Method and apparatus in wireless communication system

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and device in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: receiving scheduling information, the scheduling information comprising information that the scheduling information is associated with a radio access technology (RAT) or associated with an environmental Internet of Things (AIoT); when the scheduling information is associated with the RAT, receiving and / or transmitting a signal and / or a channel associated with the RAT based on the scheduling information; and when the scheduling information is associated with the AIoT, receiving and / or transmitting a signal and / or a channel associated with the AIoT based on the scheduling information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and more particularly, to a method and device in a wireless communication system. Background Art

[0002] To meet the increased demand for wireless data communication services since the deployment of 4G communication systems, efforts have been made to develop improved 5G or quasi-5G communication systems. Therefore, 5G or quasi-5G communication systems are also referred to as "beyond 4G networks" or "post-LTE systems."

[0003] 5G communication systems are implemented in higher-frequency (millimeter wave, mmWave) bands, such as the 60 GHz band, to achieve higher data rates. To reduce radio wave propagation losses and increase transmission distances, 5G communication systems utilize technologies such as beamforming, massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, analog beamforming, and massive antennas.

[0004] In addition, in the 5G communication system, system network improvements are being developed based on advanced small cells, cloud radio access networks (RAN), ultra-dense networks, device-to-device (D2D) communications, wireless backhaul, mobile networks, collaborative communications, coordinated multi-point (CoMP), and receiving-end interference cancellation.

[0005] In 5G systems, hybrid FSK and QAM modulation (FQAM) and sliding window superposition coding (SWSC) have been developed as advanced coding modulation (ACM), as well as filter bank multi-carrier (FBMC), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) and sparse code multiple access (SCMA) as advanced access technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method performed by a first node in a wireless communication system is provided, comprising: receiving scheduling information, the scheduling information including information that the scheduling information is associated with a radio access technology RAT or an ambient Internet of Things AIoT; when the scheduling information is associated with the RAT, receiving and / or sending signals and / or channels associated with the RAT based on the scheduling information; when the scheduling information is associated with the AIoT, receiving and / or sending signals and / or channels associated with the AIoT based on the scheduling information.

[0007] In some embodiments, the information that the scheduling information is associated with AIoT further includes: information that the scheduling information is associated with AIoT uplink transmission and / or associated with AIoT downlink transmission.

[0008] In some embodiments, the information that the scheduling information is associated with AIoT also includes: information that the scheduling information is associated with AIoT uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission or is associated with a carrier signal CW.

[0009] In some embodiments, when the scheduling information is associated with AIoT uplink transmission, the AIoT uplink transmission is received based on the scheduling information; and / or, when the scheduling information is associated with AIoT downlink transmission, the AIoT downlink transmission is sent based on the scheduling information.

[0010] In some implementations, when the scheduling information is associated with a CW, the CW is sent based on the scheduling information.

[0011] In some embodiments, the scheduling information is indicated in at least one of the following: downlink control information DCI; media access control element MAC CE; radio resource control RRC signaling.

[0012] In some embodiments, at least one of the information of the scheduling information associated with the RAT or associated with the AIoT, and / or the information of the scheduling information associated with the AIoT uplink transmission and / or associated with the AIoT downlink transmission, and / or the information of the scheduling information associated with the AIoT uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission or associated with the carrier signal CW is indicated by at least one of the following methods: different DCI formats; different MAC CEs; different RRC IEs; fields in the DCI format; fields in the MAC CE; fields in the RRC signaling; RNTI used to scramble the DCI format.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method performed by a second node in a wireless communication system is provided, comprising: sending scheduling information, wherein the scheduling information includes information that the scheduling information is associated with a radio access technology RAT or associated with an ambient Internet of Things AIoT; when the scheduling information is associated with the RAT, receiving and / or sending signals and / or channels associated with the RAT; when the scheduling information is associated with the AIoT, receiving and / or sending signals and / or channels associated with the AIoT.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, including: a transceiver; and a controller coupled to the transceiver and configured to execute the aforementioned method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following briefly introduces the drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below only relate to some embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In the drawings:

[0016] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating an example wireless network according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 2a and Figure 2b Example wireless transmit and receive paths according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown;

[0018] Figure 3a An example user equipment (UE) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 3b An example gNB according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a method performed by an intermediate node according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0021] Figure 5 A block diagram illustrating a configuration of a UE according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, is provided to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. This description includes various specific details to facilitate understanding but should be considered as illustrative only. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications can be made to the various embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Furthermore, descriptions of well-known functions and structures may be omitted for the sake of clarity and conciseness.

[0023] The terms and expressions used in the following description and claims are not limited to their dictionary meanings, but are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for illustration purposes only and not for the purpose of limiting the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0024] It will be understood that the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a component surface" includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.

[0025] The terms "include" or "may include" refer to the presence of the corresponding disclosed functions, operations, or components that can be used in various embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than limiting the presence of one or more additional functions, operations, or features. In addition, the terms "include" or "have" can be interpreted as indicating certain characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof, but should not be interpreted as excluding the possibility of the presence of one or more other characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0026] The term "or" used in various embodiments of the present disclosure includes any of the listed terms and all combinations thereof. For example, "A or B" may include A, may include B, or may include both A and B.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical or scientific terms) used in this disclosure have the same meaning as understood by those skilled in the art described in this disclosure. Common terms as defined in dictionaries are interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the context in the relevant technical field and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal manner unless explicitly defined in this disclosure.

[0028] Figure 1 An example wireless network 100 is shown in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1 The embodiment of the wireless network 100 shown in FIGURE 1 is for illustration only. Other embodiments of the wireless network 100 can be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0029] Wireless network 100 includes gNodeB (gNB) 101, gNB 102, and gNB 103. gNB 101 communicates with gNB 102 and gNB 103. gNB 101 also communicates with at least one Internet Protocol (IP) network 130, such as the Internet, a private IP network, or other data network.

[0030] Depending on the network type, other well-known terms such as "base station" or "access point" can be used instead of "gNodeB" or "gNB." For convenience, the terms "gNodeB" and "gNB" are used in this patent document to refer to network infrastructure components that provide wireless access to remote terminals. Also, depending on the network type, other well-known terms such as "mobile station," "subscriber station," "remote terminal," "wireless terminal," or "user device" can be used instead of "user equipment" or "UE." For convenience, the terms "user equipment" and "UE" are used in this patent document to refer to a remote wireless device that wirelessly accesses a gNB, whether the UE is a mobile device (such as a mobile phone or smartphone) or what is typically considered a stationary device (such as a desktop computer or vending machine).

[0031] gNB 102 provides wireless broadband access to network 130 for a first plurality of user equipment (UEs) within gNB 102's coverage area 120. The first plurality of UEs includes: UE 111, which may be located in a small business (SB); UE 112, which may be located in an enterprise (E); UE 113, which may be located in a WiFi hotspot (HS); UE 114, which may be located in a first residence (R); UE 115, which may be located in a second residence (R); and UE 116, which may be a mobile device (M) such as a cellular phone, wireless laptop, or wireless PDA. gNB 103 provides wireless broadband access to network 130 for a second plurality of UEs within gNB 103's coverage area 125. The second plurality of UEs includes UE 115 and UE 116. In some embodiments, one or more of gNBs 101-103 may be capable of communicating with each other and with UEs 111-116 using 5G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A, WiMAX, or other advanced wireless communication technologies.

[0032] The dashed lines illustrate the approximate extents of coverage areas 120 and 125, which are shown as approximately circular for purposes of illustration and explanation only. It should be clearly understood that coverage areas associated with gNBs, such as coverage areas 120 and 125, can have other shapes, including irregular shapes, depending on the configuration of the gNB and variations in the radio environment associated with natural and man-made obstacles.

[0033] As described in more detail below, one or more of gNB 101, gNB 102, and gNB 103 include a 2D antenna array as described in embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, one or more of gNB 101, gNB 102, and gNB 103 supports codebook design and structure for systems with 2D antenna arrays.

[0034] although Figure 1 One example of a wireless network 100 is shown, but Figure 1 Various changes may be made. For example, wireless network 100 can include any number of gNBs and any number of UEs in any suitable arrangement. Furthermore, gNB 101 can communicate directly with any number of UEs and provide those UEs with wireless broadband access to network 130. Similarly, each gNB 102-103 can communicate directly with network 130 and provide UEs with direct wireless broadband access to network 130. Furthermore, gNBs 101, 102, and / or 103 can provide access to other or additional external networks, such as an external telephone network or other type of data network.

[0035] Figure 2a and Figure 2b Example wireless transmit and receive paths according to the present disclosure are shown. In the following description, transmit path 200 can be described as being implemented in a gNB (such as gNB 102), while receive path 250 can be described as being implemented in a UE (such as UE 116). However, it should be understood that receive path 250 can be implemented in a gNB and transmit path 200 can be implemented in a UE. In some embodiments, receive path 250 is configured to support codebook design and structure for systems with 2D antenna arrays as described in embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] The transmit path 200 includes a channel coding and modulation block 205, a serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 210, an N-point inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) block 215, a parallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block 220, an add cyclic prefix block 225, and an upconverter (UC) 230. The receive path 250 includes a downconverter (DC) 255, a remove cyclic prefix block 260, a serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 265, an N-point fast Fourier transform (FFT) block 270, a parallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block 275, and a channel decoding and demodulation block 280.

[0037] In the transmit path 200, the channel coding and modulation block 205 receives a set of information bits, applies coding (such as low-density parity check (LDPC) coding), and modulates the input bits (such as using quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM)) to generate a sequence of frequency-domain modulation symbols. The serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 210 converts (e.g., demultiplexes) the serial modulation symbols into parallel data to generate N parallel symbol streams, where N is the number of IFFT / FFT points used in the gNB 102 and UE 116. The N-point IFFT block 215 performs an IFFT operation on the N parallel symbol streams to generate a time-domain output signal. The parallel-to-serial block 220 converts (e.g., multiplexes) the parallel time-domain output symbols from the N-point IFFT block 215 to generate a serial time-domain signal. The add cyclic prefix block 225 inserts a cyclic prefix into the time-domain signal. The upconverter 230 modulates (such as upconverts) the output of the add cyclic prefix block 225 to an RF frequency for transmission via a wireless channel. The signal can also be filtered at baseband before being converted to an RF frequency.

[0038] The RF signal transmitted from gNB 102 arrives at UE 116 after traversing the wireless channel. UE 116 performs operations that are the inverse of those performed at gNB 102. Downconverter 255 downconverts the received signal to baseband frequency, and cyclic prefix removal block 260 removes the cyclic prefix to generate a serial time-domain baseband signal. Serial-to-parallel block 265 converts the time-domain baseband signal into parallel time-domain signals. N-point FFT block 270 performs an FFT algorithm to generate N parallel frequency-domain signals. Parallel-to-serial block 275 converts the parallel frequency-domain signals into a sequence of modulated data symbols. Channel decoding and demodulation block 280 demodulates and decodes the modulated symbols to recover the original input data stream.

[0039] Each of gNBs 101-103 may implement a transmit path similar to 200 for transmitting in the downlink to UEs 111-116 and may implement a receive path similar to 250 for receiving in the uplink from UEs 111-116. Similarly, each of UEs 111-116 may implement a transmit path 200 for transmitting in the uplink to gNB 101-103 and may implement a receive path 250 for receiving in the downlink from gNB 101-103.

[0040] Figure 2a and Figure 2b Each of the components in can be implemented using hardware alone, or a combination of hardware and software / firmware. As a specific example, Figure 2a and Figure 2b At least some of the components in the embodiment may be implemented in software, while other components may be implemented in configurable hardware or a mixture of software and configurable hardware. For example, FFT block 270 and IFFT block 215 may be implemented as configurable software algorithms, wherein the value of the number of points N may be modified according to the implementation.

[0041] Furthermore, although described as using FFT and IFFT, this is illustrative only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Other types of transforms can be used, such as discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT) functions. It should be understood that for DFT and IDFT functions, the value of the variable N can be any integer (such as 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), while for FFT and IFFT functions, the value of the variable N can be any integer that is a power of 2 (such as 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc.).

[0042] although Figure 2a and Figure 2b Examples of wireless transmit and receive paths are shown, but Figure 2a and Figure 2b Make various changes. For example, Figure 2a and Figure 2b The various components in can be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components can be added according to specific needs. Figure 2a and Figure 2b It is intended to illustrate examples of the types of transmit and receive paths that can be used in a wireless network. Any other suitable architecture can be used to support wireless communications in a wireless network.

[0043] Figure 3a An example UE 116 is shown in accordance with the present disclosure. Figure 3a The embodiment of UE 116 shown in FIGURE 1 is for illustration only, and Figure 1 UEs 111-115 can have the same or similar configurations. However, UEs have a variety of configurations, and Figure 3a The scope of this disclosure is not limited to any particular implementation of the UE.

[0044] UE 116 includes an antenna 305, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver 310, transmit (TX) processing circuitry 315, a microphone 320, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 325. UE 116 also includes a speaker 330, a processor / controller 340, an input / output (I / O) interface 345, input device(s) 350, a display 355, and memory 360. Memory 360 includes an operating system (OS) 361 and one or more applications 362.

[0045] RF transceiver 310 receives incoming RF signals from antenna 305, transmitted by a gNB of wireless network 100. RF transceiver 310 downconverts the incoming RF signals to generate an intermediate frequency (IF) or baseband signal. The IF or baseband signal is sent to RX processing circuitry 325, which generates a processed baseband signal by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signal. RX processing circuitry 325 sends the processed baseband signal to speaker 330 (such as for voice data) or to processor / controller 340 (such as for web browsing data) for further processing.

[0046] The TX processing circuit 315 receives analog or digital voice data from the microphone 320, or other outgoing baseband data (such as network data, email, or interactive video game data) from the processor / controller 340. The TX processing circuit 315 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IF signal. The RF transceiver 310 receives the outgoing processed baseband or IF signal from the TX processing circuit 315 and up-converts the baseband or IF signal to an RF signal that is transmitted via the antenna 305.

[0047] The processor / controller 340 can include one or more processors or other processing devices and execute an OS 361 stored in the memory 360 to control the overall operation of the UE 116. For example, the processor / controller 340 can control the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals through the RF transceiver 310, the RX processing circuitry 325, and the TX processing circuitry 315 in accordance with well-known principles. In some embodiments, the processor / controller 340 includes at least one microprocessor or microcontroller.

[0048] Processor / controller 340 is also capable of executing other processes and programs residing in memory 360, such as operations for channel quality measurement and reporting for systems with 2D antenna arrays as described in embodiments of the present disclosure. Processor / controller 340 is capable of moving data into or out of memory 360 as required by the executed processes. In some embodiments, processor / controller 340 is configured to execute applications 362 based on OS 361 or in response to signals received from a gNB or operator. Processor / controller 340 is also coupled to I / O interface 345, which provides UE 116 with the ability to connect to other devices such as laptops and handheld computers. I / O interface 345 serves as a communication path between these accessories and processor / controller 340.

[0049] Processor / controller 340 is also coupled to input device(s) 350 and display 355. An operator of UE 116 can input data into UE 116 using input device(s) 350. Display 355 can be a liquid crystal display or other display capable of presenting text and / or at least limited graphics (such as from a website). Memory 360 is coupled to processor / controller 340. A portion of memory 360 can include random access memory (RAM), while another portion of memory 360 can include flash memory or other read-only memory (ROM).

[0050] although Figure 3a An example of a UE 116 is shown, but it is possible to Figure 3a Make various changes. For example, Figure 3a The various components in can be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components can be added according to specific needs. As a specific example, processor / controller 340 can be divided into multiple processors, such as one or more central processing units (CPUs) and one or more graphics processing units (GPUs). Moreover, although Figure 3a The UE 116 is shown configured as a mobile phone or smartphone, but the UE can be configured to operate as other types of mobile or stationary devices.

[0051] Figure 3bAn example gNB 102 according to the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3b The embodiment of the gNB 102 shown in FIGURE 1 is for illustration only, and Figure 1 Other gNBs can have the same or similar configurations. However, gNBs have a variety of configurations, and Figure 3b The scope of this disclosure is not limited to any particular implementation of a gNB. It should be noted that gNB 101 and gNB 103 can include the same or similar structure as gNB 102.

[0052] like Figure 3b As shown in FIG, gNB 102 includes multiple antennas 370a-370n, multiple RF transceivers 372a-372n, transmit (TX) processing circuitry 374, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 376. In some embodiments, one or more of the multiple antennas 370a-370n comprise a 2D antenna array. gNB 102 also includes a controller / processor 378, memory 380, and a backhaul or network interface 382.

[0053] RF transceivers 372a-372n receive incoming RF signals from antennas 370a-370n, such as signals transmitted by a UE or other gNB. RF transceivers 372a-372n downconvert the incoming RF signals to generate IF or baseband signals. The IF or baseband signals are sent to RX processing circuitry 376, which filters, decodes, and / or digitizes the baseband or IF signals to generate processed baseband signals. RX processing circuitry 376 sends the processed baseband signals to controller / processor 378 for further processing.

[0054] The TX processing circuitry 374 receives analog or digital data (such as voice data, network data, email, or interactive video game data) from the controller / processor 378. The TX processing circuitry 374 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to generate processed baseband or IF signals. The RF transceivers 372a-372n receive the outgoing processed baseband or IF signals from the TX processing circuitry 374 and up-convert the baseband or IF signals into RF signals that are transmitted via the antennas 370a-370n.

[0055] The controller / processor 378 can include one or more processors or other processing devices that control the overall operation of the gNB 102. For example, the controller / processor 378 can control the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals via the RF transceivers 372a-372n, the RX processing circuitry 376, and the TX processing circuitry 374 in accordance with well-known principles. The controller / processor 378 can also support additional functionality, such as more advanced wireless communication functions. For example, the controller / processor 378 can perform blind interference sensing (BIS) procedures, such as those performed by a Blind Interference Sensing (BIS) algorithm, and decode received signals with interference signals subtracted. The controller / processor 378 can support any of a variety of other functions within the gNB 102. In some embodiments, the controller / processor 378 includes at least one microprocessor or microcontroller.

[0056] The controller / processor 378 is also capable of executing programs and other processes resident in the memory 380, such as a basic OS. The controller / processor 378 is also capable of supporting channel quality measurement and reporting for systems having 2D antenna arrays as described in embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the controller / processor 378 supports communication between entities such as web RTC. The controller / processor 378 is capable of moving data into or out of the memory 380 as needed by the executing processes.

[0057] The controller / processor 378 is also coupled to a backhaul or network interface 382. The backhaul or network interface 382 allows the gNB 102 to communicate with other devices or systems via a backhaul connection or over a network. The backhaul or network interface 382 can support communication over any suitable wired or wireless connection(s). For example, when the gNB 102 is implemented as part of a cellular communication system (such as one supporting 5G or new radio access technology, or NR, LTE, or LTE-A), the backhaul or network interface 382 can allow the gNB 102 to communicate with other gNBs via a wired or wireless backhaul connection. When the gNB 102 is implemented as an access point, the backhaul or network interface 382 can allow the gNB 102 to communicate over a wired or wireless local area network or with a larger network, such as the Internet, via a wired or wireless connection. The backhaul or network interface 382 includes any suitable structure that supports communication over a wired or wireless connection, such as an Ethernet or RF transceiver.

[0058] Memory 380 is coupled to controller / processor 378. A portion of memory 380 can include RAM, while another portion of memory 380 can include flash memory or other ROM. In some embodiments, a plurality of instructions, such as a BIS algorithm, are stored in the memory. The plurality of instructions are configured to cause controller / processor 378 to perform the BIS process and decode the received signal after subtracting at least one interfering signal determined by the BIS algorithm.

[0059] As described in more detail below, the transmit and receive paths of gNB 102 (implemented using RF transceivers 372a-372n, TX processing circuitry 374, and / or RX processing circuitry 376) support aggregated communications with FDD cells and TDD cells.

[0060] although Figure 3b An example of a gNB 102 is shown, but the Figure 3b For example, gNB 102 can include any number of Figure 3a . As a specific example, an access point can include a number of backhaul or network interfaces 382, and the controller / processor 378 can support routing functions to route data between different network addresses. As another specific example, while shown as including a single instance of TX processing circuitry 374 and a single instance of RX processing circuitry 376, the gNB 102 can include multiple instances of each (such as one for each RF transceiver).

[0061] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of this application clearer, the implementation methods of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0062] The text and drawings are provided as examples only to help readers understand the present disclosure. They are not intended to, and should not be interpreted as, limiting the scope of the present disclosure in any way. Although certain embodiments and examples have been provided, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on what is disclosed herein that the embodiments and examples shown may be modified without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0063] The Internet of Things (IoT) technology features low cost, low power consumption, and support for large-scale connections. It is often used in application scenarios such as smart factories, smart healthcare, and urban management that require a large number of devices and emphasize cost control, to achieve the communication effect of the Internet of Everything.

[0064] Within Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, IoT technologies include machine-type communication (MTC) and narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT). These two communication technologies offer low cost, low power consumption, high latency, wide coverage, and large-scale access, enabling them to be used in IoT scenarios such as smart cities, smart factories, and remote meter reading. Compared to small-cell communication technologies, NB-IoT offers lower speeds, lower costs, wider coverage, and higher capacity, making it an effective complement to small-cell communication technologies designed for medium- to high-speed speeds.

[0065] Existing IoT devices have achieved reduced power consumption and costs compared to small-cell communication terminals. However, when applied to actual IoT scenarios, power consumption and cost remain bottlenecks for system deployment. Devices like MTC and NB-IoT inherit the fundamental design principles of small-cell communication in terms of device structure and signal design, making their costs unable to compete with simpler technologies like RFID. Furthermore, their power consumption is typically supported by their own batteries, and they rely on their own wireless signals for communication, resulting in a limited lifespan in long-term communication scenarios. As IoT applications evolve and the scale of IoT device deployments continues to grow, the manufacturing costs of IoT devices, as well as the maintenance costs associated with replacing batteries or upgrading depleted devices, are increasingly becoming significant obstacles to the market development of IoT technology.

[0066] Therefore, a low-end IoT device with relatively lower performance and cost can be used to make up for the shortcomings of IoT technologies such as MTC and NB-IoT. In this application, since the transmission of such IoT devices mainly relies on environmental signals, such IoT devices are referred to as Ambient IoT (AIoT) devices. This name is mainly for the sake of simplicity and is not used to limit the scope of the devices.

[0067] In the AIoT system, the transmission of signals / channels such as data and services can be directly transmitted between the base station and the AIoT node (such as a tag device); it can also be transmitted through the first node, for example, the base station sends information related to the AIoT system to the first node, and the first node sends data to the AIoT node; and the AIoT node sends data to the first node, and the first node then sends information related to the AIoT system to the base station.

[0068] Low-end AIoT devices can only perform envelope detection, so the wireless signals used in existing cell communication technologies cannot be recognized by such low-end IoT devices and need to be enhanced.

[0069] This application proposes that when an intermediate node communicates with an AIoT device and a base station, it generates different wireless signals or channels. Therefore, when the intermediate node obtains transmission scheduling information, it needs to distinguish whether the scheduling information is associated with transmission in the radio access technology (RAT) or with transmission in the AIoT system, and then transmit according to the scheduling information in the corresponding system.

[0070] The first node in the present application may be an intermediate node, for example, may be at least one of a relay node, an IAB node, a repeater node, and a bypass node.

[0071] The second node in this application can be a base station, for example, it can be at least one of an LTE base station, an NR base station, an enhanced NR base station, and a 6G base station.

[0072] In this application, for the services in the AIoT system, a principle similar to that of traditional cell communications is adopted, and the transmission from the base station or intermediate node to the AIoT node is called downlink transmission, and the transmission from the AIoT node to the base station or intermediate node is called uplink transmission. In addition, the transmission related to the AIoT system sent by the base station to the intermediate node can also be called downlink transmission, and the transmission related to the AIoT system sent by the intermediate node to the base station can be called uplink transmission. Unless otherwise specified in this application, the uplink / downlink transmission corresponds to the relationship between the transmitting and receiving nodes, and is not used to limit whether the transmission occurs on the uplink or downlink resources. For example, the uplink transmission in the AIoT system can also be sent and received on the downlink frequency band in the FDD system, and the downlink transmission in the AIoT system can also be sent and received on the uplink time slot in the TDD system.

[0073] The base station in this application may also be replaced by other devices, such as a communication device as an external accessory of the base station, a relay node, an IAB node, a repeater node, and a bypass node. Any mechanism applicable to the base station in this application may also be similarly used in scenarios where the base station is replaced by other nodes, and will not be repeated. Among them, the difference between the communication device of the external accessory of the base station and the base station may include: the device is capable of sending DL signals / channels on the UL frequency band in the FDD system and on the UL time unit in the TDD system, including sending DL signals / channels corresponding to the communication between the base station and the UE and the DL signals / channels corresponding to the communication between the base station and the AIoT device.

[0074] The UE in this application includes a device node in the AIoT system, which can be a specific type of node or device, such as a tag-type device.

[0075] In the embodiment of the present application, lower than the threshold value can also be replaced by lower than or equal to the threshold value, higher than (exceeds) the threshold value can also be replaced by higher than or equal to the threshold value, less than or equal to can also be replaced by less than, greater than or equal to can also be replaced by greater than; and vice versa.

[0076] In the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, configuration information includes at least one of the following: information configured by the base station, information indicated in received signaling, information configured by a higher layer, and information pre-configured. Furthermore, the configuration information may be a set of configuration information obtained by the above method; or multiple sets of configuration information obtained by the above method, from which the UE or node may select a set of configuration information for use based on predefined conditions; or a set of configuration information obtained by the above method, where the set of configuration information includes multiple subsets, from which the UE or node may select a subset for use based on predefined conditions.

[0077] When an AIoT device communicates with an intermediate node, the related wireless transmissions, including uplink and downlink transmissions, can be controlled and scheduled by the base station. Because base stations currently control and schedule devices that can serve as intermediate nodes only for small-cell communications and cannot fully support the communication needs of the AIoT system, it is necessary to design a method for the base station to schedule the transmissions of intermediate nodes in the AIoT system.

[0078] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method performed by an intermediate node according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. At S401, the intermediate node receives scheduling information, where the scheduling information includes information that the scheduling information is associated with a radio access technology (RAT) or an AIoT. At S402, when the scheduling information is associated with a RAT, the intermediate node receives and / or transmits signals and / or channels associated with the RAT based on the scheduling information; and / or, when the scheduling information is associated with AIoT, the intermediate node receives and / or transmits signals and / or channels associated with the AIoT based on the scheduling information.

[0079] The RAT includes at least one of LTE, NR, enhanced NR, and 6G technologies.

[0080] In various embodiments of the present application, the scheduling information includes control information for scheduling data transmission indicated in physical layer signaling such as DCI, and also includes configuration information. For example, the configured grant used for scheduling semi-static transmission in the NR system is indicated in the RRC IE and can be understood as a type of configuration information. For another example, the scheduling information used for scheduling semi-static transmission in AIoT can also be indicated in the RRC IE and can be understood as a type of configuration information.

[0081] Optionally, the scheduling information is indicated in at least one of the following:

[0082] Physical layer control information DCI;

[0083] Media Access Control Element MAC CE;

[0084] Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling includes RRC Information Element (RRC IE).

[0085] Optionally, the information associated with the AIoT scheduling information further includes: information associated with AIoT uplink transmission and / or information associated with AIoT downlink transmission. Optionally, when the scheduling information is associated with AIoT uplink transmission, the AIoT uplink transmission is received based on the scheduling information; and / or, when the scheduling information is associated with AIoT downlink transmission, the AIoT downlink transmission is sent based on the scheduling information.

[0086] Optionally, the information associated with the AIoT scheduling information further includes: information associated with AIoT uplink and / or downlink transmission, or information associated with a carrier wave (CW). Optionally, when the scheduling information is associated with AIoT uplink transmission, receiving the AIoT uplink transmission based on the scheduling information; and / or, when the scheduling information is associated with AIoT downlink transmission, sending the AIoT downlink transmission based on the scheduling information; and / or, when the scheduling information is associated with CW, sending the CW based on the scheduling information.

[0087] Optionally, the scheduling information is associated with the RAT or the AIoT, and / or the scheduling information is associated with the AIoT uplink transmission and / or associated with the AIoT downlink transmission, and / or the scheduling information is associated with the AIoT uplink and / or downlink transmission or associated with the carrier signal CW. At least one of the information is indicated by at least one of the following methods:

[0088] Different DCI formats; for example, the scheduling information is indicated in one DCI format, and the DCI format is used to indicate scheduling information associated with AIoT; for another example, the scheduling information is indicated in another DCI format, and the DCI format is used to indicate scheduling information associated with NR;

[0089] Different MAC CEs; for example, the scheduling information is indicated in one MAC CE, and the MAC CE is used to indicate scheduling information associated with AIoT; for another example, the scheduling information is indicated in another MAC CE, and the MAC CE is used to indicate scheduling information associated with NR;

[0090] Different RRC IEs; for example, the scheduling information is indicated in one RRC IE, and the RRC IE is used to indicate scheduling information associated with AIoT uplink transmission; for another example, the scheduling information is indicated in another RRC IE, and the RRC IE is used to indicate scheduling information associated with AIoT downlink transmission;

[0091] Fields in the DCI format; for example, the scheduling information is indicated in a DCI format, and the DCI format includes 1 bit to indicate that the scheduling information is associated with RAT or associated with AIoT; for another example, the scheduling information is indicated in a DCI format, and the DCI format includes 2 bits to indicate that the scheduling information is associated with AIoT uplink transmission and / or associated with AIoT downlink transmission (further, the 4 states of 2 bits correspond to: associated with uplink, associated with downlink, associated with uplink and downlink, and associated with RAT); for another example, the scheduling information is indicated in a DCI format, and the DCI format includes 2 bits to indicate that the scheduling information is associated with AIoT uplink and / or downlink transmission or with a carrier signal (carrier wave, CW) (further, the four states of 2 bits correspond respectively to: associated with uplink, associated with downlink, associated with uplink and downlink, and associated with CW; in this example, association with AIoT or NR can be indicated by other methods); for another example, the scheduling information is indicated in a DCI format, and the DCI format includes N1+N2+N3 bits for indicating scheduling information associated with AIoT uplink transmission, scheduling information associated with AIoT downlink transmission, and scheduling information associated with the carrier signal CW of AIoT, respectively;

[0092] Field in MAC CE; for example, the scheduling information is indicated in a MAC CE, and the MAC CE includes several bits indicating the at least one information. The specific example is similar to the method of indicating the at least one information through a field in a DCI format;

[0093] A field in an RRC signaling; for example, the scheduling information is indicated in an RRC signaling, and the RRC signaling includes several bits indicating the at least one information. The specific example is similar to the method of indicating the at least one information through a field in a DCI format;

[0094] Radio Network Temporary Indentifier (RNTI) used to scramble the DCI format (further, scramble the CRC in the DCI format). For example, the scheduling information is indicated in a DCI format, and the DCI format can be scrambled by at least two RNTIs, wherein at least one RNTI is used to indicate scheduling information associated with AIoT, and / or at least one RNTI is used to indicate scheduling information associated with NR. The at least two RNTIs can be preset, or configured by the base station or preconfigured to the intermediate node.

[0095] In various embodiments of the present application, a base station transmits scheduling information, wherein the scheduling information includes information that the scheduling information is associated with a radio access technology (RAT) or an ambient internet of things (AIoT). When the scheduling information is associated with a RAT, the base station receives and / or transmits signals and / or channels associated with the RAT; when the scheduling information is associated with AIoT, the base station receives and / or transmits signals and / or channels associated with AIoT. The RAT includes at least one of LTE, NR, enhanced NR, and 6G technologies.

[0096] When an AIoT device communicates, it consumes energy at least during transmission (including transmission based on backscattering and transmission of wireless signals generated by itself) and reception (including actual detection of signals and demodulation and / or decoding, as well as attempts to detect signals but failure to receive decodable signals). AIoT devices can obtain energy through RF energy harvesting, or they can use the energy stored in the device's own energy storage device to support energy consumption during transmission and reception. Therefore, the wireless system needs to deal with the issue of how to charge AIoT devices, including how to charge the AIoT's energy storage device, and / or how to enable AIoT devices to charge through RF energy harvesting through appropriate functional signals.

[0097] In the following various embodiments, for ease of description, AIoT devices, such as tags, are referred to as UEs; various types of intermediate nodes (such as UE type / IAB type / repeater type intermediate nodes) and base stations are collectively referred to as readers.

[0098] In an exemplary embodiment, the type of UE charging includes at least one of the following:

[0099] Initial charging. Optionally, this type of charging may correspond to the UE's energy storage being lower than or equal to a first threshold value (including 0) before the start of charging, and / or the UE's energy storage being lower than or equal to a first percentage threshold value (the percentage may be the percentage of the UE's stored energy to the capacity of the UE's energy storage device), and / or the time when the UE was last charged has exceeded the first threshold value, and / or the time when the reader last communicated with the UE has exceeded the first threshold value, and / or the charging is performed before a first signal / channel (for example, a downlink channel for triggering random access, a delimiter signal for starting an AIoT communication session). Optionally, this type of charging may correspond to the UE's energy storage being higher than or equal to a second threshold value (including full energy storage) after the end of charging, and / or the UE's energy storage being lower than a given value higher than or equal to a second percentage threshold value (the percentage may be the percentage of the UE's stored energy to the capacity of the UE's energy storage device). For this type of charging, the first and second thresholds and / or percentage thresholds may be preset, configured (including by at least one of a base station, a reader, and a higher layer), and / or corresponding to specific AIoT communications, and / or corresponding to specific communication durations; wherein the specific AIoT communication may be the communication corresponding to the initial charging, for example, when the initial charging is used to enable the UE to receive and / or send at least one AIoT signal, the specific AIoT communication may be the at least one AIoT signal;

[0100] Supplementary charging. Optionally, this type of charging may correspond to the following: before charging starts, the UE's energy storage is lower than or equal to a third threshold and higher than or equal to a first threshold (including 0), and / or the UE's energy storage is lower than or equal to a third percentage threshold and higher than or equal to the first percentage threshold, and / or the time when the UE was last charged is lower than a given threshold, and / or the time when the reader last communicated with the UE is lower than a given threshold, and / or the charging is performed during the transmission / reception process of a first signal / channel (for example, a downlink channel for triggering random access, a delimiter signal for starting an AIoT communication session), and / or the charging is performed before or during the transmission / reception process of a second signal / channel (for example, a signal / channel for random access after random access is triggered, a signal / channel for reporting the UE's identity information and / or data information during the inventory process).

[0101] The above two types of charging can correspond to different charging requirements in the communication system. For example, initial charging corresponds to the process of charging a UE that has not been charged for a long time and has completely lost power, and charging its energy storage to full or sufficient to complete a communication transmission / reception; supplementary charging corresponds to charging a UE that has a certain energy reserve and is transmitting data and / or trying to receive data, as a supplement to the energy reserve of the UE, and can enable the UE to obtain enough energy to complete a communication transmission / reception as much as possible. The two can correspond to different parameters in the charging process (such as the amplitude of the energy corresponding to the charging, the energy conversion efficiency of the RF energy collection), and different charging durations, and can therefore be used by the reader and / or UE to determine the time for charging or other relevant information (such as the scheduling information of the charging signal).

[0102] Optionally, the UE and / or the reader determines the amplitude of energy corresponding to the charging (for example, several microfarads (μF) of charging) according to at least one item of information in the first information set corresponding to the UE.

[0103] Among them, the first information set includes: the type of charging, the maximum capacity of energy storage, the type of AIoT transmission / reception corresponding to the charging, the time length corresponding to the AIoT transmission / reception corresponding to the charging, the wireless parameters of the AIoT transmission / reception corresponding to the charging (for example, the modulation method is OOK / BPSK / FSK / ASK, etc., the linear coding method is Manchester code / FM0 coding / Miller coding, etc., the data rate, the waveform is single-tone or multi-tone), the energy conversion efficiency of RF energy collection (for example, the charging signal with a power of X is received, and the converted charging power is the energy conversion efficiency multiplied by X), the first threshold, the first percentage threshold, the second threshold, and the second percentage threshold.

[0104] Optionally, the UE and / or the reader determines the time length corresponding to the charging based on at least one of the amplitude of the energy corresponding to the charging, the strength of the charging signal, and the energy conversion efficiency of the RF energy collection. Optionally, the UE and / or the reader determines the time length corresponding to the charging based on at least one piece of information in the first information set corresponding to the UE and / or the strength of the charging signal. The time length can be understood as a threshold, for example, the actual charging time length should not be shorter than the determined time length corresponding to the charging.

[0105] The strength of the charging signal can be determined by the coverage range of the UE reported by the UE and / or detected by the reader, and / or the signal strength of the UE detected by the reader. The coverage range of the UE detected by the reader includes: the reader detects the signal sent by the UE to the reader and measures its signal strength or estimates the distance of the UE based on the signal, and determines the coverage range of the UE based on the signal strength / distance, for example, determining the coverage range of the UE as deep coverage / medium coverage / coverage edge; each coverage range can correspond to a typical value of the strength of the charging signal. In the above method, the time length corresponding to the charging is determined based on the strength of the charging signal, or the time length corresponding to the charging is determined based on at least one of the other parameters used to determine the strength of the charging signal in this embodiment.

[0106] Optionally, the UE reports at least one item of information in the first information set corresponding to the UE to the reader, and the reported information can be used by the reader to determine how to charge the UE. Optionally, the intermediate node type reader reports at least one item of information in the first information set (including information in the first information set obtained by the intermediate node itself and / or information in the first information set reported by the UE to the intermediate node) to the base station, and the reported information can be used by the base station to determine how the base station charges the UE and / or how to schedule the reader to charge the UE.

[0107] In a specific example, the reader determines that the amplitude of energy collected by the UE per unit time is α*P based on the energy conversion efficiency of the UE's RF energy collection being α and the power of the charging signal being P; based on the maximum capacity of the UE's energy storage (which can be reported to the reader by the UE as the UE capability) being F0, and the first and second percentage thresholds being a1% and a2% respectively, the amplitude of energy corresponding to the UE's initial charging is determined to be F=(a2%-a1%)*F0; thereby determining that the length of time corresponding to the UE's charging is T=F / (α*P). This information may be obtained by the reader itself, predefined, configured by the reader, or obtained by the reader through a report from the UE. In another specific example, an intermediate node type reader and / or UE reports at least one of the above information used to determine the charging time T to the base station, and the base station determines the length of time corresponding to the UE's charging based on the reported information and / or information obtained by the base station itself and / or predefined.

[0108] Before initial charging, the UE may be unable to perform AIoT transmission or reception due to energy limitations and thus needs to perform initial charging. Also, after the UE performs AIoT transmission or reception for a certain period of time, it may be unable to continue transmission or reception due to energy limitations and thus needs to perform supplementary charging. Therefore, the reader can provide charging for the UE within the first time range and / or communicate with the UE within the second time range according to the charging status of the UE and the time length corresponding to the charging. For example, the first time range includes the time length corresponding to the initial charging before the reader and the UE start a communication session, and the time length for supplementary charging during the communication session with the UE; and / or, the second time range includes a time length not exceeding the fourth threshold after the UE finishes initial charging or supplementary charging and / or starting from the time point of starting initial charging or supplementary charging, where the fourth threshold corresponds to the communication time supported by the energy of the UE.

[0109] In an exemplary embodiment, the reader and / or the UE determine the time range during which communication can be performed with the UE and / or during which communication cannot be performed with the UE based on at least one of the following, further including determining the fourth threshold: the fifth threshold of the stored energy corresponding to the UE maintaining communication; whether the UE has stored energy and / or the magnitude of the energy in the stored energy of the UE that can be used to supply energy for communication; whether the UE is powered by RF energy harvesting and / or the power at which the UE obtains energy through RF energy harvesting; the power consumption of the UE when maintaining communication.

[0110] In a specific example, the UE is not powered by RF energy harvesting; the UE uses the stored energy to supply energy for communication, and the magnitude of the energy in the stored energy that can be used to supply energy for communication is F1 (optionally, the stored energy of the UE is F2, the fifth threshold of the stored energy corresponding to the UE maintaining communication is F3, and F1 = F2 - F3); the power consumption of the UE when maintaining communication is P. Then the fourth threshold Tp = F1 / P.

[0111] In another specific example, the UE does not use the stored energy to supply energy for communication; the UE is powered by RF energy harvesting, and its power is P EH ; the power consumption of the UE when maintaining communication is P. Then when P EH > P, the UE can communicate within the time range during which it can be powered by RF energy harvesting (i.e., the fourth threshold corresponds to the time range of RF energy harvesting power supply), and cannot communicate within the time range during which it cannot be powered by RF energy harvesting (i.e., the fourth threshold = 0); when P EH < P, the UE cannot communicate if it does not use the stored energy to supply energy for communication.

[0112] In another specific example, the UE uses the stored energy to power communication, and the magnitude of the energy in its stored energy that can be used to power communication is F1; the UE is powered by RF energy harvesting, and its power is P EH ; the power consumption of the UE when maintaining communication is P. Then when P EH >P, the UE can communicate within the time range in which it can be powered by RF energy harvesting, and can communicate within the time range not exceeding F1 / P after the RF energy harvesting power supply ends. When P EH <P, the UE can communicate within the time range not exceeding F1 / (P EH -P) while maintaining RF energy harvesting.

[0113] When the reader communicates with the UE, it can send a charging signal or send / receive a data signal according to the time range in which it can / cannot communicate with the UE. When the reader is a base station, the base station can schedule the reader to send a charging signal, and the base station itself sends / receives a data signal after the charging is completed. When the reader is an intermediate node, the intermediate node can request the base station to schedule other intermediate nodes to send a charging signal, and the intermediate node itself sends / receives a data signal after the charging is completed; or the intermediate node itself can send a charging signal and send / receive a data signal.

[0114] In an exemplary embodiment, the base station schedules the reader to send an AIoT transmission to the UE in the AIoT system. The scheduling information indicates that the AIoT transmission is at least one of a charging signal, CW (CW can also be used as a charging signal), and a data signal, and indicates at least one of the time domain and / or frequency domain resource locations and power control parameters of the transmission. The reader sends the AIoT transmission accordingly according to the scheduling information.

[0115] In another exemplary embodiment, the base station schedules the reader to send an AIoT transmission to the UE in the AIoT system, and the scheduling information indicates that the AIoT transmission is at least one of a CW and a data signal, and indicates at least one of the time domain and / or frequency domain resource location and power control parameters of the transmission. The reader sends the AIoT transmission accordingly based on the scheduling information, and sends a charging signal corresponding to the AIoT transmission based on the charging-related information corresponding to the AIoT. Optionally, the transmission of the charging signal corresponding to the AIoT transmission is sent on the resources indicated in the scheduling information. For example, the reader is scheduled with a time domain resource of length T0, and it is determined that the time length of the initial charging is T1, then the charging signal is sent on the resources within the first T1 range in the time domain resource, and the CW and / or data signal is sent on the resources within the latter T0-T1 range. For another example, the reader is scheduled with a time domain resource of length T0, and it is determined that the time range in which the UE can communicate after the initial charging / supplementary charging is T2, and the time range for supplementary charging is T3. Then, starting from the starting point of the scheduled time domain resource of length T0, a CW and / or data signal is sent within a time range not exceeding T2, and then a charging signal is sent within a time range not less than T3, and then a CW and / or data signal is sent within a time range not exceeding T2, and this cycle is repeated until the scheduled time domain resource ends. Optionally, the transmission of the charging signal corresponding to the AIoT transmission is sent outside the resource indicated in the scheduling information. For example, the reader is scheduled with a time domain resource of length T0, and it is determined that the time length of the initial charging is T1. Then, a charging signal is sent before the starting position of the time domain resource of length T0 and within a time range not less than T1, and a CW and / or data signal is sent on the scheduled time resource within the T0 range. For another example, the reader is scheduled with several time-frequency resources R1, R2, and R3, and it is determined that the time range in which the UE can communicate after the initial charging / supplementary charging is T2, and the time range for supplementary charging is T3. Then, a charging signal is sent before the starting position of the first time-frequency resource and within a time range of not less than T1, and / or a charging signal is sent before the starting position of each (or each except the first) time-frequency resource and within a time range of not less than T3, and CW and / or data signals are sent on R1, R2, and R3. For the case where the charging signal is sent outside the resources indicated in the scheduling information, this method can be used optionally when the reader is configured by the base station to be able to send the charging signal by itself, and / or the conditions of the resource position (at least including the frequency domain position) configured to send the charging signal by itself are met.

[0116] Figure 5 A block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic device 500 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0117] refer to Figure 5 According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic device 500 may include a transceiver 501 and a controller 502. For example, the transceiver 501 may be configured to transmit and receive signals. For example, the controller 502 may be coupled to the transceiver 501 and configured to perform the aforementioned method.

[0118] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above illustrative embodiments are described herein and are not intended to be limiting. It should be understood that any two or more of the embodiments disclosed herein may be combined in any combination. In addition, other embodiments may be utilized and other changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the various aspects of the invention of the present disclosure as generally described herein and shown in the accompanying drawings may be arranged, replaced, combined, separated, and designed in a variety of different configurations, all of which are contemplated herein.

[0119] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and steps described herein can be implemented as hardware, software, or a combination thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described above in the form of their functional sets. Whether such functional sets are implemented as hardware or software depends on specific applications and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Technicians can implement the described functional sets in different ways for each specific application, but such design decisions should not be interpreted as causing departure from the scope of the present application.

[0120] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, and circuits described herein may be implemented or executed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0121] The steps of the method or algorithm described in this application can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module can reside in a RAM memory, a flash memory, a ROM memory, an EPROM memory, an EEPROM memory, a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read and write information from / to the storage medium. In an alternative, a storage medium can be integrated into the processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal. In an alternative, the processor and the storage medium can reside in a user terminal as discrete components.

[0122] In one or more exemplary designs, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, the latter including any media that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. Storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0123] The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method performed by a first node in a wireless communication system, comprising: Receiving scheduling information, where the scheduling information includes information that the scheduling information is associated with a radio access technology (RAT) or an ambient internet of things (AIoT); When the scheduling information is associated with RAT, signals and / or channels associated with RAT are received and / or sent based on the scheduling information; when the scheduling information is associated with AIoT, signals and / or channels associated with AIoT are received and / or sent based on the scheduling information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The information that the scheduling information is associated with AIoT also includes: information that the scheduling information is associated with AIoT uplink transmission and / or associated with AIoT downlink transmission.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The information that the scheduling information is associated with AIoT also includes: information that the scheduling information is associated with AIoT uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission or is associated with a carrier signal CW.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3 further includes, when the scheduling information is associated with AIoT uplink transmission, receiving AIoT uplink transmission based on the scheduling information; and / or, when the scheduling information is associated with AIoT downlink transmission, sending AIoT downlink transmission based on the scheduling information. 5 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising, when the scheduling information is associated with a CW, transmitting the CW based on the scheduling information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The scheduling information is indicated in at least one of the following: Downlink control information DCI; Media Access Control Element MAC CE; Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein At least one of the information that the scheduling information is associated with the RAT or associated with the AIoT, and / or the information that the scheduling information is associated with the AIoT uplink transmission and / or associated with the AIoT downlink transmission, and / or the information that the scheduling information is associated with the AIoT uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission or associated with the carrier signal CW is indicated in at least one of the following ways: Different DCI formats; Different MAC CEs; Different RRC elements; Fields in the DCI format; Fields in MAC CE; Field in RRC signaling; Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) used to scramble the DCI format.

8. A method performed by a second node in a wireless communication system, comprising: Sending scheduling information, where the scheduling information includes information that the scheduling information is associated with a radio access technology (RAT) or an ambient internet of things (AIoT); When the scheduling information is associated with RAT, signals and / or channels associated with RAT are received and / or sent; when the scheduling information is associated with AIoT, signals and / or channels associated with AIoT are received and / or sent.

9. An electronic device in a wireless communication system, comprising: transceiver; as well as A controller is coupled to the transceiver and configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-7 or 8.

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