System and method for a frame structure for communication in the Internet of passive / semi-passive things

Abstract

Systems and methods for a frame structure for communication in the Internet of Things (IoT) of passive / semi-passive devices are provided. A first wireless communication device may determine a number (N) of repeated transmissions for data. The first wireless communication device may use the frame structure to transmit the data to a second wireless communication device. The frame structure may include a preamble sequence and data with N repetitions. In one embodiment, the frame structure includes a preamble sequence, a first of the N repetitions, a tail sequence, and the remaining of the N repetitions, which are arranged in the order described above along the time domain.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication, including, but not limited to, systems and methods for frame structures for communication in passive / semi-passive Internet of Things (IoT).

Background Art

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®), a standards organization, is currently in the stage of defining a new radio interface called 5G New Radio (5G NR) and a Next Generation Packet Core Network (NG-CN or NGC). 5G NR will have three main components: a 5G access network (5G-AN), a 5G core network (5GC), and a User Equipment (UE). To facilitate the availability of different data services and requirements, some of them which are software-based and some of them which are hardware-based are simplified so that the elements of the 5GC, also called network functions, can be adapted according to the necessity.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0003] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are directed to solving problems related to one or more of the problems presented in the prior art and providing additional features that will be readily apparent by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. According to various embodiments, exemplary systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are disclosed herein. However, it is to be understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example and not limitation, and that various modifications to the disclosed embodiments can be made within the scope of the present disclosure, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a thorough reading of the present disclosure.

[0004] At least one aspect is directed to the following system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium. A first wireless communication device may determine a number (N) of repeated transmissions for data. The first wireless communication device may use a frame structure to transmit the data to a second wireless communication device. The frame structure may include a preamble sequence and data with N repetitions.

[0005] In some embodiments, the frame structure may include a preamble sequence, a first one of the N repetitions, a tail sequence, and the remaining ones of the N repetitions, which may be arranged in the order described above along the time domain. In some embodiments, the frame structure may include a preamble sequence, control information with a number (M) of repetitions, and data with N repetitions, which are arranged in the order described above along the time domain. In some embodiments, the frame structure may include a preamble sequence, control information for a first one of a number (M) of repetitions, a tail sequence, control information for the remaining ones of the M repetitions, and data with N repetitions, which may be arranged in the order described above along the time domain.

[0006] In some embodiments, the frame structure may include a preamble sequence and data with N repetitions, which may be arranged in the order described above along the time domain. Prior to transmitting the data using the frame structure, the first wireless communication device may receive a first message from the second wireless communication device. The first wireless communication device may determine a data sequence length for each of the N repeated transmissions based on the message. The step of determining the length of each of the N repeated transmissions may further include the following steps. Each type of the first message may correspond to a data sequence length. The first wireless communication device may determine a data sequence length for each of the N repeated transmissions according to the type of the received first message.

[0007] In some embodiments, each type of the first message corresponds to a set of data sequence lengths (J≧1). The first message may include a length indication indicating one of the set of data sequence lengths. In some embodiments, a tail sequence can be arranged after N repetitions along the time domain.

[0008] In some embodiments, the preamble sequence can be configured to indicate the arrangement of the frame structure. The arrangement of the frame structure may include at least one of whether to perform repeated transmission, the length of the data sequence, a subset of the lengths of the data sequences, a subset of the number of repeated transmissions for the data, the length of the control signal, or a subset of the number of repeated transmissions for the control signal.

[0009] In some embodiments, the frame structure may further include one or more head symbols configured to indicate the arrangement of the frame structure. The frame structure may include a preamble sequence, one or more head symbols, data for the first of the N repetitions, a tail sequence, and data for the remaining of the N repetitions, which may be arranged in the order described above along the time domain. The frame structure may include a preamble sequence, one or more head symbols, and data with N repetitions, which may be arranged in the order described above along the time domain. The frame structure may include a preamble sequence, one or more head symbols, control information with a certain number (M) of repetitions, and data with N repetitions, which may be arranged in the order described above along the time domain. The frame structure may include a preamble sequence, one or more head symbols, data with N repetitions, and a tail sequence, which may be arranged in the order described above along the time domain.

[0010] In some embodiments, the second wireless communication device may receive data from the first wireless communication device using a frame structure. The frame structure may include a preamble sequence and data with several (N) repetitions.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] Various exemplary embodiments of the present solution are described in detail below with reference to the following figures or drawings. The drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and depict exemplary embodiments of the present solution only to facilitate the understanding of the reader of the present solution. Therefore, the drawings should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope, range, or availability of the present solution. Note that for the sake of clarity and ease of illustration, these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

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[0024] (1. Mobile communication technology and environment) FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication network and / or system 100 in which the techniques disclosed herein according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented. In the following discussion, the wireless communication network 100 may be any wireless network such as a cellular network or a narrowband mono Internet of Things (NE-IoT) network, and is referred to herein as the "network 100". Such an exemplary network 100 includes a base station 102 (hereinafter, "BS102", also referred to as a wireless communication node), user equipment devices 104 (hereinafter, "UE104", also referred to as wireless communication devices) that can communicate with each other via a communication link 110 (e.g., a wireless communication channel), and a cluster of cells 126, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 that overlap a geographic area 101. In FIG. 1, BS102 and UE104 are included within the respective geographic boundaries of cell 126. Each of the other cells 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 may operate within its allocated bandwidth and include at least one base station that provides an appropriate wireless communication range to its intended users.

[0025] For example, BS102 may operate within an allocated channel transmission bandwidth and provide an appropriate communication range to UE104. BS102 and UE104 may communicate with each other via a downlink radio frame 118 and an uplink radio frame 124, respectively. Each radio frame 118 / 124 may be further divided into subframes 120 / 127 that may include data symbols 122 / 128. In the present disclosure, BS102 and UE104 are generally described herein as non-limiting examples of "communication nodes" that may practice the methods disclosed herein. Such communication nodes may be capable of wireless and / or wired communication according to various embodiments of the present solution.

[0026] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system 200 for transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals (e.g., OFDM / OFDMA signals) according to some embodiments of the present solution. System 200 may include components and elements configured to support known or conventional operating features that need not be described in detail herein. In one exemplary embodiment, system 200 can be used to communicate (e.g., transmit and receive) data symbols within a wireless communication environment, such as wireless communication environment 100 of FIG. 1, as described above.

[0027] System 200 generally includes a base station 202 (hereinafter, “BS202”) and a user equipment device 204 (hereinafter, “UE204”). BS202 includes a BS (base station) transceiver module 210, a BS antenna 212, a BS processor module 214, a BS memory module 216, and a network communication module 218, and each module is coupled and interconnected with each other via a data communication bus 220 as needed. UE204 includes a UE (user equipment) transceiver module 230, a UE antenna 232, a UE memory module 234, and a UE processor module 236, and each module is coupled and interconnected with each other via a data communication bus 240 as needed. BS202 communicates with UE204 via a communication channel 250, which can be any wireless channel or other medium suitable for data transmission as described herein.

[0028] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, system 200 may further include any number of modules other than those shown in FIG. 2. Those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative blocks, modules, circuits, and processing logics described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in hardware, computer-readable software, firmware, or any practical combination thereof. To clearly illustrate the interchangeability and compatibility of hardware, firmware, and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software may depend on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art of the concepts described herein may implement such functionality in a manner appropriate for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0029] According to some embodiments, the UE transceiver 230 may be referred to herein as an "uplink" transceiver 230 that includes a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and an RF receiver, each having a network of circuits coupled to the antenna 232. A duplex switch (not shown) may alternatively couple the uplink transmitter or receiver to the uplink antenna in a time-division duplexing scheme. Similarly, according to some embodiments, the BS transceiver 210 may be referred to herein as a "downlink" transceiver 210 that includes an RF transmitter and an RF receiver, each having a network of circuits coupled to the antenna 212. A downlink duplex switch may alternatively couple the downlink transmitter or receiver to the downlink antenna 212 in a time-division duplexing scheme. The operation of the two transceiver modules 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time such that the uplink receiver network is coupled to the uplink antenna 232 for receiving transmissions via the wireless transmission link 250 at the same time that the downlink transmitter is coupled to the downlink antenna 212. Conversely, the operation of the two transceivers 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time such that the downlink receiver is coupled to the downlink antenna 212 for receiving transmissions via the wireless transmission link 250 at the same time that the uplink transmitter is coupled to the uplink antenna 232. In some embodiments, there is a turn-off time synchronization with a minimum guard time between changes in the duplex direction.

[0030] The UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to communicate via a wireless data communication link 250 and cooperate with appropriately configured RF antenna arrangements 212 / 232 that can support a specific wireless communication protocol and modulation scheme. In some illustrative embodiments, the UE transceiver 210 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to support industry standards such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and emerging 5G standards. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not necessarily limited in application to specific standards and associated protocols. Rather, the UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 may be configured to support alternative or additional wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variants thereof.

[0031] According to various embodiments, the BS 202 can be, for example, an evolved Node B (eNB), a serving eNB, a target eNB, a femto station, or a pico station. In some embodiments, the UE 204 can be embodied in various types of user devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, laptop computers, wearable computing devices, and the like. The processor modules 214 and 236 can be implemented or realized using a general-purpose processor, an associative memory, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. In this aspect, the processor can be realized as a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, and the like. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration combination.

[0032] Furthermore, the steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, firmware, software modules, or any practical combination thereof, executed respectively by processor modules 214 and 236. Memory modules 216 and 234 can be implemented as RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In this regard, memory modules 216 and 234 can be coupled respectively to processor modules 210 and 230 such that processor modules 210 and 230 can read information from and write information to memory modules 216 and 234, respectively. Memory modules 216 and 234 can be integrated within their respective processor modules 210 and 230. In some embodiments, each of memory modules 216 and 234 can include cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed respectively by processor modules 210 and 230. Each of memory modules 216 and 234 can also include non-volatile memory for storing instructions to be executed respectively by processor modules 210 and 230.

[0033] The network communication module 218 generally represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic, and / or other components of base station 202 that use bi-directional communication between base station transceiver 210 and other network components and communication nodes configured to communicate with base station 202. For example, network communication module 218 may be configured to support Internet or WiMAX traffic. In an exemplary deployment, but not limited to, network communication module 218 provides an 802.3 Ethernet® interface so that base station transceiver 210 can communicate with a conventional Ethernet®-based computer network. In this aspect, network communication module 218 may include a physical interface for connection to a computer network (e.g., a mobile switching center (MSC)). As used herein with respect to a specified operation or function, the terms “configured for”, “configured to”, and their conjugations refer to a device, component, circuit, structure, machine, signal, etc. that is physically constructed, programmed, formatted, and / or arranged to perform the specified operation or function.

[0034] The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model (referred to herein as the "Open Systems Interconnection model") is a conceptual and logical layout that defines network communications used by systems (e.g., wireless communication devices, wireless communication nodes) that are open to interconnection and communication with other systems. The model is divided into seven sub-components or layers, each representing a conceptual set of services provided to the layers above and below it. The OSI model defines a logical network and effectively describes computer packet transfer by using different layer protocols. The OSI model may also be referred to as the seven-layer OSI model or the seven-layer model. In some embodiments, the first layer may be the physical layer. In some embodiments, the second layer may be the Media Access Control (MAC) layer. In some embodiments, the third layer may be the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer. In some embodiments, the fourth layer may be the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer. In some embodiments, the fifth layer may be the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer. In some embodiments, the sixth layer may be the Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layer or the Internet Protocol (IP) layer, and the seventh layer may be other layers.

[0035] Various exemplary embodiments of the present solution are described below with reference to the accompanying figures for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to make and use the present solution. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, after a thorough reading of the present disclosure, various changes or modifications to the examples described herein can be made without departing from the scope of the present solution. Therefore, the present solution is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. In addition, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein is merely an exemplary approach. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps of the disclosed methods or processes can be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present solution. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or acts in a sample order and that the present solution is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented unless explicitly stated otherwise. (2. System and Method for Frame Structure for Communication in Passive / Semi-Passive Monos Internet of Things (IoT))

[0036] In passive / semi-passive monos Internet of Things (IoT) communication technologies, information can be transmitted and / or received using a fixed frame structure. The frame structure signal can include a frame header, data, and a frame tail. The frame header and the frame tail can be a bit sequence or a high / low level signal with a fixed form. The frame header can be used to determine the start of the frame structure signal. The frame tail can be used to determine the end of the frame structure signal. The frame header and the frame tail can be used to determine the information transmission duration of the frame structure signal, the number of data ratio symbols, and / or the data sequence length.

[0037] To extend the communication effective range of passive / semi-passive IoT communication, a method for repeated data transmission can improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the received data. The method can increase the communication distance between the transmission node and the receiving node. However, in the case of repeated transmission, if the frame header and frame tail are transmitted for each repeated transmission, communication resources can be wasted. Repeated transmission can reduce transmission efficiency and increase power consumption. If the frame header and frame tail are not transmitted, the synchronous reception of the signal can be affected. Therefore, in the repeated transmission of passive IoT communication, the form of the frame structure can be investigated. The present invention proposes a frame structure signal transmission method for improving the repeated transmission efficiency of passive communication.

[0038] In some embodiments, the first communication node can be a transmission node. The second communication node can be a receiving node. (Implementation Example 1)

[0039] In some embodiments, the first communication node can determine the number N of repetitions of the data sequence according to the frame structure. The frame structure can include a preamble sequence, the data sequence of the first transmission, a tail sequence, and the data sequences from the second transmission to the Nth transmission. N can be 1 or more.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 3, the frame structure can sequentially include a preamble sequence, the data sequence of the first transmission, a tail sequence, and the data sequences from the second transmission to the Nth transmission in the time domain. For example, transmitting the data sequence of the Nth repeated transmission according to the frame structure can include sequentially and continuously transmitting a preamble sequence, the data sequence of the first transmission, a tail sequence, and the data sequences from the second transmission to the Nth transmission.

[0041] For a data sequence that is repeatedly transmitted N times, a preamble sequence can be added before the data sequence is transmitted for the first time, and a tail sequence can be appended after the data sequence is transmitted for the first time. The data sequences from the second to the Nth transmissions can be transmitted continuously. The preamble sequence or the tail sequence may not be added between each transmission from the second to the Nth transmissions.

[0042] When N is equal to 1, the transmission repeated N times can be a single transmission. In such a case, the first communication node can transmit the data sequence once. From the second transmission to the Nth transmission, there may not be any data sequence being transmitted. When N is greater than 1, the transmission repeated N times can be multiple transmissions. In this case, the first communication node can transmit the data sequence N times.

[0043] In some embodiments, the second communication node can determine the start time of the data sequence according to the preamble sequence. The preamble sequence can be used for synchronization. When the preamble sequence is detected, the second communication node can determine the start time of the data sequence and receive the data sequence synchronously. For a data sequence that is repeatedly transmitted N times, when the second communication node detects the preamble sequence, the second communication node can determine the start time of the first transmission of the data sequence and receive N transmissions of the data sequence synchronously. The preamble sequence can be a signal with S fixed formats, for example, a complex number sequence with S formats, or a fixed high and low level signal. S can be 1 or more.

[0044] In some embodiments, the second communication node may use a tail sequence to determine the length of the data sequence. The tail sequence may be used to determine the transmission duration of the data sequence or the length of the data sequence. The length of the data sequence can be the number of data symbols included in the data sequence. The transmission duration of the data sequence may correspond to the length of the data sequence. When the tail sequence is detected, the second communication node may determine the end time of the first transmission of the data sequence and may determine the length of the data sequence.

[0045] The first communication node may transmit a data sequence. The data sequence may include K arbitrary data sequence lengths. Each of the data sequence lengths can be used as a number of candidate symbols. The second communication node may receive the data sequence and, if that number of candidate symbols is received, may detect a tail sequence. If the tail sequence is detected for a certain number of candidate symbols, the second communication node may determine that the first transmission of the data sequence may end and may determine that that number of candidate symbols may be the length of the data sequence. The data sequence may include that number of data symbols.

[0046] The data sequence received by the second communication node may have K possible data sequence lengths (e.g., K candidate symbols). The K candidate symbols can be sorted from smallest to largest. The second communication node may receive the data sequence. The second communication node may attempt to detect a tail sequence after the first data symbol among the K candidate symbols. If the tail sequence is detected, the second communication node may determine that the length of the data sequence may be the number of the first candidate symbol. If the tail sequence is not detected, the second communication node may attempt to detect a tail sequence after the second data symbol among the K candidate symbols. If the tail sequence is detected, the second communication node may determine that the length of the data sequence may be the number of the second candidate symbol. If the tail sequence is not detected, the second communication node may attempt to detect a tail sequence after the third data symbol among the K candidate symbols. The second communication node continues to detect the tail sequence after the Nth data symbol among the K candidate symbols and so on. The tail sequence can be detected at most after the number of data symbols of the Kth candidate symbol. N can be equal to K or smaller than it. The length of the data sequence can be equivalent to the transmission duration. The number of data symbols included in the data sequence can be represented by the transmission duration. Each of the candidate quantities can be a candidate transmission duration.

[0047] In some embodiments, the second communication node may determine, by decoding, the number of repeated transmissions for a data sequence. After determining the length of the data sequence, the second communication node may decode the data sequence data. For the data sequence, R arbitrary numbers of repetitions can be configured. The data sequence transmission may use one of the R types of repeated transmissions. Each number of one of the R types of repeated transmissions can be used as a candidate repetition number. The second communication node may receive the data sequence and, upon receiving the data sequence of the repeated transmission, may decode the data sequence.

[0048] The configurable number of repeated transmissions for the data sequence can include N1, N2, ···, N R and so on. The number of repeated transmissions for the data can be N1, N2, ···, or N R and so on. N1, N2, ···, N R can be the number of candidate repeated transmissions. The second communication node may receive the data sequence and, upon receiving the data sequence N1 times, may decode the data sequence. If the decoding is successful, the second communication node may stop receiving the data sequence. If the decoding is successful, the second communication node may decode the data sequence when the data sequence is received N2 times. If the decoding is successful, the second communication node may stop receiving the data sequence. If the decoding is unsuccessful, the second communication node may attempt to decode the data sequence when the data sequence is received N3 times, and so on. The system may determine that the data sequence is, at most, N RUpon being received, it may support attempting to decode a data sequence. The data sequence may include instruction information for repeated transmission. The instruction information for repeated transmission may indicate the number of repetitions of the data sequence. If the data is correctly decoded, the second communication node may determine the number of repetitions N of the data sequence. Further, the second communication node may determine the end time of N repeated transmissions of the data sequence. (Implementation Example 2)

[0049] The first communication node may determine the number of repetitions M of the control information and the number of repetitions N of the data sequence. M and N can be 1 or more. The first communication node may transmit, according to the frame structure, a preamble sequence, control information by M repeated transmissions, and a data sequence by N repeated transmissions. The number of repetitions M of the control information and the number of repetitions N of the data sequence may be equal (for example, M = N). The first communication node may configure the same number of repetitions for the control information and the data sequence. The first communication node may transmit control information that can be transmitted M times repeatedly according to the frame structure. When M is equal to 1, the M repeated transmissions can be a single transmission. In such a case, the first communication node may transmit the control information once. When M is greater than 1, the M repeated transmissions can be multiple transmissions. In such a case, the first communication node may transmit the control information M times.

[0050] The first communication node may transmit a data sequence that is repeated N times according to a frame structure. When N is equal to 1, the transmission repeated N times can be a single transmission. In such a case, the first communication node may transmit the data sequence once. When N is greater than 1, the transmission repeated N times can be multiple transmissions. In such a case, the first communication node may transmit the data sequence N times. The frame structure may sequentially include a preamble sequence, control information transmitted from the first to the Mth, and a data sequence transmitted from the first to the Nth in the time domain, as shown in FIG. 4. The preamble sequence can be used for synchronization of data sequence transmission. When the second communication node detects the preamble sequence, the start time of the control information can be determined. The preamble sequence can be a signal with S fixed formats. S can be 1 or more. The control information may include at least one of the following instructions: an instruction for the number of repetitions of the control information, an instruction for the number of repetitions of the data sequence, or an instruction for the number of data symbols of the data sequence.

[0051] In some embodiments, the second communication node may receive control information. The control information may have an information length of L. L can be 1 or more. The information length can be the number of information bits. For decoding the control information, the following two optional methods can be included. (Method 1)

[0052] In the method, the control information may have a fixed information length when L is equal to 1. The second communication node may decode the control information based on the fixed information length. The configurable number of repetitions for the control information may include M1, M2, ···, M R and may include M1, M2, ···, M Rcan be used as the number of repetition candidates. The second communication node can receive control information and can decode the control information when receiving control information with the number of candidate repetitions. When the second communication node receives control information with the number of repetitions M1, it can decode the control information. If the decoding is successful, the second communication node can stop receiving the control information. If the decoding is unsuccessful, when the second communication node receives control information with the number of repetitions M2, it can decode the control information. If the decoding is successful, the second communication node can stop receiving the control information. If the decoding is unsuccessful, when the second communication node receives control information with the number of repetitions M3, it decodes the control information, and so on. The second communication node can receive control information with the number of repetitions M at most R and can decode the control information when receiving the control information. (Method 2)

[0053] In the method, the control information can have L fixed information lengths (for example, C1, C2, ···, C L ) when L is greater than 1. The control information can have R possible numbers of repetitions (for example, M1, M2, ···, M R ). The combination {C x , M y} of the information length and the number of repetitions of the control information can be used as a candidate decoding configuration, where C x ∈ {C1, C2, ···, C L} and M y ∈ {M1, M2, ···, M R}. The number of candidate decoding configurations and the values of {C x , M y} can be predefined or can be indicated to the second communication node by indication information.

[0054] The second communication node can receive control information and can decode the control information when receiving control information with a candidate decoding configuration. The second communication node has the number of repetitions M y and the control information length C xUpon receiving control information accompanied by, for example, the candidate decoding configurations may include {C1, M1}, {C1, M2}, {C2, M1}, and {C2, M2}. When the second communication node receives control information accompanied by the number of repetitions M1 and the control information length C1, the second communication node may decode the control information. If the decoding is successful, the second communication node may stop receiving the control information. If the decoding is unsuccessful, when the second communication node receives control information accompanied by the number of repetitions M2 and the control information length C1, the second communication node may decode the control information. If the decoding is successful, the second communication node can stop receiving the control information. If the decoding is unsuccessful, the second communication node receives control information accompanied by the number of repetitions M1 and the control information length C2 until all candidate decoding configurations are tried up to the maximum, and then decodes the control information, etc.

[0055] In some embodiments, the second communication node may determine the data sequence length and the number of repetitions of the data sequence according to the control information. The control information may include an indication of the number of repetitions of the control information. When the second communication node correctly decodes the control information, the second communication node may determine the number of repetitions used for the control information according to the indication of the number of repetitions of the control information. Thus, the second communication node may determine the end time of the last transmission of the control information and the start time of the first transmission of the data sequence.

[0056] The control information may include an indication of the number of data symbols of the data sequence. When the second communication node correctly decodes the control information, the second communication node may determine the number of data symbols of the data sequence according to the indication of the number of data symbols of the data sequence. The control information may include an indication of the number of repetitions of the data sequence. The data sequence and the control information may use the same number of repetitions. When the second communication node correctly decodes the control information, the second communication node may determine the number of repetitions used for the transmission of the data sequence. Further, the second communication node may determine the end time of the last transmission of the data sequence. The second communication node may determine the number of data symbols and the number of repetitions of the data sequence, and may decode the data sequence. (Implementation Example 3)

[0057] The first communication node may determine the number of repetitions M of the control information and the number of repetitions N of the data sequence. M and N can be 1 or more. The first communication node may transmit the control information for M times of repeated transmission and the data sequence for N times of repeated transmission according to the frame structure. The number of repetitions M of the control information and the number of repetitions N of the data sequence may be equal (for example, M = N). The first communication node may configure the same number of repetitions for the control information and the data sequence. As shown in FIG. 5, the frame structure may sequentially include a preamble sequence, the control information of the first transmission, a tail sequence, the control information from the second to the Mth transmission, and the data sequence from the first to the Nth transmission in the time domain.

[0058] Transmission of control information for M times of repeated transmission and a data sequence for N times of repeated transmission according to a frame structure may include continuously transmitting a preamble sequence, control information of the first transmission, a tail sequence, control information for the second to M-th transmissions, and the data sequence for the first to N-th transmissions. The first communication node may transmit control information that can be transmitted M times repeatedly according to the frame structure. When M is equal to 1, the M times of repeated transmission can be a single transmission. In such a case, the first communication node may transmit the control information once. From the second transmission to the M-th transmission, there may be no control information. When M is greater than 1, the M times of repeated transmission can be multiple transmissions. In such a case, the first communication node may transmit the control information M times.

[0059] The first communication node may repeatedly transmit a data sequence N times according to the frame structure. When N is equal to 1, the N times of repeated transmission can be a single transmission. In such a case, the first communication node may transmit the data sequence once. When N is greater than 1, the N times of repeated transmission can be multiple transmissions. In such a case, the first communication node may transmit the data sequence N times. The control information may include at least one of the following instructions: an instruction on the number of repetitions of the control information, an instruction on the number of repetitions of the data sequence, or an instruction on the number of data symbols of the data sequence.

[0060] In some embodiments, the second communication node may determine the start time of the control information. The preamble sequence can be used for synchronization of data sequence transmission. When the second communication node detects the preamble sequence, the start time of the control information can be determined. The preamble sequence can be a signal with S fixed formats. S can be 1 or more.

[0061] In some embodiments, the tail sequence can be used to determine the control information length. The control information length can be the number of bits of the control information. The second communication node can determine the control information length according to the tail sequence. Specifically, the second communication node can determine the control information length by detecting the tail sequence. Regarding the control information repeatedly transmitted M times, when the second communication node detects the tail sequence, the second communication node can determine the end time of the first transmission of the control information and can determine the control information length.

[0062] Furthermore, the control information can include K types of arbitrary information lengths. Each of the information lengths can serve as a candidate information length. The second communication node can receive the control information and can detect the tail sequence when the control information of the information length is received. When the tail sequence is detected for a certain candidate information length, the second communication node can determine that the first transmission of the control information can end, and can further determine that the candidate information length can be the control information length (i.e., the number of bits included in the control information).

[0063] The control information received by the second communication node can have K possible information lengths (e.g., K types of candidate information lengths). The K types of candidate information lengths can be sorted in ascending order. The second communication node can receive the control information and can detect the tail sequence after the control information of the first candidate information length. When the tail sequence is detected, the second communication node can determine that the information length of the control information is the length of the first candidate information. When the tail sequence is not detected, the second communication node can detect the tail sequence after the control information of the second candidate information length. When the tail sequence is detected, the information length of the control information can be determined to be the length of the second candidate information. When the tail sequence is not detected, the second communication node detects the tail sequence after the control information of the third candidate information length, and so on. The tail sequence can be detected at most after the control information of the Kth candidate information length.

[0064] In some embodiments, the second communication node may decode control information. After determining the information length of the control information, the second communication node may decode the control information based on the information length. The configurable number of repetitions for the control information may include M1, M2, ···, M R and the like. The number of repetitions used for control information transmission may be one of M1, M2, ···, or M R . M1, M2, ···, or M R can be used as the candidate number of repetitions. The second communication node may receive the control information and may decode the control information when receiving the control information with the candidate number of repetitions. When the second communication node receives the control information M1 times, it may decode the control information. If the decoding is successful, the second communication node may stop receiving the control information. If the decoding is not successful, when the second communication node receives the control information M2 times, it may decode the control information. If the decoding is successful, the second communication node may stop receiving the control information. If the decoding is not successful, the second communication node may receive the control information M3 times and decode the control information, and so on. When receiving the control information up to a maximum of M R times, the second communication node may decode the control information.

[0065] In some embodiments, the second communication node may determine the length of the data sequence and the number of repetitions according to the control information. The control information may include an indication of the number of repetitions of the control information. When the second communication node correctly decodes the control information, the second communication node may determine the number of repetitions used for transmitting the control information according to the indication of the number of repetitions of the control information. The second communication node may determine the end time of the last transmission of the control information and the start time of the first transmission of the data sequence.

[0066] The control information may include an indication of the number of data symbols of the data sequence. When the second communication node correctly decodes the control information, the second communication node can determine the number of data symbols of the data sequence according to the indication of the number of data symbols of the data sequence. The control information may include an indication of the number of repetitions of the data sequence. The data sequence and the control information may use the same number of repetitions. When the second communication node correctly decodes the control information, the number of repetitions used for data sequence transmission can be determined. Further, the second communication node may determine the end time of the last transmission of the data sequence. The second communication node can determine the number of data symbols and the number of repetitions of the data sequence and can decode the data sequence. (Implementation Example 4)

[0067] The second communication node may receive the first information from the first communication node. The second communication node can determine the length of the second information according to the first information. The second information length may indicate the number of data symbols included in the second information. The second information can be the data sequence transmitted by the second communication node. The second information length can be the data sequence length. The second information can be a response regarding the first information. Specifically, the second communication node may receive the first information and may transmit response information for the first information. The response information can be the second information.

[0068] The length of the data sequence can be determined according to the first information, such as the following three optional methods.

[0069] Method 1: H types of first information are possible. Each type of the first information may correspond to the length of the second information. The corresponding second information length can be determined by the second communication node according to the type of the first information.

[0070] Method 2: The first information may have H types. Each first information type may correspond to a set of second information lengths. The set of second information lengths may include J second information lengths. J can be 1 or more. It is possible to have two or more types of first information with different sets of second information lengths. Therefore, the corresponding set of second information lengths can be determined according to the first information type. The first information may include a second information length indication. In the set of second information lengths corresponding to the first information, the second information length can be determined by the second communication node according to the second information length indication.

[0071] Method 3: The first information may include a second information length indication. The second information length can be determined by the second communication node according to the second information length indication.

[0072] In some embodiments, the second communication node may determine the number N of repetitions of the second information. The second communication node may determine the number N of repetitions of the second information, such as the following two optional methods.

[0073] Method 1: The second communication node may determine the number N of repetitions of the second information according to the number of repetitions of the received first information. For example, the second communication node may determine that the number N of repetitions of the second information can be equal to or greater than the number of repetitions of the received first information to ensure that the second information can be correctly received and the transmission reliability can be improved.

[0074] Method 2: The first information may include an indication of the number of repetitions of the second information. The second communication node may determine the number of repetitions of the second information according to the indication of the number of repetitions of the second information.

[0075] In some embodiments, the second communication node may sequentially transmit the second information of the N - time repeated transmission according to the frame structure. The first communication node may transmit the second information transmitted N times repeatedly according to the frame structure. When N is equal to 1, the transmission repeated N times can be a single - time transmission. In such a case, the first communication node may transmit the second information once. When N is greater than 1, the transmission repeated N times can be a plurality of transmissions. In such a case, the first communication node may transmit the second information N times.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 6, the frame structure includes, in the time domain, a preamble sequence and the second information regarding the first to Nth transmissions and obtains them sequentially. The data sequence can be the second information. The second information of the N - time repeated transmission according to the frame structure may include continuously and sequentially transmitting the preamble sequence and the second information from the first transmission to the Nth transmission. For the data sequence transmitted repeatedly N times, the preamble sequence can be added before the first - transmitted data sequence. The data sequences from the second to the Nth transmissions can be transmitted continuously. No preamble sequence can be added between each transmission.

[0077] The preamble sequence can be used for synchronization. The first communication node may receive the second information. When detecting the preamble sequence, the first communication node may determine the start time of the second information and may receive the second information synchronously. Regarding the second information transmitted repeatedly N times, when the second communication node detects the preamble sequence, the second communication node may determine the start time of the first transmission of the second information and may receive the second information of the N - time transmission synchronously. The preamble sequence can be a signal with S formats. S can be 1 or more.

[0078] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 7, the frame structure may include appending a tail sequence after the Nth transmitted data sequence. The sequential complete frame structure in the time domain may include a preamble sequence, second information transmitted from the first to the Nth, and a tail sequence. The second information can be a data sequence. The tail sequence can be a fixed format signal. The first communication node may determine the end time of the last transmission of the second information according to the tail sequence. The first communication node may determine the number of repetitions of the second information according to the tail sequence.

[0079] The set of numbers of repetitions for the second information can be {N1, N2, ···, N R}. When receiving the second information, the first communication node may detect the tail sequence when receiving the second information of the candidate number of repetitions. If the tail sequence is detected for a certain candidate number of repetitions, the second communication node may determine that the last transmission of the second information may end and may determine that the candidate number of repetitions may be the number of repetitions used by the second information. (Implementation Example 5)

[0080] The frame structure signal configuration can be indicated by a preamble sequence in the frame structure signal. The frame structure signal configuration can include at least one of whether to use repeated transmission, the data sequence length, a subset of the data sequence length, a subset of the number of repetitions of the data sequence, the control information length, or a subset of the number of repetitions of the control signal. The preamble sequence within the set of preamble sequences can indicate the frame structure signal configuration. The set of preamble sequences can include K preamble sequences. Each preamble sequence can be a signal in a fixed format. K can be 1 or more. Each preamble sequence can correspond to one of the frame structure signal configurations. There may be cases where multiple preamble sequences can correspond to the same frame structure signal configuration. The frame structure signal configurations corresponding to different preamble sequences may be different or the same.

[0081] When the length of the data sequence is indicated by the preamble sequence, each preamble sequence can correspond to the data sequence length. When determining the data sequence length of the frame structure signal, the preamble sequence corresponding to the data sequence length can be selected as the preamble sequence of the frame structure signal. The second communication node can determine the data sequence length according to the preamble sequence.

[0082] When the length of a part of the data sequence is indicated by a preamble sequence, each preamble sequence may correspond to a subset of the data sequence length. The subset of the data sequence length may belong to the set of data sequence lengths. When determining the data sequence length of the frame structure signal, the first communication node can determine the subset of the data sequence length where the data sequence length is located. The first communication node may select a preamble sequence corresponding to the subset of the data sequence length as the preamble sequence of the frame structure signal. Therefore, the first communication node can use the preamble sequence to indicate the subset of the data sequence length to the second communication node. Based on the subset of the data sequence length, the second communication node can determine the data sequence length.

[0083] When the subset of the number of repetitions of the data sequence is indicated by a preamble sequence, each preamble sequence may correspond to the subset of the number of repetitions. The subset of the number of repetitions may belong to the set of the number of repetitions of the data sequence. When determining the number of repetitions of the data sequence of the frame structure signal, the first communication node can determine the subset of the number of repetitions to which the number of repetitions belongs, and may select a preamble sequence corresponding to the subset of the number of repetitions as the preamble sequence of the frame structure signal. Therefore, the first communication node can use the preamble sequence to indicate the subset of the number of repetitions of the data sequence to the second communication node. Based on the subset of the repetitions of the data sequence, the second communication node can determine the number of repetitions of the data sequence.

[0084] When the length of the control information is indicated by a preamble sequence, each preamble sequence may correspond to the control information length. When determining the control information length of the frame structure signal, the preamble sequence corresponding to the control information length can be selected as the preamble sequence of the frame structure signal. Therefore, the first communication node can use the preamble sequence to indicate the control information length to the second communication node.

[0085] When a subset of the number of repetitions of control information is indicated by a preamble sequence, each preamble sequence may correspond to a subset of the number of repetitions. The subset of the number of repetitions may belong to the set of the number of repetitions of control information. When determining the number of repetitions of control information in a frame structure signal, the first communication node may determine a subset of the number of repetitions to which the number of repetitions belongs. The first communication node may select a preamble sequence corresponding to the subset of the number of repetitions as the preamble sequence of the frame structure signal. Thus, the first communication node may use the preamble sequence to indicate to the second communication node a subset of the number of repetitions of control information. Based on the subset of the number of repetitions of control information, the second communication node may determine the number of repetitions of control information.

[0086] When whether to use repeated transmission is indicated by a preamble sequence, the set of preamble sequences can be divided into two subsets. The first subset of preamble sequences may correspond to control information or a data sequence using repeated transmission. The second subset of preamble sequences may correspond to control information or a data sequence using non-repeated transmission. When repeated transmission is used for control information or a data sequence, a preamble sequence within the first subset of preamble sequences can be selected as the preamble sequence of the frame structure signal. When non-repeated transmission is used for control information or a data sequence, the second subset of preamble sequences can be selected as the preamble sequence of the frame structure signal. Thus, the preamble sequence can be used to indicate to the second communication node whether repeated transmission of control information or a data sequence is used. (Implementation Example 6)

[0087] The frame structure signal may include a frame header symbol. The frame header symbol may indicate the frame structure signal configuration. The frame structure signal configuration may include at least one of whether to use repeated transmission, the data sequence length, or a subset of the data sequence length, a subset of the number of repetitions for the data sequence, the control information length, or a subset of the number of repetitions for the control information.

[0088] A data sequence with N - time repeated transmission can be transmitted based on the frame structure. The frame structure may include at least one of the following structures. (Structure 1)

[0089] As shown in FIG. 8, in the time domain, the frame structure may sequentially include a preamble sequence, a frame header symbol, the data sequence of the first transmission, a tail sequence, and the data sequences from the second transmission to the Nth transmission. When N is equal to 1, the N - time repeated transmission can be a single - time transmission. In such a case, the first communication node may transmit the data sequence once. From the second transmission to the Nth transmission, there may be no data sequence. When N is greater than 1, the N - time repeated transmission can be multiple - time transmissions. In such a case, the first communication node may transmit the data sequence N times.

[0090] In this frame structure signal, the preamble sequence can be used for synchronization of data sequence transmission. When the preamble sequence is detected, the receiving end can determine the start time of the frame structure signal. In this frame structure signal, the frame header symbol can be used to indicate whether the data sequence is transmitted repeatedly or not, or the frame header symbol can be used to indicate a subset of the data sequence length, or the frame header symbol can be used to indicate the number of repetitions of the data sequence.

[0091] In the frame structure signal, the tail sequence can be used to determine the data sequence length of the data sequence. The data sequence length can be the number of data symbols included in the data sequence. When the tail sequence is detected, the receiver can determine the end time of the first transmission of the data sequence and can determine the length of the data sequence. (Structure 2)

[0092] In the time domain, a sequential frame structure can include a preamble sequence, a frame header symbol, and a data sequence with N repetitions, as shown in FIG. 9. The preamble sequence can be used for synchronization of data sequence transmission. When the preamble sequence is detected, the receiving end can determine the start time of the frame structure signal. The frame header symbol can be used to indicate whether the data sequence is transmitted repeatedly or not, or to indicate the length of the data sequence, or to indicate the number of repetitions of the data sequence.

[0093] In this frame structure signal, the tail sequence can be used to determine the transmission duration or the data sequence length of the data sequence. The data sequence length can be the number of data symbols included in the data sequence.

[0094] When N is equal to 1, the N - time repeated transmission can be a single - time transmission. In such a case, the first communication node can transmit the data sequence once. When N is greater than 1, the N - time repeated transmission can be a multiple - time transmission. In such a case, the first communication node can transmit the data sequence N times. Structure 3

[0095] In the time domain, a sequential frame structure may include, as shown in FIG. 10, a preamble sequence, a frame header symbol, control information with M repetitions, and a data sequence with N repetitions. The preamble sequence can be used for synchronization of data sequence transmission. When the preamble sequence is detected, the receiving end may determine the start time of the frame structure signal. The frame header symbol can be used to indicate whether the control information is transmitted repeatedly or not, or to indicate the length of the control information, or to indicate the number of repetitions of the control information.

[0096] When M is equal to 1, the M - time repeated transmission can be a single - time transmission. In such a case, the first communication node may transmit the control information once. When M is greater than 1, the M - time repeated transmission can be multiple - time transmissions. In such a case, the first communication node may transmit the control information M times. When N is equal to 1, the N - time repeated transmission can be a single - time transmission. In such a case, the first communication node may transmit the data sequence once. When N is greater than 1, the N - time repeated transmission is multiple - time transmissions. In such a case, the first communication node may transmit the data sequence N times. (Structure 4)

[0097] In the time domain, a sequential frame structure may include, as shown in FIG. 11, a preamble sequence, a frame header symbol, a data sequence with N repetitions, and a tail sequence. The preamble sequence can be used for synchronization of data sequence transmission. When the preamble sequence is detected, the receiving end may determine the start time of the frame structure signal. The frame header symbol can be used to indicate whether the data sequence is transmitted repeatedly or not, or to indicate the length of the data sequence.

[0098] The tail sequence can be used to determine the number of repetitions of the data sequence. When the tail sequence is detected, the receiving end may determine the end time of the Nth transmission of the data sequence and may determine the number of repetitions N of the data sequence.

[0099] When N is equal to 1, the N - time repeated transmission can be a single transmission. In such a case, the first communication node transmits the data sequence once. When N is greater than 1, the N - time repeated transmission is a plurality of transmissions. In such a case, the first communication node may transmit the data sequence over N times.

[0100] FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1200 for a frame structure for communication in a passive / semi - passive Internet of Things (IoT). The method 1200 may be implemented using any one or more of the components and devices detailed herein in conjunction with FIGS. 1 - 2. In general, the method 1200 may be implemented by a wireless communication device in some embodiments. Additional, fewer, or different operations may be implemented in the method 1200 depending on the embodiment. At least one aspect of the operations is directed to a system, method, apparatus, or computer - readable medium.

[0101] The first wireless communication device may determine the number of repeated transmissions (N) for data. The first wireless communication device may use a frame structure to transmit the data to a second wireless communication device. The frame structure may include a preamble sequence and data with N repetitions.

[0102] In some embodiments, the frame structure may include a preamble sequence, a first one of N repetitions, a tail sequence, and the remaining ones of the N repetitions, which may be arranged in the above order along the time domain. In some embodiments, the frame structure may include a preamble sequence, control information with a certain number (M) of repetitions, and data with N repetitions, which are arranged in the above order along the time domain. In some embodiments, the frame structure may include a preamble sequence, control information for a first one of a certain number (M) of repetitions, a tail sequence, control information for the remaining ones of the M repetitions, and data with N repetitions, which may be arranged in the above order along the time domain.

[0103] In some embodiments, the frame structure may include a preamble sequence and data with N repetitions, which may be arranged in the above order along the time domain. Prior to transmitting data using the frame structure, the first wireless communication device may receive a first message from the second wireless communication device. The first wireless communication device may determine the data sequence length of each of the N repeated transmissions based on the message. The step of determining the length of each of the N repeated transmissions may further include the following steps. Each type of the first message may correspond to a data sequence length. The first wireless communication device may determine the data sequence length of each of the N repeated transmissions according to the type of the received first message.

[0104] In some embodiments, each type of the first message corresponds to a set (J≧1) of data sequence lengths. The first message may include a length indication indicating one of the set of data sequence lengths. In some embodiments, the tail sequence can be arranged along the time domain after the N repeated transmissions.

[0105] In some embodiments, the preamble sequence can be configured to indicate the arrangement of the frame structure. The arrangement of the frame structure can include at least one of whether to perform repeated transmission, the length of the data sequence, a subset of the length of the data sequence, a subset of the number of repeated transmissions for the data, the length of the control signal, or a subset of the number of repeated transmissions for the control signal.

[0106] In some embodiments, the frame structure can further include one or more head symbols configured to indicate the arrangement of the frame structure. The frame structure can include a preamble sequence, one or more head symbols, data for the first of N repetitions, a tail sequence, and data for the remaining of N repetitions, which can be arranged in the above order along the time domain. The frame structure can include a preamble sequence, one or more head symbols, and data with N repetitions, which can be arranged in the above order along the time domain. The frame structure can include a preamble sequence, one or more head symbols, control information with a certain number (M) of repetitions, and data with N repetitions, which can be arranged in the above order along the time domain. The frame structure can include a preamble sequence, one or more head symbols, data with N repetitions, and a tail sequence, which can be arranged in the above order along the time domain.

[0107] In some embodiments, the second wireless communication device can receive data from the first wireless communication device using the frame structure. The frame structure can include a preamble sequence and data with a number (N) of repetitions.

[0108] Although various embodiments of the present solution have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented by way of example and not limitation. Similarly, the various schematic diagrams may depict exemplary architectures or configurations, and they are provided to enable those skilled in the art to understand the exemplary features and functions of the present solution. However, such those skilled in the art will understand that the present solution is not limited to the exemplary architectures or configurations shown, and can be implemented using various alternative architectures and configurations. In addition, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, one or more features of one embodiment can be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Therefore, the scope and range of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the exemplary embodiments described above.

[0109] It should also be understood that any reference in this specification to elements using designations such as "first", "second", etc. generally does not limit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, these designations can be used in this specification as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of elements. Therefore, references to a first and a second element do not mean that only two elements can be employed or that the first element must precede the second element in a certain manner.

[0110] In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols that may be referenced in the above description can be represented, for example, by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0111] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that any of the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, processors, means, circuits, methods, and functions described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementation, analog implementation, or a combination of the two), firmware, various forms of program or design code incorporating instructions (which may be referred to herein, for convenience, as "software" or "software modules"), or any combination of these techniques. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described above in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software, or a combination of these techniques, depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functionality in various ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0112] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, devices, components, and circuits described herein may be implemented in or performed by an integrated circuit (IC) including 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, or any combination thereof. The logical blocks, modules, and circuits may further include antennas and / or transceivers for communicating with various components within a network or within a device. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a computing device, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with DSP cores, or any other suitable configuration of combinations implementing the functions described herein.

[0113] When implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Accordingly, the steps of the methods or algorithms disclosed herein may be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that can transfer a computer program or code from one location to another. The storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

[0114] In this book, the term "module", as used herein, refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements for implementing the associated functions described herein. Additionally, for purposes of discussion, various modules are described as discrete modules. However, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, two or more modules may be combined to form a single module that implements the associated functions in accordance with an embodiment of the solution.

[0115] In addition, a memory or other storage device, and communication components may be employed in embodiments of the solution. For purposes of clarity, it should be understood that the above description has been explaining embodiments of the solution with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that any suitable distribution of functionality between different functional units, processing logic elements, or domains may be used without departing from the solution. For example, functionality illustrated as being implemented by separate processing logic elements or controllers may be implemented by the same processing logic element or controller. Thus, the reference to specific functional units is not indicative of a strict logical or physical structure or organization, but rather only a reference to suitable means for providing the described functionality.

[0116] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but rather should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as recited in the following claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, the method comprising: determining, by a first wireless communication device, a number (N) of repeated transmissions for data; transmitting, by the first wireless communication device, the data to a second wireless communication device using a frame structure wherein the frame structure includes a preamble sequence and the data with the N repetitions, the wireless communication method.

2. The frame structure includes the preamble sequence, a first one of the N repetitions, a tail sequence, and the remaining ones of the N repetitions, which are arranged in the order described above along the time domain, the wireless communication method according to claim 1.

3. The frame structure includes the preamble sequence, control information with a number (M) of repetitions, and the data with the N repetitions, which are arranged in the order described above along the time domain, the wireless communication method according to claim 1.

4. The frame structure includes the preamble sequence, control information for a first one of a number (M) of repetitions, a tail sequence, control information for the remaining ones of the M repetitions, and the data with the N repetitions, which are arranged in the order described above along the time domain, the wireless communication method according to claim 1.

5. The frame structure includes the preamble sequence and the data with the N repetitions, which are arranged in the order described above along the time domain, the wireless communication method according to claim 1.

6. prior to transmitting the data using the frame structure, receiving, by the first wireless communication device, a first message from the second wireless communication device; determining, by the first wireless communication device, a data sequence length for each of the N repeated transmissions based on the message further comprising the wireless communication method according to claim 5.

7. Each type of the first message corresponds to a data sequence length, the wireless communication method according to claim 6, wherein the first wireless communication device determines the data sequence length for each of the N repeated transmissions according to the type of the received first message.

8. The wireless communication method according to claim 6, wherein each type of the first message corresponds to a set of data sequence lengths (J≧1).

9. The wireless communication method according to claim 8, wherein the first message includes a length indication indicating one of the set of data sequence lengths.

10. The wireless communication method according to claim 5, wherein a tail sequence is arranged after the N - time repeated transmission along the time domain.

11. The preamble sequence is configured to indicate the arrangement of the frame structure, and the arrangement of the frame structure includes at least one of whether to perform the repeated transmission, the length of the data sequence, a subset of the data sequence lengths, a subset of the number of repeated transmissions for the data, the length of the control signal, or a subset of the number of repeated transmissions for the control signal. The wireless communication method according to claim 1.

12. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein the frame structure further includes one or more head symbols configured to indicate the arrangement of the frame structure.

13. The frame structure includes the preamble sequence, the one or more head symbols, the data for the first of the N - time repetitions, the tail sequence, and the data for the remaining of the N - time repetitions, and they are arranged in the above - mentioned order along the time domain. The wireless communication method according to claim 12.

14. The frame structure includes the preamble sequence, the one or more head symbols, and the data with the N - time repetitions, and they are arranged in the above - mentioned order along the time domain. The wireless communication method according to claim 12.

15. The frame structure includes the preamble sequence, the one or more head symbols, control information with a certain number (M) of repetitions, and the data with the N - time repetitions, and they are arranged in the above - mentioned order along the time domain. The wireless communication method according to claim 12.

16. The frame structure includes the preamble sequence, the one or more head symbols, the data with the N - time repetitions, and the tail sequence, and they are arranged in the above - mentioned order along the time domain. The wireless communication method according to claim 12.

17. A wireless communication method, the method comprising: receiving data from a first wireless communication device by a second wireless communication device using a frame structure; the frame structure including a preamble sequence and data with a number (N) of repetitions, the wireless communication method.

18. A wireless communication device comprising a processor and a memory, the processor configured to read code from the memory and implement the method according to any one of claims 1-17.

19. A computer program product comprising stored computer-readable program media code, the code causing a processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-17 when executed by the processor.

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