Methods for ambient-IOT function / controller and reader selection

Abstract

Described herein are one or more devices, methods, and / or systems, implementing approaches for ambient internet-of-things (AIoT) functionality and management. For example, there may be methods for AIOT function / controller and reader selection. A 5GC may determine multiple AIoT functions / readers that might serve a target device's potential areas / locations, based on an application function (AF) input and / or network analytics. If one AIoT function fails to reach the device, it may forward the request to other AIoT functions to re-attempt the delivery of the request.

Description

METHODS FOR AMBIENT-IOT FUNCTION / CONTROLLER AND READER SELECTIONCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 574,653 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on April 4, 2024, the entire content of which being incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth below in its entirety and for all applicable purposes.BACKGROUND

[0002] Internet of Things (loT) devices are physical devices that may be embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies depending on the use case. The devices may connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over a network. These devices may range from everyday objects such as household appliances, wearables, and industrial machinery to more specialized equipment like environmental sensors and smart city infrastructure. These devices may collect, transmit, and / or receive data, allowing them to monitor, control, and / or automate various aspects of our environment to enhance efficiency, convenience, and productivity. An Ambient loT (AloT) device is an loT device powered by energy harvesting, with limited energy storage capability.SUMMARY

[0003] Described herein are one or more devices, methods, and / or systems, implementing approaches for AloT functionality and management. For example, there may be methods for AloT function / controller and reader selection. A 5GC may determine multiple AloT functions / readers that might serve a target device’s potential areas / locations, based on an application function (AF) input and / or network analytics. If one AloT function fails to reach the device, it may forward the request to other AloT functions to re-attempt the delivery of the request.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] 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:

[0005] FIG. 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented;

[0006] 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;

[0007] FIG. 1 C 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. 1 A according to an embodiment;

[0008] 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;

[0009] FIG. 2 is a block diagram which illustrates an example system architecture according to one or more techniques described herein;

[0010] FIGS. 3A and 3B are a message sequence chart which illustrates example of attempted multiple AloT Functions for AF-initiated request delivery;

[0011] FIGS. 4A and 4B are a message sequence chart which illustrates another example of attempted multiple AloT Functions for AF-initiated request delivery;

[0012] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example procedure where an AloT AF may initiate request forwarding; and

[0013] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating another example procedure where an AloT AF may initiate request forwarding.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] One or more of the following acronyms and / or abbreviations may be used herein: 5G Core Network (5GC), 5G System (5GS), Ambient-power enabled loT (AloT), Application Function (AF), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), AloT Function (AloTF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Global Positioning System (GPS), Generic Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI), Internet of Things (loT), Non-Access Stratum (NAS), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Network Function (NF), Next Generation (NG), Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF), Network Repository Function (NRF), Release-19 (R-19), Radio Access Network (RAN), Tracking Area Identity (TAI), Unified Data Management (UDM), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Device-originated - autonomous (DO-A), Device-originated - device-terminated triggered (DO-DTT), Device-terminated (DT), Intermediate Node UE (IN-UE).

[0015] 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.

[0016] 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 (CN) 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 (ST A), may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (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.

[0017] 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, 1 14b 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.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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).

[0020] 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 1 16 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).

[0021] 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 establishthe air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE- Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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).

[0024] 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 1 X, 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.

[0025] The base station 114b in FIG. 1 A may be a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a roadway, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG. 1A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 1 10. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106.

[0026] 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 thelike. The CN 106 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 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.

[0027] The CN 106 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 1 10, and / or the other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include circuit- switched telephone networks that provide plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP) and / or the internet protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communications networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT.

[0028] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG. 1A may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0029] FIG. 1 B 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 subcombination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0030] 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, dataprocessing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 1 18 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11 , for example.

[0034] 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 datain, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0035] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control the power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0036] 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.

[0037] The processor 1 18 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.

[0038] 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 selfinterference 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)).

[0039] FIG. 1 C 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1 C 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.

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] 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 landline 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, 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.

[0047] 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.

[0048] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0049] A WLAN in Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have an Access Point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have access or an interface to a Distribution System (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic in to and / or out of the BSS. Traffic to STAs that originates from outside the BSS may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STAs. Traffic originating from STAs to destinations outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to respective destinations. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent through the AP, for example, where the source STA may send traffic to the AP and the AP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. The traffic between STAs within a BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. The peer-to-peer traffic may be sent between (e.g., directly between) the source and destination STAs with a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use an 802.11e DLS or an 802.11z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and the STAs (e.g., all of the STAs) within or using the IBSS may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication may sometimes be referred to herein as an “ad-hoc” mode of communication.

[0050] 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 connectionwith 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 ST As (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.

[0051] High Throughput (HT) ST As 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.

[0052] Very High Throughput (VHT) ST As 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).

[0053] 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 802.11ah relative to those used in 802.11n, and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11ah may support Meter Type Control / Machine-Type Communications (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).

[0054] WLAN systems, which may support multiple channels, and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah, include a channel which may be designated as the primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the largest common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA, from among all STAs in operating in a BSS, which supports the smallest bandwidth operating mode. In the example of 802.11ah, the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide for STAs (e.g.,MTC type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1 MHz mode, even if the AP, and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or Network Allocation Vector (NAV) settings may depend on the status of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, due to a STA (which supports only a 1 MHz operating mode) transmitting to the AP, all available frequency bands may be considered busy even though a majority of the available frequency bands remains idle.

[0055] In the United States, the available frequency bands, which may be used by 802.11 ah, 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 802.11 ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz depending on the country code.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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).

[0058] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with a scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframe or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various orscalable lengths (e.g., containing a varying number of OFDM symbols and / or lasting varying lengths of absolute time).

[0059] 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.

[0060] 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.

[0061] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1 D 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.

[0062] 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.

[0063] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to an AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 106 via an N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to a U PF 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, non-IP based, Ethernet-based, and the like.

[0064] 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] In view of FIGs. 1A-1 D, and the corresponding description of FIGs. 1A-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 moreemulation 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.

[0067] 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.

[0068] 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.

[0069] In one case, a WTRU may be Internet of Things (loT) device or An Ambient loT (AloT) device. loT devices are a physical device that may be embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies depending on the use case. The devices may connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over a network. These devices may range from everyday objects such as household appliances, wearables, and industrial machinery to more specialized equipment like environmental sensors and smart city infrastructure. These devices may collect, transmit, and / or receive data, allowing them to monitor, control, and / or automate various aspects of our environment to enhance efficiency, convenience, and productivity. An Ambient loT (AloT) device is an loT device powered by energy harvesting, with limited energy storage capability. Device-originated - deviceterminated triggered (DO-DTT) is where device originated traffic is triggered by the device terminated traffic or signaling. An Ambient loT Function (AloTF) is a 5G network function that may support AloT services. AloTF may be a standalone function or collocated with an AMF, or other function in a communications network. An AloTF may be responsible for authentication and authorization of one or more AloT devices and / or routing of UL / DL traffic between the AloT devices and AF (e.g., via NEF).

[0070] AloT devices may have many use cases, such as automated inventory. When an AloT device, attached to inventory such as some goods or an asset, receives an inventory request from a Base Station or a Reader, it may echo with its identifier and / or other information (e.g., location), which may be sent by a wireless network to a service provider for automated inventory management. A network or a service provider may send a “Command” to an AloT device, for example, to activate or deactivate the device, or to modify some information in the device. In many use cases, there is at least a small amount of information exchange between an AloT device and a network / service provider.

[0071] FIG. 2 is a block diagram which illustrates an example system architecture 200. Example system architecture 200 includes NRF 202, UDM 204, Authentication Function 206, NEF 208, AF 210, AMF 212, RAN 214, WTRU / Reader 216, and AloT device 218. In some implementations, an NRF provides NF discovery service so the service consumer may discover the instance of a Network function. In some implementations, an Authentication Function is a generic term for authentication servers in 5GC such as AUSF, or traditional AAA server. AUSF provides authentication services in 5GC. In some implementations, an NEF exposes network capabilities and events to external entities. In some implementations, an AF enables the application to interact with 3GPP network and services. In some implementations, an AMF terminates the WTRU Control Plane connection and provides registration management, mobility management and connection management for the WTRU. In some implementations, a WTRU Reader is a special WTRU that supports AloT Reader functionalities, i.e. , communicating with AloT device over air interface. Each of these devices is in communication, wirelessly and / or in a wired fashion, as shown in FIG. 2 or otherwise. Implementations described herein may be implemented using some or all of architecture 200 in some cases, with or without additional components in some cases. Further, system architecture 200 may be implemented using some or all of the systems and / or components shown and described with respect to FIGS. 1A, 1 B, 1 C, and / or 1 D in some cases.

[0072] There may be one or more system architecture approaches for integrating AloT devices into a communication protocol (e.g., 4G, 5G, 6G, etc.). For example, there may be a new 5GC entity, AloT Function or AloT Controller, that may support AloT services within a larger communications network. The AloT Function may interact with an AloT Application Function via a NEF (e.g., NEF 208), and communicate with AloT devices (e.g., AloT device 218) through a “Reader”, which may be a RAN or an intermediate-node WTRU (e.g., WTRU reader 216). The AloT Function or Controller may be colocated with some existing 5GC NF such as an AMF (e.g., AMF with AloT Function 212) .

[0073] When an AloT AF (e.g. , AF 210) initiates a request towards AloT devices (e.g., AloT device218) through the 5GC, the 5GC may need to be able to forward the request to the AloTFunction / Controller (e.g., e.g., AMF with AloT Function 212) and the Reader(s) (e.g., WTRU reader 216) that serve the area where the target device(s) (e.g., AloT device 218) are located and can deliver the request. However, because AloT devices may not be able to perform regular mobility / location updates with the network, the target AloT device’s present location may be unknown in the network, thus, the network may not be able to select the proper AloT function and Reader that can reach the device. Even if the network stores, or receives from the AF, the device’s location information (e.g., last known location) or a binding between the device identifier and the Reader identifier, that information may be obsolete when a new request is initiated, for example, as the device has been moved to a new location. Accordingly, some implementations have the advantage of enabling a network to properly select an AloT Function / Reader that may serve a target device and increase the chances of successfully delivering the AF-initiated request to the target device.

[0074] In one or more approaches described herein, the likelihood of successfully delivering an AF-initiated request to one or multiple target AloT devices whose exact locations in the network may not be certain is advantageously increased. The 5GC may determine multiple AloT Functions / Readers that might serve the target device’s potential areas / locations, based on AF input or network analytics. The 5GC may try to reach the target device in those multiple AloT Functions / Readers’ service areas simultaneously; or the 5GC may try to reach the target device in one of those multiple AloT Functions / Readers’ service area first. If that AloT function fails to reach the device, it may forward the request to other AloT functions to re-attempt the delivery of the request, until it finally delivers the request and receives the response successfully. If all the potential AloT Functions / Readers failed to reach the device, a failure report may be generated by the 5GC and sent to the AF.

[0075] As described herein, an AloT Reader may be a RAN node (e.g., base station, RRU, etc.) or a WTRU. When a Reader is a RAN node, it may serve a certain geographical area or location. In some instances, the Reader (i.e., AloT capable RAN nodes) deployment information is known in the network. In some instances, each AloT Function in the network services a certain geographical area and its deployment information is known in the network.

[0076] In one example, when the 5GC network (e.g., NEF) receives an AloT AF-initiated request (e.g., for inventory or command purpose), instead of selecting a single deterministic AloT function and forwarding the request to that AloT function, it may construct a list of AloT Functions that serve multiple areas where the target device(s) is likely to be, and try to reach the device through multiple AloT Functions / Readers, to increase the success rate of delivering the request.

[0077] The determination of one or multiple potential AloT Functions may be performed in the 5GC by one or more nodes and / or functional entities as described herein (e.g., by NEF).

[0078] When the AloT AF sends the request to the 5GC, it may provide one or more pieces of information.

[0079] In one instance, the request may include information regarding multiple potential locations / areas the target device is likely to be. For example, if the target device is supposed to move among a few warehouses whose locations are known in AF, the AF may provide the location of those warehouses. A benefit of including this information is that the 5GC may select multiple AloT functions / Readers that cover these locations.

[0080] In one instance, the request may include information regarding transportation route and / or timing information (e.g., related to the AloT devices and / or a companion device, such as a base station or WTRU). For example, the target device’s mobility trajectory may follow a scheduled or fixed transportation route and / or timing, and the AF may provide it to the 5GC. A benefit of including this information is that the 5GC may select multiple AloT functions / Readers that cover the entire or only a part of the route / schedule.

[0081] In one instance, the request may include information regarding companion WTRU information (e.g., GPSI of a Companion WTRU). A Companion WTRU may move together with the target device. Because the Companion WTRU is able to perform normal (e.g., relative to the AloT device) mobility / location update procedures with the network, its location may be more certain and / or reliable in the network. Additionally, the target device may be assumed to be near the companion WTRU. In such a case, a benefit of including this information is that the 5GC may select an AloT function / Reader that covers the companion WTRU’s location. A companion WTRU may also be capable of communicating with the AloT devices that moves with it. In such a case, the companion WTRU may serve as a Reader or AloT “Intermediate Node”. The 5GC may directly select the companion WTRU as the reader and forward the request to the WTRU (e.g., using NAS procedure, such as sending a NAS message).

[0082] The 5GC may employ a Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF)’s WTRU mobility analytics to obtain multiple predicted device locations and select multiple AloT Functions / Readers that cover those predicted locations. The information received from the AF, as described herein, may serve as the input to the NWDAF when invoking the WTRU mobility analytics service operation of the NWDAF.

[0083] A service of the NWDAF may make a recommendation to the NEF, which acts as the consumer when invoking the service. The information received from the AF, as described herein, may serve as the input to the NWDAF when invoking the service.

[0084] Example techniques described herein may illustrate how to approach communications with one or more AloT devices. For this example, there may be one or more steps actions, and / or events, where these terms may be interchangeable, and intended to merely illustrate the method(s), system(s), and involvement of the relevant devices. One or more of these steps, such as those described hereafter and / or herein, may be optional, or may be performed in an order other than that described in a given example or illustrated in a given figure.

[0085] FIGS. 3A and 3B, for example, are a message sequence chart which illustrates, in a first approach, example procedures 300 that demonstrate how the 5GC may increase the rate of successful delivery of the AF-initiated requests by attempting to contact multiple potential AloT Functions / Readers. Example procedures 300 include communications among a NEF 302, AloT AF 304, NWDAF 306, NRF or GAM 308, AloT Function-1 310, AloT Function-2 311 , Reader-1a 312, Reader-1b 314, Reader-2 315, and Target AloT Device 316. In some implementations, a NWDAF provides network analytics services to other network functions in 5GC.

[0086] In procedures 300, NEF 302 may receive a request 318 (e.g. Inventory Request) from the AloT Application Function (AloT AF) 304. The inventory request 318 may indicate one, multiple, or a group of target device identifiers (e.g., forTarget AloT Device 316). The AloT AF 304 may also provide location information regarding the location of target AloT Device 316 in request 318, which may include the last-known location, a list of potential areas / locations, etc. The AloT AF 304 may also provide transportation route / timing information regarding target AloT Device 316 in request 318, which may be a list of waypoints (e.g., GPS coordinates of the waypoints) associated with the estimated timing for target AloT Device 316 arrival at those waypoints. The AloT AF 304 may also provide one or more Companion WTRU identifiers (e.g. GPSI) in request 318. A Companion WTRU is a WTRU that moves together with the target devices. The AloT AF 304 may also provide, in request 318, a time (e.g., a deadline) at which the response from target AloT Device 316is expected. Responses after the deadline may be ignored.

[0087] The list of waypoints may optionally be provided in the form of reader identifiers or AloT Function identifiers. For example, AloT AF 304 may have been configured with the reader identifiers or AloT Function identifiers that serve the locations where AloT device(s) are expected to be located. For example, the AloT AF 304 may have been configured with the reader identifiers or AloT Function identifiers that serve warehouses where AloT devices are expected to be located.

[0088] In some implementations, if a network analytics function NWDAF 306 is available, NEF 302 may send an analytics request 320 to NWDAF 306 to provide analytics (e.g., WTRU mobility analytics) for the target device(s). NEF 302 may use some information provided by the AIOT AF 304 as the input for analytics request 320. For example, NEF 302 may map the AF-provided device potential locations / areas to the network area identifiers (e.g. TAIs) and use them as the ‘Area of Interest” input. NEF 302 may adapt the AF-provided device transportation route / timing information and use it as ‘‘WTRU Trajectory” input.

[0089] In some implementations, NEF 302 may receive the analytics 322 from NWDAF 306. The analytics 322 may include one or more observed location statistics, associated with timing information of the target devices, and predictions of target device mobility direction (e.g., Target AloT Device 316). Alternatively, NWDAF 306 may provide suggestions for reader identifiers or AloT Function identifiers that may be used to contact Target AloT Device 316.

[0090] In this example, at 324, based on the AF-provided information and possibly the analytics (e.g., WTRU mobility analytics) provided by NWDAF 306, NEF 302 may infer (e.g., determine based on information) a list of areas / locations where the target device(s) (e.g., Target AloT Device 316) is likely to be reached. The potential areas / locations in the list may be associated with a priority or order number based on the likelihood of Target AloT Device 316being in that area / location.

[0091] In this example, NEF 302 may query 326 (e.g., send a query request and receive a query response) to NRF or OAM 308 to obtain a list of AloT Function / Reader identifiers or addresses that serve the potential areas / locations of the target device(s) (e.g., Target AloT Device 316). In some implementations, both or either NRF and OAM can support this kind of query, and both or either may have configurations indicating what area a particular network function serves. In this example, it may be assumed that there are two AloT Functions AloT Function-1 310 and AloT Function-2 311 , that cover the potential areas of Target AloT Device 316; however, in practice, there may be any number of AloTFs. For purposes of illustrating this example, within a service area of AloT Function-1 310, there are two Readers (e.g., RAN nodes), Reader-1a 312 and Reader-1 b 314, that are likely to reach the Target AloT Device 316; and within a service area of AloT Function-2 31 1 , there is one Reader, Reader-2 315, that is likely to reach the Target AloT Device 316. The AloT Function / Reader identifiers in the list may be associated with a priority or order number based on the likelihood of Target AloT Device 316being in its service area. For purposes of illustrating this example, it may be assumed AloT Function-1 310 has a higher likelihood than AloT Function-2 311 to reach the Target AloT Device 316. Note that an AloT Function may be co-located with other NFs, such as AMF, and in that case, NEF 302 may obtain an AMF identifier / address instead.

[0092] In this example, NEF 302 may forward the Inventory Request 318 (as Inventory Request 328) to AloT Function-1 310. In addition to target device identifier(s) (e.g., for Target AloT Device 316), NEF 302 may include other information, such as: a list of Reader IDs that are within a service area of AloT Function-1 310 and have connectivity with AloT Function-1 310 (e.g., in this example, the list contains Reader-1a 312 and Reader-1 b 314); a list of other AloT Function / Reader IDs, which are the other AloT Functions / Readers that NEF 302 determines can be tried if AloT Function-1 310 fails to reach the device (e.g., in this example, the list contains AloT Function-2 311); and / or, response time deadline, which may be the same “deadline” time provided by AloT AF 304 in Inventory Request 318, or it can be adapted by NEF 302 to a new value considering the processing delays in the network.

[0093] In this example, AloT Function-1 310 may forward the Inventory Request 328 (as Inventory Requests 330, 332) to Reader-1 a 312 and Reader-1 b 314. In addition to the target device identifier, the request may also include a “required response time”, which may be a duration (e.g. 3 seconds) or a point of time (e.g., “9 am” or a date, or a time relative to an event, or a combination thereof). The “required response time” may be shorter / earlier than the response deadline received from NEF 302, considering other AloT Functions may need to take time to re-try the delivery if AloT Function-1 310 fails to reach the Target AloT Device 316.

[0094] In this example, both Reader-1a 312 and Reader-1 b 314 may fail to reach the device before the required response time, and they send “device unreachable" reports 334 and 336 to AloT Function-1 310. Reader-1a 312 and Reader-l b 314 may include timing information (e.g., timestamps) of the failed delivery attempts in reports 334 and 336.

[0095] Based on receiving reports 334 and 336 indicating that Target AloT Device 316 is unreachable, and if the present time is before the Response Time Deadline, AloT Function-1 310 may forward Inventory Request 328 (as Inventory Request 338) to AloT Function-2 311 that is in the list of other AloT Function / Reader IDs. In the forwarded Inventory Request 338, the following information may be provided: a list of Reader IDs that are within a service area of AloT Function-2 311 and have connectivity with AloT Function-2 311 (e.g., in this example, the list contains Reader-2 315); if there are other AloT Function IDs in the list of other AloT Function / Reader IDs, excluding AloT Function-2 311 , AloT Function-1 310 include the rest of AloT Function / Reader IDs in the forwarded request; a list of AloT Function IDs / Reader IDs that have been already tried and resulted in failure to reach the device (e.g., in this example, it includes AloT Function-1 310), and timing information (e.g., timestamps) of the failed attempts; and / or, a response time deadline, which is received from NEF 302 in Inventory Request 328.

[0096] AloT Function-2 311 may forward Inventory Request 328 (as Inventory Request 340) to Reader-2 315.

[0097] In this example, at 342, Reader-2 315 may successfully have reached (e.g., forwarded Inventory Request 340 and received a response) the Target AloT Device 316.

[0098] Reader-2 315 may forward the response received from Target AloT Device 316 at 342 to AloT Function-2 311 as Inventory Response 344.

[0099] If the present time is before the Response Time Deadline, AloT Function-2 311 may forward the Inventory Response 344 to NEF 302 as Inventory Response 346. NEF 302 may in turn forward Inventory Response 346 to AloT AF 304. NEF 302 may locally store, or store in the UDM, the location (e.g., AloT Function and Reader Identifiers) where the AloT Device was located. NEF 302 may use this information next time the AloT Device (Target AloT Device 316 in this example) needs to be reached. For example, NEF 302 may try to reach Target AloT Device 316 in the last known location. In case Reader-2 315 also fails to reach the device (not shown in the figure(s)), and there are no other AloT Functions to re-try, or the time has passed the Response Time Deadline, AloT Function-2 311 may send a failure report (not shown) to AloT AF 304 via NEF 302. The failure report may include the device identifiers, areas / locations where the delivery attempts had been made, and / or timestamps that are associated with the attempts.

[0100] FIGS. 4A and 4B are a message sequence chart which illustrates, in a second approach, other example procedures that demonstrate how the 5GC may increase the rate of successful delivery of the AF-initiated requests by attempting to contact multiple potential AloT Functions / Readers. Example procedures 400 include communications among a NEF 402, AloT AF 404, NWDAF 406, NRF or GAM 408, AloT Function-1 410, AloT Function-2 411 , Reader-1a 412, Reader-1 b 414, Reader-2 415, and Target AloT Device 416.

[0101] In procedures 400, NEF 402 may receive a request 418 (e.g. Inventory Request) from the AloT AF 404. The inventory request 418 may indicate one, multiple, or a group of target device identifiers (e.g., for Target AloT Device 416). AloT AF 404 may also provide location information regarding the location of Target AloT Device 416 in request 418, which may include the last-known location, a list of potential areas / locations, etc. AloT AF 404 may also provide transportation route / timing information regarding Target AloT Device 416 in request 418, which may be a list of waypoints (e.g., GPS coordinates of the waypoints) associated with the estimated timing for Target AloT Device 416 arrival at those waypoints. AloT AF 404 may also provide one or more Companion WTRU identifiers (e.g. GPSI) in request 418. A Companion WTRU is a WTRU that moves together with the target devices. AloT AF 404 may also provide, in request 418, a time (e.g., a deadline) atwhich the response from Target AloT Device 416is expected. Responses after the deadline may be ignored.

[0102] The list of waypoints may optionally be provided in the form of reader identifiers or AloT Function identifiers. For example, AloT AF 404 may have been configured with the reader identifiers or AloT Function identifiers that serve the locations where the AloT device(s) are expected to be located. For example, AloT AF 404 may have been configured with the reader identifiers or AloT Function identifiers that serve warehouses where AloT devices are expected to be located.

[0103] In some implementations, if a network analytics function NWDAF 406is available, NEF 402 may send an analytics request 420 NWDAF 406 to provide analytics (e.g., WTRU mobility analytics) for the target device(s). NEF 402 may use some information provided by AloT AF 404 as the input for analytics request 420. For example, NEF 402 may map the AF-provided device potential locations / areas to the network area identifiers (e.g. TAIs) and use them as the ‘Area of Interest” input. NEF 402 may adapt the AF-provided device transportation route / timing information and use it as ‘‘WTRU Trajectory” input.

[0104] In some implementations, NEF 402 may receive the analytics 422 from NWDAF 406. The analytics 422 may include one or more observed location statistics, associated with timing information of the target devices, and predictions of target device mobility direction (e.g., Target AloT Device 416). Alternatively, NWDAF 406 may provide suggestions for reader identifiers or AloT Function identifiers that may be used to contact Target AloT Device 416.

[0105] In this example, at 424, based on the AF-provided information and the possibly the analytics (e.g., WTRU mobility analytics) provided by NWDAF 406, NEF 402 may infer (e.g., determine based on information) a list of areas / locations where the target device(s) (e.g., Target AloT Device 416) is likely to be reached. The potential areas / locations in the list may be associated with a priority or order number based on the likelihood of Target AloT Device 416being in that area / location.

[0106] In this example, NEF 402 may query 326 (e.g., send a query request and receive a query response) to NRF or OAM 408 to obtain a list of AloT Function / Reader identifiers or addresses that serve the potential areas / locations of the target device(s) (e.g., Target AloT Device 416). In this example, it may be assumed that there are two AloT Functions, AloT Function-1 410 and AloT Function-2 411 , that cover the potential areas of Target AloT Device 416; however, in practice, there may be any number of AloTFs. For purposes of illustrating this example, within a service area of AloT Function-1 410, there are two Readers (e.g., RAN nodes), namely Reader-1a 412 and Reader-l b 414, that are likely to reach Target AloT Device 416; and within a service area of AloT Function-1 410, there is one Reader, Reader-2 415, that is likely to reach Target AloT Device 416. The AloTFu nction / Reader identifiers in the list may be associated with a priority or order number based on the likelihood of Target AloT Device 416 being in its service area. For purposes of illustrating this example, it may be assumed AloT Function-1 410 has a higher likelihood than AloT Function-2 411 to reach Target AloT Device 416. Note that an AloT Function may be co-located with other NFs, such as AMF, and in that case, NEF 402 may obtain an AMF identifier / address instead.

[0107] In this example, NEF 402 may forward the Inventory Request 418 (as Inventory Requests 428, 429) to both AloT Function-1 41 Oand AloT Function-2411 . In addition to target device identifier(s) (e.g., for Target AloT Device 416), NEF 402 may include other information, such as: a list of Reader IDs that are within a service area of the AloT Function (AloT Function-1 410or AloT Function-2 411) service area and have connectivity with the AloT-Function (e.g., in the request sent to AloT Function-1 410, the list includes Reader-1 a 412 and Reader-1 b 414; and in the request sent to AloT Function-2 411 , the list contains Reader-2 415); and / or, response time deadline, which may be the same “deadline” time provided by AloT AF 404 in Inventory Request 418, or it can be adapted by NEF 402 to a new value considering the processing delays in the network.

[0108] In this example, both AloT Function-1 410 and AloT Function-2 411 may forward the Inventory Request 428 (as Inventory Requests 430, 432, 433) to the Readers (Reader-1 a 412 and Reader-1b 414 for AloT Function-1 410 and Reader-2 415 for AloT Function-2411). In addition to the target device identifier (e.g., of Target AloT Device 416), the request may also include a “required response time”, which may be a duration (e.g. 3 seconds) or a point of time (e.g., “9 am” or a date, or a time relative to an event, or a combination thereof). The “required response time” may be shorter / earlier than the response deadline received from NEF 402, considering other AloT Functions may need to take time to re-try the delivery if AloT Function-1 410 and / or AloT Function-2 411 fails to reach the Target AloT Device 416.

[0109] In this example, both Reader-1a 412 and Reader-1 b 414 may fail to reach the device before the required response time, and they send “device unreachable" reports 434 and 436 to AloT Function-1 410. Reader-1a 412 and Reader-1 b 414 may include timing information (e.g., timestamps) of the failed delivery attempts in reports 434 and 436.

[0110] Based on receiving reports 434 and 436 indicating that Target AloT Device 416 is unreachable, AloT Function-1 410 may send a device unreachable report 438 to NEF 402. Device unreachable report 438 may include the device identifiers, areas / locations where the delivery attempts had been made, and / or time indications (e.g., timestamps) that are associated with the attempts.

[0111] Based on Inventory Request 433, at 443, Reader-2 415 may successfully have reached (e.g., forwarded Inventory Request 433 and received a response) Target AloT Device 416. Basedon receiving the response, Reader-2415 may forward and / or indicate the response to AloT Function- 2411 as Inventory Response 444.

[0112] Based on Inventory Response 444, AloT Function-2 411 may forward the response as Inventory Response 446 to NEF 402.

[0113] Based on Inventory Response 446, NEF 402 may forward and / or indicate the response to AloT AF 404 in Inventory Response 448. In case all AloT Functions have failed (not shown in the figure(s)), or the time has passed the Response Time Deadline, NEF 402 may send a failure report to AloT AF 404. The Failure report may include the device identifiers, areas / locations where the delivery attempts had been made, and / or timestamps that are associated with the attempts.

[0114] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example procedure in the context of an example scenario, where an AloT AF may initiate request forwarding by trying multiple AloT functions / readers. In such a scenario, a functional entity, such as an Network Exposure Function (e.g., in a 5GC), may perform one or more actions. One or more of these one or more actions, such as those described hereafter and / or herein, may be optional, or may be performed in an order other than that described in a given example or illustrated in a given figure.

[0115] At 502, the functional entity may receive a message that includes a request (e.g., from an AF). The request may include target device identifier(s), a list of potential device location information, device transportation route / timing information, companion WTRU information, and / or a response time deadline.

[0116] At 504, the functional entity may determine multiple areas / locations where the target device(s) may be reached. The determination is based on AF-provided information and / or WTRU mobility analytics provided by a NWDAF. The areas / locations where the target device(s) may be reached may be used to determine a list of AloT Functions / Readers that may serve those areas / locations.

[0117] At 506, the functional entity may send an inventory request message to at least one AloT Function from the list. The message may include the list of AloT Functions / Readers and / or target device identifier(s).

[0118] At 508, the functional entity may receive an inventory response from at least one AloT Function from the list.

[0119] At 512, the functional entity may send a failure report to the AF on condition 510 that request delivery attempts in all AloT Functions have failed or the time has passed the response deadline. Thefailure report may include the device identifier, areas where the attempts have been made, and / or timestamp information associated with the attempts.

[0120] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an example procedure in the context of an example scenario, where an AloT AF may initiate request forwarding by trying multiple AloT functions / readers. In such a scenario, an AloT Function (e.g., in 5GC) may perform one or more actions. One or more of these one or more actions, such as those described hereafter and / or herein, may be optional, or may be performed in an order other than that described in a given example or illustrated in a given figure.

[0121] At 602, the AloTF may receive a request from another functional entity (e.g., an NEF). The request may include target device identifiers, a list of Reader IDs, a list of other AloT Functions that may be used to re-attempt the request delivery, and / or a response time deadline.

[0122] At 604, the AloTF may attempt an inventory procedure with at least one reader from the list and determine whether no inventory procedure was successful for at least one device.

[0123] On condition 606 that no inventory procedure was successful for at least one device, at 608, the AloTF may forward the request to another AloT Function from the list to re-attempt the delivery request for the device that had no successful inventory procedure. The forwarded request may include a list of Reader IDs, a list of other AloT Functions, a list of tried-and-failed AloT Functions, a list of device identifiers that have not yet been inventoried, and / or a list of device identifiers that have been inventoried, and / or a response time deadline.

[0124] 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 followinglayers / 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 is sent 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.

[0125] 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 7’ (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 random-access 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.

[0126] 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 7’ (e.g., forward slash) as used herein, unless otherwise indicated, represents ‘and / or’, where for example, ‘A / B’ may imply ‘A and / or B’.

[0127] As described herein, “etc.” may refer to etcetera, which is intended to reference any other like element in a list, or reference some other element disclosed herein. For example, if a list has “a, b, c, etc.” and another list disclosed herein discloses “a, b, c, d, e” then it is intended that the “etc.” may refer to at least “d, e” or “etc.” may generally refer to other letters in the alphabet.

[0128] As described herein, "at least one of may by interchangeable with "one or more of.

[0129] As described herein, reference of a configuration may mean that at some point a WTRU may receive a message that includes configuration information. In one instance, the WTRU may provide feedback after having received it. In one instance, the WTRU may request the message. In one instance, the message may be unrequested.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is Claimed:1 . A method implemented in a network exposure function (NEF), the method comprising: receiving a request message from an application function (AF); determining, based on the request message, a list of ambient internet of things (AloT) functions which are capable of communicating with a target ambient internet of things (AloT) device; sending an inventory request message to at least one of the AloT functions; receiving an inventory response message from at least one of the AloT functions; and sending a report to the AF regarding the inventory response message.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request message indicates a companion wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU) associated with the target AloT device, and determining the list is based on mobility statistics for the companion WTRU.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the inventory request message includes the list or indicates the list.

4. The method of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the inventory response message comprises a report that the target AloT device is unreachable, wherein the report includes an indication of failure responsive to the inventory request message.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the indication of failure includes a target identifier for the target AloT device and a list of areas where attempts were made to deliver the inventory request message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the indication of failure includes time information associated with each of the attempts.

7. The method of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the inventory request message is sent to the at least one of the AloT readers via an AloT function, and wherein the inventory request message indicates to the AloT function to forward the inventory request message to a different AloT functionresponsive to receiving an inventory response message from the at least one of the AloT readers that includes the indication of failure to reach the target AloT device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the inventory request message indicates the different AloT function.

9. The method of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the report includes an indication of success if the inventory request message is delivered to the target AloT device.

10. The method of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the request message indicates a target identifier for the target AloT device, a list of potential locations of the target AloT device, a transportation route of the target AloT device, timing information of the target AloT device, and / or a response time deadline for communicating with the target AloT device.

11. A communications device implementing a network exposure function (NEF), the communications device comprising circuitry configured to: receive a request message from an application function (AF); determine, based on the request message, a list of ambient internet of things (AloT) functions which are capable to communicate with a target ambient internet of things (AloT) device; send an inventory request message to at least one of the AloT functions; receive an inventory response message from at least one of the AloT functions; and send a report to the AF regarding the inventory response message.

12. The communications device of claim 11 , wherein the request message indicates a companion wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU) associated with the target AloT device, and the circuitry is configured to determine the list based on mobility statistics for the companion WTRU.

13. The communications device of claim 11 or 12, wherein the inventory request message includes the list or indicates the list.

14. The communications device of any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the inventory response message comprises a report that the target AloT device is unreachable, wherein the report includes an indication of failure responsive to the inventory request message.

15. The communications device of claim 14, wherein the indication of failure includes a target identifier for the target AloT device and a list of areas where attempts were made to deliver the inventory request message.

16. The communications device of claim 15, wherein the indication of failure includes time information associated with each of the attempts.

17. The communications device of any of claims 11 to 16, wherein the circuitry is configured to send the inventory request message to the at least one of the AloT readers via an AloT function, and wherein the inventory request message indicates to the AloT Function to forward the inventory request message to a different AloT function responsive to receiving an inventory response message from the at least one of the AloT readers that includes an indication of failure to reach the target AloT device.

18. The communications device of claim 17, wherein the inventory request message indicates the different AloT function.

19. The communications device of any of claims 11 to 18, wherein the report includes an indication of success if the inventory request message is delivered to the target AloT device.

20. The communications device of any of claims 11 to 19, wherein the request message indicates a target identifier for the target AloT device, a list of potential locations of the target AloT device, a transportation route of the target AloT device, timing information of the target AloT device, and / or a response time deadline for communicating with the target AloT device.

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