Method for wtru function delegation in intermediate node for ultra-low complexity devices

Abstract

A wireless transit / receive unit (WTRU) may include a processor. The processor may be configured to receive data from an Ultra-Low Complexity Device (ULCD) over a first communication interface. The processor may be configured to establish a connection with a network over a second communication interface using a new user equipment function delegation module (UFDM) of the WTRU. The processor may be configured to transmit the data received from the ULCD over the second communication interface to the network.

Description

Method for WTRU Function Delegation in Intermediate Node for Ultra-low Complexity Devices CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of United States Provisional Application No. 63 / 513,921 filed on July 17, 2023, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND

[0002] An ambient power-enabled Internet of Things (A_IoT) device is a kind of IoT device that may harvest energy from the environment, for example, wireless radio waves, motion, vibration, piezoelectricity, solar and wind power, and so forth. Such a device may either be battery-less or have limited energy storage (e.g., using a capacitor). Ambient power-enabled IoT devices may often find its usage in Industrial Wireless Sensor Networks where the environment may be harsh (e.g., extreme weather conditions on wind, water or temperature) and may require devices to be battery-less, maintenance-free and with a long service life. Such devices may also play an important role in Smart Logistics and Smart Warehousing. The low-cost, small-form, battery- lessness and durability may make these devices suitable to be attached to huge amounts of goods and facilitate more efficient identification, sorting, tracking and inventory management for cargo and warehousing.

[0003] 3GPP has started a Study Item to study the potential service requirement to support ambient power-enabled IoT device in 3GPP wireless networks. For example, A_IoT devices may be put into three categories. In one example, Device A may be a device with no energy storage, no independent signal generation / amplification, for example, backscattering transmission. In one example, Device B may be a device with energy storage, but no independent signal generation, for example, backscattering transmission. Use of stored energy may include amplification for reflected signals. In one example, Device C may be a device with energy storage, and independent signal generation, for example, active RF components for transmission. Device A and B may probably not be capable of communicating with a cellular network independently. Device C may be able to communicate with a cellular network independently, but thecellular network may modify its existing architecture and procedures significantly to accommodate these devices. SUMMARY

[0004] A wireless transit / receive unit (WTRU) may include a processor. The processor may be configured to receive data from an Ultra-Low Complexity Device (ULCD) over a first communication interface. The processor may be configured to establish a connection with a network over a second communication interface using a new user equipment function delegation module (UFDM) of the WTRU. The processor may be configured to transmit the data received from the ULCD over the second communication interface to the network.

[0005] The processor may be configured to determine that the UFDM of the WTRU is to be instantiated for the ULCD based on the data received from the ULCD. The processor may be configured to send a request message to the network to initiate a UFDM data provisioning. The request message may include an identifier of the WTRU and an indication of the ULCD device. The processor may be configured to receive information from the network. The processor may be configured to store the received information for use in transmission of data received from the ULCD to the network.

[0006] The network may be an access and mobility function (AMF) of core network. The AMF may be the WTRU’s serving AMF. The received information may include an identifier of the UFDM. The received information comprises a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) and / or credentials associated with the WTRU.

[0007] The processor may be configured to send a registration message to the network over a WTRU-core network interface. The registration message may include an indication that a non-access stratum (NAS) message sent by the WTRU includes a NAS message of the UFDM included within. The registration message may include a WTRU identifier. The WTRU identifier may include a SUPI and / or a globally unique temporary identifier (GUTI).

[0008] The first communication interface with the ULCD may include a Backscattering Communication (BC) interface. The second communication interface with the network may include a Uu interface.

[0009] The ULCD may not be configured to communicate over a PC5 interface or a Uu interface.

[0010] The ULCD may be identified by a device side ULCD identifier and / or a network side ULCD identifier. The device side ULCD identifier may include a Bluetooth universally unique identifier and / or a temporary identifier. The network side ULCD identifier may include an application user identifier, a generic public subscription identifier (GPSI), and / or an external identifier. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG.1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented.

[0012] FIG.1B is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG.1A according to an embodiment.

[0013] FIG.1C is a system diagram illustrating an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG.1A according to an embodiment.

[0014] FIG.1D is a system diagram illustrating a further example RAN and a further example CN that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG.1A according to an embodiment.

[0015] FIG.2 is a diagram illustrating an example of backscattering communication.

[0016] FIG.3 is a diagram illustrating an example system architecture for enabling an Ultra-Low Complexity Device (ULCD) to communicate with a cellular network through a user equipment function delegation module (UFDM).

[0017] FIG.4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UFDM instantiation procedure.

[0018] FIG.5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a non-access stratum (NAS) message for the I-Node WTRU that includes a “NAS container” which includes the UFDM identifier and the NAS messages for the UFDM.

[0019] FIG.6 is a diagram illustrating an example of ULCD application data forwarding using user plane (UP).DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] FIG.1A is a diagram illustrating an example communications system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communications system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communications systems 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail unique-word DFT-Spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block-filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[0021] As shown in FIG.1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a RAN 104 / 113, a CN 106 / 115, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may be referred to as a “station” and / or a “STA”, may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription- based unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head- mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / orindustrial wireless networks, and the like. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a WTRU.

[0022] The communications systems 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a gNB, a NR NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0023] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104 / 113, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for a wireless service to a specific geographical area that may be relatively fixed or that may change over time. The cell may further be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[0024] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave,micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0025] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 / 113 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 115 / 116 / 117 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High-Speed Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed UL Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0026] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E- UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0027] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR Radio Access , which may establish the air interface 116 using New Radio (NR).

[0028] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, for instance using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., a eNB and a gNB).

[0029] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA20001X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobilecommunications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.

[0030] The base station 114b in FIG.1A may be a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a roadway, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG.1A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106 / 115.

[0031] The RAN 104 / 113 may be in communication with the CN 106 / 115, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have varying quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as differing throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, and the like. The CN 106 / 115 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG.1A, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, which may be utilizing a NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E- UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0032] The CN 106 / 115 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include circuit-switched telephone networks that provide plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP) and / or the internet protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communications networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT.

[0033] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG.1A may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0034] FIG.1B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG.1B, the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138, among others. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub- combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0035] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, dataprocessing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. While FIG.1B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0036] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., the base station 114a) over the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0037] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in FIG.1B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0038] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11, for example.

[0039] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to, and may receive user input data from, the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic light- emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to thespeaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and / or the removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random-access memory (RAM), read- only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0040] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control the power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li- ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0041] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information over the air interface 116 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and / or determine its location based on the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0042] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequencymodulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a Virtual Reality and / or Augmented Reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, and the like. The peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors, the sensors may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor; an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0043] The WTRU 102 may include a full duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for both the UL (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (e.g., for reception) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full duplex radio may include an interference management unit 139 to reduce and or substantially eliminate self-interference via either hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via processor 118). In an embodiment, the WRTU 102 may include a half- duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for either the UL (e.g., for transmission) or the downlink (e.g., for reception)).

[0044] FIG.1C is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0045] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0046] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions,handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, and the like. As shown in FIG.1C, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

[0047] The CN 106 shown in FIG.1C may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (or PGW) 166. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0048] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0049] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via the S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring user planes during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0050] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0051] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0052] Although the WTRU is described in FIGS.1A-1D as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments that such a terminal may use (e.g., temporarily or permanently) wired communication interfaces with the communication network.

[0053] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0054] A WLAN in Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have an Access Point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have an access or an interface to a Distribution System (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic in to and / or out of the BSS. Traffic to STAs that originates from outside the BSS may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STAs. Traffic originating from STAs to destinations outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to respective destinations. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent through the AP, for example, where the source STA may send traffic to the AP and the AP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. The traffic between STAs within a BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. The peer-to- peer traffic may be sent between (e.g., directly between) the source and destination STAs with a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use an 802.11e DLS or an 802.11z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and the STAs (e.g., all of the STAs) within or using the IBSS may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication may sometimes be referred to herein as an “ad-hoc” mode of communication.

[0055] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operations, the AP may transmit a beacon on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a dynamically set width via signaling. The primary channel may be the operating channel of the BSS and may be used by the STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, Carrier Sense Multiple Access with CollisionAvoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example in in 802.11 systems. For CSMA / CA, the STAs (e.g., every STA), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0056] High Throughput (HT) STAs may use a 40 MHz wide channel for communication, for example, via a combination of the primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent or nonadjacent 20 MHz channel to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0057] Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs may support 20MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. The 40 MHz, and / or 80 MHz, channels may be formed by combining contiguous 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel may be formed by combining 8 contiguous 20 MHz channels, or by combining two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, the data, after channel encoding, may be passed through a segment parser that may divide the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing, and time domain processing, may be done on each stream separately. The streams may be mapped on to the two 80 MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by a transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the above described operation for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be sent to the Medium Access Control (MAC).

[0058] Sub 1 GHz modes of operation are supported by 802.11af and 802.11ah. The channel operating bandwidths, and carriers, are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah relative to those used in 802.11n, and 802.11ac.802.11af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11ah may support Meter Type Control / Machine-Type Communications, such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, for example, limited capabilities including support for (e.g., only support for) certain and / or limited bandwidths. The MTC devices may include a battery with a battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0059] WLAN systems, which may support multiple channels, and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah, include a channel which may be designated as the primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the largest common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA, from among all STAs in operating in a BSS, which supports the smallest bandwidth operating mode. In the example of 802.11ah, the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide for STAs (e.g., MTC type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1 MHz mode, even if the AP, and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or Network Allocation Vector (NAV) settings may depend on the status of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, due to a STA (which supports only a 1 MHz operating mode), transmitting to the AP, the entire available frequency bands may be considered busy even though a majority of the frequency bands remains idle and may be available.

[0060] In the United States, the available frequency bands, which may be used by 802.11ah, are from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In Korea, the available frequency bands are from 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency bands are from 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz depending on the country code.

[0061] FIG.1D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 113 and the CN 115 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 113 may employ an NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 113 may also be in communication with the CN 115.

[0062] The RAN 113 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 108b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signalsfrom, the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on unlicensed spectrum while the remaining component carriers may be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0063] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with a scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframe or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various or scalable lengths (e.g., containing varying number of OFDM symbols and / or lasting varying lengths of absolute time).

[0064] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without also accessing other RANs (e.g., such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c). In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may utilize one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as a mobility anchor point. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with / connect to gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating with / connecting to another RAN such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement DC principles to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In the non-standalone configuration, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may serve as a mobility anchor for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for servicing WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0065] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, support of network slicing, dual connectivity, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards User Plane Function (UPF) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 182a, 182b and the like. As shown in FIG.1D, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with one another over an Xn interface.

[0066] The CN 115 shown in FIG.1D may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a,184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 115, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0067] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N2 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, support for network slicing (e.g., handling of different PDU sessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, management of the registration area, termination of NAS signaling, mobility management, and the like. Network slicing may be used by the AMF 182a, 182b in order to customize CN support for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the types of services being utilized WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for machine type communication (MTC) access, and / or the like. The AMF 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 113 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0068] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to an AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 115 via an N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to a UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 115 via an N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF184a, 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating WTRU IP address, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing downlink data notifications, and the like. A PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP based, Ethernet-based, and the like.

[0069] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, and the like.

[0070] The CN 115 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 115 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 115 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 115 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to a local Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b through the UPF 184a, 184b via the N3 interface to the UPF 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the DN 185a, 185b.

[0071] In view of Figures 1A-1D, and the corresponding description of Figures 1A-1D, one or more, or all, of the functions described herein with regard to one or more of: WTRU 102a-d, Base Station 114a-b, eNode-B 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-c, AMF 182a-ab, UPF 184a-b, SMF 183a-b, DN 185a-b, and / or any other device(s) described herein, may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more, or all, of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0072] The emulation devices may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a lab environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example,the one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The emulation device may be directly coupled to another device for purposes of testing and / or may performing testing using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0073] The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, including all, functions while not being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the emulation devices may be utilized in a testing scenario in a testing laboratory and / or a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network in order to implement testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communications via RF circuitry (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation devices to transmit and / or receive data.

[0074] An ambient power-enabled Internet of Things (A_IoT) device is a kind of IoT device that may harvest energy from the environment, for example, wireless radio waves, motion, vibration, piezoelectricity, solar and wind power, and so forth. Such a device may either be battery-less or have limited energy storage (e.g., using a capacitor). Ambient power-enabled IoT devices may often find its usage in Industrial Wireless Sensor Networks where the environment may be harsh (e.g., extreme weather conditions on wind, water or temperature) and may require devices to be battery-less, maintenance-free and with a long service life. Such devices may also play an important role in Smart Logistics and Smart Warehousing. The low-cost, small-form, battery- lessness and durability may make these devices suitable to be attached to huge amounts of goods and facilitate more efficient identification, sorting, tracking and inventory management for cargo and warehousing.

[0075] 3GPP has started a Study Item to study the potential service requirement to support ambient power-enabled IoT device in 3GPP wireless networks. For example,A_IoT devices may be put into three categories. In one example, Device A may be a device with no energy storage, no independent signal generation / amplification, for example, backscattering transmission. In one example, Device B may be a device with energy storage, but no independent signal generation, for example, backscattering transmission. Use of stored energy may include amplification for reflected signals. In one example, Device C may be a device with energy storage, and independent signal generation, for example, active RF components for transmission. Device A and B may probably not be capable of communicating with a cellular network independently. Device C may be able to communicate with a cellular network independently, but the cellular network may modify its existing architecture and procedures significantly to accommodate these devices.

[0076] For ultra-low complexity devices such as “Device A” and “Device B” A_IoT devices, they may utilize Backscattering Communication (BC) to send information to a receiving device (“Reader”). FIG.2 is a diagram illustrating an example procedure 200 of backscattering communication. In a typical BC scenario, a transmitter 202 may generate a radio signal 208, which is reflected / modulated by the “backscattering device (BD)” 204 and may then be received at the reader 206. The received radio signal 208 at the BD 204 from the transmitter 202 may be used for two purposes. The two purposes may include powering up the circuitry of the backscattering device 204, and / or carrying the information to the reader 206 in the form of the modulated signal. The transmitter 202 and the reader 206 may be co-located at the same entity, for example, a RAN node. The transmitter 202 and the reader 206 may be at different entity. For example, an RAN node may act as a transmitter, and another WTRU may act as a reader, as shown in FIG.2.

[0077] In fast-growing markets such as smart logistics and warehousing, battery-less and ultra-low complexity devices may be required to enable automated tracking of goods and properties. In order to maintain a reasonable price point, these devices may need to operate with little or no energy storage capacity, memory or the ability to independently generate wireless signals. An example device may be an energy harvesting that uses backscattering techniques to convey information to and whose energy storage component (e.g., only energy storage component) is a capacitor.Cellular networks may play a critical role in aforementioned use cases due to its ubiquitous coverage. Examples of use-cases may include cases where sensors collect and send data through the cellular network to the application servers in the cloud; and / or where the location of goods and properties are tracked by utilizing location services supported by the cellular network. However, the ultra-low complexity devices may not be suitable for conventional wireless communications. Besides the fact that conventional wireless communication requires an independent wireless transmit / receive (Tx / Rx) system in the device and relatively long active time supported by stored energy (e.g., battery), the existing system procedures and protocol stacks for cellular communication (e.g., registration, authentication / authorization, User Plane data transmission, QoS mechanisms, etc.) may be way too complicated for ultra-low complexity devices. For example, it may be impossible for these devices to follow the existing procedure and protocols, without an energy storage device or a significant amount of memory. The present work may enable ultra-low complexity devices to communicate through cellular networks without radically changing the existing 5G system procedures and protocols.

[0078] A WTRU Function Delegation Module (e.g., a UE function Delegation Module, UFDM) may be instantiated in an Intermediate Node and represent a virtual WTRU that performs WTRU functionalities and procedures towards the core network. The UFDM may communicate with the ultra-low complexity devices using backscattering communication or other sidelink communication technologies and forward the data between the ULCD and cellular network. Existing WTRU procedures such as Registration, Connection Management, Session Management procedures may be modified or enhanced to accommodate the UFDM concept.

[0079] In an example, it is assumed that an Ultra-Low Complexity Device (ULCD) may communicate with a cellular network through a WTRU Function Delegation Module (e.g., a UFDM) inside an Intermediate Node (I-Node). An I-Node may be a radio access network (RAN) such as gNodeB (gNB), a WTRU, a Relay node, an EDGE computing node and / or any other type of entity that can support communication with a cellular network. The communication between an ULCD and an I-Node may also be based on wireless technology and may utilize new technologies such as long range (LoRa),Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), 3GPP sidelink communication (e.g., PC5), backscattering communication, and so forth.

[0080] FIG.3 illustrates an example of a high-level system architecture 300 for enabling a ULCD to communicate with a cellular network through a UFDM. As shown in FIG.3, one or multiple ULCD devices 302 may communicate with an I-Node and may be associated with a UFDM 314 / 316 / 322 in the I-Node. A ULCD may communicate with an I-Node through backscattering communication 304, radio resource control (RRC) connection 308, and / or 3GPP sidelink communication 310 (e.g., PC5 link). A UFDM 314 / 316 / 322 may reside in various I-Nodes (e.g., WTRU 306, RAN 312, EDGE node, etc.). The UFDM 314 / 316 / 322 may represent a “WTRU” towards a cellular core network (e.g., 5GS core network 324). Each UFDM 314 / 316 / 322 may interact with the 5GS core network 324 in the way a WTRU would interact with the 5GS core network 324. In other words, a UFDM 314 / 316 / 322 may have an N1 (i.e., NAS) interface with the 5GS core network 324. The UFDM 314 / 316 / 322 may establish NAS signaling connection 318 and User Plane connection 320 (e.g., PDU Sessions, QoS flows) with the core network 324, as a normal WTRU would do. Dedicated network resources, such as various network slices 326, may be assigned to UFDMs for various services (e.g., A_IoT services). A UFDM anchor 328 may be allocated in the core network 324 for one or more UFDMs. A UFDM anchor 328 may terminate the UFDM communication with the 5GS core network 324 and interface with the external application servers 330. The UFDM anchor 328 may reside in an upper plane function (UPF) or network exposure function (NEF).

[0081] An I-Node may perform the following functions: For example, the I-Node may communicate with ULCDs using suitable wireless technologies. For example, the I- Node may identify a ULCD and its related application. The ULCD device identifiers, such as Electronic Product Code, may be obtained by the I-Node through the ULCD-I- Node communication. If the device identifier is not explicitly available, the I-Node may identify a ULCD based on its unique wireless communication characteristics and assign an identifier for the ULCD. Similarly, Application Identifiers may be obtained by the I- Node through the ULCD-I-Node communication. In an example, the I-Node may inspect the content of the application data payload sent by the ULCD and recognize the associated application. For example, the I-Node may instantiate UFDM modules basedon a few triggers and obtain the necessary configuration (e.g., 3GPP WTRU identifiers, credentials, etc.) for the UFDM from the core network. For example, the I-Node may manage the mapping between the ULCDs that it is engaged with and the UFDMs.

[0082] A UFDM may perform the following functions: In one example, the UFDM may perform the normal Mobility Management and Connection Management procedures with the core network, which may include Registration procedures, Service Request procedures, and so forth. These procedures may be different from normal real WTRUs. For example, as a UFDM resides in a I-Node, it may either be stationary (e.g., when the I-Node is a RAN) or move with the I-Node (e.g., when the I-Node is a WTRU). The UFDM resides in the I-Node may not need to do mobility-based Registration. For another example, in some scenarios (e.g., a UFDM resides in a RAN node), the UFDM may remain in Connected mode permanently without the concern of limited battery life. In one example, the UFDM may forward the data, for example, application payload, between the ULCDs and the core network. The UFDM may use control plane (CP) or user plane (UP) connection for data forwarding. In one example, if UP connection is needed, the UFDM may perform Session management procedures and implement QoS mechanisms.

[0083] A UFDM-Anchor may perform the following functions: In one example, the UFDM-Anchor may manage the mapping between ULCD device’s application layer identifier and corresponding UFDM. In one example, the UFDM-Anchor may terminate the communication between UFDM and core network and forward the data (application payload received from the ULCD or the application servers) between the core network and the application servers. In one example, the UFDM-Anchor may handle other requests (e.g., device triggering) from the external application servers and initiate necessary procedures from the core network.

[0084] The UFDM deployment models may support a combination of UFDM-1, UFDM-2 and UFDM-3 connected to the same or different access and mobility functions (AMFs) and / or user plane functions (UPFs). The UFDM may be deployed in a WTRU or a relay node (UFDM-2), for example, if there are a large amount of ULCDs with no or limited mobility in a small area. The UFDM may be deployed in the RAN (UFDM-1) for example, if there are fewer ULCDs in the area, possibly with some mobility. The UFDMmay be deployed in an EDGE node at the edge of the core network (UFDM-3), for example, if much processing power is required or there are few ULCDs that require much mobility.

[0085] An I-Node may determine to instantiate one or more UFDMs based on a few triggers. For example, the I-Node may recognize, from its communication with one or more ULCDs, that a UFDM is needed for forwarding application data of those ULCDs to application servers through the cellular network.

[0086] For another example, the I-Node may recognize, from its communication with one or more ULCDs, that these ULCDs belong to another application / service that may need different treatment (e.g., QoS treatment) and a new UFDM may be suitable to handle these ULCDs.

[0087] For another example, the I-Node may determine that existing UFDMs may not be sufficient to handle the load of massive ULCDs that new UFDMs may be necessary.

[0088] For another example, the I-Node may receive a request from the cellular network, or from an external 3rdparty application server through the cellular network, that one or more UFDMs need to be instantiated.

[0089] For another example, the I-Node (e.g., a WTRU) may receive a prompt from a user (e.g., a command from a GUI, attention (AT) Command, or operation and maintenance (O&M) system) requesting to instantiate one or more UFDMs.

[0090] To instantiate a UFDM, the I-Node may initiate a “New WTRU Identifier and Parameter Request” procedure towards the cellular network to obtain 3GPP WTRU identifiers (e.g., subscription permanent identifier (SUPI), international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), etc.), credentials (e.g., authentication and key agreement (AKA) keys) and / or other parameters and configurations.

[0091] FIG.4 illustrates an example of a new UFDM instantiation procedure 400. The new UFDM instantiation procedure 400 may include an I-Node 402, an AMF 404, a policy control function (PCF) 406, a unified data management (UDM) 408, and / or a unified data repository (UDR) 410. At 412, the I-Node 402 may determine that a new UFDM is to be instantiated based on the triggers described above. For example, a WTRU may determine that the UFDM of the WTRU is to be instantiated for an ULCD based on data received from the ULCD.

[0092] At 414, the I-Node 402 may initiate the New WTRU Identifier and Parameter Request procedure for the UFDM by sending the request message to a network. The I- Node 402 may initiate a UFDM data provisioning by sending the request message to the network. The network may be a selected AMF 404 of the core network. In one example, the selected AMF 404 may be the WTRU’s serving AMF. The serving AMF may maintain independent WTRU context for the registered UFDM. The request message may include an identifier of the WTRU and / or an indication of the ULCD device. For example, if the I-Node 402 is a RAN, the selected AMF 404 may be an AMF that the RAN is connected with and supports UFDM functionality, and the request message may be a next generation application protocol (NGAP) message. If the I-Node 402 is an EDGE node at the edge of the Core Network, the selected AMF 404 may be an AMF that supports UFDM functionality, and the request message may be an NGAP message. If the I-Node 402 is a WTRU, the selected AMF 404 may be the WTRU’s serving AMF, and the request message may be a NAS message. In the New WTRU Identifier and Parameter Request, the following information may be included: the identifier of the I-Node (e.g., gNB ID if the I-Node is a gNB, and / or SUPI or 5G-GUTI if the I-Node is a WTRU); the type of device that the requested new WTRU identifier represents (e.g., ultra-low complexity device); the application identifier that the new WTRU identifier may be associated with; and / or expected life-time of the requested new WTRU identifier.

[0093] At 416, AMF 404 may invoke the UDM service 408 for creating a new WTRU subscription data. The AMF 404 may include the information received from 414 message in the New Subscriber Creation Request.

[0094] At 418, the UDM 408 may allocate a new WTRU identifier (e.g., SUPI), and create credentials (e.g., AKA keys) and other necessary WTRU subscription data. The UDM 408 may invoke the UDR service 410 to store the new WTRU subscription data.

[0095] At 420, the UDM 408 may send the new WTRU identifier, credentials and other necessary information (e.g., network slice configuration, etc.) to the AMF 404 as response to the New Subscriber Creation Request.

[0096] At 422, the AMF 404 may forward the received information to the I-Node 402. For example, if the I-Node 402 is a WTRU, the WTRU may receive information from thenetwork. The received information may include an identifier of the UFDM, credentials, and / or a SUPI associated with the WTRU.

[0097] At 424, the I-Node 402 may store the received information (e.g., new WTRU identifier, the credentials and other configuration data) for the new UFDM. The received information may be used in transmission of data received from the ULCD to the network. The new WTRU identifier (e.g., SUPI) may be used to identify the new UFDM, and / or the I-Node 402 may assign a locally unique UFDM identifier for the UFDM and associate the UFDM identifier with the corresponding new WTRU identifier.

[0098] The I-Node may maintain the association between the ULCDs that it is engaged with and the UFDMs that it has instantiated. A UFDM may be associated with one or more ULCDs. A ULCD may be identified by a Device Side ULCD Identifier. One example of Device Side ULCD identifier may be an Electronic Product Code (EPC). Another example of Device Side ULCD identifier may be a Bluetooth UUID (Universally Unique Identifier). Another example of Device Side ULCD identifier may include that the I-Node may assign a temporary identifier for the ULCD that it is communicating with. ULCD’s Device Side Identifier may be obtained by the I-Node through “I-Node – ULCD” communication.

[0099] A ULCD may also be identified by a Network Side ULCD Identifier. One example of Network Side ULCD Identifier may be an Application User Identifier. Another example of Network Side ULCD Identifier may be a generic public subscription identifier (GPSI) or an external identifier. The mapping between a ULCD’s Network Side Identifier and its Device Side Identifier may be configured in the I-Node.

[0100] The I-Node may maintain the association between a UFDM identifier and one or more ULCD Device Side Identifiers and / or Network Side Identifiers. The I-Node may be preconfigured with the ULCD identifiers that it needs to handle. The I-Node may assign the preconfigured ULCD identifiers to individual UFDMs. The association may be dynamically formed when a ULCD makes initial contact and / or communication with the I- Node. The I-Node may obtain the ULCD identifiers and associate them with a UFDM identifier. The I-Node may form the association based on the application and / or service that ULCDs belong. For example, the I-Node may instantiate a UFDM dedicated for one or more application and / or service, and all ULCDs belonging to the application and / orservice will be associated with this dedicated UFDM. The I-Node may also form the association based on balanced load of UFDM. For example, the I-Node may assign roughly equal number of ULCDs to each individual UFDM.

[0101] After a ULCD makes contact with the I-Node and the association between the ULCD identifier and UFDM is formed, the I-Node may inform the cellular network or the external application server that the ULCD, identified by its Network Side Identifier, is activated. For example, this may be performed during the UFDM’s Registration procedure.

[0102] If the I-Node is a WTRU, The I-Node may need to support UFDM functionalities when selecting a serving network (e.g., a public land mobile network (PLMN) or a non- public network (NPN)). For example, the I-Node may select (e.g., may only select) those networks that broadcast an indication that it supports UFDM functionality too. The network may support the UFDM functionality in specific network slices, and the I-Node WTRU may request to use these network slices when the I-Node WTRU registers with the selected network.

[0103] When a UFDM is instantiated in the I-Node, it may perform a registration procedure with the cellular network that the I-Node is registered with or connected with. Depending on what type the I-Node is, the Registration request of the UDFM may be sent over RAN–CN interface (e.g., N2 interface) or WTRU–CN interface (e.g., N1 interface). For example, if the I-Node is a RAN, the UFDM’s Registration request may be sent in a NGAP message of the I-Node over N2 interface to the CN (e.g., AMF). In one example, if the I-Node is a WTRU, the WTRU may send a registration message to the network over a WTRU-CN interface. The registration message may include an indication that a NAS message sent by the WTRU includes a NAS message of the UFDM included within. For example, if the I-Node is a WTRU, the UFDM’s Registration request may be sent in a NAS message of the I-Node over N1 interface to the CN (e.g., AMF). For another example, the registration message may include a WTRU identifier. The WTRU identifier may include a SUPI or a globally unique temporary identifier (GUTI). The NGAP message or the NAS message of the I-Node may include an indication that there is NAS message of another “WTRU” (e.g., UFDM) piggybacking the message.

[0104] In one example, if the I-Node is a WTRU type, the serving AMF that the UFDM sends the Registration request may be the same serving AMF of the I-Node. In another example, if the I-Node is a RAN type, the I-Node may select a serving AMF that has the connection and support the NFDM functionalities.

[0105] A UFDM may include the following additional information in its registration request message: For example, the UFDM may include an indication that this is a special registration request from a “virtual WTRU” that resides in another node. For example, the UFDM may include the identifier of the I-Node (e.g., SUPI or GUTI if the I- Node is a WTRU, or gNB ID if the I-Node is a gNB). For example, the UFDM may include the 3GPP WTRU identifier that it has acquired through the instantiation procedure described in FIG.4. For example, the UFDM may include a list of Device Side or Network Side identifiers of the ULCDs that the UDFM is associated with. The network may inform the application server of the corresponding ULCDs that the devices are active. For example, if the I-Node that the UFDM resides is a stationary node such as a RAN, the UFDM may indicate that it is stationary and may not perform mobility- based or periodic Registration update. For example, the UFDM may be configured with the network slice information (e.g., through the instantiation procedure described in FIG. 4). The UFDM may request such network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) in the Registration request message. If the I-Node itself has its own Allowed NSSAI, the UDMF may request (e.g., may only request) those single NSSAIs (S-NSSAIs) that are both in their Configured or Subscribed NSSAI and in the I-Node’s Allowed NSSAI.

[0106] In another option, the UFDM may not perform its own Registration procedure, but the I-Node may include the information of one or multiple UFDM information in its registration procedure.

[0107] The serving AMF may maintain independent WTRU context for the registered UFDM. In the case that the I-Node is a WTRU, the AMF may maintain separate WTRU context for the I-Node WTRU and UFDM, or the AMF may keep the UFDM context as part of the I-Node WTRU context. If the separate WTRU contexts are maintained in the AMF, the UFDM context may be linked to the I-Node WTRU context and some information, for example, Registered tracking area identification (TAI), may be shared between the UFDM context and I-Node WTRU context.

[0108] If the I-Node is a RAN, it may establish dedicated NGAP WTRU association for each individual UFDM, as it does for a normal WTRU. Alternatively, a common NGAP WTRU association may be set up for multiple UFDMs inside the same I-Node. And in this case, UFDM identifier may need to be included in the NGAP procedure / messages so the target UFDM may be properly addressed by the I-Node.

[0109] If the I-Node is a WTRU, one or multiple UFDMs may share the I-Node WTRU’s NAS connection. FIG.5 illustrates an example procedure 500 of transmitting and / or receiving non-access stratum (NAS) message 512 of the UFDM to / from an AMF using the NAS message of the I-Node WTRU 508 between an I-Node 502 (e.g., a WTRU) and an AMF 504. The NAS messages 512 for UFDMs may be piggybacked in the NAS messages 508 for the I-Node WTRU. For example, the NAS message 508 for the I- Node WTRU may include a “NAS container” 506 which includes the UFDM identifier 510 and the NAS messages 512 for the UFDM.

[0110] A UFDM may initiate Registration or Service Request procedure to enter “Connected” state. If the I-Node is a RAN, which means the UFDM in the I-Node may remain connected permanently without concerning the consumption of battery and mobility issues, the UFDM may actually remain in Connected state for its whole lifetime. Therefore, the UFDM may indicate in the Registration or Service Request message that it will remain in Connected state permanently. If the I-Node is a WTRU, the UFDM may share the same connection state as the I-Node WTRU. For example, if the UFDM needs to send data and the I-Node WTRU is in IDLE state, the UFDM may trigger the I- Node WTRU to initiate Service Procedure to enter Connected state. The UFDM may initiate its own Service Request procedure over the I-Node WTRU’s NAS connection to activate its PDU Sessions. For another example, if the network has downlink data for the UFDM, it may check the connection state of the I-Node WTRU that’s associated with the UFDM. If the I-Node WTRU is in IDLE state, it may initiate Paging procedure to bring the I-Node WTRU into Connected state first.

[0111] For each UFDM, a UFDM-Anchor Function may be allocated which terminates the communication between the UFDM and the cellular core network. The UFDM- Anchor may terminate both data communication via Control Plane and data communication via User Plane. The UFDM-Anchor Function may be part of a NEF, or aUPF, or a new independent function. The UFDM-Anchor Function may be part of a network slice, or it may be independent of any network slice. The UFDM-Anchor may interact with the external application server. The UFDM-Anchor may forward the application data received from the ULCD through the UFDM and the core network to the application server, and / or may receive the application data from the application server and forward it to the ULCD through the UFDM-Anchor and the UFDM. The UFDM- Anchor may also handle other requests from the external application server. The other requests from the external application server may include, for example, the triggering request for the ULCD to perform some activity, or location tracking request, etc.

[0112] The Core Network (CN) may allocate the UFDM-Anchor, for example, when the UFDM registers with the CN and / or enters the Connected state and / or when the UFDM requests the activation of PDU Session for data transmission. The CN (e.g., the AMF) may store the allocated UFDM-Anchor address as part of the UFDM context. A UFDM- Anchor may be dedicated to a UFDM. The UFDM-Anchor may be dedicated to an application / service, and / or common for multiple UFDMs.

[0113] When the I-Node receives the data from the ULCD, it may locate the UFDM that is associated with the ULCD. The I-Node may deliver the data to the UFDM. The UFDM may determine whether to forward the application data via Control Plane (CP) or User Plane (UP). The UFDM may have a configuration that indicates whether CP or UP should be used for a specific application or service that the ULCD belongs to. For example, if an application and / or service is delay tolerant, the CP may be used for data forwarding. For another example, if an application and / or service is delay sensitive, the UP may be used for data forwarding.

[0114] If CP is used, the UFDM may form Application Specific Containers which contain the Device Side UCLD identifier, application identifier and / or application data payload. The UFDM may include the Application Specific Container in a NAS message and send it over its own NAS connection or the I-Node WTRU’s NAS connection to the serving AMF. The serving AMF may locate the corresponding UFDM-Anchor and forward the Application Specific Container to the UFDM-Anchor.

[0115] In addition, a UFDM Supplemental Data Container may also be included in the NAS message, together with the Application Specific Container. The UFDMsupplemental data container may carry information that originates from the UFDM instead of the ULCD. Examples of information that may be carried in the UFDM Supplemental Data Container may include, for example, information that may be carried in the UFDM Supplemental Data Container may be the UFDM identifier. The external application server may include this identifier when it needs to send data or trigger to the ULCD. For example, information that may be carried in the UFDM Supplemental Data Container may be the location of the UFDM (e.g., the location of WTRU or RAN Node that hosts the WTRU, such as Cell ID, RAN ID, TAI, GPS coordinates, etc.). For example, information that may be carried in the UFDM Supplemental Data Container may be an estimate of the position of the ULCD relative to the I-Node that hosts the UFDM. For example, information that may be carried in the UFDM Supplemental Data Container may be an indication of what security procedures were used between the ULCD and UFDM. It may be possible to use different security procedures on the interface between the ULCD and UFDM. Indicating the procedures that were used to the Application Server may help the Application Server determine the reliability of the information in the application specific container. For example, information that may be carried in the UFDM Supplemental Data Container may be an Application Port ID (e.g., a session management function (SMS) Application Port ID or a Non-IP Application Port ID). The Application Port ID may indicate the Application Port ID that the UFDM associates with the ULCD for device triggers. In other words, the UFDM may indicate that it will associate any device trigger that includes the indicated Application Port ID with the ULCD. For example, information that may be carried in the UFDM Supplemental Data Container may be data type (e.g., protocol of the data)

[0116] If UP is used, the UFDM may request the establishment or activation of a PDU Session for data transmission. If the I-Node is a WTRU, the UFDM’s PDU Session may be overlaid over the I-Node WTRU’s PDU Session. The following special consideration may be taken into account for establishing the I-Node WTRU’s PDU Session.

[0117] For example, the establishment or activation of I-Node WTRU’s PDU Session may be triggered by the UFDM’s need to establish or activate a PDU Session for data transmission for the ULCDs. The parameters used to establish the I-Node WTRU’s PDU Session may derive from the UFDM’s configuration. In an example, the data networkname (DNN) and S-NSSAI used for specifying the I-Node WTRU PDU Session may be derived from the UFDM specific configuration, instead of the I-Node WTRU’s own user equipment route selection policy (URSP) rules.

[0118] For example, the I-Node WTRU may indicate in its PDU Session Establishment Request that the PDU Session will be used to carry other UFDM’s PDU Sessions. A list of UFDM identifiers associated with the I-Node WTRU’s PDU Session may also be included. The selection of the SMF may need to take this indication into account. A SMF that supports UFDM functionalities may be selected. The SMF may allocate a UPF that can serve as the UFDM Anchor Function.

[0119] For another example, when the UFDM sends its own PDU Session Establishment Request, it may need to include both the underlying I-Node WTRU’s PDU Session ID and its own PDU Session ID. The network may ensure that the same SMF that handles the I- Node WTRU’s PDU Session is selected for the UFDM’s PDU Session and the SMF should select the same UPF as the UFDM’s PDU Session anchor (PSA). The PSA may be a UPF that terminates PDU session inside 5GC and connects with external data network (e.g., via N6 interface).

[0120] The UFDM’s PDU Session Type may be different from the I-Node WTRU PDU Session’s. For example, the underlying I-Node WTRU PDU Session type may be “IP type” but the UFDM may request a “non-IP” or “unstructured” type. Some other parameters of the PDU Session, such as DNN / S-NSSAI, SSC mode, may need to be consistent between the I-Node WTRU’s PDU Session and the UFDM PDU Session. FIG.6 illustrates an example procedure 600 of forwarding application data using User Plane. The example procedure 600 may include a ULCD 602, a UFDM 604, an I-Node WTRU 606, a session management function (SMF) 608, a user plane function (UPF) 610 and / or an external application server (AS) 612.

[0121] At 614, The I-Node WTRU 606 may receive the request from the ULCD 602 to send application data. Based on the ULCD device identifier, and possibly other identifiers such as application identifier, the I-Node WTRU may locate the associated UFDM and deliver received information (ULCD identifier, application identifier, application data payload, etc.) to the UFDM. The I-Node WTRU 606 may receive the request and / or data from the ULCD 602 over a first communication interface. Forexample, the first communication interface may be a backscattering communication (BC) interface. The first communication interface may not be a PC5 interface or a Uu interface.

[0122] In the following a few steps, the I-Node WTRU 606 may establish a connection with a network (e.g., SMF 608) over a second communication interface using a new UFDM 604 of the I-Node WTRU 606. The second communication interface may be a Uu interface. At 616, the UFDM 604 may determine to forward the data using the user plane. At 618, the UFDM 604 may request the I-Node WTRU 606 to establish the underlying PDU Session for UP data transmission. The UFDM 604 may indicate certain parameters, for example, the DNN and S-NSSAI, to be used for the underlying PDU Session, which may be derived from its own configurations. UFDM identifier, a list of ULCD identifiers and application identifier may also be informed to the I-Node WTRU 606.

[0123] At 620, the I-Node WTRU 606 may initiate the PDU Session Establishment procedure. The I-Node WTRU 606 may indicate in the request that the PDU Session is intended to be used for the underlying connection for other UFDM’s PDU Sessions. The I-Node WTRU 606 may also include the parameters received from the requesting UFDM 604.

[0124] At 622, The SMF 608 may select a UPF 610 as the PSA that supports UFDM functionalities and activate the UP path.

[0125] At 624, The I-Node WTRU 606 may inform the UFDM 604 that the underlying PDU Session is ready. The I-Node WTRU 606 may also inform the UFDM 604 on the PDU Session ID.

[0126] At 626, the UFDM 604 may initiate its own PDU Session Establishment request. In addition to its own PDU Session ID, the UFDM 604 may include the underlying PDU Session ID that’s been established. The CN may use the underlying PDU Session ID to ensure the same SMF 608 and UPF 610 and / or PSA is selected for the PDU Session of the UFDM 604 and may link the PDU Session of the UFDM 604 to the underlying PDU Session of the I-Node WTRU 606.

[0127] The I-Node WTRU 606 may transmit the data received from the ULCD 602 over the second communication interface to the network. At 628, the UFDM 604 may forward the application data of the ULCD 602 over the underlying PDU Session’s UP path to theUPF 610 and / or PSA. At 630, the UPF 610 and / or PSA may further forward the data to the external application server 612.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A wireless transit / receive unit (WTRU) comprising a processor configured to: receive data from an Ultra-Low Complexity Device (ULCD) over a first communication interface; establish a connection with a network over a second communication interface using a new user equipment function delegation module (UFDM) of the WTRU; and transmit the data received from the ULCD over the second communication interface to the network.

2. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: determine that the UFDM of the WTRU is to be instantiated for the ULCD based on the data received from the ULCD; send a request message to the network to initiate a UFDM data provisioning, wherein the request message comprises an identifier of the WTRU and an indication of the ULCD device; receive information from the network; and store the received information for use in transmission of data received from the ULCD to the network.

3. The WTRU of claim 2, wherein the network is an access and mobility function (AMF) of core network, wherein the AMF is the WTRU’s serving AMF.

4. The WTRU of claim 2, wherein the received information comprises an identifier of the UFDM.

5. The WTRU of claim 2, wherein the received information comprises a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) or credentials associated with the WTRU.

6. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: send a registration message to the network over a WTRU-core network interface, wherein the registration message comprises an indication that a non-access stratum(NAS) message sent by the WTRU comprises a NAS message of the UFDM included within.

7. The WTRU of claim 6, wherein the registration message comprises a WTRU identifier, wherein the WTRU identifier comprises a SUPI or a globally unique temporary identifier (GUTI).

8. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the first communication interface with the ULCD comprises a Backscattering Communication (BC) interface, and the second communication interface with the network comprises a Uu interface.

9. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the ULCD is not configured to communicate over a PC5 interface or a Uu interface.

10. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the ULCD is identified by a device side ULCD identifier or a network side ULCD identifier, wherein the device side ULCD identifier comprises a Bluetooth universally unique identifier or a temporary identifier, and wherein the network side ULCD identifier comprises an application user identifier, a generic public subscription identifier (GPSI), or an external identifier.

11. A method comprising: receiving data from an Ultra-Low Complexity Device (ULCD) over a first communication interface; establishing a connection with a network over a second communication interface using a new user equipment function delegation module (UFDM) of a wireless transit / receive unit (WTRU); and transmitting the data received from the ULCD over the second communication interface to the network.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:determining that the UFDM of the WTRU is to be instantiated for the ULCD based on the data received from the ULCD; sending a request message to the network to initiate a UFDM data provisioning, wherein the request message comprises an identifier of the WTRU and an indication of the ULCD device; receiving information from the network; and storing the received information for use in transmission of data received from the ULCD to the network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the network is an access and mobility function (AMF) of core network, wherein the AMF is the WTRU’s serving AMF.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the received information comprises an identifier of the UFDM.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the received information comprises a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) or credentials associated with the WTRU.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising: sending a registration message to the network over a WTRU-core network interface, wherein the registration message comprises an indication that a non-access stratum (NAS) message sent by the WTRU comprises a NAS message of the UFDM included within.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the registration message comprises a WTRU identifier, wherein the WTRU identifier comprises a SUPI or a globally unique temporary identifier (GUTI).

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the first communication interface with the ULCD comprises a Backscattering Communication (BC) interface, and the second communication interface with the network comprises a Uu interface.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the ULCD is not configured to communicate over a PC5 interface or a Uu interface.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the ULCD is identified by a device side ULCD identifier or a network side ULCD identifier, wherein the device side ULCD identifier comprises a Bluetooth universally unique identifier or a temporary identifier, and wherein the network side ULCD identifier comprises an application user identifier, a generic public subscription identifier (GPSI), or an external identifier.

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