Device and communication method

Abstract

This device has a lower degree of complexity than a Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and comprises: a control unit that determines the execution of a random access procedure; and a communication unit that transmits and receives signals related to the random access procedure. The communication unit transmits and receives signals related to a random access procedure of the device by using a subcarrier smaller than a subcarrier of signals related to a random access procedure of the NB-IoT device.

Description

Device and communication method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to devices and communication methods.

[0002] For NR (New Radio) (also known as "5G"), the successor system to LTE (Long Term Evolution), technologies that satisfy requirements such as a large-capacity system, high-speed data transmission speed, low latency, simultaneous connection of a large number of terminals, low cost, and low power consumption are being considered (for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] Furthermore, 3GPP (registered trademark) Release 18 is considering Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 2). Ambient IoT targets devices with extremely simple configurations for low-end IoT applications that operate with extremely low power consumption.

[0004] 3GPP TS 38.300 V17.3.0 (2022-12)"New SID: Study on Ambient IoT ", RP-222685, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #97-e, September 20223GPP TR 38.848 V0.1.0 (2023-03)3GPP TS 36.211 V16.7.0 (2021-09)3GPP TS 38.211 V17.5.0 (2023-06)

[0005] However, the handling of initial access in ambient IoT has not been sufficiently studied, and further study is required.

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a device and a communication method that can appropriately process initial access.

[0007] A device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a device of lower complexity than a Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) device, and comprises a control unit that determines whether to execute a random access procedure, and a communication unit that transmits and receives signals related to the random access procedure, wherein the communication unit transmits and receives signals related to the random access procedure of the NB-IoT device using fewer subcarriers than the subcarriers of the signals related to the random access procedure of the device.

[0008] A communication method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a communication method for a device of lower complexity than a Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) device, which determines to perform a random access procedure, transmits and receives signals related to the random access procedure, and transmits and receives signals related to the random access procedure of the device using fewer subcarriers than the subcarriers of signals related to the random access procedure of the NB-IoT device.

[0009] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating Topology 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating Topology 3 in DL support. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating Topology 3 in UL support. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating Topology 4. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating backscatter transmission. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating 4-step RACH. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating 2-step RACH. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating Proposal 2 and Proposal 3. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating Proposal 2 and Proposal 3. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating Proposal 4. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating Proposal 4. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating Proposal 4. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of Proposal 4: Option 2. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of Proposal 4: Option 3. FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a base station according to an embodiment. FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a device according to an embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a base station and a device according to an embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a vehicle.

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment according to one aspect of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is an example, and the embodiment to which the present disclosure is applied is not limited to the following embodiment.

[0011] In the operation of the wireless communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, existing technologies are used as appropriate. However, the existing technologies are, for example, but not limited to, existing LTE. Furthermore, the term "LTE" as used in this specification has a broad meaning including LTE-Advanced and systems subsequent to LTE-Advanced (e.g., NR) unless otherwise specified.

[0012] Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present disclosure described below, terms used in existing LTE, such as SS (Synchronization signal), PSS (Primary SS), SSS (Secondary SS), PBCH (Physical broadcast channel), PRACH (Physical random access channel), PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel), and PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), are used. This is for convenience of description, and similar signals, functions, etc. may be referred to by other names. Furthermore, the above-mentioned terms in NR correspond to NR-SS, NR-PSS, NR-SSS, NR-PBCH, NR-PRACH, etc. However, even signals used in NR are not necessarily referred to as "NR-".

[0013] Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the duplex method may be a time division duplex (TDD) method, a frequency division duplex (FDD) method, or another method (for example, flexible duplex, etc.).

[0014] Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, "configuring" radio parameters and the like may mean that predetermined values ​​are pre-configured, or that radio parameters notified from a base station or a terminal including a device are set.

[0015] <System Configuration> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the wireless communication system includes a base station 10 and a device 20. Although Fig. 1 shows one base station 10 and one device 20, this is an example, and there may be a plurality of each. The device 20 may be an ambient IoT device.

[0016] The base station 10 is a communication device that provides one or more cells and performs wireless communication with the device 20. The physical resources of a wireless signal are defined in the time domain and the frequency domain. The time domain may be defined by the number of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. The frequency domain may be defined by the number of subcarriers or the number of resource blocks.

[0017] The base station 10 transmits a synchronization signal and system information to the device 20. The base station 10 transmits a control signal and data to the device 20 via DL (Downlink). The base station 10 receives a control signal and data from the device 20 via UL (Uplink).

[0018] As will be described later, the wireless communication system may include intermediate nodes and / or assisting nodes (see <Device Types and Topologies> below). Hereinafter, "and / or" may be written simply as " / ".

[0019] <Ambient IoT> Release-18 approved a study on ambient IoT, which is even lower-end than the existing Narrow Band IoT (NB-IoT: see, for example, Section 10 of Non-Patent Document 4) (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 2). Ambient IoT targets ultra-low power consumption and ultra-low complexity devices.

[0020] For Ambient IoT, for example, the following deployment scenarios and characteristics can be considered for the relevant use cases: Indoor or outdoor environment Base station type, e.g., macro / micro / pico cell-based deployment Connectivity topology, e.g., which nodes communicate with Ambient IoT devices, such as base stations, terminals (UE), relays, and repeaters Duplexing method, TDD or FDD, licensed or unlicensed frequency band Coexistence with UE and network equipment in frequency bands for existing 3GPP technologies Assumptions of traffic originating from / terminating to the device

[0021] Based on the above deployment scenarios and characteristics, for example, the following RAN design targets can be formulated: Power consumption Complexity Coverage Data rate Positioning accuracy

[0022] Based on deployment scenarios appropriate for the relevant use cases, compare and evaluate the feasibility of meeting design targets and identify supporting features.

[0023] <Device Types and Topologies> Based on the results of the study item, TR 38.848 (Non-Patent Document 3) was approved. TR 38.848 considers the following categories of ambient IoT devices: Device A: Device A does not have power storage and does not have independent signal generation and signal amplification capabilities. Device A performs backscattering transmission. Device B: Device B has power storage and does not have independent signal generation capabilities. Device B performs backscattering transmission. Device B uses the stored power to amplify the reflected signal. Device C: Device C has power storage and has independent signal generation capabilities. That is, Device C has an active Radio Frequency (RF) component for transmission.

[0024] The complexity of device A is assumed to be about the same as that of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).

[0025] TR 38.848 defines the following topologies 1 to 4 for ambient IoT networks.

[0026] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating Topology 1. As shown in Figure 2, Topology 1 is a configuration in which a base station (BS) and an ambient IoT device communicate with each other. The ambient IoT device communicates directly with the base station in both directions.

[0027] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating Topology 2. As shown in Figure 3, Topology 2 is a configuration in which a base station and an ambient IoT device communicate via an intermediate node. The ambient IoT device performs bidirectional communication with the intermediate node located between the base station and the ambient IoT device. The intermediate node may be, for example, a relay, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a UE, or a repeater.

[0028] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating Topology 3 in DL assistance. As shown in Fig. 4, Topology 3 is a configuration including communication between a base station and an assisting node, communication between the assisting node and an ambient IoT device, and communication between the ambient IoT device and a base station.

[0029] The support node supports DL communication. For example, the support node receives DL signals from the base station and transmits them to the ambient IoT device, as shown in Figure 4. For UL signals, the ambient IoT device transmits directly to the base station.

[0030] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating Topology 3 in UL support. As shown in Fig. 5, Topology 3 is a configuration including communication between a base station and a support node, communication between a support node and an ambient IoT device, and communication between an ambient IoT device and a base station.

[0031] The support node supports UL communication. For example, the support node receives UL signals from the ambient IoT device and transmits them to the base station, as shown in Figure 5. For DL ​​signals, the ambient IoT device receives directly from the base station.

[0032] The support node shown in Figures 4 and 5 may send out a carrier wave for the ambient IoT device to generate backscatter. The support node may be, for example, a relay, an IAB node, a UE, or a repeater.

[0033] Figure 6 illustrates Topology 4. Topology 4 is a configuration in which a UE and an ambient IoT device communicate with each other. The ambient IoT device communicates with the UE bidirectionally. Topology 4 can also be considered as sidelink (SL) communication.

[0034] In the above Topologies 1 to 4, the ambient IoT device may be provided with a carrier wave from another node inside or outside the topology (Section 4.2.1 of Non-Patent Document 3).

[0035] Backscatter Transmission: Base stations, intermediate nodes, support nodes, and other nodes transmit RF signals to ambient IoT devices that are activated and obtain power from the RF operating field from the base stations, intermediate nodes, support nodes, and other nodes via inductive coupling.

[0036] The ambient IoT device backscatters and modulates the RF signals received from the base station, intermediate node, support node, and other nodes by switching the reflection coefficient of its own antenna, and transmits information to the base station, intermediate node, support node, and other nodes.

[0037] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating backscatter transmission. FIG. 7 shows an example in which an ambient IoT device performs ON-OFF keying and transmits information. The dashed line area in FIG. 7 indicates an OFF section, which may correspond to the information (bit) "0." A sine wave signal may correspond to the information "1."

[0038] <Random Access in NR> A terminal performs a Random Access Procedure (RA) to gain initial access to the network. NR supports two types of RA procedures: a four-step RA type that exchanges Msgs (Messages) 1 to 4, and a two-step RA type that exchanges Msgs A and B.

[0039] 8 is a diagram illustrating a 4-step RACH. Step 1: The terminal (UE) transmits an RA preamble (Msg1) to the base station (gNB). Msg1 of the 4-step RA type is composed of a preamble on the PRACH.

[0040] Step 2: After transmitting Msg1, the terminal monitors the response from the network (PDCCH that schedules the RAR and RAR (PDSCH)) within the configured window. If the RAR (Msg2) in step 2 contains a preamble index that matches the preamble index transmitted in step 1, the terminal considers the RAR reception to be successful. Note that RAR is an abbreviation for RA response.

[0041] Step 3: The terminal transmits Msg3 (PUSCH) based on the scheduling of the UL grant included in the response to step 2, and monitors contention resolution (PDCCH scheduling Msg4 and Msg4 (PDSCH)). Msg3 includes a C-RNTI MAC CE or CCCH SDU containing a UE identity (UE ID). Note that C-RNTI stands for Cell-Radio Network Temporary Identifier, MAC CE stands for Media Access Control Address Control Element, CCCH stands for Common Control Channel, and SDU stands for Service Data Unit.

[0042] Step 4: The terminal sends a C-RNTI MAC CE in Msg3 and considers the contention resolution successful if it receives a PDCCH addressed to the C-RNTI, or the terminal sends a CCCH SDU in Msg3 and considers the contention resolution successful if a UE contention resolution identity matching the transmitted CCCH SDU is included in Msg4, and the terminal considers the RA procedure to be successfully completed.

[0043] 9 is a diagram illustrating 2-step RACH. Step 1: The terminal transmits MsgA. MsgA includes a preamble on the PRACH and a payload on the PUSCH. MsgA includes a C-RNTI MAC CE or CCCH SDU including a UE ID. MsgA may be considered as a combination of Msg1 and Msg3 of the 4-step RACH.

[0044] Step 2: After sending MsgA, the terminal monitors the response from the network (PDCCH scheduling MsgB and MsgB (PDSCH)) within the configured window. The terminal sends a C-RNTI MAC CE in MsgA and, if a PDCCH addressed to C-RNTI is received, the terminal considers the RA procedure to be successfully completed. Otherwise, the terminal sends a CCCH SDU in MsgA and, if a UE contention resolution ID matching the transmitted CCCH SDU is included in MsgB, the terminal considers the RA procedure to be successfully completed.

[0045] <Random Access in NB-IoT> The NB-IoT RA procedure is similar to the NR 4-step RACH. Step 1: The NB-IoT terminal (UE) transmits an RA preamble (Msg1) to the base station (gNB). Msg1 consists of a preamble on the NPRACH. NPRACH stands for Narrowband PRACH.

[0046] Step 2: After transmitting Msg1, the terminal monitors responses from the network (NPDCCH for scheduling RAR and RAR (NPDSCH)) within the configured window. If the RAR (Msg2) in step 2 contains a preamble index that matches the preamble index transmitted in step 1, the terminal considers that the RAR has been successfully received. Note that NPDCCH stands for Narrowband PDCCH, and NPDSCH stands for Narrowband PDSCH.

[0047] Step 3: The terminal transmits Msg3 (NPUSCH) based on the scheduling of the UL grant included in the response to step 2, and monitors contention resolution (NPDCCH that schedules Msg4 and Msg4 (NPDSCH)). Msg3 includes a C-RNTI MAC CE or CCCH SDU that includes the UE ID. Note that NPUSCH stands for Narrowband PUSCH. C-RNTI stands for Cell-Radio Network Temporary Identifier. MAC CE stands for Media Access Control Address Control Element. CCCH stands for Common Control Channel. SDU stands for Service Data Unit.

[0048] Step 4: The terminal sends a C-RNTI MAC CE in Msg3 and considers the contention resolution successful if it receives an NPDCCH addressed to the C-RNTI, or the terminal sends a CCCH SDU in Msg3 and considers the contention resolution successful if a UE contention resolution identity matching the transmitted CCCH SDU is included in Msg4, and the terminal considers the RA procedure to be successfully completed.

[0049] <Preamble Transmission in NR> For preamble transmission in NR, a preamble signal is generated as follows (see Non-Patent Document 5): Equation (1) is a cyclic shifted Zadoff Chu sequence. Equation (2) shows the frequency domain representation of the preamble. The x included in the right-hand side of equation (2) is given by equation (1) above. Equation (3) shows the preamble sequence mapped to the frequency domain resource. y included in the right-hand side of Equation (3) is shown in Equation (2) above. OFDM is used to generate the baseband signal, and the time-continuous signal of the PRACH is expressed by the following equation (4): "a" included in the right-hand side of equation (4) is expressed by equation (3) above.

[0050] <Preamble Transmission in NB-IoT> Preamble transmission in NB-IoT differs from that in NR (see Non-Patent Document 4). Preamble transmission in NB-IoT is based on single-subcarrier frequency-hopping symbol groups.

[0051] The generation of the baseband signal is based on a single subcarrier. The time-continuous signal for symbol group "i" is given by equation (5) below: "e" on the right side of equation (5) ｊ２π The first term in the right parentheses is expressed by the following equations (6-1)-(6-3). The first term on the right side of the formula (6-1) is "n ｓｔａｒｔ " is expressed by equation (6-2). The first term on the right side of equation (6-2) indicates the offset of the frequency position of the preamble. "n ｉｎｉｔ " indicates the subcarrier selected by the terminal by the MAC layer.

[0052] The subcarrier index in NB-IoT is regarded as the preamble index in the RACH procedure of a normal UE (e.g., an existing UE other than A-IoT). Frequency hopping is performed across symbol groups. The second term on the right side of Equation (6-1) is shown in Equation (6-3). Equation (6-3) shows frequency hopping, and an example of P=4 symbol groups is shown.

[0053] <NPRACH configuration> The NPRACH configuration for NB-IoT preamble transmission is provided by higher layers. - Time domain resources The NPRACH resources are periodic. The periodicity is provided by higher layers. The NPRACH starting time is also provided by higher layers. - Frequency domain resources The number of candidate subcarriers for the NPRACH is provided by higher layers. The location of the first candidate subcarrier is provided by higher layers.

[0054] <Analysis> Ambient IoT targets IoT technologies that rely on ultra-low power consumption and ultra-low complexity devices for very low-end IoT applications.

[0055] As such, ambient IoT devices are expected to have lower complexity, lower power consumption, and lower data rates than NB-IoT, and similar to NB-IoT, ambient IoT is expected to rely on narrowband transmissions.

[0056] There is no concrete study on how to handle initial access such as RA for the above ambient IoT devices, which means that ambient IoT devices cannot start communication properly.

[0057] Therefore, this disclosure provides the following proposal regarding handling of initial access such as RA in ambient IoT.

[0058] In addition, this disclosure provides the following proposals regarding RA technologies to meet the above characteristics of ambient IoT.

[0059] The following proposals may be applied to ambient A-IoT devices of a specific device type (device A / B / C) or to ambient A-IoT devices of all device types. Different solutions may be applied to different device types. In the following, ambient IoT may be referred to as A-IoT.

[0060] <Proposal 1> Proposal 1 relates to the RA procedure in A-IoT. For the initial access of A-IoT, a four-step RA procedure, a two-step RA procedure, or both the four-step and two-step RA procedures may be used.

[0061] <Proposal 1: Introduction of new parameters> New parameters are introduced for RACH configuration in A-IoT. Because A-IoT has ultra-low complexity and narrow bandwidth (e.g., the bandwidth is a few subcarriers, which may be less than a Physical Resource Block (PRB)), some PRACH / NPRACH configurations of NR or NB-IoT may not be supported in A-IoT.

[0062] A subset of parameters of the NR PRACH configuration or the NB-IoT NPRACH configuration may be provided to the A-IoT. Alternatively, a subset of PRACH configuration indexes in the NR PRACH configuration may be provided to the A-IoT. The A-IoT PRACH configuration is described in <Proposal 2> and <Proposal 3>.

[0063] <Proposal 1: 4-step RA procedure> Step 1 (Msg1): The A-IoT device transmits a preamble. The preamble (Msg1) may consist of a preamble on the newly introduced PRACH (e.g., <Proposal 2> and <Proposal 3>).

[0064] Step 2 (Msg2): The A-IoT device monitors the response from the network node within the time window. If the A-IoT device receives a response and the received response contains a preamble index that matches the preamble transmission in step 1, it considers the response reception successful. The response may additionally contain the time / frequency resources used by the A-IoT device for transmission in step 3.

[0065] Step 3 (Msg3): The A-IoT device sends its identity (ID), which may be a C-RNTI MAC CE or CCCH SDU containing the device ID (A-IoT ID).

[0066] Step 4 (Msg4): The A-IoT device monitors the contention resolution information from the network nodes within the time window. If the contention resolution information is addressed to the ID or contains the ID sent by the A-IoT device in step 3 (Msg3), the A-IoT device considers the contention resolution successful and the RA procedure successful.

[0067] <Proposal 1: Two-step RA procedure> Step A (MsgA): The A-IoT device transmits a preamble and its ID. The preamble may be configured with the newly introduced preamble on the PRACH (e.g., <Proposal 2> and <Proposal 3>).

[0068] Step B (MsgB): The A-IoT device monitors the contention resolution information from the network nodes within a time window. If the contention resolution information is addressed to an ID or contains the ID sent by the A-IoT device in step 1 (MsgA), the A-IoT device considers the contention resolution successful and the RA procedure successful.

[0069] <Proposal 1: Two-step RA procedure: Fallback instruction> The A-IoT device may receive a fallback instruction from the network node in step B. For example, if the received response (MsgB) contains a preamble index that matches the preamble sent in step A, the A-IoT device may consider the response to have been received successfully and perform steps 3 and 4 of the four-step RA procedure.

[0070] <Proposal 1: Time Window> The duration of the time window in Msg2 / Msg4 / MsgB of the RA procedure may be provided (configured) in DL information from the network node or may be fixed in a specification. DL information may be information of higher layer signaling such as Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB), Downlink Control Information (DCI), MAC CE, or RRC. Fixed may be read as specified or defined.

[0071] <Proposal 1: Network Nodes> Network nodes in Proposal 1 and the following proposals may be base stations, intermediate nodes, support nodes, relays, and terminals (UEs in Topology 4), unless otherwise specified (see, for example, <Ambient IoT> and <Device Types and Topologies>).

[0072] <Proposal 1: Summary> The configuration described above enables A-IoT devices to properly communicate. It also provides an RA procedure that is compatible with the characteristics of A-IoT, such as ultra-low power consumption and ultra-low complexity.

[0073] <Proposal 2> Proposal 2 is related to A-IoT preamble transmission. A new channel called AIoT-PRACH is defined for A-IoT preamble transmission.

[0074] For A-IoT preamble transmission in Step 1 / Step A described in Proposal 1, single subcarrier based signal generation is used.

[0075] Regarding frequency domain resources for A-IoT preamble transmission, the following options 1 to 4 are provided.

[0076] <Proposal 2: Option 1> The subcarriers used for preamble transmission are selected from multiple candidate subcarriers.

[0077] The bandwidth allocated for AIoT-PRACH may be the entire UL bandwidth or a portion of the UL bandwidth. The bandwidth may be predefined / configured.

[0078] The subcarriers used for preamble transmission are represented, for example, by "N_offset+N_selected."

[0079] "N_offset" indicates the starting position of the candidate subcarriers from a reference subcarrier, for example, a subcarrier with index 0. That is, "N_offset" indicates the initial position of the candidate subcarriers.

[0080] For example, the "candidate frequency resource" shown in Fig. 10 indicates a candidate subcarrier. The subcarrier (frequency domain resource unit in Fig. 10) indicated by an arrow A10a in Fig. 10 indicates the first position of the candidate subcarrier.

[0081] For example, the "candidate frequency resource" shown in Fig. 12 indicates a candidate subcarrier. The subcarrier (frequency domain resource unit in Fig. 12) indicated by the arrow A12a in Fig. 12 indicates the first position of the candidate subcarrier.

[0082] A new parameter is introduced to provide "N_offset". The parameter may be provided by DL information, for example. The parameter may be fixed in the spec to reduce the DL information.

[0083] "N_selected" indicates the position of the subcarriers used for preamble transmission from the first position of the candidate subcarriers. "N_selected" is selected by the A-IoT device, for example, within the range of the number of candidate subcarriers. The A-IoT device may select "N_selected" randomly.

[0084] For example, the number of candidate subcarriers (candidate frequency resources) shown in Figure 10 is 6. The A-IoT device selects a value for "N_selected" from, for example, a range of 0 to 5 (or 1 to 6) for the number of candidate subcarriers. In the example of Figure 10, the A-IoT device selects "2" (or "3") as N_selected, and the subcarriers used for preamble transmission are the subcarriers indicated by arrow A10b in Figure 10.

[0085] For example, the number of candidate subcarriers (candidate frequency resources) shown in Figure 12 is 6. The A-IoT device selects a value for "N_selected" from, for example, a range of 0 to 5 (or 1 to 6) for the number of candidate subcarriers. In the example of Figure 12, the A-IoT device selects "2" (or "3") as N_selected, and the subcarriers used for preamble transmission are the subcarriers indicated by arrow A12b in Figure 12.

[0086] Regarding the number of candidate subcarriers, we provide the following Alternatives 1-3.

[0087] <Proposal 2: Option 1: Alt. 1> A new parameter is introduced to provide the number of candidate subcarriers. A new parameter indicating the number of candidate subcarriers may be provided in the DL information.

[0088] <Proposal 2: Option 1: Alt.2> The number of candidate subcarriers is fixed by the specifications. If fixed by the specifications, the DL information will be reduced, which will reduce the power consumption of A-IoT devices.

[0089] <Proposal 2: Option 1: Alt. 3> The number of candidate subcarriers is set to be less than the number of subcarriers of NB-IoT, which is 12, 24, 36, or 48.

[0090] <Proposal 2: Option 2> One subcarrier is allocated for A-IoT preamble transmission. For example, one subcarrier (frequency domain resource unit in FIG. 11) is allocated as shown by arrow A11a in FIG. 11. For example, one subcarrier (frequency domain resource unit in FIG. 13) is allocated as shown by arrow A13a in FIG. 13.

[0091] A new parameter is introduced to provide the frequency location of the preamble transmission, which is provided by the network node to the A-IoT device via DL information.

[0092] A-IoT assumes a narrow band. One subcarrier is allocated for A-IoT preamble transmission, which can be adapted to the characteristics of A-IoT.

[0093] <Proposal 2: Option 3> Frequency hopping is supported for A-IoT preamble transmission. That is, the A-IoT preamble is transmitted in multiple time units. Different subcarriers are used in different time units, which are determined based on frequency hopping rules. The time unit may be, for example, a symbol, a slot, a subframe, or a radio frame.

[0094] The number of frequency hops is set to be less than that of NB-IoT. For example, A-IoT preamble transmission may support up to two frequency hops. In NB-IoT, the number of frequency hops is four or six.

[0095] New parameters are introduced to indicate whether frequency hopping is enabled or not, and to indicate the number of frequency hops. These new parameters are provided by the network node to the A-IoT device via DL information.

[0096] <Proposal 2: Option 4> Frequency hopping is not supported in A-IoT. That is, A-IoT devices do not frequency hop their preamble transmissions. In this case, the complexity of A-IoT devices can be reduced.

[0097] <Proposal 2: Summary> The above-described configuration enables A-IoT devices to properly communicate, and provides preamble transmission that is compatible with the characteristics of A-IoT, such as ultra-low power consumption and ultra-low complexity.

[0098] <Proposal 3> Proposal 3 relates to time domain resources in A-IoT preamble transmission. Regarding time domain resources in A-IoT preamble transmission, the following Option 1 and Option 2 are provided.

[0099] <Proposal 3: Option 1> The time domain resource for A-IoT preamble transmission is periodic. For example, as shown by arrow A10c in Fig. 10, the time domain resource for A-IoT preamble transmission is periodic. For example, as shown by arrow A11b in Fig. 11, the time domain resource for A-IoT preamble transmission is periodic.

[0100] Regarding time domain resources for A-IoT preamble transmission, the following Alt.1-Alt.3 are provided.

[0101] <Proposal 3: Option 1: Alt.1> New parameters are introduced to provide the periodicity and start time of A-IoT preamble transmission. The new parameters may be provided in DL information.

[0102] <Proposal 3: Option 1: Alt.2> The periodicity and start time of A-IoT preamble transmission are fixed in the specifications. When fixed in the specifications, DL information is reduced, which reduces the power consumption of A-IoT devices.

[0103] As a baseline option, there is one candidate time resource for preamble transmission per period. After the RA procedure is triggered, the A-IoT device determines the next available time domain resource for preamble transmission. In the following proposal 4, we consider some enhancements.

[0104] <Proposal 3: Option 2> The time domain resource for A-IoT preamble transmission is one-shot. For example, as shown by arrow A12c in Fig. 12, the time domain resource for A-IoT preamble transmission is one-shot. For example, as shown by arrow A13b in Fig. 13, the time domain resource for A-IoT preamble transmission is one-shot.

[0105] Considering some use cases where A-IoT devices do not have UE-initiated data transmission, periodic resources for preamble transmission may not be necessary for A-IoT devices. In particular, for device types A / B, A-IoT devices cannot perform UL transmission without a DL trigger. That is, in cases where UL transmission is triggered in the DL, the time domain resource for A-IoT preamble transmission is assumed to be valid even for one-shot.

[0106] <Proposal 3: Option 3> The A-IoT determines the time resource to use for preamble transmission based on the offset relative to the DL signal from the network node. In other words, the A-IoT determines the transmission timing of the preamble based on the offset time after receiving the DL signal. The offset may be specified by symbol / slot / subframe / radio frame. Regarding the offset and DL signal, the following Alt.1 to Alt.3 are provided.

[0107] <Proposal 3: Option 3: Alt. 1> A new parameter is introduced to provide the offset. The new parameter may be provided in the DL information.

[0108] <Proposal 3: Option 3: Alt.2> The offset is fixed in the specifications. If it is fixed in the specifications, the DL information will be reduced, which will reduce the power consumption of A-IoT devices.

[0109] <Proposal 3: Option 3: Alt. 3> The DL signal may be a signal carrying essential information for A-IoT preamble transmission. The DL signal carrying essential information may be, for example, an MIB or SIB.

[0110] The DL signal may be a signal that triggers A-IoT preamble transmission. The trigger signal may be, for example, a PDCCH or a PDSCH. The PDCCH or PDSCH may be a channel newly defined for A-IoT, such as an APDCCH or an APDSCH.

[0111] DL signals may be cell specific rather than UE specific (A-IoT device specific).

[0112] <Proposal 3: Summary> The above-described configuration enables A-IoT devices to properly communicate, and provides preamble transmission that is compatible with A-IoT characteristics such as ultra-low power consumption and ultra-low complexity.

[0113] <Proposal 4> Considering some A-IoT use cases, such as inventory information collection, a large number of A-IoT devices may be triggered simultaneously using the RACH. Proposal 4 is concerned with reducing the possibility of collisions of initial accesses such as RA. Regarding the reduction of RA collisions, the following options 1 to 4 are provided.

[0114] <Proposal 4: Option 1> For preamble transmission, multiple candidate time resources are provided from which the A-IoT device randomly selects one time resource. In other words, the A-IoT device randomly selects one time resource from multiple candidate time resources for preamble transmission.

[0115] If the time resource (time domain resource) is periodic, the following sub-options 1-1 to 1-5 are provided.

[0116] <Proposal 4: Option 1: Sub-option 1-1> When a time domain resource is periodic, there are multiple time domain resource candidates within one period. In other words, there are multiple time domain resource candidates periodically. After an RA procedure is triggered, the A-IoT device randomly selects one time domain resource from the next available period.

[0117] For example, three time domain resource candidates are periodically present as shown in Figure 14. After an RA procedure (Initial Access Procedure) is triggered, the A-IoT device randomly selects one time domain resource from the multiple time domain resource candidates (three time domain resource candidates) in the next available period, as shown in box 14a.

[0118] <Proposal 4: Option 1: Sub-option 1-2> If the time domain resource is periodic, there is one candidate time domain resource within one period, and the A-IoT device selects a time domain resource from multiple periods. In other words, there is one candidate time domain resource periodically, and after the RA procedure is triggered, the A-IoT device randomly selects one time domain resource from multiple (predetermined number) candidate time domain resources that follow from the next available period.

[0119] For example, one time domain resource candidate exists periodically, as shown in Figure 15. After the RA procedure is triggered, the A-IoT device randomly selects one time domain resource from the three following time domain resource candidates from the next available period, as shown in box 15a.

[0120] <Proposal 4: Option 1: Suboption 1-3> Suboption 1-3 is a combination of suboption 1-1 and suboption 1-2.

[0121] If the time domain resource is periodic, there are multiple time domain resource candidates within one period, and the A-IoT device selects a time domain resource from among the multiple periods. In other words, there are multiple time domain resource candidates periodically, and after the RA procedure is triggered, the A-IoT device randomly selects one time domain resource from the multiple time domain resource candidates in multiple (N) periods following the next available period.

[0122] For example, multiple time domain resource candidates exist periodically as shown in Figure 16. After the RA procedure is triggered, the A-IoT device randomly selects one time domain resource from the nine time domain resource candidates in the next available three periods, as shown in box 16a.

[0123] <Proposal 4: Option 1: Sub-options 1-4> When the time domain resource is not periodic, there are multiple time domain resource candidates within one period (section), and the A-IoT device selects a time domain resource from one non-periodic period. In other words, the A-IoT device selects a time domain resource from multiple one-shot time domain resources.

[0124] For example, as shown in Figure 17, multiple time domain resource candidates exist within one non-periodic period. After an RA procedure is triggered, the A-IoT device randomly selects one time domain resource from three time domain resource candidates in the next available period, as shown in box 17a. In the case where UL transmission is triggered in DL, even one-shot multiple candidate time domain resources are assumed to be valid.

[0125] <Proposal 4: Option 1: Sub-option 1-5> The periods described in the above sub-options 1-1 to 1-3 may be provided by DL information or may be fixed in the specifications. The number of multiple time domain resources in one period may be provided by DL information or may be fixed in the specifications.

[0126] The start position of the time domain resource in each period may be provided by the DL information or may be fixed in the specification, and may be specified by symbol / slot / subframe / radio frame.

[0127] The spacing of the time domain resources in each period may be provided by the DL information or may be fixed in the specification. The spacing may be specified by symbols / slots / subframes / radio frames.

[0128] <Proposal 4: Option 2> When an RA procedure is triggered, the A-IoT device generates a random number as the initial value of a counter. The A-IoT device transmits a preamble after the counter value becomes equal to 0. The A-IoT device determines the next available time resource after the counter value becomes equal to 0. The range of the random number may be provided by DL information from the network node or may be fixed in the specification.

[0129] Figure 18 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of Proposal 4: Option 2. The A-IoT device triggers the RA procedure (Initial Access Procedure) (S1). The A-IoT device sets a random number in a counter (S2). The A-IoT device determines whether the counter value has reached 0 (S3).

[0130] If the counter value is 0 ("Yes" in S3), the A-IoT device transmits a preamble (S4).

[0131] If the counter value is not 0 ("No" in S3), the A-IoT device waits for a certain period of time (S5).

[0132] The A-IoT device determines whether the counter value has reached 0 (S6).

[0133] If the counter value is not 0 ("No" in S6), the A-IoT device proceeds to S5 and waits for a certain period of time (S4).

[0134] If the counter value is 0 ("Yes" in S6), the A-IoT device proceeds to S4 and transmits a preamble (S4).

[0135] The A-IoT device may count the counter value from 0 and transmit the preamble when it reaches the generated random number.

[0136] The A-IoT device may also decrement or increment the counter value in synchronization with the preamble transmission opportunity. For example, the A-IoT device may decrement or increment the counter value at the timings of the hatched rectangles shown in Figures 14 to 17.

[0137] <Proposal 4: Option 3> When an RA procedure is triggered, the A-IoT device generates a timer with a random period. The A-IoT device transmits a preamble after the timer with the random period expires. The A-IoT device determines the next available time resource after the timer expires. The range of the timer's random period may be provided by DL information from the network node or may be fixed in the specification.

[0138] Figure 19 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of Proposal 4: Option 3. The A-IoT device triggers an RA procedure (Initial Access Procedure) (S11). The A-IoT device starts a timer with a random period (S12). The A-IoT device determines whether the timer has expired (S13).

[0139] If the timer expires ("Yes" in S13), the A-IoT device transmits a preamble (S14).

[0140] If the timer has not expired ("No" in S13), the A-IoT device waits for a certain period of time (S15).

[0141] The A-IoT device determines whether the timer has expired (S16).

[0142] If the timer has not expired ("No" in S16), the A-IoT device proceeds to S15 and waits for a certain period of time (S15).

[0143] If the timer expires ("Yes" in S16), the A-IoT device proceeds to S14 and transmits a preamble (S14).

[0144] In addition, the A-IoT device may start the timer value from 0 and transmit the preamble when a random period occurs.

[0145] The A-IoT device may also decrease or increase the timer value in synchronization with the preamble transmission opportunity. For example, the A-IoT device may decrease or increase the timer value at the timing of the hatched rectangles shown in Figures 14 to 17.

[0146] <Proposal 4: Option 4> For collision handling, a sequence is carried in the preamble transmission so that the A-IoT device can recognize an RA collision in step 2 or step B of the RA procedure. In other words, the A-IoT device transmits the sequence in step 1 or step A of the RA procedure. Regarding the transmission of the sequence, the following sub-option 4-1 and sub-option 4-2 are provided.

[0147] <Proposal 4: Option 4: Sub-option 4-1> A-IoT devices randomly select a sequence from a set of candidate sequences. The set of sequences may be provided by DL information or may be fixed by the specification.

[0148] <Proposal 4: Option 4: Sub-option 4-2> The A-IoT device generates a sequence based on the A-IoT device's ID or part of the A-IoT device's ID.

[0149] <Proposal 4: Summary> The above-described configuration enables A-IoT devices to properly communicate, and provides preamble transmission that is compatible with the characteristics of A-IoT, such as ultra-low power consumption and ultra-low complexity.

[0150] <Proposal 5> Proposal 5 relates to the preamble format of A-IoT. The preamble format of A-IoT may be defined by the following parameters or some of the following parameters: Sequence length CP length SCS Length of time domain resource occupied in preamble transmission

[0151] The preamble format of NB-IoT or part of the preamble format of NB-IoT may be reused for A-IoT.

[0152] Regarding the A-IoT preamble format, the following options 1 and 2 are provided.

[0153] <Proposal 5: Option 1> Multiple preamble formats are defined for A-IoT preamble transmission. The preamble format used for A-IoT transmission is provided by DL information from the network node to the A-IoT.

[0154] <Proposal 5: Option 2> For A-IoT preamble transmission, one preamble format will be supported and fixed in the specification.

[0155] <Proposal 5: Summary> The above-described configuration allows A-IoT devices to properly communicate, and provides preamble transmission that is compatible with the characteristics of A-IoT, such as ultra-low power consumption and ultra-low complexity.

[0156] <Proposal 6> According to the various solutions proposed above regarding preamble transmission, the information included in step 2 or step B of the RA procedure may differ. Proposal 6 relates to the information included in step 2 or step B of the RA procedure. Proposal 6 provides the following options 1 to 3.

[0157] <Proposal 6: Option 1> The "preamble index" included in step 2 refers to the "subcarrier index." If the "subcarrier index" included in the response (DL information) received in step 2 matches the subcarrier index selected by the A-IoT device for preamble transmission in step 1, the A-IoT device considers the response to have been received successfully.

[0158] The "preamble index" included in step B refers to the "subcarrier index." If the "subcarrier index" included in the response (DL information) received in step B matches the subcarrier index selected by the A-IoT device for preamble transmission in step A, the A-IoT device considers the response to have been received successfully.

[0159] <Proposal 6: Option 2> The "preamble index" included in step 2 refers to the "time-frequency resource index" or "subcarrier index and time-domain resource index." If the "time-frequency resource index" or "subcarrier index and time-domain resource index" included in the response received in step 2 matches the subcarrier index and time-domain resource index selected by the A-IoT device for preamble transmission in step 1 according to Proposal 4, the A-IoT device shall consider the response to be successfully received.

[0160] The "preamble index" in step B refers to the "time-frequency resource index" or the "subcarrier index and time-domain resource index." If the "time-frequency resource index" or the "subcarrier index and time-domain resource index" in the response received in step B matches the subcarrier index and time-domain resource index selected by the A-IoT device in step A for preamble transmission according to Proposal 4, the A-IoT device shall consider the response to be successfully received.

[0161] <Proposal 6: Option 3> The "preamble index" included in step 2 refers to the "sequence index." If the "sequence index" included in the response received in step 2 matches the sequence selected by the A-IoT device for preamble transmission in step 1 according to Proposal 4, the A-IoT device considers the response to be successfully received.

[0162] The "preamble index" included in step B refers to the "sequence index." If the "sequence index" included in the response received in step B matches the sequence selected by the A-IoT device for preamble transmission in step A according to Proposal 4, the A-IoT device shall consider the response to be successfully received.

[0163] <Proposal 6: Summary> The above-described configuration allows A-IoT devices to properly communicate, and provides preamble transmission that is compatible with the characteristics of A-IoT, such as ultra-low power consumption and ultra-low complexity.

[0164] <Proposal 7> Proposal 7 relates to the coexistence of A-IoT and normal UE. Regarding the coexistence of A-IoT and normal UE, we provide the following options 1 and 2.

[0165] <Proposal 7: Option 1> A-IoT devices and normal UEs expect that the time / frequency resources for A-IoT Msg1 / Msg2 / Msg3 / Msg4 / MsgA / MsgB transmissions do not overlap with the signal transmission and reception of normal UEs. In other words, A-IoT devices and normal UEs expect that signals related to RA in A-IoT do not overlap with existing signals.

[0166] <Proposal 7: Option 2> The time / frequency resources used for transmitting Msg1 / Msg2 / Msg3 / Msg4 / MsgA / MsgB are notified to normal UE by higher layer signaling such as MIB, SIB, or RRC. In other words, information on the time / frequency resources of signals related to RA in A-IoT is notified to normal UE. The normal UE does not transmit or receive signals in the notified time / frequency resources (does not use the notified time / frequency resources for transmitting or receiving signals).

[0167] <Proposal 7: Variations> Each option in Proposal 7 may be applied to specific types of signals for normal UEs. For example, the options may be applied to synchronization signals such as NR PSS and SSS, reference signals such as NR DMRS and CSI-RS (Channel State Information Reference Signal), or NR PRACH transmission signals.

[0168] <Proposal 7: Summary> The above-described configuration allows A-IoT devices to properly communicate, and provides preamble transmission that is compatible with the characteristics of A-IoT, such as ultra-low power consumption and ultra-low complexity.

[0169] <Proposal 8> Proposal 8 relates to the operation of intermediate nodes / support nodes / UEs in Topologies 2 / 3 / 4.

[0170] <Proposal 8: Candidate Time / Frequency Resources> In Topologies 2, 3, and 4, candidate time / frequency resources for A-IoT preamble transmission are provided to the intermediate node, support node, or UE. The candidate time / frequency resources may be provided to the intermediate node, support node, or UE by the base station via DL information, or may be fixed in the specifications.

[0171] The intermediate node / support node / UE monitors the preamble transmission from the A-IoT device on the candidate time / frequency resources.

[0172] The intermediate node / support node / UE transmits a carrier for backscatter transmission of the A-IoT device's preamble on the candidate time / frequency resource if the target A-IoT device is of device type A / B.

[0173] <Proposal 8: After Successful Detection of Msg1> The following options 1 and 2 are proposed for the operation of the intermediate node / support node / UE after successful detection of Msg1.

[0174] <Proposal 8: After successfully detecting Msg1: Option 1> After successfully detecting Msg1 from the A-IoT device, the intermediate node / support node / UE forwards the "preamble index" included in Msg1 to the base station. The base station generates a response Msg2 and sends it to the intermediate node / support node / UE. The intermediate node / support node / UE forwards Msg2 from the base station to the A-IoT device.

[0175] After detecting Msg1 from the A-IoT device, the intermediate node / support node / UE transmits the detected preamble index to the base station within a certain time duration, which may be provided to the intermediate node / support node / UE by DL information or may be fixed in the specification.

[0176] <Proposal 8: After successfully detecting Msg1: Option 2> The intermediate node / support node / UE generates Msg2 as a response and sends it to the A-IoT device.

[0177] After detecting Msg1 from the A-IoT device, the intermediate node / support node / UE sends Msg2 in response within a certain time, which may be provided to the intermediate node / support node / UE by DL information or may be fixed in the specification.

[0178] <Proposal 8: After Successful Msg3 Detection> The following options 1 and 2 are proposed for the operation of the intermediate node / support node / UE after successful Msg3 detection.

[0179] <Proposal 8: After successfully detecting Msg3: Option 1> After successfully detecting Msg3 from the A-IoT device, the intermediate node / support node / UE forwards the A-IoT device ID contained in Msg3 to the base station. The base station generates Msg4 for contention resolution and sends it to the intermediate node / support node / UE. The intermediate node / support node / UE forwards Msg4 from the base station to the A-IoT device.

[0180] After detecting Msg3 from the A-IoT device, the intermediate node / support node / UE forwards the detected ID to the base station within a certain time, which may be provided to the intermediate node / support node / UE by DL information or may be fixed in the specification.

[0181] <Proposal 8: After successful detection of Msg3: Option 2> The intermediate node / support node / UE generates Msg4 for contention resolution and sends the generated Msg4 to the A-IoT device.

[0182] After detecting Msg3 from the A-IoT device, the intermediate node / support node / UE sends Msg4 for contention resolution within a certain time, which may be provided to the intermediate node / support node / UE by DL information or may be fixed in the specification.

[0183] <Proposal 8: After successful detection of MsgA> The following options 1 and 2 are proposed for the operation of the intermediate node / support node / UE after successful detection of MsgA.

[0184] <Proposal 8: After successfully detecting MsgA: Option 1> After successfully detecting MsgA from the A-IoT device, the intermediate node / support node / UE forwards the A-IoT device's preamble index / ID contained in MsgA to the base station. The base station generates MsgB for response and contention resolution and sends it to the intermediate node / support node / UE. The intermediate node / support node / UE forwards MsgB from the base station to the A-IoT device.

[0185] After detecting MsgA from the A-IoT device, the intermediate node / support node / UE transmits the detected preamble index / ID to the base station within a certain time, which may be provided to the intermediate node / support node / UE by DL information or may be fixed in the specification.

[0186] <Proposal 8: After successful detection of MsgA: Option 2> The intermediate node / support node / UE generates MsgB for response and contention resolution, and sends the generated MsgB to the A-IoT device.

[0187] After detecting MsgA from the A-IoT device, the intermediate node / support node / UE sends MsgB for response and contention resolution within a certain time, which may be provided to the intermediate node / support node / UE by DL information or may be fixed in the specification.

[0188] <Proposal 8: Summary> The above-described configuration allows A-IoT devices to properly communicate. It also provides preamble transmission that is compatible with the characteristics of A-IoT, such as ultra-low power consumption and ultra-low complexity.

[0189] <Proposal 9> Proposal 9 relates to the coexistence of Msg1 / Msg2 / Msg3 / Msg4 / MsgA / MsgB with signals between an intermediate node / support node / UE (UE in Topology 4) and a base station, or between an intermediate node / support node / UE and a normal UE. Proposal 9 provides the following options 1 to 3.

[0190] <Proposal 9: Option 1> The intermediate node / support node / UE assumes that the time / frequency resources for the A-IoT device's Msg1 / Msg2 / Msg3 / Msg4 / MsgA / MsgB transmissions do not overlap with the time / frequency resources of the signals between the intermediate node / support node / UE and the base station. The signals between the intermediate node / support node / UE and the base station may be DL / UL.

[0191] The intermediate node / support node / UE assumes that the time / frequency resources for the A-IoT device's Msg1 / Msg2 / Msg3 / Msg4 / MsgA / MsgB transmissions do not overlap with the signaling (time / frequency resources) between the intermediate node / support node / UE and normal UE. The signaling between the intermediate node / support node / UE and normal UE may be DL / UL.

[0192] <Proposal 9: Option 2> The intermediate node / support node / UE will prioritize the A-IoT device's Msg1 / Msg2 / Msg3 / Msg4 / MsgA / MsgB transmissions if the time / frequency resources used for the A-IoT device's Msg1 / Msg2 / Msg3 / Msg4 / MsgA / MsgB transmissions overlap with signals between the intermediate node / support node / UE and the base station.

[0193] The intermediate node / support node / UE will prioritize the A-IoT device's Msg1 / Msg2 / Msg3 / Msg4 / MsgA / MsgB transmissions if the time / frequency resources used for the A-IoT device's Msg1 / Msg2 / Msg3 / Msg4 / MsgA / MsgB transmissions overlap with signals between the intermediate node / support node / UE and normal UE.

[0194] <Proposal 9: Option 3> If the time / frequency resources used for the A-IoT device's Msg1 / Msg2 / Msg3 / Msg4 / MsgA / MsgB transmissions overlap with the signals between the intermediate node / support node / UE and the base station, the intermediate node / support node / UE will prioritize the signals between the intermediate node / support node / UE and the base station.

[0195] The intermediate node / support node / UE prioritizes the signal between the intermediate node / support node / UE and the normal UE if the time / frequency resources used for the A-IoT device's Msg1 / Msg2 / Msg3 / Msg4 / MsgA / MsgB transmission overlap with the signal between the intermediate node / support node / UE and the normal UE.

[0196] <Proposal 9: Variations> Each option in Proposal 9 may be applied to a specific type of signal of an intermediate node / support node / UE. For example, the above options may be applied to synchronization signals such as PSS and SSS in NR, reference signals such as DMRS and CSI-RS (Channel State Information Reference Signal) in NR, or PRACH transmission signals in NR.

[0197] <Proposal 9: Summary> The above-described configuration allows A-IoT devices to properly communicate, and provides preamble transmission that is compatible with the characteristics of A-IoT, such as ultra-low power consumption and ultra-low complexity.

[0198] <Capabilities> A-IoT devices may report the following capability information (A-IoT capability) to base stations, intermediate nodes, support nodes, and terminals: A-IoT device type

[0199] Intermediate nodes, support nodes, and terminals may report the following capability information to the base station and A-IoT device: Information on whether communication with A-IoT devices is supported Supported A-IoT device types

[0200] Each of the above proposals and options may apply if the A-IoT device, intermediate node, and supporting node indicate support for the corresponding proposal or option, or if enabled by higher layer signaling.

[0201] <Others> Regarding frequency domain resource units, new terms may be defined for A-IoT. For example, the term "subcarrier" may be defined differently for A-IoT.

[0202] Regarding time domain resource units, new terms may be defined for A-IoT. For example, the terms "symbol," "slot," "subframe," and "frame" may be defined differently for A-IoT.

[0203] An A-IoT device may also be referred to as an A-IoT UE, an A-IoT terminal, an A-IoT node, a terminal, or a communication device, or may simply be referred to as an A-IoT.

[0204] An A-IoT device may be considered to be a device with lower complexity than an NB-IoT device. The complexity may be considered to be, for example, the complexity of the configuration / structure related to the minimum / maximum transmit / receive bandwidth supported by the device, and / or the maximum DL / UL data rate supported by the device, and / or the maximum DL / UL TB size supported by the device, and / or the Layer 2 buffer size. The configuration / structure may be translated into hardware. TB stands for Transport Block.

[0205] The base station, intermediate node, support node, and terminal (UE in Topology 4) may be referred to as an A-IoT base station, an A-IoT parent node, an A-IoT NB, a base station, or a communication device. Identity may be read as identifier.

[0206] The initial access may be, for example, cell search, time / frequency synchronization, and MIB acquisition.

[0207] <Configuration of Base Station> Fig. 20 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a base station 10 according to an embodiment. The base station 10 includes, for example, a transmitting unit 101, a receiving unit 102, and a control unit 103. The base station 10 communicates with the device 20 (see Fig. 21) by radio. The base station 10 may be an intermediate node, a support node, or a terminal (a terminal in SL that communicates with the device 20).

[0208] The transmitter 101 transmits a downlink (DL) signal to the device 20. For example, the transmitter 101 transmits the DL signal under the control of the controller 103.

[0209] The DL signal may include, for example, a downlink data signal and control information (e.g., Downlink Control Information (DCI)). The DL signal may also include information indicating scheduling related to signal transmission of the device 20 (e.g., an UL grant). The DL signal may also include control information of higher layers (e.g., control information of Radio Resource Control (RRC)). The DL signal may also include a reference signal.

[0210] The channels used for transmitting DL signals include, for example, a data channel and a control channel. For example, the data channel may include a PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), and the control channel may include a PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel). For example, the base station 10 transmits control information to the device 20 using the PDCCH and transmits downlink data signals using the PDSCH.

[0211] The reference signal included in the DL signal may include at least one of a demodulation reference signal (Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS)), a Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), a Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS), a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), and a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) for position information. For example, reference signals such as DMRS and PTRS are used for demodulating downlink data signals and are transmitted using the PDSCH.

[0212] The receiving unit 102 receives an uplink (UL) signal transmitted from the device 20. For example, the receiving unit 102 receives the UL signal under the control of the control unit 103.

[0213] The control unit 103 controls the communication operations of the base station 10 , including the transmission processing of the transmission unit 101 and the reception processing of the reception unit 102 .

[0214] For example, the control unit 103 acquires information such as data and control information from the upper layer and outputs it to the transmitting unit 101. The control unit 103 also outputs the data, control information, etc. received from the receiving unit 102 to the upper layer.

[0215] For example, the control unit 103 allocates resources (or channels) used for transmitting and receiving DL signals and / or resources used for transmitting and receiving UL signals based on signals (e.g., data and control information, etc.) received from the device 20 and / or data and control information, etc. acquired from a higher layer. Information on the allocated resources may be included in control information transmitted to the device 20.

[0216] The control unit 103 configures PUCCH resources as an example of allocation of resources used for transmitting and receiving UL signals. Information related to PUCCH configuration such as a PUCCH cell timing pattern (PUCCH configuration information) may be notified to the device 20 by RRC.

[0217] When the base station 10 is an intermediate node, a support node, or a terminal (SL terminal), the transmitting unit 101, the receiving unit 102, and the control unit 103 may operate as follows (hereinafter, for simplicity of explanation, the base station 10 is considered to be an intermediate node).

[0218] The receiving unit 102 may receive, from a base station (a base station for an intermediate node), resource information for a signal related to the RA procedure of the device 20. The signal related to the RA procedure may be, for example, Msg1 / Msg2 / Msg3 / Msg4 / MsgA / MsgB. The control unit 103 may monitor the signal related to the RA procedure of the device 20 based on the resource information.

[0219] When the transmitter 101 successfully detects the signal related to the RA procedure of the device 20, the transmitter 101 may transmit (transfer) information included in the signal to the base station. The information may be, for example, a preamble index or an ID of the device 20.

[0220] The control unit 103 may assume that signals related to the RA procedure of the device 20 do not overlap with signals between the intermediate node and the base station, or may assume that signals related to the RA procedure of the device 20 do not overlap with signals between the intermediate node and the normal UE.

[0221] The control unit 103 may prioritize the signal related to the RA procedure of the device 20 when the signal related to the RA procedure of the device 20 overlaps with the signal between the intermediate node and the base station, or when the signal related to the RA procedure of the device 20 overlaps with the signal between the intermediate node and the normal UE.

[0222] When a signal related to the RA procedure of the device 20 overlaps with a signal between the intermediate node and the base station, or when a signal related to the RA procedure of the device 20 overlaps with a signal between the intermediate node and a normal UE, the control unit 103 may prioritize the signal between the intermediate node and the base station, or the signal between the intermediate node and the normal UE.

[0223] <Device Configuration> Fig. 21 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a device 20 according to an embodiment. The device 20 includes, for example, a receiving unit 201, a transmitting unit 202, and a control unit 203. The receiving unit 201 and the transmitting unit 202 may be regarded as a communication unit. The device 20 communicates with, for example, a base station 10 wirelessly. The device 20 may be, for example, a device with lower complexity than an NB-IoT device. For example, the device 20 may be an A-IoT device.

[0224] The receiving unit 201 receives a DL signal transmitted from the base station 10. For example, the receiving unit 201 receives the DL signal under the control of the control unit 203.

[0225] The transmitting unit 202 transmits the UL signal to the base station 10. For example, the transmitting unit 202 transmits the UL signal under the control of the control unit 203.

[0226] The UL signal may include, for example, an uplink data signal and control information (e.g., UCI). For example, information related to the processing capabilities of the device 20 (e.g., UE capability) may be included. The UL signal may also include a reference signal.

[0227] The channels used for transmitting UL signals include, for example, a data channel and a control channel. For example, the data channel includes a PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), and the control channel includes a PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel). For example, the device 20 receives control information from the base station 10 using the PUCCH and transmits uplink data signals using the PUSCH.

[0228] The reference signals included in the UL signal may include, for example, at least one of DMRS, PTRS, CSI-RS, SRS, and PRS. For example, the reference signals such as DMRS and PTRS are used for demodulating the uplink data signal and are transmitted using an uplink channel (for example, PUSCH).

[0229] The control unit 203 controls the communication operations of the device 20 , including the reception processing in the receiving unit 201 and the transmission processing in the transmitting unit 202 .

[0230] For example, the control unit 203 acquires information such as data and control information from the upper layer and outputs it to the transmitting unit 202. Also, the control unit 203 outputs, for example, the data and control information received from the receiving unit 201 to the upper layer.

[0231] For example, the control unit 203 controls transmission of information to be fed back to the base station 10. The information to be fed back to the base station 10 may include, for example, HARQ-ACK, channel state information (CSI), or a scheduling request (SR). The information to be fed back to the base station 10 may be included in UCI. The UCI is transmitted in the resources of the PUCCH.

[0232] The control unit 203 sets PUCCH resources based on configuration information (for example, configuration information such as a PUCCH cell timing pattern notified by RRC and / or DCI) received from the base station 10. The control unit 203 determines the PUCCH resources to be used for transmitting information to be fed back to the base station 10. Under the control of the control unit 203, the transmission unit 202 transmits the information to be fed back to the base station 10 in the PUCCH resources determined by the control unit 203.

[0233] Note that the channel used for transmitting the DL signal and the channel used for transmitting the UL signal are not limited to the above-mentioned examples. For example, the channel used for transmitting the DL signal and the channel used for transmitting the UL signal may include a Random Access Channel (RACH) and a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH). The RACH may be used to transmit Downlink Control Information (DCI) including a Random Access Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RA-RNTI), for example.

[0234] The control unit 203 may determine to execute the RA procedure based on or without a trigger from the base station 10, for example. The receiving unit 201 may receive a signal related to the RA procedure of the device 20 using fewer subcarriers than the subcarriers of the signal related to the RA procedure of the NB-IoT device. The transmitting unit 202 may transmit a signal related to the RA procedure of the device 20 using fewer subcarriers than the subcarriers of the signal related to the RA procedure of the NB-IoT device.

[0235] The receiving unit 201 and the transmitting unit 202 may select subcarriers for receiving and transmitting signals related to the RA procedure of the device 20 from a plurality of subcarrier candidates. The receiving unit 201 and the transmitting unit 202 may use one subcarrier to receive and transmit signals related to the RA procedure of the device 20. The receiving unit 201 and the transmitting unit 202 may randomly select a time domain resource for signals related to the RA procedure of the device 20 from a plurality of time domain resource candidates. The transmitting unit 202 may transmit a subcarrier index, a time-frequency resource index, a subcarrier index and a time domain resource index, or a sequence index in step 2 or step B of the RA procedure of the device 20.

[0236] The present disclosure has been described above. Note that the division of items in the above description is not essential to the present disclosure, and items described in two or more items may be used in combination as needed, and items described in one item may be applied to items described in another item (unless they are inconsistent).

[0237] <Hardware Configuration, etc.> The block diagrams used to explain the above embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method for realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using a single device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (e.g., using wires, wirelessly, etc.) and these multiple devices. The functional block may also be realized by combining software with the single device or the multiple devices.

[0238] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, determination, assessment, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, consideration, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assignment. For example, a functional block (component) that performs transmission is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. As mentioned above, there are no particular limitations on how these functions are implemented.

[0239] For example, a base station, a device, etc. according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that performs processing of the wireless communication method of the present disclosure. Fig. 22 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a base station and a device according to the embodiment. The above-described base station 10 and device 20 may be physically configured as a computer including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a bus 1007, etc.

[0240] In the following description, the term "apparatus" can be interpreted as a circuit, a device, a unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the base station 10 and the device 20 may be configured to include one or more of the apparatuses shown in the drawings, or may be configured to exclude some of the apparatuses.

[0241] Each function in the base station 10 and the device 20 is realized by loading specified software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, causing the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication by the communication device 1004, and control at least one of reading and writing data in the memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0242] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer by running, for example, an operating system. The processor 1001 may be configured by a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control device, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. For example, the above-mentioned control unit 103 and control unit 203 may be realized by the processor 1001.

[0243] The processor 1001 also reads programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002 and executes various processes in accordance with these programs. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least some of the operations described in the above-described embodiments. For example, the control unit 203 of the device 20 may be implemented by a control program stored in the memory 1002 and running on the processor 1001, and similar implementations may be made for other functional blocks. While the above-described various processes have been described as being executed by one processor 1001, they may also be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The programs may also be transmitted from a network via a telecommunications line.

[0244] The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be configured by, for example, at least one of a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc. The memory 1002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory (primary storage device), etc. The memory 1002 can store executable programs (program codes), software modules, etc. for implementing a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0245] Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of, for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 1003 may also be referred to as an auxiliary storage device. The above-mentioned storage medium may be, for example, a database, a server, or other appropriate medium including at least one of memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0246] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmission / reception device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also referred to as, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, etc. The communication device 1004 may be configured to include a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, etc. to realize at least one of frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD). For example, the above-mentioned transmitter 101, receiver 102, receiver 201, transmitter 202, etc. may be realized by the communication device 1004.

[0247] The input device 1005 is an input device (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, etc.) that receives input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (e.g., a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that outputs to the outside. The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be integrated into one device (e.g., a touch panel).

[0248] Furthermore, each device, such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002, is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

[0249] Furthermore, the base station 10 and the device 20 may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

[0250] <Notification of Information, Signaling> Notification of information is not limited to the embodiments described in the present disclosure and may be performed using other methods. For example, notification of information may be performed by physical layer signaling (e.g., Downlink Control Information (DCI), Uplink Control Information (UCI)), higher layer signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling, broadcast information (Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB))), other signals, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, RRC signaling may be referred to as an RRC message, and may be, for example, an RRC Connection Setup message, an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message, or the like.

[0251] <Applicable Systems> The embodiments described in the present disclosure are applicable to LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), 6th generation mobile communication system (6G), xth generation mobile communication system (xG) (xG (x is, for example, an integer or a decimal)), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (new Radio), New radio access (NX), Future generation radio access (FX), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.17 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.19 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.21 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.22 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.23 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.24 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.25 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.26 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.27 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.28 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.29 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.30 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.31 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.32 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.33 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.34 (WiMAX (registered trademark The present invention may be applied to at least one of systems using 802.20, UWB (Ultra-Wide Band), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or other suitable systems, and next-generation systems that are extended, modified, created, or defined based on these systems. The present invention may also be applied to a combination of multiple systems (e.g., a combination of LTE and / or LTE-A with 5G).

[0252] <Processing Procedures, etc.> The processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be rearranged unless inconsistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order, and are not limited to the particular order presented.

[0253] <Operation of Base Station> In the present disclosure, specific operations described as being performed by a base station may also be performed by its upper node in some cases. In a network consisting of one or more network nodes having a base station, it is clear that various operations performed for communication with a terminal may be performed by at least one of the base station and another network node other than the base station (for example, an MME or an S-GW, etc., but are not limited to these). Although the above example illustrates a case where there is one other network node other than the base station, a combination of multiple other network nodes (for example, an MME and an S-GW) may also be used.

[0254] <Direction of Input / Output> Information, etc. (see <Information, Signal>) can be output from a higher layer (or a lower layer) to a lower layer (or a higher layer). It may also be input / output via multiple network nodes.

[0255] <Handling of Input / Output Information, etc.> Input / output information, etc. may be stored in a specific location (for example, memory) or may be managed using a management table. Input / output information, etc. may be overwritten, updated, or added. Output information, etc. may be deleted. Input information, etc. may be sent to another device.

[0256] <Determination method> The determination may be made based on a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean value (true or false), or a comparison of numerical values ​​(e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0257] <Variations of Aspects, etc.> Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the implementation. In addition, notification of predetermined information (e.g., notification that "X is true") is not limited to being done explicitly, but may be done implicitly (e.g., by not notifying the predetermined information).

[0258] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure.

[0259] <Software> Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

[0260] Software, instructions, information, etc. may also be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then these wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

[0261] Information, Signals, etc., described in this disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc., which may be referred to throughout the above description, may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0262] Note that terms described in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings. For example, at least one of a channel and a symbol may be a signal (signaling). Furthermore, a signal may be a message. Furthermore, a component carrier (CC) may be called a carrier frequency, a cell, a frequency carrier, etc.

[0263] <System, Network> As used in this disclosure, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

[0264] <Parameter and Channel Names> Furthermore, the information, parameters, and the like described in the present disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or other corresponding information. For example, a radio resource may be indicated by an index.

[0265] The names used for the above-described parameters are not intended to be limiting in any way. Furthermore, the mathematical expressions using these parameters may differ from those explicitly disclosed in this disclosure. The various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements may be identified by any suitable names, and therefore the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not intended to be limiting in any way.

[0266] <Base Station> In the present disclosure, terms such as "base station (BS)," "radio base station," "fixed station," "NodeB," "eNodeB (eNB)," "gNodeB (gNB)," "access point," "transmission point," "reception point," "transmission / reception point," "cell," "sector," "cell group," "carrier," and "component carrier" may be used interchangeably. A base station may also be referred to by terms such as a macrocell, a small cell, a femtocell, and a picocell.

[0267] A base station can accommodate one or more (e.g., three) cells. When a base station accommodates multiple cells, the overall coverage area of ​​the base station can be partitioned into multiple smaller areas, and each smaller area can also be provided with communication services by a base station subsystem (e.g., a remote radio head (RRH)). The terms "cell" or "sector" refer to part or the entire coverage area of ​​a base station and / or base station subsystem that provides communication services within that coverage area.

[0268] In the present disclosure, the base station transmitting information to a terminal may be interpreted as the base station instructing the terminal to control or operate based on the information.

[0269] Mobile Station In this disclosure, the terms "Mobile Station (MS)," "user terminal," "User Equipment (UE)," "terminal," and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0270] A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable terminology.

[0271] <Base Station / Mobile Station> At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be referred to as a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, etc. At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be a device mounted on a mobile object, the mobile object itself, etc. The mobile object refers to a movable object, and may move at any speed. Naturally, this also includes cases where the mobile object is stationary. Examples of the mobile object include, but are not limited to, vehicles, transport vehicles, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, connected cars, excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, dump trucks, forklifts, trains, buses, handcars, rickshaws, ships and other watercraft, airplanes, rockets, satellites, drones (registered trademark), multicopters, quadcopters, balloons, and objects mounted thereon. The mobile object may also be an autonomous mobile object operating based on an operational command. It may be a vehicle (e.g., a car, an airplane, etc.), an unmanned mobile object (e.g., a drone, an autonomous vehicle, etc.), or a robot (manned or unmanned). At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be a device that does not necessarily move during communication operations. For example, at least one of the base station and the mobile station may be an IoT (Internet of Things) device such as a sensor.

[0272] Furthermore, the base station in the present disclosure may be read as a terminal. For example, the embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to a configuration in which communication between a base station and a terminal is replaced with communication between multiple terminals (which may be called, for example, Device-to-Device (D2D) or Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X)). In this case, the device 20 may be configured to have the functions of the base station 10 described above. Furthermore, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" may be read as terms corresponding to device-to-device communication (for example, "side"). For example, terms such as an uplink channel and a downlink channel may be read as a side channel.

[0273] Similarly, the term "device" in the present disclosure may be read as "base station." In this case, the base station 10 may be configured to have the functions of the device 20 described above.

[0274] Fig. 23 shows an example configuration of a vehicle 2001. As shown in Fig. 23, the vehicle 2001 includes a drive unit 2002, a steering unit 2003, an accelerator pedal 2004, a brake pedal 2005, a shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, an axle 2009, an electronic control unit 2010, various sensors 2021 to 2029, an information service unit 2012, and a communication module 2013. Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be applied to a communication device mounted on the vehicle 2001, and may be applied to the communication module 2013, for example.

[0275] The drive unit 2002 is configured, for example, by an engine, a motor, or a hybrid of an engine and a motor. The steering unit 2003 includes at least a steering wheel (also called a handle) and is configured to steer at least one of the front wheels and the rear wheels based on the operation of the steering wheel operated by the user.

[0276] The electronic control unit 2010 is composed of a microprocessor 2031, a memory (ROM, RAM) 2032, and a communication port (IO port) 2033. Signals are input to the electronic control unit 2010 from various sensors 2021 to 2029 provided in the vehicle 2001. The electronic control unit 2010 may also be called an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

[0277] The signals from the various sensors 2021 to 2029 include a current signal from a current sensor 2021 that senses the current of the motor, a rotation speed signal of the front and rear wheels obtained by a rotation speed sensor 2022, an air pressure signal of the front and rear wheels obtained by an air pressure sensor 2023, a vehicle speed signal obtained by a vehicle speed sensor 2024, an acceleration signal obtained by an acceleration sensor 2025, an accelerator pedal depression amount signal obtained by an accelerator pedal sensor 2029, a brake pedal depression amount signal obtained by a brake pedal sensor 2026, a shift lever operation signal obtained by a shift lever sensor 2027, and a detection signal for detecting obstacles, vehicles, pedestrians, etc. obtained by an object detection sensor 2028.

[0278] The information service unit 2012 is composed of various devices, such as a car navigation system, an audio system, speakers, a television, and a radio, for providing (outputting) various types of information, such as driving information, traffic information, and entertainment information, and one or more ECUs that control these devices. The information service unit 2012 provides various types of multimedia information and multimedia services to the occupants of the vehicle 2001 by using information acquired from external devices via the communication module 2013, etc.

[0279] The information service unit 2012 may include input devices (e.g., keyboards, mice, microphones, switches, buttons, sensors, touch panels, etc.) that accept input from the outside, and may also include output devices (e.g., displays, speakers, LED lamps, touch panels, etc.) that output to the outside.

[0280] The driving assistance system unit 2030 is composed of various devices that provide functions for preventing accidents and reducing the driving burden on the driver, such as millimeter-wave radar, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), cameras, positioning locators (e.g., GNSS, etc.), map information (e.g., high-definition (HD) maps, autonomous vehicle (AV) maps, etc.), gyro systems (e.g., IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), INS (Inertial Navigation System), etc.), AI (Artificial Intelligence) chips, and AI processors, as well as one or more ECUs that control these devices. In addition, the driving assistance system unit 2030 transmits and receives various information via the communication module 2013 to realize the driving assistance function or the autonomous driving function.

[0281] The communication module 2013 can communicate with the microprocessor 2031 and components of the vehicle 2001 via the communication port. For example, the communication module 2013 transmits and receives data via the communication port 2033 to and from the drive unit 2002, steering unit 2003, accelerator pedal 2004, brake pedal 2005, shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, axle 2009, microprocessor 2031 and memory (ROM, RAM) 2032 in the electronic control unit 2010, and sensors 2021 to 29, which are provided in the vehicle 2001.

[0282] The communication module 2013 is a communication device that can be controlled by the microprocessor 2031 of the electronic control unit 2010 and can communicate with an external device. For example, it transmits and receives various information to and from the external device via wireless communication. The communication module 2013 may be located either inside or outside the electronic control unit 2010. The external device may be, for example, a base station, a mobile station, or the like.

[0283] The communication module 2013 may transmit at least one of signals from the above-mentioned various sensors 2021 to 2029 input to the electronic control unit 2010, information obtained based on the signals, and information based on input from the outside (user) obtained via the information service unit 2012 to an external device via wireless communication. The electronic control unit 2010, the various sensors 2021 to 2029, the information service unit 2012, etc. may be referred to as input units that accept input. For example, the PUSCH transmitted by the communication module 2013 may include information based on the above-mentioned input.

[0284] The communication module 2013 receives various information (traffic information, traffic signal information, vehicle distance information, etc.) transmitted from an external device and displays it on the information service unit 2012 provided in the vehicle 2001. The information service unit 2012 may also be called an output unit that outputs information (for example, outputs information to a device such as a display or speaker based on the PDSCH received by the communication module 2013 (or data / information decoded from the PDSCH)).

[0285] Furthermore, the communication module 2013 stores various information received from external devices in a memory 2032 that can be used by the microprocessor 2031. Based on the information stored in the memory 2032, the microprocessor 2031 may control the drive unit 2002, steering unit 2003, accelerator pedal 2004, brake pedal 2005, shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, axle 2009, sensors 2021 to 2029, and the like provided in the vehicle 2001.

[0286] <Meaning and Interpretation of Terms> As used in this disclosure, the terms "determining" and "determining" may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, inquiring (e.g., searching a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining something that is considered to be a "judging" or "determining," and the like. "Determining" and "determining" may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), and the like that are considered to be a "judging" or "determining." Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. as having been "judged" or "decided." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding some action as having been "judged" or "decided." Furthermore, "judgment (decision)" can be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

[0287] The terms "connected," "coupled," or any variation thereof, refer to any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read as "access." As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using one or more wires, cables, and / or printed electrical connections, as well as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and optical (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

[0288] <Reference Signal> A reference signal can also be abbreviated as RS (Reference Signal), and may also be called a pilot depending on the applicable standard.

[0289] <Meaning of "based on"> As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0290] "First," "Second" Any reference to an element using designations such as "first," "second," etc., used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed or that the first element must precede the second element in some way.

[0291] <Means> The "means" in the configuration of each device above may be replaced with "section," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0292] Open Format: When the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, when the term "or" is used in this disclosure, it is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0293] <Time Units such as TTI, Frequency Units such as RB, and Radio Frame Configuration> A radio frame may be composed of one or more frames in the time domain. Each of the one or more frames in the time domain may be called a subframe. A subframe may further be composed of one or more slots in the time domain. A subframe may have a fixed time length (e.g., 1 ms) that is independent of numerology.

[0294] Numerology may be a communication parameter that applies to the transmission and / or reception of a signal or channel, and may indicate, for example, at least one of subcarrier spacing (SCS), bandwidth, symbol length, cyclic prefix length, transmission time interval (TTI), number of symbols per TTI, radio frame structure, specific filtering operations performed by the transceiver in the frequency domain, and specific windowing operations performed by the transceiver in the time domain.

[0295] A slot may be composed of one or more symbols in the time domain (such as an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol or a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) symbol). A slot may be a time unit based on numerology.

[0296] A slot may include multiple minislots. Each minislot may consist of one or multiple symbols in the time domain. A minislot may also be called a subslot. A minislot may consist of fewer symbols than a slot. A PDSCH (or PUSCH) transmitted in a time unit larger than a minislot may be called PDSCH (or PUSCH) mapping type A. A PDSCH (or PUSCH) transmitted using a minislot may be called PDSCH (or PUSCH) mapping type B.

[0297] The radio frame, subframe, slot, minislot, and symbol all represent time units for transmitting signals, and may be referred to by other names corresponding to the radio frame, subframe, slot, minislot, and symbol.

[0298] For example, one subframe may be called a transmission time interval (TTI), multiple consecutive subframes may be called a TTI, or one slot or one minislot may be called a TTI. That is, at least one of the subframe and the TTI may be a subframe (1 ms) in existing LTE, a period shorter than 1 ms (for example, 1-13 symbols), or a period longer than 1 ms. Note that the unit representing the TTI may be called a slot, minislot, etc. instead of a subframe.

[0299] Here, TTI refers to, for example, the smallest time unit for scheduling in wireless communication. For example, in an LTE system, a base station performs scheduling to allocate radio resources (such as frequency bandwidth and transmission power that can be used by each user terminal) to each user terminal in TTI units. Note that the definition of TTI is not limited to this.

[0300] The TTI may be a transmission time unit for a channel-encoded data packet (transport block), a code block, a code word, etc., or may be a processing unit for scheduling, link adaptation, etc. When a TTI is given, the time interval (e.g., the number of symbols) to which a transport block, a code block, a code word, etc. is actually mapped may be shorter than the TTI.

[0301] When one slot or one minislot is called a TTI, one or more TTIs (i.e., one or more slots or one or more minislots) may be the minimum time unit for scheduling. Also, the number of slots (minislots) constituting the minimum time unit for scheduling may be controlled.

[0302] A TTI having a time length of 1 ms may be called a regular TTI (TTI in LTE Rel. 8-12), normal TTI, long TTI, regular subframe, normal subframe, long subframe, slot, etc. A TTI shorter than a regular TTI may be called a shortened TTI, short TTI, partial or fractional TTI, shortened subframe, short subframe, minislot, subslot, slot, etc.

[0303] In addition, a long TTI (e.g., a normal TTI, a subframe, etc.) may be interpreted as a TTI having a time length of more than 1 ms, and a short TTI (e.g., a shortened TTI, etc.) may be interpreted as a TTI having a TTI length shorter than the TTI length of a long TTI and greater than or equal to 1 ms.

[0304] A resource block (RB) is a resource allocation unit in the time domain and the frequency domain, and may include one or more consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. The number of subcarriers included in an RB may be the same regardless of numerology, for example, 12. The number of subcarriers included in an RB may be determined based on numerology.

[0305] The time domain of an RB may include one or more symbols and may have a length of one slot, one minislot, one subframe, or one TTI. One TTI, one subframe, etc. may each be composed of one or more resource blocks.

[0306] Note that one or more RBs may also be called a physical resource block (PRB), a sub-carrier group (SCG), a resource element group (REG), a PRB pair, an RB pair, etc.

[0307] Furthermore, a resource block may be composed of one or more resource elements (REs). For example, one RE may be a radio resource region of one subcarrier and one symbol.

[0308] A Bandwidth Part (BWP) (which may also be referred to as a fractional bandwidth) may represent a subset of contiguous common resource blocks (RBs) for a given numerology on a given carrier, where the common RBs may be identified by their index relative to a Common Reference Point of the carrier. PRBs may be defined in a BWP and numbered within the BWP.

[0309] The BWP may include a BWP for UL (UL BWP) and a BWP for DL ​​(DL BWP). One or more BWPs may be configured for a UE within one carrier.

[0310] At least one of the configured BWPs may be active, and the UE may not expect to transmit or receive a given signal / channel outside the active BWP. Note that the terms "cell," "carrier," etc. in this disclosure may be read as "BWP."

[0311] The above-described structures of radio frames, subframes, slots, minislots, symbols, etc. are merely examples, and various changes may be made to the number of subframes included in a radio frame, the number of slots per subframe or radio frame, the number of minislots included in a slot, the number of symbols and RBs included in a slot or minislot, the number of subcarriers included in an RB, the number of symbols in a TTI, the symbol length, the cyclic prefix (CP) length, etc.

[0312] <Maximum Transmit Power> The "maximum transmit power" in the present disclosure may refer to the maximum value of transmit power, the nominal UE maximum transmit power, or the rated UE maximum transmit power.

[0313] Articles In this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are plural.

[0314] <"Different"> In the present disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." Note that the term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "coupled" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different."

[0315] One aspect of the present disclosure is useful in wireless communication systems.

[0316] 10 Base station 20 Device 101, 202 Transmitter 102, 201 Receiver 103, 203 Controller

Claims

1. A device having lower complexity than a Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) device, comprising: a control unit that determines execution of a random access procedure; and a communication unit that transmits and receives signals related to the random access procedure, wherein the communication unit transmits and receives signals related to the random access procedure of the device using fewer subcarriers than the subcarriers of the signals related to the random access procedure of the NB-IoT device.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit selects a subcarrier for transmitting and receiving a signal related to a random access procedure of the device from among a plurality of subcarrier candidates.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit transmits and receives signals related to a random access procedure of the device using one subcarrier.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit randomly selects a time domain resource for a signal related to a random access procedure of the device from among a plurality of time domain resource candidates.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the communication unit transmits a subcarrier index, a time-frequency resource index, a subcarrier index and a time domain resource index, or a sequence index in step 2 or step B of the random access procedure of the device.

6. A communication method for a device of lower complexity than a Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) device, comprising: determining to execute a random access procedure; transmitting and receiving signals related to the random access procedure; and transmitting and receiving signals related to the random access procedure of the device using fewer subcarriers than the subcarriers of the signals related to the random access procedure of the NB-IoT device.

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