respectively. Figures 7 to 8 , respectively.

[0236] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided by another embodiment of the present application.

[0237] Figure 7 A communication method 800 is provided, in which the intermediate node and / or auxiliary device requests to be an excitation source and is authenticated by the core network network element. The communication method 800 includes the following four stages, and specifically includes the following steps.

[0238] S801: The intermediate node sends first request information and / or first capability information to the base station / core network network element.

[0239] The first request information is used to request to authenticate whether the intermediate node can be a Tag / AIoT device reader or a relay point (Relay); and the first capability information is the capability of the intermediate node as a Tag / AIoT device reader / Relay.

[0240] In a specific implementation, the intermediate node sends the first request information and / or the first capability information to the base station.

[0241] In an optional implementation, the intermediate node sends the first capability information and / or the first request information by sending a UECapabilityInformation (user equipment capability information) to the base station.

[0242] In another optional implementation, the first capability information and / or the first request information of the intermediate node can also be included in the NAS message in the RRC establishment completion message. For example, the NAS message can be a registration request message or a timing advance (TA) update message.

[0243] In another optional implementation, the first capability information and / or the first request information of the intermediate node can also be included in the NAS message in the RRC reestablishment complete message / RRC resume complete message.

[0244] In another optional implementation, the first capability information and / or the first request information of the intermediate node can also be included in other RRC messages sent by the intermediate node to the network, such as UEAssistanceInformation (User Equipment Assistance Information) and the like.

[0245] In another optional implementation, the first capability information and / or the first request information of the intermediate node can also be carried through different RRC messages.

[0246] In another optional implementation, the first request information can be encrypted in an encryption manner negotiated between the intermediate node and the base station.

[0247] In another specific implementation, the base station sends the first request information and / or the first capability information to the core network device / network element.

[0248] In an optional implementation, the base station can send the NAS message received in the RRC setup complete message to the core network device / network element, and the NAS message includes the first request information and / or the capability information of the UE.

[0249] In another optional implementation, the NAS message received in the RRC setup complete message can be sent through an initial UE (initial UE) message.

[0250] S802: The core network element authenticates the intermediate node as a reader / writer.

[0251] After receiving the first request information, the core network device determines whether the intermediate node can serve as a reader / Relay of the AIoT device.

[0252] In a specific implementation, the first request information includes one or more of the following: UE identification information, secret key information, indication information of an encryption algorithm, a random number, or a parameter calculated based on a secret key algorithm. After receiving the first indication information, the core network device can perform symmetric encryption calculation, and then compare it with the parameter calculated based on the secret key in the first request information. If they are consistent, the authentication is passed, otherwise the authentication fails.

[0253] In another specific implementation, the core network device / network element receives the capability information of the intermediate node at the same time / after receiving the first request information, and then the core network device / network element can also authenticate the intermediate node in combination with the capability information of the intermediate node.

[0254] It should be understood that in some implementations, the intermediate node can also be referred to as a UE, and the present application does not make special limitations thereto.

[0255] S803: The core network element sends first response information to the intermediate node.

[0256] The first response information is used to indicate that the intermediate node is authorized to act as a reader / writer of the system.

[0257] Correspondingly, the intermediate node receives the first response information. Wherein, the first response information indicates that the intermediate node can pass the reader / Relay verification of the AIoT device.

[0258] After the core network device authenticates the intermediate node, the core network device can send the first response information to the base station, and the base station forwards the first response information to the UE after receiving the first response information.

[0259] In a specific implementation, the base station can decode the first response information, so as to know whether the intermediate node passes / fails the reader / Relay authentication of the AIoT device.

[0260] In another specific implementation, the core network sends the first response message to the base station, which contains a NAS message containing the first response information; the base station forwards the NAS message to the UE after receiving the NAS message.

[0261] In an optional implementation, the first response message further includes second indication information, and the base station can decode the indication information, so as to know whether the UE passes / fails the reader / Relay authentication of the AIoT device.

[0262] In another optional implementation, the second indication information can not be included in the first response message, but can be included in other messages / information, and can be sent by the core network to the base station.

[0263] It should be understood that after the base station receives the indication of authenticating the intermediate node as a reader / writer, the base station needs to configure resource configuration information dedicated to A-IoT business to the intermediate node. Wherein, the A-IoT business can include but is not limited to inventory, positioning, sensing, command, etc.

[0264] It should be understood that in some implementations, A-IoT can also be written as A-IOT, AIOT, etc., all of which represent ambient internet of things (A-IoT) technology, and the present application does not make special limitations thereto.

[0265] It should be understood that the above steps S801 to S803 are steps for the intermediate node to authenticate as a reader, which are optional steps; if the intermediate node has been configured as a reader or a relay point, it is not necessary to authorize authentication again, and the steps of the following four stages are directly executed.

[0266] Stage 1: Determine the incentive demand.

[0267] In stage 1, the A-IoT system confirms that there is a need for an incentive source in the system, and that one or more incentive sources are needed to send a carrier. Specifically, the following steps are included.

[0268] S804a: The base station sends incentive source demand information 1 to the intermediate node and / or auxiliary device.

[0269] The incentive source demand information 1 is used to indicate the frequency range of the carrier supported by the current base station in the current A-IoT system. The incentive source demand information 1 is also used to indicate the capability information of the incentive source required by the current A-IoT system. The intermediate node and / or auxiliary device access the network according to the incentive source demand information 1, and the intermediate node and / or auxiliary device accessing the network can provide a carrier configuration that meets the requirements of the incentive source demand information 1.

[0270] It should be understood that the incentive source demand information 1 sent by the base station can be included in the system information (SIB), such as being sent in SIB1, or can be sent through other messages or information, which is not specially limited by the present application.

[0271] S804b: The intermediate node sends incentive source demand information 2 to the base station.

[0272] The incentive source demand information 2 is used to indicate the incentive source required by the base station (when the intermediate node communicates with the tag).

[0273] In a specific implementation, the incentive source demand information 2 includes UECapabilityInformation (User Equipment Capability Information), i.e., the intermediate node sends UECapabilityInformation to the base station to indicate its capability information.

[0274] In another specific implementation, the incentive source demand information 2 does not include capability information for indicating the incentive of the incentive source, and then the base station sends other information to the intermediate node and / or auxiliary UE to indicate the capability information of the incentive source required by the system and / or the frequency range of the carrier supported by the current base station.

[0275] It should be understood that in stage 1, the steps of S804a and S804b can be executed alternatively.

[0276] Stage 2: Core network authentication stage.

[0277] In stage 2, the core network can authenticate the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device as a motivation source.

[0278] Stage 2a: The core network device authenticates the intermediate node.

[0279] S805a: The intermediate node sends motivation source request information 1.

[0280] The motivation source request information 1 is used to indicate whether the core network element can authenticate the intermediate node as a motivation source of the A-IoT device, i.e., to indicate whether the core network element can authenticate the intermediate node as a motivation source of providing a carrier. The motivation source request information 1 can also include capability information of the intermediate node.

[0281] It should be understood that the motivation source request information 1 and the reader request information 1 in S801 can be sent through one information or separately sent through two information, which is not specially limited in the present application.

[0282] In a specific implementation, the motivation source request information 1 further includes capability information of the intermediate node, and the capability information of the intermediate node includes single-tone and / or multi-tone capability supported by the intermediate node, carrier sending capability, signal receiving capability based on the carrier, and / or reflected signal capability, etc.

[0283] In a specific implementation, the motivation source request information 1 is sent in radio resource control (RRC) information.

[0284] In an optional implementation, the intermediate node can send the motivation source request information 1 of the intermediate node by sending UECapabilityInformation information to the base station.

[0285] In another optional implementation, the motivation source request information 1 of the intermediate node is included in a non-access stratum (NAS) message in an RRC setup completion message. For example, the NAS message can be a registration request message or a timing advance (TA) update message.

[0286] In another optional implementation, the motivation source request information 1 of the intermediate node is included in a NAS message in an RRC re-establishment completion message or an RRC resume completion message.

[0287] In another optional implementation, the incentive source request information 1 of the intermediate node includes request information for requesting the core network element to perform incentive source authentication, and further includes capability information indicating the intermediate node. The request information and / or the capability information are included in other RRC messages sent by the UE to the network, such as UEAssistanceInformation (User Equipment Assistance Information) and the like.

[0288] In another optional implementation, the incentive source request information 1 of the intermediate node includes request information for requesting the core network element to perform incentive source authentication, and further includes capability information indicating the intermediate node. The request information and / or the capability information are included in other RRC messages sent by the UE to the network, such as UEAssistanceInformation (User Equipment Assistance Information) and the like.

[0289] In another optional implementation, the incentive source request information 1 can be encrypted in an encryption manner negotiated between the intermediate node and the base station. When the incentive source request information 1 of the intermediate node includes request information for requesting the core network element to perform incentive source authentication, and further includes capability information indicating the intermediate node, only the request information can be encrypted, and the capability information is not encrypted.

[0290] In a specific implementation, the intermediate node sends or forwards the incentive source request information 1 to the core network element.

[0291] In another specific implementation, the intermediate node sends the incentive source request information 1 to the base station, and the base station forwards or sends the incentive source request information 1 to the core network element. For example, the base station can send the NAS message received in the RRC setup complete message / RRC re-setup complete message / RRC resume complete message to the core network element, and the NAS message includes the incentive source request information 1. For example, the NAS message received in the above RRC message can be sent to the core network through an initial UE (initial UE) message.

[0292] It should be understood that in some specific implementations, the core network element can be referred to as a core network device or the like, which is only a name reference and does not constitute any limitation on the protection scope of the present application.

[0293] It should be understood that the base station can simultaneously forward the incentive source request information 1 and the reader request information 1 in S801, or can separately forward them, which is not specially limited in the present application.

[0294] It should be understood that the incentive source request information 1 is a specific implementation of the first information in the above implementations, which is not specially limited in the present application.

[0295] S806a: The core network element authenticates the intermediate node as an incentive source.

[0296] The core network element authenticates the intermediate node according to the incentive source request information 1.

[0297] It should be understood that the authentication of the intermediate node as a reader by the core network element and / or the authentication of the intermediate node as an incentive source by the core network element can be performed simultaneously or separately, and the present application does not make special limitations thereon. That is, S806a can be performed simultaneously with S802 or separately, and the present application does not make special limitations thereon.

[0298] It should be understood that there can be one or more intermediate nodes to make an authentication request for incentives to the core network, and the present application does not make special limitations thereon.

[0299] After receiving the incentive source request information 1, the core network element performs authentication and authorization of the intermediate node as an incentive source according to the request information and / or capability information contained in the incentive source request information 1, and determines whether the intermediate node can serve as an incentive source of the AIoT device.

[0300] In a specific implementation, the request information contained in the incentive source request information 1 includes one or more of the following: intermediate node identification information, secret key information, indication information of an encryption algorithm, a random number, or a parameter calculated based on a secret key algorithm. After receiving the incentive source request information 1, the core network device can perform symmetric encryption calculation, and then compare it with the parameter calculated based on the secret key in the request information. If they are consistent, the authentication is passed, otherwise the authentication fails.

[0301] In another specific implementation, in addition to the authentication request of the center node, the incentive source request information 1 also includes the capability information of the center node, and then the core network can also authenticate the intermediate node in combination with the capability information of the intermediate node.

[0302] It should be understood that the authentication request information and the capability information of the center node can be sent separately or together. If the core network element receives the capability information of the intermediate node at the same time or after receiving the request information, the core network can also authenticate the intermediate node in combination with the capability information of the intermediate node.

[0303] In an optional implementation, the incentive source request information 1 can also include other auxiliary information, such as the position information of the intermediate node and / or auxiliary device and the tag, beam information, etc. The core network element can also determine whether to authorize the intermediate node and / or auxiliary device as an incentive source according to the auxiliary information contained in the incentive source request information 1.

[0304] S807a: The core network element sends authentication indication information 1.

[0305] After the core network element verifies the intermediate node, the core network element sends authentication indication information 1, which is used to indicate the result of authentication, including authentication success or authentication failure. When the intermediate node is authenticated successfully, the authentication indication information 1 is used to indicate that the intermediate node can pass the verification as the incentive source of the AIoT device, or in other words, the intermediate node can pass the verification of providing the carrier.

[0306] The core network element sends the authentication indication information 1 to the base station. The base station forwards the authentication result to the intermediate node.

[0307] It should be understood that the authorization indication information 1 and the authentication indication information 1 sent by the core network element can be sent through the same information or can be sent separately, and the present application does not make special limitations thereon.

[0308] In a specific implementation mode, the base station can decode the authentication indication information 1 and learn the authentication result (pass or fail) of the intermediate node according to the decoded authentication indication information 1, and send the authentication result to the intermediate node.

[0309] It should be understood that the base station can directly forward the authentication indication information 1 to the intermediate node, and the base station can also send the authentication result to the intermediate node through other information, and the present application does not make special limitations thereon.

[0310] In another specific implementation mode, the base station cannot decode the authentication indication information 1, that is, the base station cannot learn the authentication result of the intermediate node according to the authentication indication information 1, and the base station directly forwards the authentication indication information 1 to the intermediate node. For example, when the core network element sends the authentication indication information 1 to the base station through the NAS message, the base station cannot decode the NAS message, and the base station forwards the NAS message to the intermediate node after receiving the NAS message.

[0311] In an optional implementation mode, in the information sent by the core network element to the base station, in addition to the NAS message containing the authentication indication information 1, there is also separate indication information, and the base station can learn the authentication result by decoding the indication information.

[0312] In an optional implementation mode, in addition to sending the NAS message containing the authentication indication information 1 to the base station, the core network element also sends other indication information to the base station, and the base station can learn the authentication result by decoding the indication information.

[0313] It should be understood that the authentication indication information 1 is a specific implementation mode of the second information in the above implementation mode, and the present application does not make special limitations thereon.

[0314] Stage 2b: The core network device authenticates the auxiliary device.

[0315] S805b: The auxiliary device sends incentive source request information 2.

[0316] S806b: The core network element authenticates the auxiliary device as the excitation source.

[0317] S807b: The core network element sends authentication indication information 2.

[0318] It should be understood that the steps of S805b to S807b in stage 2b are similar to the steps of S805a to S807a in stage 2a, and the intermediate node is replaced by the auxiliary device, which will not be repeated here.

[0319] It should be understood that the steps of the above-mentioned stages 2a and 2b can be executed entirely or selectively. That is, the core network device can authenticate the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device as the excitation source of the current system according to the actual situation, which is not specially limited herein.

[0320] It should be understood that the above-mentioned stage 2a can be performed simultaneously with the steps in steps S801 to S803, or can be performed separately. That is, the authentication process of the core network for the intermediate node requesting to be authenticated as a reader and / or excitation source of an A-IoT device can be performed simultaneously, or the two authentication processes can be performed separately. This application does not make special limitations.

[0321] Stage 3: Configure carrier information.

[0322] In stage 3, the base station sends carrier configuration information to the intermediate node and / or auxiliary device that passes the authentication.

[0323] S808a: The base station sends carrier configuration information 1 to the intermediate node.

[0324] The base station sends carrier configuration 1 to the authenticated excitation source, and the carrier configuration information 1 is used to indicate the configuration of the carrier sent by the intermediate node, which can include carrier configuration information in single-tone and / or multi-tone mode.

[0325] It should be understood that the authenticated excitation source includes one or more intermediate nodes and / or auxiliary devices, which are not specially limited herein.

[0326] In a specific implementation, the carrier configuration information 1 is used to indicate that the intermediate node sends a carrier in multi-tone mode, and specifically can include at least one of the following configuration information: frequency domain position, number of tones (i.e. the number of subcarriers that the base station can allocate for tag upload data transmission at a time), transmission power information, guard interval, transmission start time, transmission end time, transmission period, duration, etc.

[0327] In an optional implementation, the carrier configuration information 1 is further used to indicate that the carrier in the multi-tone mode is configured in a frequency hopping manner, so as to realize different tone occupation at different times, so as to improve the resistance to frequency selective fading effect of the channel, improve the reflection signal capability, improve the anti-interference capability, and the like.

[0328] It should be understood that the carrier configuration information 1 is a specific implementation of the first configuration information in the above implementation, and the present application does not make special limitations thereto.

[0329] S808b: The base station sends carrier configuration information 2 to the auxiliary device.

[0330] The base station sends the carrier configuration 2 to the authentication passed excitation source, and the carrier configuration information 2 is used to indicate the configuration of the carrier sent by the auxiliary device, and can include the carrier configuration information in the single-tone and / or multi-tone mode.

[0331] It should be understood that the execution steps of S808b are similar to S808a, and the present application will not be repeated here. The carrier configuration information 1 and the carrier configuration information 2 can include the same configuration parameters or different configuration parameters, and the present application does not make special limitations thereto.

[0332] It should be understood that S808a and S808b can be executed alternatively or all, and the specific execution is determined by the actual authentication passed excitation source device, and the present application does not make special limitations thereto.

[0333] It should be understood that the carrier configuration information 2 is a specific implementation of the second configuration information in the above implementation, and the present application does not make special limitations thereto.

[0334] Stage 4: Send the carrier.

[0335] In stage 4, the authentication passed excitation source sends the corresponding carrier according to the carrier configuration information sent by the base station.

[0336] S809a: The intermediate node sends the carrier 1.

[0337] The intermediate node sends the carrier 1 according to the carrier configuration information 1.

[0338] It should be understood that the carrier 1 can be a carrier for sending one or more tags or a carrier covering a specific range, and the present application does not make special limitations thereto.

[0339] S809b: The auxiliary device sends the carrier 2.

[0340] The auxiliary device sends the carrier 2 according to the carrier configuration information 2.

[0341] It should be understood that the carrier 2 can be a carrier that transmits one or more tags or a carrier that covers a specific range, and the present application does not make special limitations on this.

[0342] It should be understood that S809a and S809b can be executed alternatively or all, and the specific incentive source device is determined by the actual authentication, and the present application does not make special limitations on this.

[0343] The tag receives the carrier 1 and / or carrier 2 signal and reflects according to the carrier.

[0344] It should be understood that the intermediate node also sends downlink data to the tag, and the tag receives the downlink data and reflects the uplink signal according to the carrier.

[0345] It should be understood that in the implementation mode described in the present application, one or more intermediate nodes can be included, and the present application does not make special limitations on this.

[0346] It should be understood that in the implementation mode described in the present application, one or more auxiliary devices can be included, and the present application does not make special limitations on this.

[0347] It should be understood that in the implementation mode described in the present application, the tag can be a terminal device such as an A-IoT device, and the present application does not make special limitations on this.

[0348] It should be understood that in the implementation mode described in the present application, the core network element can be a tag management function (TMF) network element, or an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, or an ambient IoT management function (AIoTMF), or other network elements, and the present application does not make special limitations on this.

[0349] In a specific implementation mode, the core network element includes a TMF network element, which can be understood as that the TMF network element undertakes part of the function of the AMF network element, and the TMF network element sends a service request to the AMF network element after receiving the service request (for AIOT). In another specific implementation mode, the core network element includes an AMF network element, and the AMF network element directly receives a service request from a server. The present application does not make special limitations on this.

[0350] It should be understood that Figure 7In the illustrated communication method 800, the intermediate node and the auxiliary device are both controlled by the network. The auxiliary device can also be controlled by the intermediate node through the PC5 interface. The specific steps of the auxiliary device being controlled by the intermediate node through the PC5 interface and being authenticated as a stimulation source are similar to S805b to S807b in stage 2b described above, and will not be described herein again.

[0351] The authentication request of the intermediate node as a stimulation source is authenticated by the core network element, thereby ensuring the legitimacy of the intermediate node sending the carrier. In addition, the technical solution of the present application also supports the stimulation source sending the carrier in the multi-tone mode.

[0352] In a topology of an A-IoT system, the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device requests to be a stimulation source, and in addition to being authenticated by the core network element, can also be authenticated by a base station or an operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM) network element. The steps of authenticating the stimulation source by the base station / OAM network element are as shown in Figure 8 .

[0353] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided by another embodiment of the present application.

[0354] Figure 8 A communication method 900 is provided, in which, in a topology of an A-IoT system, the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device requests to be a stimulation source, and is authenticated by a base station or an OAM network element. The communication method 900 is similar to some steps in method 800.

[0355] It should be understood that the steps of the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device requesting to be a stimulation source are similar to those in method 800, and therefore in method 900, the steps of the intermediate node and the auxiliary device requesting are not described separately. The steps of the intermediate node and the auxiliary device requesting can be executed alternatively or simultaneously, and the present application does not make special limitations thereon. In the A-IoT system, one or more intermediate nodes can be a stimulation source, or one or more auxiliary devices can be a stimulation source. In the A-IoT system, only the intermediate node or the auxiliary device can be a stimulation source, or both the intermediate node and the auxiliary device can be a stimulation source. The present application does not make special limitations thereon, and the above possible implementation manners should not be considered as beyond the protection scope of the present application.

[0356] It should be understood that in method 900, the steps of the intermediate node sending a request to the base station and / or the core network element to be a reader and being authenticated (not shown in the figure) can also be included. The specific steps can be referred to S801 to S803 in method 800, and will not be described herein again.

[0357] The method 900 also includes four stages, specifically including the following steps:

[0358] Stage 1: Determine the incentive source requirement.

[0359] In stage 1, the A-IoT system confirms that the system needs an incentive source, and needs one or more incentive sources to send a carrier. Specifically, the base station sends incentive requirement information to the intermediate node and / or auxiliary device, and the intermediate node can also send incentive source requirement information to the base station. The specific steps are similar to S804a and S804b, and the present application will not repeat them here.

[0360] Stage 2: Authenticate the incentive source.

[0361] In stage 2, the base station or OAM network element needs to authenticate the request reported by the intermediate node and / or auxiliary device as an incentive source. Specifically, the base station or OAM network element can perform authentication.

[0362] Stage 2a: Base station authenticates the incentive source.

[0363] S901a: The intermediate node and / or auxiliary device sends incentive source request information 3 to the base station.

[0364] It should be understood that step S901a includes the following execution modes: only the intermediate node sends incentive source request information 3 to the base station, only the auxiliary device sends incentive source request information 3 to the base station, and both the intermediate node and the auxiliary device send request information 3 to the incentive source.

[0365] The incentive source request information 3 is used to indicate whether the base station can authenticate the intermediate node and / or auxiliary device as an incentive source of A-IoT devices, i.e., to indicate whether the base station can authenticate the intermediate node and / or auxiliary device as an incentive source that provides a carrier. The incentive source request information 3 can also include capability information of the intermediate node and / or auxiliary device.

[0366] In a specific implementation, the incentive source request information 3 also includes capability information of the intermediate node, and the capability information of the intermediate node includes single-tone and / or multi-tone capability supported by the intermediate node, carrier sending capability, signal receiving capability based on the carrier, and / or signal reflecting capability, etc.

[0367] It should be understood that the incentive source request information 3 can be the same field information as the incentive source request information 1 and the incentive source request information 2, or different field information, which is not specially limited by the present application.

[0368] It should be understood that the incentive source request information 3 is requested in a manner similar to the sending of the incentive source request information 1 and the incentive source request information 2, and the sending manner of the incentive source request information 1 in the method 800 can be referred to for details, which will not be described herein again.

[0369] It should be understood that the intermediate node can also send the reader request information 1 as a reader of the A-IoT system to the base station while sending the incentive source request information 3 to the base station. The reader request information 1 and the incentive source request information 3 can be sent through the same information or can be sent separately, which is not specially limited herein.

[0370] It should be understood that the incentive source request information 3 is a specific implementation of the first information in the above implementation manner, which is not specially limited herein.

[0371] S902a: The base station authenticates the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device as an incentive source.

[0372] The base station authenticates the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device according to the incentive source request information 3.

[0373] In a specific implementation manner, the base station can also authenticate the intermediate node as a reader according to the reader request information 1.

[0374] It should be understood that the authentication of the intermediate node as a reader by the base station and / or the authentication of the intermediate node as an incentive source by the base station can be performed simultaneously or separately, which is not specially limited herein.

[0375] It should be understood that there can be one or more intermediate nodes to request incentive authentication from the base station, and there can be one or more auxiliary devices to request incentive authentication from the base station, which is not specially limited herein.

[0376] After receiving the incentive source request information 3, the base station performs authentication and authorization of the incentive source of the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device according to the request information and / or the capability information contained in the incentive source request information 3, and determines whether the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device can be an incentive source of the AIoT device.

[0377] In a specific implementation manner, the incentive source request information 3 further includes other auxiliary information, such as position information and beam information of the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device and the tag. The base station can also determine whether to authorize the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device as an incentive source according to the auxiliary information included in the incentive source request information 3.

[0378] S903a: The base station sends authentication indication information 3.

[0379] After the base station authenticates the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device, the base station sends authentication indication information 3, which is used to indicate the result of the authentication, including authentication success or authentication failure.

[0380] It should be understood that the indication information of the base station authenticating or rejecting the intermediate node as a reader and the indication information of the base station authenticating or rejecting the intermediate node as an excitation source can be carried on the same information and sent to the intermediate node, or can be carried on different information and sent to the intermediate node separately, and the present application does not make special limitations.

[0381] It should be understood that the authentication indication information 3 is a specific implementation of the second information in the above implementation, and the present application does not make special limitations.

[0382] In an optional implementation, the base station further performs S904a.

[0383] S904a: The base station sends authentication synchronization information 1 to the core network element.

[0384] The base station synchronizes the authentication result of the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device with the core network element through the authentication synchronization information 1. The authentication synchronization information 1 is used to indicate that the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device are received or rejected by the base station as an excitation source.

[0385] It should be understood that the steps in stage 2a can be performed simultaneously with the steps in S801-S803 in method 800 if they are performed by the intermediate node, or can be performed separately. That is, the authentication process of the base station authenticating the intermediate node as a reader and / or an excitation source of A-IoT device can be performed simultaneously, or the two authentication processes can be performed separately. The present application does not make special limitations.

[0386] Stage 2b: OAM authenticates the excitation source.

[0387] S901b: The intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device send excitation source request information 4 to the OAM.

[0388] It should be understood that the excitation source request information 4 is a specific implementation of the first information in the above implementation, and the present application does not make special limitations.

[0389] S902b: The OAM authenticates the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device as an excitation source.

[0390] S903b: The OAM sends authentication indication information 4.

[0391] After the OAM authenticates the intermediate node, the OAM sends authentication indication information 4, which is used to indicate the result of the authentication, including authentication success or authentication failure.

[0392] In one specific implementation, the OAM directly sends the authentication indication information 4 to the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device to indicate the authentication result. At this time, the OAM also needs to send the synchronization information to the base station again to synchronize the authentication result. If the authentication result indicates to accept the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device as the incentive source, the base station performs the S905 step to send the carrier configuration information to the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device based on the synchronization information.

[0393] In another specific implementation, the OAM sends the authentication indication information 4 to the base station, and the base station forwards the authentication indication information 4 to the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device to indicate the authentication result. It should be understood that the base station can directly forward the authentication indication information 4 to the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device, and the base station can also send the authentication result to the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device through other information, which is not specially limited in the present application.

[0394] Specifically, if the base station can decode the authentication indication information 4 and know the authentication result of the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device according to the decoded authentication indication information 4, and send the authentication result to the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device. In response to the authentication result indicating to accept the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device as the incentive source, the base station performs the S905 step to send the carrier configuration information to the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device based on the authentication result.

[0395] Specifically, if the base station cannot decode the authentication indication information 4, that is, the base station cannot know the authentication result of the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device according to the authentication indication information 4, the base station directly forwards the authentication indication information 4 to the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device. The OAM network element also sends other synchronization information to the base station to indicate the authentication result. The base station knows the authentication result based on the synchronization information, and in response to the authentication result indicating to accept the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device as the incentive source, the base station performs the S905 step to send the carrier configuration information to the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device based on the synchronization information.

[0396] It should be understood that the authentication indication information 3 is a specific implementation of the second information in the above implementation, which is not specially limited in the present application.

[0397] In an optional implementation, the OAM also performs S904b.

[0398] S904b: The OAM sends the authentication synchronization information 2 to the core network element.

[0399] It should be understood that the steps of S901b to S904b in stage 2b are similar to the steps of S901a to S904a in stage 2a, and the base station is replaced by the OAM network element, which will not be described herein.

[0400] It should be understood that the steps of stage 2a and stage 2b described above can be executed all together or alternatively. That is, the base station can authenticate the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device as the excitation source of the current system according to the actual situation, the OAM network element can also authenticate the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device as the excitation source of the current system according to the actual situation, or the base station and the OAM can authenticate at the same time, and the present application does not make special limitation thereon.

[0401] It should be understood that if the steps in stage 2b are executed by the intermediate node, the steps can be performed simultaneously with the steps in S801-S803 in method 800, or separately. That is, the OAM can simultaneously perform the authentication process for the intermediate node to request authentication as a reader and / or excitation source of an A-IoT device, or the two authentication processes can be performed separately. The present application does not make special limitation thereon.

[0402] It should be understood that the authentication process of the base station for the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device as the excitation source and the authentication process of the core network element for the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device as the excitation source are similar, and the specific implementation mode in stage 2 in method 800 can be referred to, and the skilled in the art can replace the core network element with the base station device for implementation, which will not be described herein again and should not be considered as beyond the protection scope of the present application.

[0403] Stage 3: Configuration of carrier information.

[0404] In stage 3, the base station sends carrier configuration information to the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device which pass the authentication.

[0405] S905a: The base station sends carrier configuration information 1 / 2 to the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device.

[0406] The base station sends carrier configuration information 1 to the intermediate node which passes the authentication, and the carrier configuration information 1 is used to indicate the configuration of the carrier transmitted by the intermediate node, and can include carrier configuration information in single-tone and / or multi-tone mode.

[0407] The base station sends carrier configuration information 2 to the auxiliary device which passes the authentication, and the carrier configuration information 2 is used to indicate the configuration of the carrier transmitted by the auxiliary device, and can include carrier configuration information in single-tone and / or multi-tone mode.

[0408] In a specific implementation mode, the carrier configuration information 1 and / or the carrier configuration information 2 are used to indicate that the intermediate node transmits the carrier in multi-tone mode, and specifically can include at least one of the following configuration information: frequency domain position, number of tones (i.e. the number of subcarriers allocated by the base station for tag upload data transmission at one time), transmission power information, guard interval, transmission start time, transmission end time, transmission period, duration, etc.

[0409] In an optional implementation, the carrier configuration information 1 and / or the carrier configuration information 2 is further used to indicate that the carrier in the multi-tone mode is configured in a frequency hopping manner, so as to realize different tone occupation at different times, so as to improve the effect of resisting the frequency selective fading of the channel, improve the reflection signal capability, improve the anti-interference capability, and the like.

[0410] It should be understood that the carrier configuration information 1 is a specific implementation of the first configuration information in the above implementation, and the present application does not specially limit this.

[0411] It should be understood that the carrier configuration information 2 is a specific implementation of the second configuration information in the above implementation, and the present application does not specially limit this.

[0412] It should be understood that when only the step in the stage 2b in the stage 2 is performed, that is, only whether the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device can be the excitation source of the current system is authenticated by the OAM network element, and the authentication result is directly sent to the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device, the OAM network element also needs to make the base station know the authentication result through other synchronization information. The base station sends the carrier configuration information 1 / 2 to the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device in response to the OAM accepting the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device as the excitation source of the current system.

[0413] Stage 4: The intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device send the carrier.

[0414] In the stage 4, the excitation source with successful authentication sends the corresponding carrier according to the carrier configuration information sent by the base station.

[0415] S906: The intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device send the carrier 1 / 2.

[0416] The intermediate node sends the carrier 1 conforming to the configuration according to the carrier configuration information 1.

[0417] The auxiliary device sends the carrier 2 conforming to the configuration according to the carrier configuration information 2.

[0418] The tag receives the carrier 1 and / or the carrier 2 signal, and reflects according to the carrier.

[0419] It should be understood that in the implementation described in the present application, the core network element can be a tag management function (TMF) network element, or an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, or an ambient IoT management function (AIoTMF), or other network elements, and the present application does not specially limit this.

[0420] In a specific implementation, the core network element includes a TMF network element, which can be understood as the TMF network element assuming part of the functions of the AMF network element. After receiving the service request (for AIOT), the TMF network element sends the service request to the AMF network element. In another specific implementation, the core network element includes an AMF network element, which directly receives the service request from the server. The present application does not make special limitations on this.

[0421] It should be understood that Figure 8 In the illustrated communication method 900, both the intermediate node and the auxiliary device are controlled by the network. The auxiliary device can also be controlled by the intermediate node through the PC5 interface, which will not be described here.

[0422] It should be understood that the indication information of some steps in method 900 and method 800 has similar effects, and the present application will not be described here. The extension of the indication information with similar effects will not be described here either. Please refer to the related description in method 800.

[0423] It should be understood that some steps in method 900 and steps in method 800 can be replaced, alternated, synchronized, combined, etc. to solve the technical problems of the present application, which will not be listed one by one here, and the present application does not make special limitations on this. The new technical solutions formed by combining the steps in the methods of the present application should not be considered beyond the protection scope of the present application.

[0424] The authentication request of the intermediate node as the excitation source is authenticated by the base station and / or the OAM network element, thereby ensuring the legitimacy of the carrier sent by the intermediate node. In addition, the technical solution of the present application also supports the excitation source to send the carrier in the multi-tone mode.

[0425] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0426] Figure 9 A communication method 100 is provided. In a topology of an A-IoT system, the auxiliary device requests to be an excitation source, and the base station sends carrier configuration information in a multi-tone mode to the authenticated auxiliary device.

[0427] It should be understood that in an optional implementation, the authentication process of the auxiliary device requesting to be an excitation source can be authenticated by the core network element, and the specific steps are shown in method 800. In another optional implementation, the authentication process of the auxiliary device requesting to be an excitation source can be authenticated by the base station or the OAM network element, and the specific steps are shown in method 900. The present application does not describe the various authentication methods of the auxiliary device requesting to be an excitation source.

[0428] The application takes the authentication of the auxiliary device by the core network element as an example, and describes a communication method 100 for the base station to send the carrier under the multi-tone mode to the auxiliary device after the authentication. The communication method 100 includes four stages, and specifically includes the following steps:

[0429] Stage 1: Determine the excitation source requirement.

[0430] In stage 1, the A-IoT system confirms that the excitation source is needed in the system, and one or more excitation sources are needed to send the carrier. Specifically, the base station sends the excitation requirement information to the auxiliary device. The specific steps are similar to S804a, and the application will not repeat them here.

[0431] Stage 2: The core network authenticates the auxiliary device.

[0432] S101: The auxiliary device sends excitation source request information 5.

[0433] The excitation source request information 5 is used to indicate whether the core network element can authenticate the auxiliary device as an excitation source of the A-IoT device, that is, to indicate whether the core network element can authenticate the auxiliary device as an excitation source providing the carrier. The excitation source request information 5 can also include the capability information of the auxiliary device.

[0434] It should be understood that the excitation source request information 5 and the excitation source request information 2 and the excitation source request information 4 can be the same information or different information, and the application does not make special limitations on this.

[0435] In a specific implementation, the auxiliary device sends the excitation source request information 5 to the core network element.

[0436] In another specific implementation, the auxiliary device sends the excitation source request information 5 to the base station, and the base station forwards the excitation source request information 5 to the core network element.

[0437] S102: The core network element authenticates the auxiliary device as an excitation source.

[0438] The core network element authenticates the auxiliary device according to the excitation source request information 5.

[0439] S103: The core network element sends authentication indication information 5.

[0440] After the core network element authenticates the auxiliary device, the core network element sends the authentication indication information 5, which is used to indicate the result of the authentication, including authentication success or authentication failure. The base station forwards the authentication result to the intermediate node.

[0441] It should be understood that stage 2 in method 100 can also have other implementations. For example, stage 2b in method 800, stage 2a in method 900, stage 2b, etc. Those skilled in the art can combine the stages in different methods in this application to form new methods, which will not be listed one by one in this application, but should not be considered as beyond the protection scope of this application.

[0442] Stage 3: Configuration of carrier information.

[0443] In stage 3, the base station sends carrier configuration information to the auxiliary device that passes the authentication.

[0444] S104: The base station sends carrier configuration information 2 to the auxiliary device.

[0445] The base station sends carrier configuration 2 to the incentive source that passes the authentication, and the carrier configuration information 2 is used to indicate the configuration of the carrier sent by the auxiliary device, including the carrier configuration information in the multi-tone mode.

[0446] It should be understood that the incentive source that passes the authentication includes one or more auxiliary devices, which are not specially limited in this application.

[0447] In a specific implementation, the carrier configuration information 2 is used to indicate that the auxiliary device sends the carrier in the multi-tone mode, which can specifically include at least one of the following configuration information: frequency domain position, number of tones (i.e. the number of subcarriers that the base station can allocate for the tag to upload data transmission at one time), transmission power information, guard interval, transmission start time, transmission end time, transmission period, duration, etc.

[0448] In an optional implementation, the carrier configuration information 2 is also used to indicate that the carrier in the multi-tone mode is configured in a frequency hopping manner, which realizes that different tones occupy different times, so as to improve the effect of resisting the frequency selective fading of the channel, improve the ability of reflected signal, improve the anti-interference ability, etc.

[0449] It should be understood that the carrier configuration information 2 is a specific implementation of the second configuration information in the above implementation, which is not specially limited in this application.

[0450] Stage 4: Transmission of carrier.

[0451] In stage 4, the incentive source that passes the authentication sends the corresponding carrier according to the carrier configuration information sent by the base station.

[0452] S105: The auxiliary device sends carrier 2.

[0453] The auxiliary device sends the carrier 2 that meets the configuration according to the carrier configuration information 2.

[0454] The tag receives a carrier 2 signal and reflects according to the carrier.

[0455] It should be understood that in the implementation described in the present application, the core network element can be a tag management function (TMF) network element, or an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, or an ambient IoT management function (AIoTMF), or other network elements, which are not limited in the present application.

[0456] In a specific implementation, the core network element includes a TMF network element, which can be understood as a TMF network element assuming part of the functions of an AMF network element. After receiving the service request (for AIOT), the TMF network element sends the service request to the AMF network element. In another specific implementation, the core network element includes an AMF network element, which directly receives the service request from the server. The present application does not make special limitations on this.

[0457] It should be understood that, Figure 9 In the illustrated communication method 100, the intermediate node and the auxiliary device are both controlled by the network. The auxiliary device can also be controlled by the intermediate node through the PC5 interface, which is not described herein.

[0458] It should be understood that the indication information of some steps in the method 100, the method 900 and the method 800 has similar effects, which will not be described herein. The extension of the indication information with similar effects will not be described herein either. Please refer to the related description in the method 800.

[0459] It should be understood that some steps in the method 100 and the method 900 can be replaced, alternated, synchronized or combined with the steps in the method 800 to solve the technical problems in the present application, which will not be listed one by one herein. The present application does not make special limitations on this. The new technical solutions formed by combining the steps in the methods of the present application should not be considered beyond the protection scope of the present application.

[0460] Figure 10 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0461] As Figure 10As shown in the communication apparatus 1000, the apparatus can include a transceiver unit 1010 and a processing unit 1020, the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver unit 1010 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit. The processing unit 1020 can be used to determine resources and generate information. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1010 can include a receiving unit and a sending unit, the receiving unit is used to implement the function of receiving, and the sending unit is used to implement the function of sending.

[0462] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1000 can also include a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing unit 1020 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit to enable the device to implement the foregoing method embodiments.

[0463] As a design, the communication apparatus 1000 is used to execute the steps or processes performed by the tag device, the intermediate node, the auxiliary device, the base station device, the OAM network element or the core network element in the foregoing method embodiments, the transceiver unit 1010 is used to execute the transceiver-related operations in the foregoing method embodiments, for example, the intermediate node sends the first information through the transceiver unit 1010, the intermediate node receives the second information, the first configuration information, etc. through the transceiver unit 1010; the network device receives the first information through the transceiver unit 1010, and the network device sends the second information, the first configuration information, etc. through the transceiver unit 1010. The processing unit 1020 is used to execute the operations related to determining resources and generating messages in the foregoing method embodiments, for example, the network device determines whether the intermediate node can be an incentive source according to the first information through the processing unit 1020.

[0464] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the corresponding steps described above has been described in detail in the foregoing method embodiments, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0465] It should also be understood that the communication apparatus 1000 herein is embodied in the form of functional units. The term "unit" herein can refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (such as a shared processor, a dedicated processor or a group processor, etc.) and a memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a combination of logical circuits and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. In an optional example, those skilled in the art can understand that the communication apparatus 1000 can be embodied as the devices (such as the tag device, the intermediate node, the auxiliary device, the base station device, the OAM network element or the core network element, etc.) in the foregoing embodiments, and can be used to execute the processes and / or steps corresponding to the devices in the foregoing method embodiments. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0466] The communication device 1000 of each of the above-mentioned schemes has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the device or network element (such as a tag device, an intermediate node, an auxiliary device, a base station device, an OAM network element or a core network element, etc.) in the above-mentioned method. The function can be implemented by hardware, or the corresponding software can be implemented by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-mentioned functions; for example, the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the sending unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the determination unit, can be replaced by a processor to respectively perform the transceiver operations and related determination operations in each method embodiment.

[0467] In addition, the transceiver unit 1010 may also be a transceiver circuit (for example, may include a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit 1020 may be a processing circuit.

[0468] It should be pointed out that Figure 10 The communication device 1000 in the embodiment may be a chip or a chip system, such as a system on chip (SoC). The transceiver unit may be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the determination unit may be a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. This is not limited here.

[0469] Figure 11 It is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0470] like Figure 11 The communication device 2000 shown may include a processor 2010 .

[0471] Alternatively, as Figure 11 As shown, the apparatus 2000 further includes a transceiver 2020, which is configured to receive and / or transmit signals. For example, the processor 2010 is configured to control the transceiver 2020 to receive and / or transmit signals. Alternatively, the transceiver 2020 may include a receiver and a transmitter, the receiver being configured to receive signals and the transmitter being configured to transmit signals.

[0472] The processor 2010 can be coupled to the memory 2030, which is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 2010 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 2030, or read the data stored in the memory 2030 to execute the methods in the above method embodiments.

[0473] Optionally, there are one or more processors 2010 .

[0474] Optionally, the memory 2030 is one or more.

[0475] Optionally, the memory 2030 is integrated with the processor 2010 or is separately arranged.

[0476] As an example, the processor 2010 can have the function of the processing unit 1020 shown in FIG. 1, the memory 2030 can have the function of the storage unit, and the transceiver 2020 can have the function of the transceiving unit 1010 shown in FIG. 1. Figure 10 Figure 10

[0477] As an option, the apparatus 2000 is configured to implement the operations performed by the device or network element (such as a tag device, an intermediate node, an auxiliary device, a base station device, an OAM network element, or a core network network element, etc.) in each of the method embodiments.

[0478] For example, the processor 2010 is configured to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 2030 to implement the related operations of the device or network element (such as a tag device, an intermediate node, an auxiliary device, a base station device, an OAM network element, or a core network network element, etc.) in each of the method embodiments.

[0479] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0480] ​​It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM). For example, the RAM can be used as an external cache. As an example but not limitation, the RAM includes the following various forms: static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM) and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0481] It should be noted that when the processor is a general processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a FPGA or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated in the processor.

[0482] Figure 11 The apparatus in the foregoing embodiments can be a device, a chip or a chip system, for example, a system on chip (SoC). Among them, the transceiver can be an input / output circuit, a communication interface; the processor is a processor or microprocessor integrated on the chip or an integrated circuit. Herein, no limitation is made.

[0483] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0484] When the apparatus is the chip system, it can (or also be called a processing system) include a logic circuit and an input / output interface.

[0485] The logic circuit can be a processing circuit in the chip system. The logic circuit can be coupled to the storage unit, call instructions in the storage unit, so that the chip system can implement the method and function of each embodiment of the application. The input / output interface can be an input / output circuit in the chip system, output the processed information of the chip system, or input the data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system for processing.

[0486] The embodiments of the application further provide a computer readable storage medium, which has stored computer program instructions for implementing the method executed by the device or network element (such as a label device, an intermediate node, an auxiliary device, a base station device, an OAM network element, or a core network element) in each method embodiment.

[0487] For example, the computer program instructions are executed by a computer, so that the computer can implement the method executed by the device or network element (such as a label device, an intermediate node, an auxiliary device, a base station device, an OAM network element, or a core network element) in each method embodiment.

[0488] The embodiments of the application further provide a computer program product, which contains program instructions, and the program instructions are executed by a computer to implement the method executed by the device or network element (such as a label device, an intermediate node, an auxiliary device, a base station device, an OAM network element, or a core network element) in each method embodiment.

[0489] The embodiments of the application further provide a communication system, which includes the label device and / or the intermediate node and / or the auxiliary device and / or the base station device and / or the OAM network element and / or the core network element in each embodiment.

[0490] The explanations and beneficial effects of the related contents in any of the above-provided devices can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be described herein again.

[0491] Those skilled in the art can understand that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are realized in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the application.

[0492] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be described herein again.

[0493] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other manners. For example, the described device embodiments are merely schematic. The division of the units is merely logical function division. There can be another division manner for the actual implementation, for example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0494] The units described as separated components can or can not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units can or can not be physical units, i.e., can be located in one place, or can be distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purposes of the embodiments.

[0495] In addition, each functional unit in the embodiments of the present application can be integrated in a specific unit, or each unit can exist physically, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0496] If the functions are implemented in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the parts that make contributions to the prior art or the parts of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0497] The above describes only specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be covered in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to an intermediate node in an A-IoT system, and includes: Sending first information, where the first information is used to request authentication of the intermediate node as an excitation source of the A-IoT system, where the excitation source is used to provide a carrier to a tag in the A-IoT system; receiving second information, where the second information is used to indicate an authentication result, where the authentication result is used to indicate whether the intermediate node serves as an excitation source for the A-IoT system; The intermediate node is also used as a reader / writer in the A-IoT system to communicate with the tag.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The authentication result is used to instruct the intermediate node to serve as an excitation source of the system, and the method further includes: receiving first configuration information, where the first configuration information is used to indicate a configuration of a carrier sent by the intermediate node; Send a carrier wave to the tag according to the first configuration information.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The configuration of the carrier includes configuration information of the carrier in a single subcarrier mode and / or a multi-subcarrier mode, and the configuration information of the carrier in the multi-subcarrier mode includes at least one of the following parameters: Frequency domain position, number of subcarriers, transmit power of the carrier, guard interval time, transmit start time of the carrier, transmit end time of the carrier, transmit period of the carrier, and duration of the carrier.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The configuration of the carrier includes that the carrier sent in the multi-subcarrier mode is in a frequency hopping mode, and different single subcarriers are present in different time units in the frequency hopping mode.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The first information is further used to indicate capability information of the intermediate node, where the capability information includes at least one of the following: The intermediate node supports single subcarrier and / or multi-subcarrier capabilities, the intermediate node has carrier transmission capabilities, and the intermediate node has carrier-based signal reception and / or reflected signal capabilities.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The capability information of the intermediate node includes the capability of the intermediate node to support multiple subcarriers, The carrier sent to the tag includes at least two subcarriers for uplink data transmission, and the number of the subcarriers is allocated according to the demodulation capability and remaining resources of the intermediate node.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The authentication result is used to indicate that the intermediate node does not serve as an excitation source for the system.

8. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to an A-IoT system, and includes: receiving first information, and authenticating, based on the first information, an intermediate node as an excitation source of the A-IoT system, the excitation source being used to provide a carrier to a tag in the A-IoT system; Sending second information based on the first information, where the second information is used to indicate an authentication result, where the authentication result is used to indicate whether the intermediate node serves as an excitation source for the A-IoT system; The intermediate node is also used as a reader / writer in the A-IoT system to communicate with the tag.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The authentication result is used to instruct the intermediate node to serve as an excitation source of the system, and the method further includes: Sending first configuration information, where the first configuration information is used to indicate configuration of a carrier sent by the intermediate node.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The configuration of the carrier includes configuration information of the carrier in a single subcarrier mode and / or a multi-subcarrier mode, and the configuration information of the carrier in the multi-subcarrier mode includes at least one of the following parameters: Frequency domain position, number of subcarriers, transmit power of the carrier, guard interval time, transmit start time of the carrier, transmit end time of the carrier, transmit period of the carrier, and duration of the carrier.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The configuration of the carrier includes that the carrier sent in the multi-subcarrier mode is in a frequency hopping mode, and different single subcarriers are present in different time units in the frequency hopping mode.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that The first information is further used to indicate capability information of the intermediate node, where the capability information includes at least one of the following: The intermediate node supports single subcarrier and / or multi-subcarrier capabilities, the intermediate node has carrier transmission capabilities, and the intermediate node has carrier-based signal reception and / or reflected signal capabilities.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The capability information of the intermediate node includes a capability of the intermediate node to support multiple subcarriers, and the method further includes: Instructing the intermediate node, based on the demodulation capability and remaining resources of the intermediate node, the number of subcarriers for uplink data transmission to be sent; The number of subcarriers is included in the information indicating the configuration of the carriers.

14. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The authentication result is used to indicate that the intermediate node does not serve as an excitation source for the system.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that The authentication result is used to instruct the intermediate node to serve as an excitation source of the system, and the method further includes: Sending first synchronization information to the first network element to inform the first network element that the A-IoT system uses the intermediate node as an excitation source.

16. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a network device in an A-IoT system. The system further includes an auxiliary terminal device and a tag. The auxiliary terminal device is configured to transmit a carrier wave to enable communication between the tag and the network device. The method includes: Sending second configuration information, where the second configuration information is used to instruct the auxiliary terminal device to send configuration information of a carrier supporting transmission in a multi-subcarrier mode.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The carrier configuration information includes at least one of the following parameters: Frequency domain position, number of subcarriers, transmit power of the carrier, guard interval time, transmit start time of the carrier, transmit end time of the carrier, transmit period of the carrier, and duration of the carrier.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that The configuration information of the carrier also includes configuring the carrier sent in the multi-subcarrier mode to be in a frequency hopping mode, where different single subcarriers are present in different time units in the frequency hopping mode.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein The method further comprises: Instructing the auxiliary terminal device on the number of subcarriers for uplink data transmission to be sent based on the demodulation capability and remaining resources of the auxiliary terminal device; The number of subcarriers is included in the information indicating the configuration of the carriers.

20. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to an auxiliary terminal device in an A-IoT system, wherein the system further includes a network device and a tag, and the auxiliary terminal device is configured to transmit a carrier wave to enable communication between the tag and the network device. The method includes: receiving second configuration information, where the second configuration information is used to instruct the auxiliary terminal device to send configuration information of a carrier supporting transmission in a multi-subcarrier mode; Send a carrier wave to the tag according to the second configuration information.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The carrier configuration information includes at least one of the following parameters: Frequency domain position, number of subcarriers, transmit power of the carrier, guard interval time, transmit start time of the carrier, transmit end time of the carrier, transmit period of the carrier, and duration of the carrier.

22. The method according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that The configuration information of the carrier also includes configuring the carrier sent in the multi-subcarrier mode to be in a frequency hopping mode, where different single subcarriers are present in different time units in the frequency hopping mode.

23. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The configuration information of the carrier includes the number of the subcarriers, The carrier sent to the tag includes at least two subcarriers for uplink data transmission, and the number of the subcarriers is allocated according to the demodulation capability and remaining resources of the auxiliary terminal equipment.

24. A communication system, characterized in that: It includes a first device and a second device, wherein: The first device is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The second device is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 8 to 15.

25. A communication system, characterized in that: comprising a second device and a third device, wherein: The second device is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 16 to 19, The third device is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 20 to 23.

26. A communication device, characterized in that: comprising a processor configured to, by executing computer programs or instructions, or by executing logic circuits, causing the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7; or, causing the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 8 to 15; or, causing the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 16 to 19; or, The communication device is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 20 to 23.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer readable storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed on a computer, causing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7 to be performed; or, causing the method of any one of claims 8 to 15 to be performed; or, causing the method of any one of claims 16 to 19 to be performed; or, Such that the method of any one of claims 20 to 23 is performed.

28. A computer program product, characterized in that Contains instructions that, when executed on a computer, causing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7 to be performed; or, causing the method of any one of claims 8 to 15 to be performed; or, causing the method of any one of claims 16 to 19 to be performed; or, Such that the method of any one of claims 20 to 23 is performed.

29. A chip system, characterized in that: The chip system includes a processor, a memory and an input / output port, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program; the processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory. so that the processor performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7; or, so that the processor performs the method according to any one of claims 8 to 15; or, so that the processor performs the method according to any one of claims 16 to 19; or so that the processor executes the method according to any one of claims 20 to 23.

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