Paging and configuration for ambient IoT

Abstract

In one or more methods, systems, and / or devices, approaches for interacting with ambient internet of things (AIOT) may be addressed herein. For example, there may be one or more techniques and / or approaches that address one or more of, but not limited to, the following: paging for AIOT inventory can be triggered with paging downlink control information (DCI), paging for AIOT inventory can be triggered using paging message; paging for AIOT inventory can be triggered by system information block (SIB) change, paging or SIB can select one of the multiple configurations for AIOT inventory and / or reporting, a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) determines whether to use SIB or dedicated configuration, the WTRU determines whether to trigger radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment, location-based control of inventory procedure, and / or time-based control of the inventory procedure.

Description

PAGING AND CONFIGURATION FOR AMBIENT IOTCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 572,810, filed April 01 , 2024, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth.BACKGROUND

[0002] Wireless networks need to maintain a record of devices to optimize resource allocation, improve network efficiency, and ensure seamless communication. Ambient internet of things (AIOT) devices may enable the tracking of inventory, among other uses for very small and / or low-energy devices. The inventory tracking is especially helpful in applications such as smart cities, industrial automation, and logistics, where large-scale deployments require efficient device monitoring of small and / or low energy devices.SUMMARY

[0003] In one or more methods, systems, and / or devices, approaches for interacting with ambient Internet-of-things (AIOT) may be addressed herein. For example, there may be one or more techniques and / or approaches that address one or more of, but not limited to, the following: paging for AIOT inventory can be triggered with paging downlink control information (DCI), paging for AIOT inventory can be triggered using paging message; paging for AIOT inventory can be triggered by system information block (SIB) change, paging or SIB can select one of the multiple configurations for AIOT inventory and / or reporting, WTRU determines whether to use SIB or dedicated configuration, WTRU determines whether to trigger radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment, location-based control of inventory procedure, and / or time-based control of the inventory procedure.

[0004] In one or more embodiments, a method performed by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) is provided. The method includes receiving zone configuration information indicative of one or more zones. The method includes receiving timer configuration information indicative of at least one of: an offset time duration or a non-repetition time duration. The method includes receiving inventory configuration information indicative of at least one of: one or more resources or a set of ambient internet of things (AIOT) device identifiers. The method includes receiving a paging message indicative of triggering an inventory procedure for a zone of the one or more zones. The method includes initializing, upon receiving the paging message, an offset timer based on the offset time duration. The method includes performing an inventory procedure upon expiry of the offset timer. The method includes generating, based on the inventory procedure, an inventory result comprising at least one AIOT device identifier of the set of AIOT device identifiers. The method includes transmitting the inventory result based on the one or more resources.

[0005] In an embodiment, performing the inventory procedure comprises: identifying a set of AIOT devices in the zone; transmitting, via an AIOT interface, one or more query messages to the set of AIOT devices; and receiving, via the AIOT interface, one or more response messages from at least one AIOT device of the set of AIOT devices.

[0006] In an embodiment, the one or more response messages include at least one AIOT device identifier associated with the at least one AIOT device.

[0007] In an embodiment, the inventory configuration information is further indicative of one or more AIOT devices from the set of AIOT devices excluded from the inventory procedure.

[0008] In an embodiment, the method comprises initializing, upon transmitting the inventory result, a non-repetition timer based on the timer configuration information. The method includes, upon expiry of the non-repetition timer, monitoring for the paging message indicative of triggering the inventory procedure.

[0009] In an embodiment, the paging message includes a bitmask of one or more zone identifiers associated with the zone.

[0010] In an embodiment, the inventory configuration information includes a plurality of occasions.

[0011] In an embodiment, the method includes performing the inventory procedure on each of the plurality of occasions.

[0012] In an embodiment, the zone configuration information and the inventory configuration information are received from a base station using a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0013] In an embodiment, the zone configuration information is further indicative of one or more geolocation grids associated with the one or more zones.

[0014] In one or more embodiments, a WTRU comprising a transceiver and a processor. The transceiver and the processor are configured to receive zone configuration information indicative of one or more zones. The transceiver and the processor are configured to receive timer configuration information indicative of at least one of: an offset time duration or a non-repetition time duration. The transceiver and the processor are configured to receive inventory configuration information indicative of at least one of: one or more resources or a set of AIOT device identifiers. The transceiver and the processor are configured to receive a paging message indicative of triggering an inventory procedure for a zone of the one or more zones. The transceiver and the processor are configured to initialize, upon receiving the paging message, an offset timer based on the offset time duration. The transceiver and the processor are configured to perform an inventory procedure upon expiry of the offset timer. The transceiver and the processor are configured to generate, based on the inventory procedure, an inventory result comprising at least one AIOT device identifier of the set of AIOT device identifiers. The transceiver and the processor are configured to transmit the inventory result based on the one or more resources.

[0015] In an embodiment, performing the inventory procedure comprises: identifying a set of AIOT devices in the zone, transmitting, via an AIOT interface, one or more query messages to the set of AIOT devices in the zone, and receiving, via the AIOT interface, one or more response messages from at least one AIOT device of the set of AIOT devices.

[0016] In an embodiment, the one or more response messages include at least one device identifier associated with the at least one AIOT device.

[0017] In an embodiment, the inventory configuration information is further indicative of one or more AIOT devices from the set of AIOT devices excluded from the inventory procedure.

[0018] In an embodiment, the transceiver and the processor are further configured to: initialize, upon transmitting the inventory result, a non-repetition timer based on the timer configuration information. The transceiver and the processor are configured to, upon expiry of the non-repetition timer, monitor for the paging message indicative of triggering the inventory procedure.

[0019] In an embodiment, the paging message includes a bitmask of one or more zone identifiers associated with the zone.

[0020] In an embodiment, the inventory configuration information includes a plurality of occasions.

[0021] In an embodiment, the transceiver and the processor are further configured to perform the inventory procedure on each of the plurality of occasions.

[0022] In an embodiment, the zone configuration information and the inventory configuration information are received from a base station using a RRC message.

[0023] In an embodiment, the zone configuration information is further indicative of one or more geolocation grids associated with the one or more zones.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] A more detailed understanding may be had from the following description, given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals in the figures indicate like elements, and wherein:

[0025] FIG. 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented;

[0026] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment;

[0027] FIG. 1C is a system diagram illustrating an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment;

[0028] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating a further example RAN and a further example CN that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment;

[0029] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a query and / or an inventory procedure according to one or more embodiments;

[0030] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a second topology according to one or more embodiments;

[0031] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a third topology with downlink assistance according to one or more embodiments;

[0032] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a third topology with uplink assistance according to one or more embodiments; and

[0033] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a WTRU performing a procedure according to one or more embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] One or more of the following acronyms / abbreviations may be used herein: Acknowledgement (ACK), Block Error Rate (BLER), Bandwidth Part (BWP), Carrier Aggregation (CA), Channel Access Priority (CAP), Channel access priority class (CAPC), Clear Channel Assessment (CCA), Control Channel Element (CCE), Control Element (CE), Configured grant or cell group (CG), Conditional handover (CHO), Cyclic Prefix (CP), Conventional OFDM (relying on cyclic prefix) (CP-OFDM), Conditional PsCell addition (CPA), Conditional PsCell addition / change (CPAC), Conditional PsCell change (CPC), Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC), Channel State Information(CSI), Contention Window (CW), Contention Window Size (CWS), Channel Occupancy (CO), Downlink Assignment Index (DAI), Dual connectivity (DC), Downlink Control Information (DCI), Downlink feedback information (DFI), Dynamic grant (DG), Downlink (DL), Demodulation Reference Signal (DM-RS), Data Radio Bearer (DRB), enhanced Licensed Assisted Access (eLAA), Further enhanced Licensed Assisted Access (FeLAA), Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), In sync (IS), License Assisted Access (LAA), Listen-Before-Talk (LBT), Long Term Evolution (LTE), L1 / 2 triggered mobility (LTM), Negative ACK (NACK), Master cell group (MCG), Medium access control (MAC), Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS), Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), New Radio (NR), Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Out of sync (OOS), Primary cell (PCell), Physical cell identity (PCI), Physical Layer (PHY), Process ID (PID), Paging Occasion (PO), Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), Primary SCG Cell (PSCell), Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), Random Access (or procedure) (RA), Random Access Channel (RACH), Random Access Response (RAR), Radio access network Central Unit (RCU), Radio Front end (RF), Radio Link Control (RLC), Radio Link Failure (RLF), Radio Link Monitoring (RLM), Radio Network Identifier (RNTI), RACH occasion (RO), Radio Resource Control (RRC), Radio Resource Management (RRM), Reference Signal (RS), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Secondary cell (SCell), Secondary cell group (SCG), Service Data Unit (SDU), System Information Broadcast (SIB), Special Cell* (SpCell), Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), Synchronization Signal (SS), Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), Switching Gap (in a self-contained subframe) (SWG), Semi-persistent scheduling (SPS), Supplemental Uplink (SUL), Transport Block (TB), Transport Block Size (TBS), Transmission / Reception Point (TRP), Time-sensitive communications (TSC), Time-sensitive networking (TSN), Time to trigger (TTT), Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Uplink (UL), Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC), Wide Bandwidth Part (WBWP), and / or Wireless Local Area Networks and related technologies (IEEE 8O2.xx domain) (WLAN). The term SpCell either refers to the PCell of the MCG or the PSCell of the SCG depending on whether the MAC entity is associated to the MCG or the SCG.

[0035] FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an example communications system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communications system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communications systems 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail unique-word discrete Fourier transform Spread OFDM (ZT-UW-DFT-S-OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block-filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a radio access network (RAN) 104, a core network (ON) 106, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may be referred to as a station (STA), may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobilestation, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fl device, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0037] The communications systems 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a NodeB, an eNode B (eNB), a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a next generation NodeB, such as a gNode B (gNB), a new radio (NR) NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0038] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, and the like. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for a wireless service to a specific geographical area that may be relatively fixed or that may change over time. The cell may further be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[0039] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0040] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High- Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High-Speed Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed Uplink (UL) Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0041] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0042] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR Radio Access , which may establish the air interface 116 using NR.

[0043] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, for instance using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., an eNB and a gNB).

[0044] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.

[0045] The base station 114b in FIG. 1A may be a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a roadway, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellularbased RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG. 1A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106.

[0046] The RAN 104 may be in communication with the CN 106, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have varying quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as differing throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, and the like. The CN 106 may provide call control, billing services, mobile locationbased services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 and / or the CN 106 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104, which may be utilizing a NR radio technology, the CN 106 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0047] The CN 106 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include circuit-switched telephone networks thatprovide plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP) and / or the internet protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communications networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT.

[0048] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multimode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG. 1A may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0049] FIG. 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1 B, the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138, among others. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0050] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. While FIG. 1 B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0051] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., the base station 114a) over the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0052] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in FIG. 1 B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0053] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit / receive element 122. Asnoted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11 , for example.

[0054] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to, and may receive user input data from, the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and / or the removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0055] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control the power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickelcadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0056] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information over the air interface 116 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and / or determine its location based on the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0057] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a Virtual Reality and / or Augmented Reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, and the like. The peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors. The sensors may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor, an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, a humidity sensor and the like.

[0058] The WTRU 102 may include a full duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for both the UL (e.g., for transmission) and DL (e.g., for reception) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full duplex radio may include an interference management unit to reduce and or substantially eliminate self-interference via either hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via processor 118). In an embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for either the UL (e.g., for transmission) or the DL (e.g., for reception)).

[0059] FIG. 1C is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0060] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0061] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 C, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

[0062] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1C may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW) 166. While the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0063] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0064] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via the S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring user planes during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0065] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0066] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102cwith access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0067] Although the WTRU is described in FIGS. 1A-1 D as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments that such a terminal may use (e.g., temporarily or permanently) wired communication interfaces with the communication network.

[0068] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0069] A WLAN in Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have an Access Point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (ST As) associated with the AP. The AP may have access or an interface to a Distribution System (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic in to and / or out of the BSS. Traffic to STAs that originates from outside the BSS may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STAs. Traffic originating from STAs to destinations outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to respective destinations. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent through the AP, for example, where the source STA may send traffic to the AP and the AP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. The traffic between STAs within a BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. The peer-to-peer traffic may be sent between (e.g., directly between) the source and destination STAs with a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use an 802.11e DLS or an 802.11 z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and the STAs (e.g., all of the STAs) within or using the IBSS may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication may sometimes be referred to herein as an “ad-hoc” mode of communication.

[0070] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operations, the AP may transmit a beacon on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a dynamically set width. The primary channel may be the operating channel of the BSS and may be used by the STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example in 802.11 systems. For CSMA / CA, the STAs (e.g., every STA), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0071] High Throughput (HT) STAs may use a 40 MHz wide channel for communication, for example, via a combination of the primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent or nonadjacent 20 MHz channel to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0072] Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs may support 20MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. The 40 MHz, and / or 80 MHz, channels may be formed by combining contiguous 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel may be formed by combining 8 contiguous 20 MHz channels, or by combining two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, the data, after channel encoding, may be passed through a segment parser that may divide the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing, and time domain processing, may be done on each stream separately. The streams may be mapped on to the two 80 MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by a transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the above described operation for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be sent to the Medium Access Control (MAC).

[0073] Sub 1 GHz modes of operation are supported by 802.11af and 802.11ah. The channel operating bandwidths, and carriers, are reduced in 802.11 af and 802.11 ah relative to those used in 802.11 n, and 802.11ac. 802.11 af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11ah may support Meter Type Control / Machine-Type Communications (MTC), such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, for example, limited capabilities including support for (e.g., only support for) certain and / or limited bandwidths. The MTC devices may include a battery with a battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0074] WLAN systems, which may support multiple channels, and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11 n, 802.11ac, 802.11 af, and 802.11 ah, include a channel which may be designated as the primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the largest common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA, from among all STAs in operating in a BSS, which supports the smallest bandwidth operating mode. In the example of 802.11 ah, the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide for STAs (e.g., MTC type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1 MHz mode, even if the AP, and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or Network Allocation Vector (NAV) settings may depend on the status of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, due to a STA (which supports only a 1 MHz operating mode) transmitting to the AP, all available frequency bands may be considered busy even though a majority of the available frequency bands remains idle.

[0075] In the United States, the available frequency bands, which may be used by 802.11ah, are from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In Korea, the available frequency bands are from 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency bands are from 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz depending on the country code.

[0076] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0077] The RAN 104 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 108b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on unlicensed spectrum while the remaining component carriers may be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0078] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with a scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing mayvary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframe or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various or scalable lengths (e.g., containing a varying number of OFDM symbols and / or lasting varying lengths of absolute time).

[0079] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without also accessing other RANs (e.g., such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c). In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may utilize one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as a mobility anchor point. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with / connect to gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating with / connecting to another RAN such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement DC principles to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In the non-standalone configuration, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may serve as a mobility anchor for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for servicing WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0080] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, support of network slicing, DC, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards User Plane Function (UPF) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 182a, 182b and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 D, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with one another over an Xn interface.

[0081] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1D may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b. While the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0082] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via an N2 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, support for network slicing (e.g., handling of different protocol data unit (PDU) sessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, management of the registration area, termination of non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, mobility management, and the like. Network slicing may be used by the AMF 182a, 182b in order to customize CN support for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the types of services being utilized WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for MTC access, and the like. The AMF 182a, 182b may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0083] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to an AM F 182a, 182b in the CN 106 via an N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to a UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 106 via an N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating UE IP address, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing DL data notifications, and the like. A PDU session type may be IP-based, nonIP based, Ethernet-based, and the like.

[0084] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering DL packets, providing mobility anchoring, and the like.

[0085] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to a local DN 185a, 185b through the UPF 184a, 184b via the N3 interface to the UPF 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the DN 185a, 185b.

[0086] In view of FIGs. 1 A-1 D, and the corresponding description of FIGs. 1 A-1 D, one or more, or all, of the functions described herein with regard to one or more of: WTRU 102a-d , Base Station 114a-b, eNode-B 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-c, AMF 182a-b, UPF 184a-b, SMF 183a-b, DN 185a-b, and / or any other device(s) described herein, may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more, or all, of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0087] The emulation devices may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a lab environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, the one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The emulation device may be directly coupled to another device for purposes of testing and / or performing testing using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0088] The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, including all, functions while not being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the emulation devices may be utilized in a testing scenario in a testing laboratory and / or a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network in order to implement testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communications via RF circuitry (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation devices to transmit and / or receive data.

[0089] In recent years, internet of things (loT) technology has attracted attention in wireless communication world. More things are expected to be interconnected for improving productivity, efficiency, and increasing comforts of life. Further reduction of size, complexity, and / or power consumption of various loT devices can enable deployment of tens or even hundreds of billion loT devices for various applications and provide added value across the entire value chain. It would be impractical to power all loT devices by battery, given that a battery needs to be replaced or recharged manually, which leads to high maintenance cost, serious environmental issues, and even safety hazards for some use cases (e.g., wireless sensor in electric power and petroleum industry).

[0090] Considering limited size and complexity required by practical applications for battery-less devices with no energy storage capability or devices with limited energy storage that do not need to be replaced or recharged manually, an output power of an energy harvester is typically from 1pW to a few hundreds of piW. Existing cellular devices may not work well with energy harvesting due to their peak power consumption of higher than 10mW.

[0091] An example use case for loT is asset identification, which presently has to resort mainly to barcode and radio frequency identification (RFID) in most industries. The main advantage of these two technologies is the ultra-low complexity and small form factor of the tags. However, the limited reading range of a few meters usually requires handheld scanning which leads to labor intensive and time-consuming operations, or RFID portals and / or gates which leads to costly deployments. Moreover, lack of interference management scheme results in severe interference between RFID readers and capacity problems, especially in case of dense deployment. It may be challenging to support large- scale network with seamless coverage for RFID without new and / or improved techniques.

[0092] Therefore, there is a need for functions for an ambient loT (AIOT) compact protocol stack and a lightweight signaling procedure to enable device-originated - device-terminated triggered (DO-DTT) and DT data transmission, for example, paging, random access, data transmission, including necessary radio resource control aspects, respecting a limitation in a general scope, and / or, interactions with upper layers. Other functionalities not listed may be considered if found essential.

[0093] Generally, in an inventory procedure, an interrogator may send a query message to energize all or a subset of TAGs. Following the query message, a TAG may select a random number from 0-2AQ-1 and load a memory with that number. At each transmission of a QueiyRep, the TAG may decrement a counter until the counter reaches 0. When the counter reaches 0, the TAG may initiate a contention resolution procedure which may include transmitting a device ID in an uplink, and waiting for confirmation of the device ID in a downlink (e.g., to address possible collision between multiple devices selecting the same random number). For a device that has passed contention resolution, the interrogator may send multiple read and / or write commands, to which the TAG may respond.

[0094] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an RFID procedure in an inventory use case according to one or more embodiments. The RFID may be used for applications of asset identification. The inventory procedure from RFID is shown in the example of FIG. 2. The RFID procedure may be performed by a tag 202 and an interrogator 204. The interrogator may be a device such as a WTRU.

[0095] At 211 , the interrogator 204 transmits a select message to the tag 202.

[0096] At 212, the interrogator 204 transmits a query message to the tag 202.

[0097] At 213, the tag 202 selects a random number from 0 through (2AQ-1).

[0098] At 214-216, the interrogator 204 transmits one or more query repetition messages to the tag 202. In an example, after each query repetition message, the tag 202 decrements the random number.

[0099] At 217, tag 202 decrements the random number. In an example, the decremented random number reaches 0.

[0100] When the decremented random number reaches 0, at 218, the interrogator 204 and the tag 202 perform content resolution.

[0101] At 219, the interrogator 204 transmits one or more dedicated read / write commands and / or the tag 202 may respond to the one or more dedicated read / write commands.

[0102] At 220, the interrogator 204 transmits next query repetition message to the tag 202.

[0103] There is a need for an access procedure for the case of the second topology. In the second topology, the network interacts with the AIOT devices via an intermediate node.

[0104] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of the second topology according to one or more embodiments. The second topology illustrates a base station (BS) 302, an AIOT device 304, and an intermediate node 306.

[0105] Generally, in the second topology, the AIOT device 304 may communicate bidirectionally with the intermediate node 306 between the AIOT device 304 and the base station 302. In this topology, the intermediate node 306 may be a relay, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a WTRU, a UE, and / or a repeater, etc. which is capable of AIOT. The intermediate node 306 may transfer the information between the BS 302 and the AIOT device 304. The second topology may use Uu communication and AIOT interface communication.

[0106] In addition to the second topology, the use of a WTRU as an assisting node is considered in a third topology.

[0107] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of the third topology with downlink assistance according to one or more embodiments. The third topology with downlink assistance illustrates a BS 402, an AIOT device 404, and an assisting node 406.

[0108] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the third topology with uplink assistance according to one or more embodiments. The third topology with uplink assistance illustrates a BS 502, an AIOT device 504, and an assisting node 506.

[0109] Generally, in FIG. 4, in the third topology, the AIOT device 404 may transmit data and / or signaling to the BS 402, and may receive data and / or signaling from the assisting node 406. In an example, in FIG. 5, the AIOT device 504 may receive data and / or signaling from the BS 502 and may transmit data and / or signaling to the assisting node 506. In this topology, the assisting node may be the relay, the IAB, the WTRU, the UE, and / or the repeater, etc. which is capable of AIOT.

[0110] In an example, user equipment to network (U2N) relays may have a similar topology as that of the second topology for AIOT. Specifically, a relay node may act as an intermediate node for extending the coverage between a BS and a remote WTRU. In relays, the interface between the intermediate node (relay) and end device (remote WTRU) may be SL / PC5. On the other hand, for the second topology, the interface may be the AIOT interface.

[0111] In relaying, the remote WTRU may initiate a PC5-RRC connection with a relay WTRU as soon as the remote WTRU is out of coverage and finds a suitable relay WTRU. The setup and configuration of the PC5-RRC connection allows the remote WTRU to later access the network (e.g., when it wants to). Specifically, the relay WTRU may forward SIB to a remote WTRU to which it has a PC5-RRC connection, so the remote WTRU has the necessary system information (e.g., barring, timers, etc.) to access the cell via the relay WTRU. The relay WTRU may monitor paging onbehalf of the remote WTRU and forward the paging to the remote WTRU when received. A remote WTRU may initiate a Uu RRC connection with the network (e.g., either as a result of paging reception, or the arrival of UL data) by having the relay transparently forward RRC signaling between the remote WTRU and the network. The relay WTRU in an RRCJDLE mode and / or RRCJNACTIVE mode may be configured with one or more special triggers to move to the RRC_CONNECTED mode when the remote WTRU wants to initiate an RRC_CONNECTION mode with the network, specifically, it may be assumed that any time the remote WTRU is in the RRC_CONNECTED mode, the relay WTRU may be in the RRC_CONNECTED mode. The relay WTRU may rely on a legacy SL transmission to avoid interference with other SL WTRUs, e.g., including other relay WTRUs (e.g., Model : DCI transmissions allocating SL resources; Mode2: Sensing-based transmissions in a resource pool for collision avoidance).

[0112] As discussed herein, “reader”, intermediate WTRU, interrogator, etc. may be used interchangeably. In the second topology, the reader is a WTRU, but a reader may also be a NW node (e.g., in a first topology). Further, as discussed herein AIOT device, device, and / or TAG may be used interchangeably.

[0113] In the second topology, the WTRU may be assumed to have a role in the AIOT device configuration procedure. Specifically, the network may rely on the WTRU and / or the reader to perform inventory, and only report periodically or when results are available.

[0114] In an example, an inventory procedure for AIOT when the network directly queries the AIOT devices may follow RFID as a baseline. The RFID, however, may not define an inventory procedure that could apply to the second topology, where the intermediate WTRU may perform and / or assist in the inventory procedure. The U2N SL relay technology may be re-used to perform the inventory by the gNB by having the relay WTRU transparently forward query and response messages between the gNB and each AIOT device. However, this would require individual messages transmitted by the gNB to each AIOT device, which defeats the purpose of offloading some of the work of the inventory procedure to the intermediate nodes and is not necessary when the inventory procedure includes entirely of collecting WTRU IDs from the different devices. Furthermore, if relays are used as a baseline, each of the intermediate WTRUs may need to remain in the RRC_CONNECTED mode for the full inventory procedure, which may not be necessary (e.g., especially if the intermediate WTRU does not need to be involved).

[0115] In an implementation, one or more techniques described herein address how does the network efficiently control the inventory procedure of the AIOT devices using a number of intermediate WTRUs by ensuring: a minimum amount of Uu signaling is used considering the large number of possible AIOT devices that may need to be queried, the impact (e.g., power consumption) on the intermediate WTRU is minimized, and / or the network can adequately control which device IDs, area, etc. should be part of the inventory process.

[0116] As disclosed herein, the terms device, AIOT WTRU, and / or TAG, etc. may be used interchangeably to mean the AIOT device that is being inventoried and / or queried by the reader. As disclosed herein, the term reader may refer to the entity that queries the AIOT device, either directly, or via an intermediate WTRU in the second topology. The term reader in the second topology may also refer to the intermediate WTRU. As a result, the term reader may refer to a network node or a WTRU, depending on the context and / or the topology. As disclosed herein, the terms reader, network, intermediate WTRU, may be referred to interchangeably to mean the reader.

[0117] In this disclosure, the inventory may refer to the overall procedure of the reader triggering access by multiple devices using a sequence of message transmissions via the AIOT interface (e.g., similar to query, followed by query repin the RFID etc.). Specifically, the inventory procedure may refer to a single round of attempts to have each device respond or attempt to respond with its access ID, or perform a RACH procedure. Specifically, the inventory procedure may refer to a set of access occasions which may have 0 or at least 1 device respond within the access occasion. The inventory procedure may occur similar to a legacy RFID procedure. Although referred to herein as an inventory procedure, it may be referenced differently in device requirements or specifications (e.g., query procedure, paging procedure, etc.).

[0118] In this disclosure, an occasion may refer to the opportunity for device transmission that may be delimited by the transmission of a query rep message (or similar). Specifically, a device may perform transmission in an occasion by performing an AIOT transmission in a defined time following the query rep associated with that transmission. In an example, an occasion may comprise of both a time aspect and a frequency aspect. Specifically, a device may determine an occasion as a transmission following a specific query rep, and by transmitting on one of a number of frequencies (e.g., FDM). Wherever approaches indicate selection of an occasion, they may apply equivalently to selection of only a time component and / or selection of a frequency component.

[0119] As described herein, depending on the scenario or description, any reference to time may be associated with an absolute time measurement (e.g., seconds, slots, frames, etc.). Alternatively, it may refer to a number of executions of a procedure, possibly triggered by a reader (e.g., number of inventory procedures and / or number of accesses or RACH procedures etc.). Alternatively, it may refer to a number of messages, possiblyofa specific type, and / or containing specific information, as described herein, received or transmitted.

[0120] In some cases, as described herein, the WTRU may be the intermediate node in the second topology or the third topology of AIOT. However, it may be extended to a case where the WTRU is a WTRU to NW relay. Concepts may be generalized to the case where the WTRU transparently forwards information between the NW and the remote WTRU using the SDT on the Uu link. Specifically, the second topology for AIOT may be replaced with an architecture where the remote WTRU communicates with the network node via the WTRU to NW relay, where the communication between the relay WTRU and the remote WTRU is sidelink, and the communication between the relay WTRU and the network is Uu. When referencing properties of the AIOT interface herein, it is intended that one or more (e.g., most) properties may be extended to the SL interface. Specifically, a property on the AIOT interface mentioned herein (e.g., congestion) may have an equivalent or similar counterpart on the SL interface and techniques herein may be extendible to SL assuming such counterpart.

[0121] In one or more examples herein, there may be a focus on communication by the WTRU (e.g., intermediate WTRU) with a device while the WTRU is in the RRCJDLE mode and / or the RRCJNACTIVE mode in order to make use of the SDT on the Uu interface. However, the behaviors associated with the WTRU’s transmission on the AIOT interface may be applicable to an intermediate WTRU in any RRC state.

[0122] In some cases, the WTRU may receive configuration information (e.g., procedure configuration). The configuration information may be received in a DL RRC message, system information, and / or a control channel message etc. For example, the WTRU may receive configuration information in a release to an inactive state (e.g., RRC release). For example, the WTRU may receive the configuration information in a system information message (e.g., SIB, MIB, etc.).

[0123] The WTRU may further trigger one or more AIOT transmissions upon reception of a message that includes configuration information. For example, the WTRU may trigger the AIOT inventory procedure upon reception of an RRC reconfiguration message that includes AIOT-specific configuration. For example, the WTRU may trigger the AIOT inventory procedure upon reception of a release message that includes the AIOT-specific configuration.

[0124] Generally, the configuration information may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: configuration elements or conditions that control whether and / or when to trigger the inventory procedure, contents (e.g., partial or full) of messages to be transmitted on the AIOT interface, and / or an indication of the type of message, and / or a type of behavior on the AIOT interface associated with each message (e.g., a command type). The configuration information may include zone configuration information and timer configuration information.

[0125] For configuration elements and / or conditions that control whether and / or when to trigger the inventory procedure, there may be one or more examples, such as but not limited to, the WTRU may receive a list of device IDs, zone IDs, and / or conditions, etc. that trigger connection establishment and / or resume. The WTRU may receive any of the thresholds and / or timers (e.g., in the timer configuration information), etc. disclosed herein. The WTRU may receive the time to be respected between successive transmissions over the AIOT interface and / or the time between reception and the next transmission or vice versa.

[0126] For contents (e.g., partial or full) of messages to be transmitted on the AIOT interface, there may be one or more examples, such as but not limited to depending on the message type, the WTRU may determine whether to transmit the full message or add specific elements to the message. The WTRU may receive, in the configuration, the contents of the messages to be transmitted on the AIOT interface. In such a case, this may include the full message. In an example, this may include part of the message, and the WTRU may include other elements (e.g., the device ID) from other messages (e.g., received from the device).

[0127] For an indication of the type of message, and / or a type of behavior on the AIOT interface associated with each message (e.g., a command type), there may be one or more examples of what is included, such as but not limited to whether to include the device ID with the message or not, whether to expect a response from the message and if so, for how long to wait before performing a retransmission, and / or the number of times to repeat the same message, possibly with a different device ID received from the AIOT interface in another message.

[0128] In some cases, paging for AIOT may be triggered with paging DCI. The WTRU may receive the paging message that triggers the AIOT inventory procedure. For example, the WTRU, upon reception of the paging message with a specific indication, may trigger a procedure of querying one or more AIOT devices by performing transmission of one or more messages.

[0129] In one approach, reception of the paging message may initiate the inventory procedure that is configured at the WTRU (e.g., either in system information, control information, and / or in dedicated RRC configuration received, for example, in a release message). The indication to start the inventory procedure may be received in a paging DCI (e.g., a specific bit in the paging DCI). The WTRU may initiate the inventory procedure previously upon reception of the paging DCI.

[0130] For example, the WTRU may initiate such a procedure when it is capable of serving as the AIOT reader. In another example, the WTRU may initiate such a procedure when the cell indicates the procedure should be initiated(e.g. , based on SIB). For example, the WTRU may initiate such a procedure when dedicated configuration at the WTRU (e.g., provided to the WTRU in INACTIVE) indicates the procedure should be initiated.

[0131] Similarly, the paging DCI may be used to terminate, interrupt, and / or change a current ongoing inventory procedure. For example, a separate bit in the paging DCI may be used for indication of starting, stopping, and / or interrupting the inventory procedure. If the WTRU currently has an ongoing inventory procedure, and receives the paging DCI with a terminate indication, it may stop transmitting and / or receiving AIOT messages to / from AIOT devices.

[0132] In another approach, the paging DCI may be used to trigger the reporting of query results (e.g., IDs of one or more devices) collected by the WTRU. For example, the WTRU may trigger the inventory procedure periodically or based on the NW trigger. If the WTRU has collected valid query data from the AIOT devices, and the WTRU receives the paging DCI indicating to report the data, the WTRU may report its queried data (e.g., a list of device IDs) to the network. The WTRU may report the data by triggering a connection establishment and / or resume, as described herein. The conditions for when to report queried device data may further be configured (e.g., in configuration information as disclosed herein).

[0133] In some cases, paging for the AIOT inventory may be triggered using the paging message. In one approach, paging initiation may be provided by the indication in the paging message.

[0134] For example, the paging message may include an explicit indication to initiate the inventory procedure. If the WTRU receives the paging message with the indication to initiate paging, the WTRU may start the inventory procedure. Such an inventory procedure may be configured (e.g., the SIB, the dedicated configuration, and / or the like as described herein).

[0135] In another example, the paging message may include a list of WTRU IDs (e.g., S-TMSI and / or l-RNTI etc.) that may initiate the inventory procedure. Specifically, the paging message may include a new list of “inventoried IDs”, where the inclusion of the WTRU’s ID in the list indicates the WTRU should initiate the paging message. Specifically, if the WTRU receives the paging message with its paging ID included in the inventoried list, the WTRU may initiate the inventory procedure.

[0136] In another example, the paging message may include a list of WTRU IDs (e.g., S-TMSI and / or l-RNTI etc.) that may trigger reporting of inventory results. For example, if the WTRU receives the paging message with its WTRU ID in the list of WTRU IDs for reporting, the WTRU may trigger a report of the query results to the network (e.g., via a resume or connection establishment).

[0137] In another example, the paging message may contain both a query WTRU ID and a report WTRU ID. If the WTRU is paged and its WTRU ID is in both the query ID and the report ID, the WTRU may initiate the inventory procedure, and upon completion of the inventory procedure, may trigger reporting to the network.

[0138] In some cases, paging for AIOT inventory may be triggered by a system information change. As described herein, system information, SIB, and / or MIB may be interchangeable. In one approach, the AIOT inventory procedure may be triggered in one or more WTRUs based on a change in the SIB. Specifically, a WTRU may use a condition of a SIB change, possibly in addition to having valid configuration information, to trigger the inventory procedure.

[0139] In one example, the WTRU may trigger the AIOT inventory procedure upon a SIB change. Specifically, upon any SIB change, the WTRU may trigger the inventory procedure.

[0140] In another example, the SIB may include a counter or identifier specific to the AIOT procedure. For example, upon a change of an AIOT-specific counter value, the WTRU may trigger the AIOT inventory procedure. For example, if the AIOT-specific identifier is set, the WTRU may trigger the AIOT inventory procedure.

[0141] In another example, the WTRU may trigger the AIOT inventory procedure upon a change in a configuration parameter, such as a set of device IDs, a set of zones to be inventoried, etc. as described herein.

[0142] In some cases, the paging and / or the SIB may select one of multiple configurations for the AIOT inventory and / or reporting. In one approach, the WTRU may be provided multiple configurations for inventory and / or reporting configuration. For example, the WTRU may be provided in the RRC dedicated signaling during a release procedure, multiple configurations, possibly associated with an index. For example, the WTRU may be provided with the same in the SIB. The WTRU may receive the paging which initiates the inventory procedure or the inventory reporting procedure. The WTRU may further receive, in the paging message, a specific index for the configuration or reporting. The WTRU, upon reception of paging with a specific index, may apply the inventory procedure or inventory reporting procedure using the configuration associated with the received index. Similarly, the WTRU may receive a configuration index for inventory or reporting in the SIB, and may apply the configuration associated with the index.

[0143] In some cases, the WTRU may determine whether to use a specific configuration (e.g., the SIB, dedicated, or the like as described herein).

[0144] In an example, the WTRU may determine whether to use configuration in the SIB and / or rely on dedicated signaling configuration (e.g., the RRC and the DCI, etc.) for initiation and / or performing the inventory procedure, possibly following the SIB-based or paging-based trigger. Specifically, if the WTRU determines to use the SIB, the WTRU may use the configuration of the inventory procedure that is broadcast in the SIB. In such a case, the WTRU that has stored an inventory configuration information (e.g., received in the RRC release message to INACTIVE) may release such configuration (e.g., the WTRU may delete the configuration information it had stored when it received that configuration). Alternatively, such a WTRU may maintain the dedicated configuration while still performing the inventory procedure using the SIB configuration.

[0145] If the WTRU determines to use dedicated configuration for the inventory procedure, the WTRU may use the dedicated configuration stored in the RRCJNACTIVE state, for example. Alternatively, determining to use dedicated configuration may include triggering connection establishment or resume procedure to request or obtain the dedicated configuration, and / or perform the inventory procedure while in the RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0146] In any case described herein, the WTRU may determine to use a specific type of configuration (e.g., SIB, dedicated, etc.) based on one or more of the following: availability of the configuration, the RRC state of the WTRU, a number of AIOT devices, a location of the WTRU, mobility of the WTRU, a capability of the WTRU, and / or contents of the configuration message (e.g., type).

[0147] Regarding the availability of configuration, in one example, the WTRU that does not have a stored dedicated configuration may rely on the SIB configuration. In another example, the WTRU that does not have a stored dedicated configuration may trigger the RRC connection establishment and / or resume, possibly if the configuration in the SIB does not have the full inventory information, for example.

[0148] Regarding the RRC state of the WTRU, in one example, the WTRU in the RRCJDLE state may always initiate the RRC_CONNECTION to acquire dedicated RRC configuration for the inventory procedure. On the other hand, the WTRU in the RRCJNACTIVE state may initiate inventory procedure from the SIB configuration alone.

[0149] Regarding a number of the AIOT devices, in one example, the WTRU may use the SIB configuration if the number of AIOT devices to be inventoried is below a threshold (e.g., provided by the NW in the release and / or based on WTRU capability, etc.).

[0150] Regarding the location of the WTRU, in one example, the WTRU may obtain the zone configuration information including location information associated with the SIB configuration (e.g., a list of zones). If the WTRU is located within one of the zones configured in the SIB, the WTRU may apply the SIB configuration, otherwise, it may initiate connection establishment and / or apply dedicated configuration.

[0151] Regarding the mobility of the WTRU, in one example, the WTRU may initiate a resume or connection establishment procedure if the inventory procedure is triggered and the WTRU has moved to a different cell, zone, and / or RAN area, etc. In another example, the WTRU with a dedicated configuration may use the configuration as long as it remains within the same cell, zone, and / or RAN area, etc. Otherwise, the WTRU may use the SIB configuration to perform inventory. Such WTRU may possibly obtain new dedicated configuration before, during, or after the inventory procedure (e.g., during the reporting of the inventory results).

[0152] Regarding the capability of the WTRU, in one example, the WTRU may initiate a resume or connection establishment procedure if the configuration provided in the SIB exceeds the capabilities of the WTRU or any AIOT devices that communicate with the WTRU.

[0153] Regarding the contents of the SIB, in one example, the WTRU may initiate a resume or connection establishment procedure if the SIB is missing some configuration elements to perform and / or complete the inventory procedure. For instance, if the SIB does not include a list of device IDs to be queried, if the SIB does not include configuration information of one or more resources to be used for the inventory procedure, and / or if the SIB does not include configuration information for the sequencing of the inventory procedure (e.g., the time and / or frequency resources to be used by each intermediate WTRU, the set of commands, etc.).

[0154] In an example, the WTRU may obtain a portion of its inventory configuration information from the SIB and a portion from dedicated configuration. If the WTRU moves to a different cell (e.g., cell reselection) and the new cell does not broadcast the configuration elements the WTRU had previously received in dedicated configuration, the WTRU may initiate a connection establishment or resume procedure.

[0155] In one or more examples, the WTRU may determine whether to trigger the RRC connection establishment based on one or more conditions. Specifically, the WTRU may be configured with conditions on whether to trigger the RRC connection establishment or resume procedure. In one example, such conditions may be evaluated at the trigger of the inventory procedure (e.g., based on the paging trigger, the SIB trigger, and / or the periodic trigger described herein, etc.). In one example, such conditions may be evaluated at the completion (e.g., successful, unsuccessful) of the inventory procedure. For instance, they may relate to the results of the inventory procedure. In one example, such conditions may be evaluated during the execution of the inventory procedure, for instance, between subsequent messages, during the reception of a response, etc. In one example, such conditions may be evaluated at the trigger ofthe inventory procedure, but connection establishment or resume may occur during the execution of the inventory procedure, or at completion of the inventory procedure.

[0156] The WTRU may determine whether to trigger the RRC connection establishment or resume based on one or more of the following conditions: contents of the paging message, mobility event, failure to obtain an expected response from a device, based on the received WTRU IDs during query of devices (e.g., an unexpected device), based on received messages (e.g., data) from a device, configured duration of time, and / or availability of stored configuration or configuration in SIB etc.

[0157] In an example, the contents of the paging message may determine an action taken by the WTRU (e.g., triggering the RRC connection establishment or resume, etc.). The WTRU may determine whether to trigger the RRC connection establishment or resume based on the contents of the paging message, possibly in conjunction with the paging DCI. In one example, the combination of the DCI indication, information in the paging message, and stored configuration information may be used to determine the RRC connection establishment and / or resume behavior.

[0158] In an example, if the indication in the DCI is received alone, the WTRU may trigger the RRC connection establishment and / or resume if the WTRU has a complete configuration stored and / or the WTRU is located in a specific zone.

[0159] In an example, if the indication in the DCI is received and the WTRU ID is contained in the paging message indicating the WTRU is involved in the paging inventory, the WTRU may initiate connection establishment and / or resume, possibly if the WTRU does not have a complete configuration stored.

[0160] In an example, if the indication in the DCI is received and the WTRU ID is in the paging message, the WTRU may initiate connection establishment for reporting after the current inventory procedure is completed.

[0161] In an example, if the indication in the DCI is received and the location and / or zone in which the WTRU is currently located is in the paging message, the WTRU may initiate connection establishment and / or resume for reporting following completion of the inventory procedure.

[0162] In an example, a mobility event may determine an action taken by the WTRU (e.g., triggering the RRC connection establishment and / or resume, etc.). For example, if the WTRU is configured with a stored inventory configuration information and performs cell selection (or reselection), the WTRU may trigger the connection establishment and / or resume if it selects (or reselects) a different cell.

[0163] In an example, if the WTRU is performing the inventory procedure (e.g., is currently awaiting a response from the AIOT device, or has some AIOT transmissions pending, etc.), the WTRU may trigger a connection establishment and / or resume if it selects (or reselects) a different cell.

[0164] In an example, if the WTRU changes zone, possibly during the execution of the inventory procedure, the WTRU may trigger the connection establishment and / or resume.

[0165] In an example, if the WTRU changes from a zone that is included in the set of zones signaled to perform the inventory procedure, to a zone that is not signaled to perform the inventory procedure, or vice versa, possibly while performing the inventory procedure, or while configured with a stored configuration to perform the inventory procedure, the WTRU may trigger connection establishment and / or resume.

[0166] In an example, a failure in the inventory procedure may determine an action taken by the WTRU (e.g., triggering the RRC connection establishment or resume, etc.). For example, if the WTRU fails to receive a response toa message transmitted to the AIOT device, the WTRU may trigger the connection establishment and / or resume procedure either at the end of the inventory procedure, or at the failure.

[0167] In an example, if the WTRU detects contention between the AIOT devices, contention between itself and another AIOT device, and / or contention between itself and another intermediate WTRU, the WTRU may trigger connection establishment and / or resume.

[0168] In one case, receiving the message with the WTRU ID may determine an action taken by the WTRU (e.g., triggering the RRC connection establishment and / or resume, etc.). For example, if the WTRU receives one or more WTRU IDs configured by the network, it may trigger connection establishment and / or resume at the reception of a message on the AIOT interface containing the WTRU ID or at the end of the inventory procedure.

[0169] In an example, if the set of WTRU IDs received in the inventory procedure by the WTRU from the devices is different than the list of devices previously received (e.g., possibly in a previous inventory procedure, possibly over a preconfigured time period), for example, one or more new WTRU IDs is received which had not been received before, one or more WTRU ID that was previously received have not been received, the number of WTRU IDs received is larger than the previously received, possibly by at least a threshold, and / or, the number of WTRU IDs received is smaller than the previously received, possibly by at least a threshold etc.

[0170] In an example, receiving a specific type of message may determine an action taken by the WTRU (e.g., triggering the RRC connection establishment or resume, etc.). For example, if the WTRU receives one or more message types (e.g., identified by a control element in the AIOT transmission), message contents (e.g., assuming some parts of the message are decoded by the AIOT device, etc., the WTRU may trigger an RRC connection establishment and / or resume. For example, the WTRU may trigger connection establishment if the message from the device is an indication that the responding device requires charging, an indication that the responding device is not capable of performing a configured or requested query, and / or indication that the responding device has new data to transmit etc.

[0171] In an example, if the WTRU determines that the received power associated with a message from the AIOT device meets one or more criteria (e.g., below a threshold, etc.), the WTRU may initiate the connection establishment and / or resume.

[0172] In an example, a duration of time may determine an action taken by the WTRU (e.g., triggering the RRC connection establishment or resume, etc.). For example, the WTRU may initiate the connection establishment and / or resume procedure for a configured period of time following the initiation of the inventory procedure or any step, message, and / or event associated with the inventory procedure.

[0173] In an example, receiving a specific control information element in a message (e.g., a cause value) may determine an action taken by the WTRU (e.g., triggering the RRC connection establishment and / or resume, etc.). The WTRU that triggers connection establishment and / or resume may indicate the reason for such connection establishment and / or resume using a cause value of similar control IE (e.g., in RRC message and / or MAC CE, etc.). For example, the WTRU may indicate that the inventory procedure was completed successfully using a dedicated cause value. For example, the WTRU may indicate that the inventory procedure failed or was interrupted due to an error using a dedicated cause value. For example, the WTRU may indicate any of the reasons above for the initiation of the connection and / or resume using a dedicated cause value.

[0174] In an example, there may be location-based control of a procedure related to an AIOT device (e.g., an inventory procedure). The inventory procedure may be configured and / or controlled based on an area specific to AIOT inventory.

[0175] In an example, an area may be configured similarly to a RAN area. Specifically, each cell may broadcast an area ID that corresponds to an area and the WTRU is considered to be located within an area if it is camped on a cell that broadcasts that area ID. Alternatively, each cell may broadcast a list of cells associated with an area, and a WTRU is considered to be in an area if it is camped on one of the cells associated with the area.

[0176] In an example, an area may be configured (e.g., in the zone configuration information) similarly to zones in sidelink (e.g., LTE, NR, etc.). For example, the network may broadcast (e.g., in the zone configuration information) a zone size (e.g., width and / or height) and / or a number of zones. The WTRU may compute its zone ID based on its geolocation information and a modulo operation with the zone size and / or number of zones.

[0177] In an example, the WTRU may be triggered to report its location upon the connection establishment and / or resume procedure. The WTRU may trigger the connection establishment and / or resume upon a change in the location, possibly by a threshold (e.g., moves by a number of zones). Reporting a location to the network may allow the network to configure the WTRU in the IDLE and / or INACTIVE with an appropriate inventory configuration information and / or timer configuration information.

[0178] In an example, the WTRU may be configured to trigger the inventory procedure based on its current location. In one example, the WTRU may triggerthe inventory procedure only when the WTRU is located within a specific location. For example, the paging message may contain a zone ID to indicate that inventory should be triggered only for a specific location. The WTRU that receives paging containing the zone ID may compare the zone ID to its current location. If one or more zone IDs in the paging message matches the WTRU’s own zone ID, the WTRU may initiate the inventory procedure. In another example, the zone IDs for which the inventory should be triggered may be configured in the SIB. Specifically, upon the SIB change, the WTRU may read the zone IDs in the SIB, and if one of the zone IDs matches the WTRU’s current location and / or the WTRU may trigger the inventory procedure etc.

[0179] In an example, the configuration of the inventory procedure may be specific to its location. Specifically, the WTRU may be provided (e.g., in the SIB, etc.) with certain configuration parameters for the inventory that are specific to location (e.g., in the form of the zone ID and the corresponding inventory configuration, or in the form of the zone ID and corresponding configuration index that may map to a configuration).

[0180] In an example, the WTRU may be configured to trigger the inventory reporting based on its current location. For example, the WTRU may trigger the inventory reporting only when the WTRU is located within a specific location. For example, the paging message may contain a zone ID to indicate that the inventory should be triggered only for a specific location. The WTRU that receives paging containing the zone ID may compare the zone ID to its current location. If one or more zone ID in the paging message matches the WTRU’s own zone ID, the WTRU may initiate reporting of inventory results. In another example, the zone IDs for which inventory reporting should be triggered may be configured in the SIB. Specifically, upon the SIB change, the WTRU may read the zone IDs in the SIB, and if one of the zone IDs matches the WTRU’s current location, the WTRU may trigger the inventory reporting.

[0181] In an example, the configuration of the inventory reporting may be specific to location and the WTRU may be provided with the reporting configuration (e.g., a periodicity, a number of devices to report, etc.) for each zone.

[0182] In an example, the WTRU may consider one or more elements of the inventory configuration to be invalidated when the location changes. For example, when changing from one zone to another, the WTRU may release one or more configuration element associated with the inventory procedure, or may initiate the RRC connection or resume procedure upon the trigger of the inventory procedure (e.g., as a result of paging).

[0183] In an example, there may be a time-based control of a procedure related to an AIOT device (e.g., the inventory procedure). In one case, the WTRU may be configured with a period of time (e.g., a time window, e.g., an NR slot and / or frame for starting time, a duration, etc.) for performing the inventory procedure. For example, the WTRU may receive a relative time or time offset from a specific event (e.g., SIB change, paging message, etc.), possibly where such event may have triggered the inventory. The WTRU may receive such configuration in the SIB, dedicated signaling, and / or paging message, etc., or a combination thereof.

[0184] The WTRU may determine the offset implicitly and / or implicitly with some explicit information or behavior. Time-based control may avoid overlap between the AIOT transmissions performed by different intermediate WTRUs. For example, the WTRU may use any of the following configuration elements to determine the starting time, duration, ending time, etc. of a given procedure: the paging occasion where the inventory paging start indication was received (e.g., the WTRU may start inventory at the slot or frame following the paging occasion where the WTRU received the paging); the frame of subframe where SIB change was detected by the WTRU, leading to initiation of the inventory procedure (e.g., the WTRU may start the inventory at the slot or frame following the SIB change that initiated the inventory procedure); the WTRU ID (e.g., the WTRU may determine a starting time as a function of its WTRU ID; e.g., the WTRU may initiate the inventory procedure at a frame or slot which is a function (e.g., SFN and offset modulo WTRU ID) where the offset may be configured by the network); the cell ID (e.g., the WTRU may determine a starting time as a function of the cell ID; e.g., the WTRU may initiate the inventory procedure at an offset of a determined time, such as the paging occasion of the WTRU, where the offset may be given by the cell ID or a function of the cell ID); explicit value or sequence number configured by the network (e.g., the WTRU may use a sequence number configured by the NW to determine the instance of a certain event, such as SFN number modulo x, where x is a configured value, for which the WTRU will determine the starting time; and / or, the number of previously reported WTRU IDs.

[0185] In an example, for the number of previously reported WTRU IDs, the WTRU may determine a maximum duration for the inventory procedure (e.g., maximum time before the WTRU initiates the RRC connection establishment or resume) as a function of the duration taken for the previous inventory procedures, possibly reported to the network with the results in the previous procedure. For example, this may be a timer value run at the WTRU that is started upon transmission of a first message on the AIOT interface, and stopped upon initiation of the connection establishment and / or resume, for example. For example, the timer may represent the time between any two message transmissions or receptions on the AIOT interface or the Uu interface.

[0186] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a WTRU performing a procedure according to one or more embodiments.

[0187] Generally, the WTRU (e.g., intermediate WTRU) may perform the AIOT related procedure (e.g., inventory) upon reception of a specific type of message (e.g., group-based paging trigger). This may be based on the WTRU’s location within a configured area grid and / or a configured set of WTRU IDs.

[0188] At 610, the WTRU may receive one or more configuration messages, each of which includes configuration information. For example, the WTRU may receive the SIB message with configuration information of zones defined bya geolocation grid (e.g., LTE zones in SL and / or NR zones in SL, etc.). The WTRU (e.g., also) may receive (e.g., in the release message to the RRCJNACTIVE state) configuration information for the AIOT related procedure.

[0189] In an example, the WTRU may receive the configuration for the execution of the procedure, such as: time and / or frequency resource configuration, number of occasions (e.g., configuration includes Q and number of occasions may be 2AQ, configuration for additional occasions in case of collision, etc.), and / or contents of a query message etc. The WTRU may also receive the list of device IDs to allow and / or exclude for the procedure. The WTRU may also receive a timer (e.g., in the timer configuration information) for non-repetition of a redundant procedure. The WTRU may also receive a time offset from the reception of the paging to initiate the procedure.

[0190] At 620, the WTRU may receive the paging message indicating the start of the inventory procedure, the paging message including the indication of relevant zones.

[0191] In an example, the paging message may include a bitmask of the zone IDs for which inventory should be triggered. At 630, if the received inventory configuration meets the criteria for triggering the inventory procedure (e.g., the WTRU’s current zone is one of the zones indicated in the paging message and / or if the WTRU has not performed an inventory for the configured list of device IDs for a period of time which is larger than the configured non-repetition timer etc.), then the WTRU may perform the inventory procedure. The inventory procedure may include but is not limited to one or more of the following: transmit, on the AIOT interface, a set of specified messages (e.g., select, query, query rep, etc.); receive, on the AIOT interface, in response to the messages, the WTRU ID from each responding AIOT device; trigger, upon completion of the inventory procedure (e.g., number of occasions has occurred, N[configurable] inventory procedures, etc.), the resume procedure indicating a new cause value indicating reporting of AIOT inventory results; and / or send the results after reception of a grant from the network (e.g., list of device IDs received during the inventory procedure) etc.

[0192] As described herein, a higher layer may refer to one or more layers in a protocol stack, or a specific sublayer within the protocol stack. The protocol stack may comprise of one or more layers in a WTRU or a network node (e.g., eNB, gNB, other functional entity, etc.), where each layer may have one or more sublayers. Each layer / sublayer may be responsible for one or more functions. Each layer / sublayer may communicate with one or more of the other layers / sublayers, directly or indirectly. In some cases, these layers may be numbered, such as Layer 1 , Layer 2, and Layer 3. For example, Layer 3 may comprise of one or more of the following: Non-Access Stratum (NAS), Internet Protocol (IP), and / or Radio Resource Control (RRC). For example, Layer 2 may comprise of one or more of the following: Packet Data Convergence Control (PDCP), Radio Link Control (RLC), and / or Medium Access Control (MAC). For example, Layer 3 may comprise of physical (PHY) layer type operations. The greater the number of the layer, the higher it is relative to other layers (e.g., Layer 3 is higher than Layer 1). In some cases, the aforementioned examples may be called layers / sublayers themselves irrespective of layer number, and may be referred to as a higher layer as described herein. For example, from highest to lowest, a higher layer may refer to one or more of the following layers / sublayers: a NAS layer, a RRC layer, a PDCP layer, a RLC layer, a MAC layer, and / or a PHY layer. Any reference herein to a higher layer in conjunction with a process, device, or system will refer to a layer that is higher than the layer of the process, device, or system. In some cases, reference to a higher layer herein may refer to a function or operation performed by one or more layers described herein. In some cases, reference to a high layer herein may refer to information that issent or received by one or more layers described herein. In some cases, reference to a higher layer herein may refer to a configuration that is sent and / or received by one or more layers described herein.

[0193] Although features and elements are described above in particular combinations (e.g., embodiments, methods, examples, etc.), one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with the other features and elements. For example, as disclosed herein there may be a method described in association with a figure for illustrative purposes, and one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that one or more features or elements from this method may be used alone or in combination with one or more features from another method described elsewhere. A symbol ‘I’ (e.g., forward slash) may be used herein to represent ‘and / or’, where for example, ‘A / B’ may imply ‘A and / or B’. As used herein, ‘a’ and ‘an’ and similar phrases are to be interpreted as ‘one or more’ and ‘at least one’. Similarly, any term which ends with the suffix ‘(s)’ is to be interpreted as ‘one or more’ and ‘at least one’. The term ‘may’ is to be interpreted as ‘may, for example’ or indicate that something "does happen" or "can happen". In addition, the methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted over wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), a randomaccess memory (RAM), a register, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks, and digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor in association with software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

[0194] As disclosed herein, ‘a’ and ‘an’ and similar phrases are to be interpreted as ‘one or more’ and ‘at least one’. Similarly, any term which ends with the suffix ‘(s)’ is to be interpreted as ‘one or more’ and ‘at least one’. The term ‘may’ is to be interpreted as ‘may, for example’. A symbol ‘I’ (e.g., forward slash) as used herein, unless otherwise indicated, represents ‘and / or’, where for example, ‘A / B’ may imply ‘A and / or B'.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is Claimed:

1. A method performed by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising: receiving zone configuration information indicative of one or more zones and timer configuration information indicative of at least one of: an offset time duration or a non-repetition time duration; receiving inventory configuration information indicative of at least one of: one or more resources or a set of ambient internet of things (AIOT) device identifiers; receiving a paging message indicative of triggering an inventory procedure for a zone of the one or more zones; initializing, upon receiving the paging message, an offset timer based on the offset time duration; performing an inventory procedure upon expiry of the offset timer; generating, based on the inventory procedure, an inventory result comprising at least one AIOT device identifier of the set of AIOT device identifiers; and transmitting the inventory result based on the one or more resources.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the inventory procedure comprises: identifying a set of AIOT devices in the zone; transmitting, via an AIOT interface, one or more query messages to the set of AIOT devices; and receiving, via the AIOT interface, one or more response messages from at least one AIOT device of the set of AIOT devices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more response messages include the at least one AIOT device identifier associated with the at least one AIOT device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the inventory configuration information is further indicative of one or more AIOT devices from the set of AIOT devices excluded from the inventory procedure.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: initializing, upon transmitting the inventory result, a non-repetition timer based on the timer configuration information; and upon expiry of the non-repetition timer, monitoring for the paging message indicative of triggering the inventory procedure.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the paging message includes a bitmask of one or more zone identifiers associated with the zone.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inventory configuration information includes a plurality of occasions.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: performing the inventory procedure on each of the plurality of occasions.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the zone configuration information and the inventory configuration information are received from a base station using a radio resource control (RRC) message.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the zone configuration information is further indicative of one or more geolocation grids associated with the one or more zones.

11. A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) comprising: a transceiver; and a processor, wherein the transceiver and the processor are configured to: receive zone configuration information indicative of one or more zones and timer configuration information indicative of at least one of: an offset time duration or a non-repetition time duration, receive inventory configuration information indicative of at least one of: one or more resources or a set of ambient internet of things (AIOT) device identifiers, receive a paging message indicative of triggering an inventory procedure for a zone of the one or more zones, initialize, upon receiving the paging message, an offset timer based on the offset time duration, perform an inventory procedure upon expiry of the offset timer, generate, based on the inventory procedure, an inventory result comprising at least one AIOT device identifier of the set of AIOT device identifiers, and transmit the inventory result based on the one or more resources.

12. The WTRU of claim 11 , wherein performing the inventory procedure comprises: identifying a set of AIOT devices in the zone, transmitting, via an AIOT interface, one or more query messages to the set of AIOT devices, and receiving, via the AIOT interface, one or more response messages from at least one AIOT device of the set of AIOT devices.

13. The WTRU of claim 12, wherein the one or more response messages include the at least one AIOT device identifier associated with the at least one AIOT device.

14. The WTRU of claim 12, wherein the inventory configuration information is further indicative of one or more AIOT devices from the set of AIOT devices excluded from the inventory procedure.

15. The WTRU of claim 11 , wherein the transceiver and the processor are further configured to: initialize, upon transmitting the inventory result, a non-repetition timer based on the timer configuration information, and upon expiry of the non-repetition timer, monitor for the paging message indicative of triggering the inventory procedure.

16. The WTRU of claim 11 , wherein the paging message includes a bitmask of one or more zone identifiers associated with the zone.

17. The WTRU of claim 11 , wherein the inventory configuration information includes a plurality of occasions.

18. The WTRU of claim 17, wherein the transceiver and the processor are further configured to: perform the inventory procedure on each of the plurality of occasions.

19. The WTRU of claim 11 , wherein the zone configuration information and the inventory configuration information are received from a base station using a radio resource control (RRC) message.

20. The WTRU of claim 11 , wherein the zone configuration information is further indicative of one or more geolocation grids associated with the one or more zones.

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