Representative terminal, wireless communication system, and wireless communication method

Abstract

A representative terminal included in a group includes: a management unit that manages a simple terminal belonging to the group; and a control unit that executes processing of position registration of the representative terminal on behalf of the group.

Description

Representative terminal, wireless communication system, and wireless communication method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a representative terminal, a wireless communication system, and a wireless communication method that are compatible with Ambient IoT.

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP: registered trademark) is developing specifications for the 5th generation mobile communication system (5G, also known as New Radio (NR) or Next Generation (NG)). 3GPP is also developing specifications for the next generation, known as Beyond 5G, 5G Evolution, or 6G.

[0003] Furthermore, in 3GPP Release-19, in order to support the Internet of Things (IoT), technology (Ambient IoT) related to a simplified terminal (hereinafter referred to as Ambient IoT device) having a configuration simpler than that of a UE is being considered (for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

[0004] 3GPP TR38.848 V18.0.0, September 2023

[0005] Incidentally, when considering mobility of Ambient IoT devices in Ambient IoT, it is necessary to confirm the location of the Ambient IoT device.

[0006] Against this background, the inventors, after careful consideration, have found that there is a need to clarify a mechanism for appropriately confirming the location of Ambient IoT devices, because periodically registering the location of Ambient IoT devices places too much load on the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0007] Therefore, the present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a representative terminal, a wireless communication system, and a wireless communication method that enable the location of an Ambient IoT device to be properly confirmed.

[0008] The disclosed aspect is a representative terminal included in a group, which is equipped with a management unit that manages simple terminals belonging to the group, and a control unit that executes location registration processing for the representative terminal on behalf of the group.

[0009] The disclosed aspect is a wireless communication system comprising a representative terminal included in a group and a simple terminal included in the group, wherein the representative terminal comprises a management unit that manages the simple terminals belonging to the group, and a control unit that executes location registration processing for the representative terminal on behalf of the group.

[0010] The disclosed aspect is a wireless communication method comprising the steps of: a representative terminal included in a group managing simple terminals belonging to the group; and the representative terminal, on behalf of the group, executing a location registration process for the representative terminal.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall schematic configuration of a wireless communication system 10. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating frequency ranges used in a cellular network. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of radio frames, subframes, and slots used in a cellular network. FIG. 4 is a functional block configuration diagram of a UE 200. FIG. 5 is a functional block configuration diagram of a network device 50. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating Ambient IoT. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating Operation Example 1. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating Operation Example 2. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating Operation Example 3. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating Operation Example 4. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating Operation Example 5. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating Operation Example 6. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating Operation Example 6. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating Modification Example 7. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating Modification Example 7. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating Modification Example 8. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating Modification Example 8. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating Modification Example 8. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating Modification Example 8. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the network device 50 and the UE 200. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a vehicle 2001.

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or similar reference numerals are used to designate the same functions or configurations, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0013] [Embodiment] (1) Overall Schematic Configuration of Wireless Communication System Fig. 1 is an overall schematic configuration diagram of a wireless communication system 10 according to an embodiment. The wireless communication system 10 includes a terminal 200 (hereinafter referred to as UE (User Equipment) 200), a first network 10A, and a second network 10B.

[0014] The first network 10A has a radio access network 20A and a core network 30A. The radio access network 20A includes a base station 100A that performs radio communication with the UE 200. Note that the first network 10A may not have the radio access network 20A but may have the base station 100A. The first network 10A may not have the core network 30A. The base station 100A may be configured by a DU (Distributed Unit) and a CU (Central Unit). The DU may perform processing of layers below the MAC layer. The CU may perform processing above the PDCP layer.

[0015] The first network 10A may be a network conforming to a new technology (6G). 6G may be referred to as Beyond 5G or 5G Evolution. The first network 10A may be a network conforming to an existing technology (5G). 5G may be referred to as 5G New Radio (NR).

[0016] The second network 10B has a radio access network 20B and a core network 30B. The radio access network 20B includes a base station 100B that performs radio communication with the UE 200. Note that the second network 10B may not have the radio access network 20B but may have the base station 100B. The second network 10B may not have the core network 30B. The base station 100B may be configured by a DU and a CU.

[0017] The second network 10B may be a network conforming to existing technology (5G), which may be referred to as 5G New Radio (NR). The second network 10B may be a network conforming to new technology (6G), which may be referred to as Beyond 5G or 5G Evolution.

[0018] Here, the first network 10A and the second network 10B may have different radio access schemes. For example, the radio access scheme may be a cellular network radio access scheme called 5G, Beyond 5G, 5G Evolution, 6G, or the like.

[0019] Hereinafter, the base station 100A and the base station 100B may be collectively referred to as the base station 100 or the gNB 100. The core network 30A and the core network 30B may be collectively referred to as the core network 30.

[0020] First, the cellular network may support multiple frequency ranges (FR) as shown in Figure 2. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the cellular network supports FR1, FR2-1, and FR2-2. The frequency bands of each FR are as follows:

[0021] ・FR1: 410 MHz to 7.125 GHz ・FR2-1: 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz ・FR2-2: Over 52.6 GHz to 71 GHz FR1 may use a sub-carrier spacing (SCS) of 15, 30, or 60 kHz and a bandwidth (BW) of 5 to 100 MHz. FR2 is a higher frequency than FR1 and may use an SCS of 60 kHz or 120 kHz (including 240 kHz) and a bandwidth (BW) of 50 to 400 MHz.

[0022] Note that SCS may be interpreted as numerology, which is defined in 3GPP TS38.300 and corresponds to one subcarrier spacing in the frequency domain.

[0023] Furthermore, cellular networks may also support higher frequency bands than the FR2 frequency band, specifically, frequency bands above 52.6 GHz up to 71 GHz or 114.25 GHz.

[0024] Second, the cellular network may correspond to the radio frames, subframes and slots shown in FIG.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, one slot consists of 14 symbols, and the larger (wider) the SCS, the shorter the symbol period (and slot period). In addition to 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz, the SCS may also use 480 kHz, 960 kHz, etc.

[0026] Furthermore, the number of symbols constituting one slot does not necessarily have to be 14 (for example, 28 symbols or 56 symbols). Furthermore, the number of slots per subframe may differ depending on the SCS.

[0027] The time direction (t) shown in Fig. 3 may be called a time domain, a symbol period, a symbol time, etc. The frequency direction may be called a frequency domain, a resource block, a subcarrier, a bandwidth part (BWP), etc.

[0028] (2) Functional Block Configuration of Wireless Communication System The functional block configuration of the wireless communication system 10 will be described below.

[0029] First, the functional block configuration of the UE 200 will be described.

[0030] Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram of UE 200. As shown in Fig. 4, UE 200 includes radio signal transmitting / receiving unit 210, amplifier unit 220, modem unit 230, control signal / reference signal processing unit 240, encoding / decoding unit 250, data transmitting / receiving unit 260, and control unit 270.

[0031] The radio signal transmitting / receiving unit 210 transmits and receives radio signals conforming to 5G or 6G. The radio signal transmitting / receiving unit 210 supports Massive MIMO, CA that uses a bundle of multiple CCs, and DC that simultaneously communicates between a UE and two NG-RAN nodes.

[0032] The amplifier unit 220 is configured by a PA (Power Amplifier) / LNA (Low Noise Amplifier), etc. The amplifier unit 220 amplifies the signal output from the modulation / demodulation unit 230 to a predetermined power level. The amplifier unit 220 also amplifies the RF signal output from the radio signal transmission / reception unit 210.

[0033] The modem unit 230 performs data modulation / demodulation, transmission power setting, resource block allocation, etc. for each predetermined communication destination (gNB 100 or another gNB). The modem unit 230 may apply Cyclic Prefix-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (CP-OFDM) / Discrete Fourier Transform - Spread (DFT-S-OFDM). Furthermore, DFT-S-OFDM may be used not only for the uplink (UL) but also for the downlink (DL).

[0034] The control signal and reference signal processor 240 executes processing related to various control signals transmitted and received by the UE 200 and processing related to various reference signals transmitted and received by the UE 200 .

[0035] Specifically, the control signal / reference signal processing unit 240 receives various control signals, for example, control signals of a radio resource control layer (RRC), transmitted via a predetermined control channel from the gNB 100. In addition, the control signal / reference signal processing unit 240 transmits various control signals to the gNB 100 via a predetermined control channel.

[0036] The control signal / reference signal processing unit 240 performs processing using reference signals (RS) such as a Demodulation Reference Signal (DM-RS) and a Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PT-RS).

[0037] DM-RS is a terminal-specific reference signal (pilot signal) known between the base station and the terminal to estimate the fading channel used for data demodulation. PT-RS is a terminal-specific reference signal intended to estimate phase noise, which is an issue in high frequency bands.

[0038] In addition to DM-RS and PT-RS, the reference signals may also include a Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS), a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), and a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) for location information.

[0039] The channels include control channels and data channels, such as a PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), a PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel), a RACH (Random Access Channel), a Downlink Control Information (DCI) including a Random Access Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RA-RNTI), and a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH).

[0040] Furthermore, the data channel includes a PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel) and a PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel). Data refers to data transmitted via the data channel. The data channel may be interpreted as a shared channel.

[0041] Here, the control signal and reference signal processor 240 may receive downlink control information (DCI). The DCI includes existing fields for storing DCI Formats, Carrier indicator (CI), BWP indicator, FDRA (Frequency Domain Resource Assignment), TDRA (Time Domain Resource Assignment), MCS (Modulation and Coding Scheme), HPN (HARQ Process Number), NDI (New Data Indicator), RV (Redundancy Version), and the like.

[0042] The value stored in the DCI Format field is an information element that specifies the format of the DCI. The value stored in the CI field is an information element that specifies the CC to which the DCI applies. The value stored in the BWP indicator field is an information element that specifies the BWP to which the DCI applies. The BWP that can be specified by the BWP indicator is set by an information element (BandwidthPart-Config) included in the RRC message. The value stored in the FDRA field is an information element that specifies the frequency domain resource to which the DCI applies. The frequency domain resource is identified by the value stored in the FDRA field and an information element (RA Type) included in the RRC message. The value stored in the TDRA field is an information element that specifies the time domain resource to which the DCI applies. The time domain resource is identified by the value stored in the TDRA field and information elements (pdsch-TimeDomainAllocationList, pusch-TimeDomainAllocationList) included in the RRC message. The time domain resource may be identified by the value stored in the TDRA field and a default table. The value stored in the MCS field is an information element that specifies the MCS to which the DCI applies. The MCS is identified by the value stored in the MCS and an MCS table. The MCS table may be specified by an RRC message or may be determined by RNTI scrambling. The value stored in the HPN field is an information element that specifies the HARQ process to which the DCI is applied. The value stored in the NDI field is an information element for specifying whether the data to which the DCI is applied is initial transmission data. The value stored in the RV field is an information element that specifies the redundancy of the data to which the DCI is applied.

[0043] The encoding / decoding unit 250 performs data division / concatenation and channel coding / decoding for each predetermined communication destination (gNB100 or another gNB).

[0044] Specifically, the encoding / decoding unit 250 divides the data output from the data transmitting / receiving unit 260 into pieces of a predetermined size, performs channel coding on the divided data, decodes the data output from the modem unit 230, and concatenates the decoded data.

[0045] The data transmitter / receiver 260 transmits and receives Protocol Data Units (PDUs) and Service Data Units (SDUs). Specifically, the data transmitter / receiver 260 assembles and disassembles PDUs / SDUs in multiple layers (such as a Medium Access Control layer (MAC), a Radio Link Control layer (RLC), and a Packet Data Convergence Protocol layer (PDCP)). The data transmitter / receiver 260 also performs data error correction and retransmission control based on Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ).

[0046] The control unit 270 controls each functional block that configures the UE 200 .

[0047] Second, a functional block configuration of the network device 50 will be described. The network device 50 is a device that directly communicates with a simplified terminal (hereinafter, Ambient IoT device) having a simpler configuration than the UE 200 in Ambient IoT, which will be described later. For example, in Ambient IoT Topology 1, the network device 50 may be a base station (gNB100), in Ambient IoT Topology 2, the network device 50 may be an intermediate node, in Ambient IoT Topology 3, the network device 50 may be an assisting node, and in Ambient IoT Topology 4, the network device 50 may be the UE 200.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 5, the network device 50 includes a receiving unit 51 , a transmitting unit 52 , and a control unit 53 .

[0049] The receiver 51 receives various signals from the Ambient IoT device. For example, the receiver 51 may receive an uplink signal from the Ambient IoT device. The uplink signal may include an uplink control signal or an uplink data signal. The uplink signal may be received via a Physical Device Reader Channel (PDRCH). The uplink signal may include a message (access request message) for the Ambient IoT device to access the network apparatus 50. The access request message may be interpreted as a random access preamble. The receiver 51 may receive an access request message from a simple terminal (Ambient IoT device). The receiver 51 may receive an uplink data signal from the simple terminal (Ambient IoT device).

[0050] The receiver 51 receives various signals from the gNB 100 or the core network 30. For example, the receiver may receive a message including information specifying the range of a simple terminal (Ambient IoT device) to be called.

[0051] The transmitter 52 transmits various signals to the Ambient IoT device. For example, the transmitter 52 may transmit a downlink signal to the Ambient IoT device. The downlink signal may include a downlink control signal or a downlink data signal. The downlink signal may be transmitted via a PRDCH (Physical Reader Device Channel). The downlink signal may include System Information. The transmitter 52 may transmit a message to call the simple terminal (Ambient IoT device). The transmitter 52 may transmit an access response message in response to the access request message.

[0052] The transmitter 52 transmits various signals to the gNB 100 or the core network 30. For example, the transmitter 52 may transmit an uplink data signal received from a simple terminal (Ambient IoT device) to an upper node (for example, the gNB 100 or the core network 30).

[0053] The control unit 53 controls each block constituting the network device 50. For example, the control unit 53 may execute call control for a simple terminal (Ambient IoT device). The call control may include control of transmitting a message to call the simple terminal (Ambient IoT device). The control unit 53 may execute control of transmitting an uplink data signal received from the simple terminal (Ambient IoT device) to an upper node (e.g., the gNB 100 or the core network 30).

[0054] (3) Ambient IoT First, Ambient IoT devices may be classified into types such as Device A, Device B, and Device C.

[0055] Device A may be a device that does not have a storage for accumulating energy (e.g., power) and performs backscattering transmission without performing its own signal generation / amplification, etc.

[0056] Device B may have a storage device that accumulates energy (e.g., power) and may be a device that performs backscattering transmission without generating its own signal, etc. For example, the energy accumulated in the storage device may be used to amplify the reflected signal.

[0057] Device C may be a device that does not have storage for storing energy (eg, power) and generates its own signals.

[0058] The Ambient IoT device may be a device defined in 3GPP TR38.848 V18.0.0. The Ambient IoT device has a simpler configuration than a general UE. The characteristics of the Ambient IoT device may be defined by the following elements:

[0059] - The output and complexity of the Ambient IoT device are simpler than those of a general UE. - The coverage of the Ambient IoT device is achieved by a coverage that is simpler than that of a general UE. - The data rate of the Ambient IoT device is achieved by a data rate that is simpler than that of a general UE. - The maximum message size of the Ambient IoT device is achieved by a maximum message size that is simpler than that of a general UE. - The delay of the Ambient IoT device is set to meet the target delay using an access method and signaling procedure that differs from that of a general UE. - The positioning method for the Ambient IoT device is a method that can be applied to the topology described below in order to meet the required accuracy.

[0060] - Regarding the connection density of Ambient IoT devices, multiple efficient access methods that differ from those used in general UEs will be introduced. - Regarding the movement speed of Ambient IoT devices, a physical layer configuration that differs from that used in general UEs will be introduced. Secondly, the topology shown in Figure 6 may be assumed as the topology of Ambient IoT devices.

[0061] In Topology 1, an Ambient IoT device may perform UL transmission and DL reception with a base station (BS in FIG. 6).

[0062] In Topology 2, an Ambient IoT device may perform uplink transmission and downlink reception with a base station (BS in FIG. 6) via an intermediate node. The intermediate node may be an IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) node or a general UE. The intermediate node may also be a DU. The general UE may be a UE defined separately from the Ambient IoT device. The general UE may have a more complex configuration than the Ambient IoT device.

[0063] In Topology 3, an Ambient IoT device may perform DL reception with a base station (BS in FIG. 6) and UL transmission with the base station (BS in FIG. 6) via an assisting node. The intermediate node may be an IAB node or a general UE. The intermediate node may also be a DU.

[0064] In Topology 4, UL transmission and DL reception may be performed with a general UE. In Topology 4, D2D communication between a general UE and an Ambient IoT device may be assumed.

[0065] Note that a general UE is a term used to distinguish it from an Ambient IoT device, and may also be referred to as an existing UE or a normal UE.

[0066] (4) Issues First, in the context of the introduction of the above-mentioned Ambient IoT device, the inventors, after careful consideration, found that there is a need to clarify the procedures for call control of the Ambient IoT device in Ambient IoT.

[0067] Secondly, after careful consideration, the inventors have discovered that there may be cases in which a node responsible for scheduling an Ambient IoT device is unable to identify an Ambient IoT device that exists under a network device 50 that communicates with the Ambient IoT device, and that a mechanism is needed to properly schedule the Ambient IoT device in such cases.

[0068] Third, when mobility of Ambient IoT devices is assumed in the above-mentioned Ambient IoT, it is necessary to confirm the location of the Ambient IoT device. Under such circumstances, as a result of intensive research, the inventors have found that it is necessary to clarify a mechanism for appropriately confirming the location of Ambient IoT devices, because periodically registering the location of Ambient IoT devices would place too much load on the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0069] (5) Operational Example In order to solve the above-described problem, the following operations may be executed.

[0070] (5-1) Operation Example 1 In Operation Example 1, the above-mentioned Topology 1 will be described. In Operation Example 1, the above-mentioned network device 50 may be a gNB.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 7, in step S10, the CN sends a message (hereinafter, "NG-AP message (Request)") to the gNB, which includes information specifying the range of the Ambient IoT device to be called. The NG-AP message (Request) may be a message requesting at least one of identification information of the Ambient IoT device (hereinafter, "Device ID"), identification information of a group of Ambient IoT devices (hereinafter, "Group ID"), and location information of the Ambient IoT device. The gNB may be an example of a device (Reader) that acquires information from the Ambient IoT device. The NG-AP message (Request) may be a newly defined message accompanying the introduction of Ambient IoT.

[0072] The information for identifying the range of an Ambient IoT device can be considered as information specifying the range to send a message to invoke the Ambient IoT device. The following options are possible for the information for identifying the range of an Ambient IoT device:

[0073] In option 1-1, the information specifying the range of the Ambient IoT device may include the identification information of the device (reader) that obtains information from the Ambient IoT device.

[0074] In option 1-2, the information specifying the range of the Ambient IoT device may include identification information of a base station (gNB100) that communicates directly or indirectly with the Ambient IoT device.

[0075] In Options 1-3, the information specifying the range of the Ambient IoT device may include an identification of a geographic area in which the Ambient IoT device may be located. The geographic area may be defined separately from the tracking area. The geographic area may be identified based on a history of areas in which the Ambient IoT device has previously been located and may be managed in the core network 30.

[0076] In options 1-4, the information specifying the range of the Ambient IoT device may include identification information of the tracking area in which the UE typically registers its location. The identification information of the tracking area may be a list of tracking areas. Note that the Ambient IoT device does not necessarily have the ability to register its location.

[0077] In options 1-5, the information specifying the scope of the Ambient IoT devices may include identification information for a group of Ambient IoT devices. The group of Ambient IoT devices may be referred to as an Ambient IoT device group. The identification information for the group may be a list of identification information for the Ambient IoT devices (e.g., an ambient IoT ID list).

[0078] Option 1-6 may be a combination of two or more options selected from Option 1-1 to Option 1-5.

[0079] In step S11, the gNB sends a message to the Ambient IoT device to call the Ambient IoT device (hereinafter referred to as a Paging like message). The gNB may send the Paging like message if the Ambient IoT device connected to the gNB is within the range of the Ambient IoT device to be called.

[0080] Here, the gNB may control the transmission of the paging-like message based on a control method for the Ambient IoT device. The paging-like message may be transmitted via a PRDCH. The control method for the Ambient IoT device may include the following options:

[0081] In option 2-1, the gNB may perform repeated transmission of the paging-like message. In other words, the gNB may periodically transmit the paging-like message.

[0082] The number of times the paging-like message is transmitted (the number of repetitions) may be managed by a counter in the gNB. The number of times the paging-like message is transmitted may be predefined in the wireless communication system 10, may be specified by the CN, or may be set by the gNB.

[0083] The paging-like message may be executed until the timer of the gNB expires. The time set in the timer of the gNB may be predefined in the wireless communication system 10, may be specified by the CN, or may be set by the gNB.

[0084] The transmission period (repetition period) of the paging-like message may be predefined in the wireless communication system 10, may be specified by the CN, or may be set by the gNB.

[0085] It should be noted that an Ambient IoT device does not have the ability to monitor or receive the PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel), and cannot identify paging occasions like a normal UE.

[0086] In Option 2-2, the gNB may execute control to include at least one of the identification information of the Ambient IoT device (Device ID) and the identification information of the group of Ambient IoT devices (Group ID) in the Paging-like message. The Device ID may be information that identifies the Ambient IoT device in the CN or the gNB (Temporary Device ID). The Group ID may be information that identifies the group of Ambient IoT devices in the CN or the gNB (Temporary Group ID).

[0087] In option 2-3, the gNB may execute control to include a preamble (e.g., a RACH-like preamble) for the Ambient IoT device to access the gNB in ​​the paging-like message. Alternatively, the gNB may execute control to include information specifying resources (at least one of frequency and time resources) to be used for transmitting the access request message (e.g., a RACH-like preamble) in the paging-like message.

[0088] In step S12, the Ambient IoT device transmits an access request message to the gNB requesting access to the gNB. The access request message may be read as a RACH-like preamble. The RACH-like preamble may be an example of a random access preamble. The RACH-like preamble may be transmitted via a PDRCH. The random access may be slotted-ALOHA random access.

[0089] In step S13, the gNB transmits an access response message (hereinafter, RACH-like response) in response to the access request message (RACH-like preamble). The RACH-like response may include a UL grant for transmitting an uplink data signal.

[0090] The RACH-like response may include security configuration information (Security config) regarding the uplink data signal transmitted from the Ambient IoT device after the RACH-like response.

[0091] The RACH-like response may include at least one of identification information of the Ambient IoT device (Device ID) and identification information of a group of Ambient IoT devices (Group ID). The Device ID may be information identifying the Ambient IoT device in the CN or gNB (Temporary Device ID). The Group ID may be information identifying a group of Ambient IoT devices in the CN or gNB (Temporary Group ID).

[0092] In step S14, the Ambient IoT device transmits an uplink data signal (hereinafter referred to as a UL message) to the gNB. The UL message may include the following information:

[0093] In Option 3-1, the UL message may include at least one of the identification information of the Ambient IoT device (Device ID) and the identification information of a group of Ambient IoT devices (Group ID). The Device ID may be information that identifies the Ambient IoT device in the CN or gNB (Temporary Device ID). The Group ID may be information that identifies a group of Ambient IoT devices in the CN or gNB (Temporary Group ID).

[0094] In option 3-2, the UL message may include a timestamp for the UL message, which may be an absolute time based on UTC (Universal Time Coordinated) or PTP (Precision Time Protocol), etc.

[0095] The UL data included in the UL message may be a Non-Access Stratum Protocol Data Unit (NAS PDU). The UL message may be protected by the security configuration information (Security config) received in step S13.

[0096] In step S15, the gNB transmits a message including the UL message received from the Ambient IoT device to the CN (upper node). The message including the UL message may be considered a response message to the NG-AP message (Request) (hereinafter referred to as the NG-AP message (Response)).

[0097] Here, the gNB may include location information regarding the UL message in the NG-AP message (Response). The location information regarding the UL message may be location information of the gNB (Reader). The data included in the NG-AP message (Response) may be a NAS PDU.

[0098] The NG-AP message (Response) includes the UL message received from the Ambient IoT device. Therefore, the NG-AP message (Response) may include at least one of the identification information (Device ID) of the Ambient IoT device and the identification information (Group ID) of the group of the Ambient IoT device (see Option 3-1). The NG-AP message (Response) may also include a timestamp related to the UL message (see Option 3-2).

[0099] (5-2) Operation Example 2 In Operation Example 2, the above-mentioned Topology 2 will be described. In Operation Example 2, the above-mentioned network device 50 may be an intermediate node.

[0100] 8, in step S20, the CN transmits to the gNB a message (NG-AP message (Request)) including information specifying the range of Ambient IoT devices to be called. The details of the NG-AP message (Request) may be the same as those in the first operation example.

[0101] In operation example 2, the NG-AP message (Request) may include identification information of the intermediate node instead of identification information of the base station as information specifying the range of the Ambient IoT device, or may include identification information of the intermediate node together with identification information of the base station.

[0102] In step S20A, the gNB sends a message (hereinafter, "New message (request)") including information specifying the range of Ambient IoT devices to be called to the intermediate node. The New message (request) may include information specifying the range of Ambient IoT devices similar to the NG-AP message (Request). The New message (request) may also be a newly defined message accompanying the introduction of Ambient IoT.

[0103] In step S21, the intermediate node transmits a message (paging-like message) to the Ambient IoT device to call the Ambient IoT device. The details of the paging-like message may be the same as those in the first operation example.

[0104] In step S22, the Ambient IoT device transmits an access request message to the intermediate node, requesting access to the intermediate node. Details of the access request message (RACH-like preamble) may be the same as those in the first operation example.

[0105] In step S23, the intermediate node transmits an access response message (hereinafter, referred to as a RACH-like response) in response to the access request message (RACH-like preamble). Details of the RACH-like response may be the same as those in the first operation example.

[0106] In step S24, the Ambient IoT device transmits an uplink data signal (UL message) to the intermediate node. The details of the UL message may be the same as those in the first operation example.

[0107] In step S24A, the intermediate node transmits a message including the UL message received from the Ambient IoT device to the gNB (upper node). The message including the UL message may be considered a response message to the New message (Request) (hereinafter referred to as the New message (Response)). The New message (Response) may be a newly defined message accompanying the introduction of Ambient IoT.

[0108] Here, the intermediate node may include location information regarding the UL message in the new message (response). The location information regarding the UL message may be location information of the intermediate node (reader). The data included in the new message (response) may be a NAS PDU.

[0109] The New message (Response) includes the UL message received from the Ambient IoT device. Therefore, the New message (Response) may include at least one of the identification information (Device ID) of the Ambient IoT device and the identification information (Group ID) of the group of the Ambient IoT device (see Option 3-1). The New message (Response) may also include a timestamp related to the UL message (see Option 3-2).

[0110] In step S25, the gNB transmits a message including a New message (Response) received from the intermediate node to the CN. The message including the New message (Response) may be considered to be a response message (NG-AP message (Response)) to the NG-AP message (Request). Details of the NG-AP message (Response) may be the same as in operation example 1. However, the location information related to the UL message may be the location information of the intermediate node (Reader) instead of the location information of the gNB.

[0111] In the second operational example, one or more Ambient IoT devices and intermediate nodes may be grouped into one group (hereinafter, "Group with Intermediate node"). The Group with Intermediate node may be managed within the gNB by identification information that identifies the Group with Intermediate node. When the gNB requests the Device IDs of the Group with Intermediate node, the intermediate node may report all Device IDs of the Group with Intermediate node to the gNB.

[0112] (5-3) Operation Example 3 In Operation Example 3, the above-mentioned Topology 3 will be described. In Operation Example 3, the above-mentioned network device 50 may be an assisting node.

[0113] 9, in step S30, the CN transmits to the gNB a message (NG-AP message (Request)) including information specifying the range of Ambient IoT devices to be called. The details of the NG-AP message (Request) may be the same as those in the first operation example.

[0114] In operation example 3, the NG-AP message (Request) may include the identification information of the Assisting node instead of the identification information of the base station as information specifying the range of the Ambient IoT device, or may include the identification information of the Assisting node together with the identification information of the base station.

[0115] In step S31, the gNB sends a message (Paging like message) to the Ambient IoT device to call the Ambient IoT device. Details of the Paging like message may be the same as those in operation example 1.

[0116] In step S32, the Ambient IoT device transmits an access request message to the Assisting node requesting access to the Assisting node. Details of the access request message (RACH-like preamble) may be the same as those in the first operation example.

[0117] In step S33, the assisting node transmits an access response message (hereinafter, referred to as a RACH-like response) in response to the access request message (RACH-like preamble). Details of the RACH-like response may be the same as those in the first operation example.

[0118] In step S34, the Ambient IoT device transmits an uplink data signal (UL message) to the Assisting node. The details of the UL message may be the same as those in the first operation example.

[0119] In step S34A, the assisting node transmits a message including the UL message received from the Ambient IoT device to the gNB (upper node). The message including the UL message may be referred to as a new message. The new message may be a newly defined message accompanying the introduction of Ambient IoT.

[0120] Here, the assisting node may include location information about the UL message in the new message. The location information about the UL message may be location information of the assisting node (reader). Data included in the new message may be a NAS PDU.

[0121] The new message includes a UL message received from an Ambient IoT device. Therefore, the new message may include at least one of the identification information (Device ID) of the Ambient IoT device and the identification information (Group ID) of the group of the Ambient IoT device (see option 3-1). The new message may also include a timestamp related to the UL message (see option 3-2).

[0122] In step S35, the gNB transmits a message including the New message received from the Assisting node to the CN. The message including the New message may be considered to be a response message (NG-AP message (Response)) to the NG-AP message (Request). Details of the NG-AP message (Response) may be the same as in Operation Example 1. However, the location information related to the UL message may be the location information of the Assisting node (Reader) instead of the location information of the gNB.

[0123] (5-4) Operation Example 4 In Operation Example 4, the above-mentioned Topology 4 will be described. In Operation Example 4, the above-mentioned network device 50 may be a UE.

[0124] 10, in step S40, the CN transmits to the gNB a message (NG-AP message (Request)) including information specifying the range of Ambient IoT devices to be called. The details of the NG-AP message (Request) may be the same as those in the first operation example.

[0125] In operation example 4, the NG-AP message (Request) may include UE identification information instead of base station identification information as information specifying the range of the Ambient IoT device, or may include UE identification information together with the base station identification information.

[0126] In step S40A, the gNB transmits to the UE a message (hereinafter referred to as a "New message (request)") including information specifying the range of Ambient IoT devices to be called. The New message (request) may include information specifying the range of Ambient IoT devices similar to the NG-AP message (Request). The New message (request) may also be a newly defined message accompanying the introduction of Ambient IoT.

[0127] In step S41, the UE transmits a message (paging-like message) to the Ambient IoT device to call the Ambient IoT device. The details of the paging-like message may be the same as those in the first operation example.

[0128] In step S42, the Ambient IoT device transmits an access request message to the UE to request access to the UE. Details of the access request message (RACH-like preamble) may be the same as those in the first operation example.

[0129] In step S43, the UE transmits an access response message (hereinafter, referred to as a RACH-like response) in response to the access request message (RACH-like preamble). Details of the RACH-like response may be the same as those in the first operation example.

[0130] In step S44, the Ambient IoT device transmits an uplink data signal (UL message) to the UE. The details of the UL message may be the same as those in the first operation example.

[0131] In step S44A, the UE transmits a message including the UL message received from the Ambient IoT device to the gNB (upper node). The message including the UL message may be considered a response message to the New message (Request) (hereinafter referred to as New message (Response)). The New message (Response) may be a newly defined message accompanying the introduction of Ambient IoT.

[0132] Here, the UE may include location information related to the UL message in the New message (Response). The location information related to the UL message may be location information of the UE (Reader). The data included in the New message (Response) may be a NAS PDU.

[0133] The New message (Response) includes the UL message received from the Ambient IoT device. Therefore, the New message (Response) may include at least one of the identification information (Device ID) of the Ambient IoT device and the identification information (Group ID) of the group of the Ambient IoT device (see Option 3-1). The New message (Response) may also include a timestamp related to the UL message (see Option 3-2).

[0134] In step S45, the gNB transmits a message including a New message (Response) received from the UE to the CN. The message including the New message (Response) may be considered to be a response message (NG-AP message (Response)) to the NG-AP message (Request). Details of the NG-AP message (Response) may be the same as in operation example 1. However, the location information related to the UL message may be the location information of the UE (Reader) instead of the location information of the gNB.

[0135] In the fourth operational example, one or more Ambient IoT devices and UEs may be grouped into one group (hereinafter, "Group with UE"). The Group with UE may be managed by identification information that identifies the Group with UE within the gNB. When the gNB requests the Device IDs within the Group with UE, the UE may report all Device IDs within the Group with UE to the gNB.

[0136] (5-5) Operation Example 5 In Operation Example 5, the above-described Topology 2 or Topology 4 may be assumed. In Operation Example 5, the first node that can recognize an Ambient IoT device present in the area related to the first node is a network device 50 (i.e., an intermediate node or UE) that communicates with the Ambient IoT device. Unless the embodiment is adopted, the second node that cannot recognize an Ambient IoT device present in the area related to the first node is a base station (gNB) that does not have a direct interface with the Ambient IoT device. The second node may be interpreted as a node that has the function of scheduling uplink communications for the Ambient IoT device. The area related to the first node is the coverage area of ​​the first node (intermediate node / UE).

[0137] As shown in Figure 11, a first node (Intermediate node / UE) transmits information about Ambient IoT devices that may be present in the area related to the first node to a gNB. The information about Ambient IoT devices can include the following options:

[0138] In option 4-1, the information about the Ambient IoT device may include an indication of whether the Ambient IoT device is present within an area related to the first node.

[0139] In option 4-2, the information about the Ambient IoT device may include at least one of identification information (Device ID) of the Ambient IoT device and identification information (Group ID) of a group of the Ambient IoT device.

[0140] Here, the Device ID may be information (Temporary Device ID) that identifies an Ambient IoT device in the CN or gNB. The Group ID may be information (Temporary Group ID) that identifies a group of Ambient IoT devices in the CN or gNB. The Group ID may be identification information that identifies a Group with Intermediate node described in Operation Example 2 (Topology 2), or may be identification information that identifies a Group with UE described in Operation Example 4 (Topology 4).

[0141] Information about the Ambient IoT device may be included in RRCSetupComplete, RRCReconfigurationComplete, RRCResumeComplete, RRCReestablishmentComplete, and UEAssistanceInfo.

[0142] (5-6) Operation Example 6 In Operation Example 6, the above-described Topologies 2 to 4 may be assumed. In Operation Example 6, a case is assumed in which a network device 50 (Intermediate node, Assisting node, or UE) performs a handover from a source base station to a target base station. In Operation Example 6, a first node that can detect an Ambient IoT device present in the area related to the first node is a source base station (hereinafter, Source gNB). Unless according to the embodiment, a second node that cannot detect an Ambient IoT device present in the area related to the first node is a target base station (hereinafter, Target gNB). The second node may be interpreted as a node that has the function of scheduling uplinks of Ambient IoT devices. The area related to the first node is the coverage area of ​​the network device 50 connected to the first node.

[0143] In the following, a case where the network device 50 is a UE (Topology 4) will be mainly described. However, a case where the network device 50 is an intermediate node / assisting node (Topology 2 / 3) may also be assumed. In such a case, the names of the messages may be interpreted as appropriate.

[0144] First, as shown in Fig. 12, in step S60, the Source gNB transmits a Handover request to the Target gNB. In step S61, the Target gNB transmits a Handover Ack to the Source gNB.

[0145] In this procedure, the Handover request may include information about Ambient IoT devices that may be present within the area of ​​the first node. Details of the information about Ambient IoT devices may be the same as in the fifth operation example.

[0146] Note that the term "Handover request" may be read as "Handover preparation information."

[0147] Second, as shown in Figure 13, in step S70, the Source gNB transmits a Handover required to the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF). In step S71, the AMF transmits a Handover request to the Target gNB. In step S72, the Target gNB transmits a Handover Ack to the AMF. In step S73, the AMF transmits a Handover command to the Source gNB.

[0148] In this procedure, the Handover required may include information about Ambient IoT devices that may be present in the area related to the first node. The Handover request may include information about Ambient IoT devices that may be present in the area related to the first node. Details of the information about Ambient IoT devices may be the same as in Operation Example 5.

[0149] (5-7) Operation Example 7 In Operation Example 7, the above-described Topologies 2 to 4 may be assumed. In Operation Example 7, a case is assumed in which a base station (gNB) that directly or indirectly communicates with an Ambient IoT device is separated into a control unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). In Operation Example 7, the first node that can recognize an Ambient IoT device present in the area related to the first node is the CU. Unless according to the embodiment, the second node that cannot recognize an Ambient IoT device present in the area related to the first node is the DU. The second node may be interpreted as a node that has the function of scheduling the uplink of the Ambient IoT device. The area related to the first node is the coverage area of ​​the base station (gNB) including the CU.

[0150] In the following, a case where the network device 50 is a UE (Topology 4) will be mainly described. However, a case where the network device 50 is an intermediate node / assisting node (Topology 2 / 3) may also be assumed. In such a case, the names of the messages may be interpreted as appropriate.

[0151] First, as shown in Fig. 14, in step S80, the CU sends a UE context setup request to the DU. In step S81, the DU sends a UE context setup response to the CU.

[0152] In such a procedure, the UE context setup request may include information about Ambient IoT devices that may be present in the area related to the first node. The UE context setup request may include information about Ambient IoT devices that may be present in the area related to the first node. Details of the information about Ambient IoT devices may be the same as in Operation Example 5.

[0153] Second, as shown in Fig. 15, in step S90, the CU sends a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST to the DU, and in step S91, the DU sends a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE to the CU.

[0154] In this procedure, the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST may include information about Ambient IoT devices that may be present in the area related to the first node. The UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST may include information about Ambient IoT devices that may be present in the area related to the first node. Details of the information about Ambient IoT devices may be the same as in Operation Example 5.

[0155] (5-8) Operation Example 8 In Operation Example 8, a case will be described in which a representative terminal included in a group manages the simple terminals (Ambient IoT devices) that belong to the group. The representative terminal may be referred to as a parent terminal. Ambient IoT devices other than the representative terminal included in the group that includes the representative terminal may be referred to as child terminals.

[0156] A group may be managed by information identifying the group (Group ID). The Group ID may be information identifying a group of Ambient IoT devices in a CN, gNB, or parent terminal (Temporary Group ID). The Group ID may be used for call control of Ambient IoT devices included in the group.

[0157] The groups may be the same as the groups described in the first to fourth operational examples, or may be different.

[0158] Under such a premise, the parent terminal executes the location registration process of the parent terminal on behalf of the group. The parent terminal may execute the location registration process periodically. The location registration process may be called a Tracking Area Update (TAU) or a periodic TAU. The location registration process may be called a Registration Update or a periodic Registration Update.

[0159] In operation example 8, the group may be configured with the following options:

[0160] In Option 8-1, as shown in FIG. 16, a group may include at least one normal UE and one or more Ambient IoT devices. One normal UE selected from the at least one normal UE may be an example of a parent terminal. The parent terminal sends a Registration request to a CN (e.g., AMF) via a Reader or a gNB. In response to the Registration request, the parent terminal receives a Registration request Ack from the CN (e.g., AMF) via the Reader or the gNB.

[0161] In Option 8-2, as shown in Figure 17, a group may include one or more Ambient IoT devices. One Ambient IoT device selected from the at least one Ambient IoT device may be an example of a parent terminal. The parent terminal sends a Registration request to a CN (e.g., AMF) via a Reader or a gNB. In response to the Registration request, the parent terminal receives a Registration Request Ack from the CN (e.g., AMF) via the Reader or the gNB.

[0162] In the eighth operational example, the CN (for example, AMF) may consider that the location information of the child terminal under the parent terminal is the location information of the parent terminal.

[0163] Furthermore, operation example 8 may include the following options.

[0164] In Option 8-3, the parent terminal may transmit the identification information (Device ID) of the child terminal (Ambient IoT device) under the parent terminal to the CN. The Device ID may be information (Temporary Device ID) that identifies the Ambient IoT device in the CN, gNB, or parent terminal. The Device ID may be used for call control of the Ambient IoT devices included in the group.

[0165] In Option 8-4, the parent terminal may transmit to the CN a notification that the Ambient IoT devices belonging to the group (e.g., child terminals) have been updated in response to at least one of an increase and a decrease in the number of Ambient IoT devices belonging to the group. In such a case, when the number of Ambient IoT devices belonging to the group increases, the parent terminal may transmit to the CN the identification information (Device ID) of the Ambient IoT device that has been added to the group. When the number of Ambient IoT devices belonging to the group decreases, the parent terminal may transmit to the CN the identification information (Device ID) of the Ambient IoT device that has left the group.

[0166] In Option 8-5, as shown in FIG. 18, the parent terminal may transmit a signal to confirm the Ambient IoT devices belonging to the group. The signal may be one or more signals selected from a broadcast signal, a multicast signal, a paging signal, an individual signal, a sidelink signal, and a newly defined signal. If the parent terminal does not receive a response signal to the signal from a child terminal, the parent terminal may determine that the child terminal that did not transmit the response signal has left the group. If the parent terminal receives a response signal from a child terminal that it does not manage, the parent terminal may determine that the child terminal that transmitted the response signal has been added to the group.

[0167] The parent terminal may periodically transmit a signal. The cycle of transmitting the signal may be set by RRC, may be specified by MAC CE, or may be predefined in the wireless communication system 10. The cycle of transmitting the signal may be managed by a timer set in the parent terminal. The timer may be a timer newly introduced in association with Ambient IoT.

[0168] In this way, the parent terminal may manage the Ambient IoT devices belonging to the group based on the response signals received from the child terminals (Ambient IoT devices).

[0169] In Option 8-6, as shown in FIG. 19 , a child terminal (Ambient IoT device) belonging to a group may transmit a signal (hereinafter, a notification signal) to notify the other child terminals that it belongs to the group. The notification signal may be one or more signals selected from an individual signal, a sidelink signal, and a newly defined signal. When a parent terminal does not receive a notification signal from a child terminal it manages, it may determine that the child terminal that did not transmit the notification signal has left the group. When a parent terminal receives a notification signal from a child terminal it does not manage, it may determine that the child terminal that transmitted the notification signal has been added to the group.

[0170] The child terminal may periodically transmit a signal. The cycle for transmitting the signal may be set by the parent terminal, may be set by RRC, may be specified by MAC CE, or may be predefined in the wireless communication system 10. The cycle for transmitting the signal may be managed by a timer set in the child terminal. The timer may be a timer newly introduced in association with Ambient IoT.

[0171] In this way, the parent terminal may manage the Ambient IoT devices belonging to the group based on notification signals received from the child terminals (Ambient IoT devices).

[0172] In Option 8-7, Operation Example 8 may be combined with at least one of Operation Examples 1 to 4. Specifically, location information of the parent terminal may be used in calling control of Ambient IoT devices. In other words, the location information of the parent terminal may be used as the range of Ambient IoT devices to be called. As in Operation Examples 1 to 4, the location information of the parent terminal may include reader identification information, gNB 100 identification information, geographical area identification information, tracking area identification information, group identification information (Group ID), etc.

[0173] As described above, the parent terminal may be a normal UE or an Ambient IoT device. Furthermore, if the Ambient IoT device belongs to a certain node (e.g., an intermediate node, an assisting node, a relay node, an IAB node, a femto node, a network controller repeater (NCR) node, or a wireless access and backhaul (WAB) node), the parent terminal may be the certain node.

[0174] (6) Actions and Effects In the embodiment, the network device 50 (gNB, Intermediate node, Assisting node, or UE) may execute call control for the Ambient IoT device based on a message including information specifying the range of the Ambient IoT device to be called. With this configuration, it is possible to appropriately execute call control for the Ambient IoT device even in a situation where the Ambient IoT device does not register its location.

[0175] In an embodiment, the network device 50 (gNB, Intermediate node, Assisting node, or UE) may control the transmission of a paging-like message to page the Ambient IoT device based on a control method for the Ambient IoT device. With this configuration, the Ambient IoT device can be appropriately paged even in a situation where the Ambient IoT device does not register its location and does not monitor paging occasions.

[0176] In an embodiment, the network device 50 (gNB, Intermediate node, Assisting node, or UE) may transmit an access response message (RACH-like response) including security setting information for an uplink data signal transmitted from the Ambient IoT device in response to the access request message (RACH-like preamble). With this configuration, it is possible to appropriately protect the uplink data signal transmitted after the access response message (RACH-like response).

[0177] In an embodiment, the network device 50 (gNB, Intermediate node, Assisting node, or UE) may transmit an uplink data signal including location information related to the uplink data signal to an upper node. With this configuration, even if the location information of the Ambient IoT device is not managed, the location information of the Ambient IoT device can be virtually determined based on the location information related to the uplink data signal transmitted from the Ambient IoT device.

[0178] In an embodiment, the first node may transmit information about Ambient IoT devices that may be present in the area of ​​the first node to the second node. With this configuration, the second node can determine whether or not an Ambient IoT device is present and can appropriately schedule the Ambient IoT device.

[0179] For example, in operation example 5, the gNB can determine whether an Ambient IoT device exists under the control of the network device 50 (Intermediate node or UE), and by obtaining the Device ID or Group ID for the Ambient IoT device, it can properly schedule the Ambient IoT device.

[0180] For example, in Operation Example 6, after the handover procedure is completed, the Target gNB can determine whether an Ambient IoT device exists under the control of the network device 50 (Intermediate node, Assisting node, or UE), and by obtaining the Device ID or Group ID related to the Ambient IoT device, can promptly start scheduling of the Ambient IoT device. Furthermore, in Operation Example 6, by tracking the gNB to which the Ambient IoT device under the control of the network device 50 (Intermediate node, Assisting node, or UE) is indirectly connected, the location information of the Ambient IoT device can be tracked in a pseudo manner using the location information of the gNB (or the location information of the network device 50), etc.

[0181] For example, in operation example 7, the DU can recognize the Ambient IoT devices (Ambient IoT devices recognized by the CU) that exist under the network device 50 (gNB, Intermediate node, Assisting node, or UE), and by obtaining the Device ID or Group ID for the Ambient IoT device, it can properly perform scheduling of the Ambient IoT device.

[0182] In an embodiment, one or more Ambient IoT devices may form a group, and a parent terminal included in the group may execute the location registration process for the parent terminal on behalf of the group (Operation Example 8). This configuration allows the CN (e.g., AMF) to grasp the location of the Ambient IoT devices. Furthermore, compared to a case where each Ambient IoT device executes the location registration process, the load on the CN (e.g., AMF) is reduced. It should be noted that the load on the CN (e.g., AMF) is reduced, particularly in cases where there are a large number of Ambient IoT devices.

[0183] (7) Other Embodiments The contents of the present invention have been described above in accordance with the embodiments, but it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to these descriptions and that various modifications and improvements are possible.

[0184] The block diagrams (FIGS. 4 and 5) used to explain the above-described embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of hardware and / or software. Furthermore, the method for realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using a single device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (e.g., wired, wireless, etc.) and these multiple devices. The functional block may be realized by combining software with the single device or multiple devices.

[0185] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, determination, judgment, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, election, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, regard, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assignment. For example, a functional block (component) that performs transmission is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. As mentioned above, there are no particular limitations on how each is implemented.

[0186] Furthermore, the above-described network device 50 and UE 200 (the device) may function as a computer that performs processing of the wireless communication method of the present disclosure. Fig. 20 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the device. As shown in Fig. 20, the device may be configured as a computer including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a bus 1007, etc.

[0187] In the following description, the term "apparatus" can be interpreted as a circuit, a device, a unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the apparatus may be configured to include one or more of the apparatuses shown in the drawings, or may be configured to exclude some of the apparatuses.

[0188] Each functional block of the device (see FIGS. 4 and 5) is realized by any hardware element of the computer device or a combination of the hardware elements.

[0189] In addition, each function of the device is realized by loading specified software (programs) onto hardware such as processor 1001 and memory 1002, causing processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication via communication device 1004, and control at least one of reading and writing data in memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0190] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer by running, for example, an operating system, and may be configured as a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control unit, an arithmetic unit, and registers.

[0191] The processor 1001 also reads programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002 and executes various processes in accordance with these. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least some of the operations described in the above-described embodiments. Furthermore, the various processes described above may be executed by a single processor 1001, or may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The programs may be transmitted from a network via a telecommunications line.

[0192] The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be configured by at least one of, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc. The memory 1002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory (primary storage device), etc. The memory 1002 may store a program (program code), a software module, etc., capable of executing a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0193] Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be, for example, at least one of an optical disk such as a Compact Disc ROM (CD-ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray disc), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 1003 may also be referred to as an auxiliary storage device. The above-mentioned recording medium may be, for example, a database, a server, or other suitable medium including at least one of memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0194] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmission / reception device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, or a communication module.

[0195] The communication device 1004 may be configured to include a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, etc. to realize, for example, at least one of Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD).

[0196] The input device 1005 is an input device (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, etc.) that receives input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (e.g., a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that outputs to the outside. Note that the input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be integrated into one device (e.g., a touch panel).

[0197] Furthermore, each device such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002 is connected to a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

[0198] Furthermore, the device may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

[0199] Furthermore, the notification of information is not limited to the aspects / embodiments described in the present disclosure, and may be performed using other methods. For example, the notification of information may be performed by physical layer signaling (e.g., Downlink Control Information (DCI), Uplink Control Information (UCI)), higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling, broadcast information (Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB))), other signals, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, the RRC signaling may be referred to as an RRC message, and may be, for example, an RRC Connection Setup message, an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message, or the like.

[0200] Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be applied to at least one of a system using Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, a 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), a 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), Future Radio Access (FRA), New Radio (NR), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or other suitable system, and a next-generation system enhanced based on these. Furthermore, a combination of multiple systems (e.g., a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A and 5G) may also be applied.

[0201] The order of the procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be changed unless it is consistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order, and are not limited to the particular order presented.

[0202] In the present disclosure, a specific operation described as being performed by a base station may be performed by its upper node in some cases. In a network consisting of one or more network nodes having a base station, it is clear that various operations performed for communication with a terminal may be performed by at least one of the base station and another network node other than the base station (for example, an MME or an S-GW, etc., but are not limited to these). Although the above example illustrates a case where there is one other network node other than the base station, a combination of multiple other network nodes (for example, an MME and an S-GW) may also be used.

[0203] Information, signals (information, etc.) may be output from a higher layer (or a lower layer) to a lower layer (or a higher layer), or may be input / output via multiple network nodes.

[0204] The input and output information may be stored in a specific location (for example, a memory) or may be managed using a management table. The input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added. The output information may be deleted. The input information may be transmitted to another device.

[0205] The determination may be made based on a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean value (true or false), or a numerical comparison (e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0206] The aspects / embodiments described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the implementation. Notification of predetermined information (e.g., notification that "X is true") is not limited to explicit notification, but may be implicit (e.g., not notifying the predetermined information).

[0207] Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

[0208] Software, instructions, information, etc. may also be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then these wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

[0209] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0210] Note that terms described in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings. For example, at least one of a channel and a symbol may be a signal (signaling). Furthermore, a signal may be a message. Furthermore, a component carrier (CC) may be called a carrier frequency, a cell, a frequency carrier, etc.

[0211] As used in this disclosure, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

[0212] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc. described in the present disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, may be expressed using relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or may be expressed using other corresponding information. For example, a radio resource may be indicated by an index.

[0213] The names used for the above-described parameters are not intended to be limiting in any way. Furthermore, the mathematical expressions using these parameters may differ from those explicitly disclosed in this disclosure. The various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements may be identified by any suitable names, and therefore the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not intended to be limiting in any way.

[0214] In this disclosure, terms such as "base station (BS)," "radio base station," "fixed station," "NodeB," "eNodeB (eNB)," "gNodeB (gNB)," "access point," "transmission point," "reception point," "transmission / reception point," "cell," "sector," "cell group," "carrier," and "component carrier" may be used interchangeably. Base stations may also be referred to by terms such as macrocell, small cell, femtocell, and picocell.

[0215] A base station can accommodate one or more (e.g., three) cells (also called sectors). When a base station accommodates multiple cells, the overall coverage area of ​​the base station can be divided into multiple smaller areas, and each smaller area can be provided with communication services by a base station subsystem (e.g., a small indoor base station (Remote Radio Head: RRH)).

[0216] The terms "cell" or "sector" refer to part or all of the coverage area of ​​a base station and / or base station subsystem that provides communication services within that coverage area.

[0217] In this disclosure, the terms "Mobile Station (MS)," "user terminal," "User Equipment (UE)," "terminal," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0218] A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable terminology.

[0219] At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be referred to as a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, etc. At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be a device mounted on a mobile object, the mobile object itself, etc. The mobile object may be a vehicle (e.g., a car, an airplane, etc.), an unmanned mobile object (e.g., a drone, an autonomous vehicle, etc.), or a robot (manned or unmanned). At least one of the base station and the mobile station may also include devices that do not necessarily move during communication operations. For example, at least one of the base station and the mobile station may be an Internet of Things (IoT) device such as a sensor.

[0220] Furthermore, a base station in the present disclosure may be read as a mobile station (user terminal, the same applies hereinafter). For example, the aspects / embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to a configuration in which communication between a base station and a mobile station is replaced with communication between multiple mobile stations (which may be called, for example, Device-to-Device (D2D) or Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X)). In this case, the mobile station may be configured to have the functions of a base station. Furthermore, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" may be read as terms corresponding to terminal-to-terminal communication (for example, "side"). For example, terms such as an uplink channel and a downlink channel may be read as a side channel.

[0221] Similarly, a mobile station in the present disclosure may be interpreted as a base station, in which case the base station may have the functions of a mobile station.

[0222] A radio frame may be made up of one or more frames in the time domain, each of which may be called a subframe.

[0223] A subframe may further be composed of one or more slots in the time domain, and may have a fixed time length (e.g., 1 ms) that is independent of numerology.

[0224] Numerology may be communication parameters that apply to the transmission and / or reception of a signal or channel, such as subcarrier spacing (SCS), bandwidth, symbol length, cyclic prefix length, transmission time interval (TTI), number of symbols per TTI, radio frame structure, specific filtering operations performed by the transceiver in the frequency domain, and specific windowing operations performed by the transceiver in the time domain.

[0225] A slot may consist of one or more symbols in the time domain (such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) symbols, etc.) A slot may be a time unit based on numerology.

[0226] A slot may include multiple minislots. Each minislot may consist of one or multiple symbols in the time domain. A minislot may also be called a subslot. A minislot may consist of fewer symbols than a slot. A PDSCH (or PUSCH) transmitted in a time unit larger than a minislot may be called PDSCH (or PUSCH) mapping type A. A PDSCH (or PUSCH) transmitted using a minislot may be called PDSCH (or PUSCH) mapping type B.

[0227] The radio frame, subframe, slot, minislot, and symbol all represent time units for transmitting signals, and may be referred to by other names corresponding to the radio frame, subframe, slot, minislot, and symbol.

[0228] For example, one subframe may be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI), multiple consecutive subframes may be referred to as a TTI, or one slot or one minislot may be referred to as a TTI. That is, at least one of the subframe and the TTI may be a subframe (1 ms) in existing LTE, a period shorter than 1 ms (e.g., 1-13 symbols), or a period longer than 1 ms. Note that the unit representing the TTI may be referred to as a slot, minislot, etc. instead of a subframe.

[0229] Here, TTI refers to, for example, the smallest time unit for scheduling in wireless communication. For example, in an LTE system, a base station schedules each user terminal to allocate radio resources (such as frequency bandwidth and transmission power that can be used by each user terminal) in TTI units. Note that the definition of TTI is not limited to this.

[0230] The TTI may be a transmission time unit for a channel-encoded data packet (transport block), a code block, a code word, etc., or may be a processing unit for scheduling, link adaptation, etc. When a TTI is given, the time interval (e.g., the number of symbols) to which a transport block, a code block, a code word, etc. is actually mapped may be shorter than the TTI.

[0231] In addition, when one slot or one minislot is called a TTI, one or more TTIs (i.e., one or more slots or one or more minislots) may be the minimum time unit for scheduling. Furthermore, the number of slots (minislots) constituting the minimum time unit for scheduling may be controlled.

[0232] A TTI having a time length of 1 ms may be called a regular TTI (TTI in LTE Rel. 8-12), normal TTI, long TTI, regular subframe, normal subframe, long subframe, slot, etc. A TTI shorter than a regular TTI may be called a shortened TTI, short TTI, partial or fractional TTI, shortened subframe, short subframe, minislot, subslot, slot, etc.

[0233] In addition, a long TTI (e.g., a normal TTI, a subframe, etc.) may be interpreted as a TTI having a time length of more than 1 ms, and a short TTI (e.g., a shortened TTI, etc.) may be interpreted as a TTI having a TTI length shorter than the TTI length of a long TTI and equal to or greater than 1 ms.

[0234] A resource block (RB) is a resource allocation unit in the time domain and the frequency domain, and may include one or more consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. The number of subcarriers included in an RB may be the same regardless of numerology, for example, 12. The number of subcarriers included in an RB may be determined based on numerology.

[0235] The time domain of an RB may include one or more symbols and may have a length of one slot, one minislot, one subframe, or one TTI. One TTI, one subframe, etc. may each be composed of one or more resource blocks.

[0236] Note that one or more RBs may also be called a physical resource block (PRB), a sub-carrier group (SCG), a resource element group (REG), a PRB pair, an RB pair, etc.

[0237] Furthermore, a resource block may be composed of one or more resource elements (REs). For example, one RE may be a radio resource region of one subcarrier and one symbol.

[0238] A Bandwidth Part (BWP) (which may also be referred to as a fractional bandwidth) may represent a subset of contiguous common resource blocks (RBs) for a given numerology on a given carrier, where the common RBs may be identified by their index relative to a common reference point of the carrier. PRBs may be defined in a given BWP and numbered within that BWP.

[0239] The BWP may include a BWP for UL (UL BWP) and a BWP for DL ​​(DL BWP). One or more BWPs may be configured for a UE within one carrier.

[0240] At least one of the configured BWPs may be active, and the UE may not expect to transmit or receive a given signal / channel outside the active BWP. Note that the terms "cell," "carrier," etc. in this disclosure may be read as "BWP."

[0241] The above-described structures of radio frames, subframes, slots, minislots, symbols, etc. are merely examples. For example, the number of subframes included in a radio frame, the number of slots per subframe or radio frame, the number of minislots included in a slot, the number of symbols and RBs included in a slot or minislot, the number of subcarriers included in an RB, the number of symbols in a TTI, the symbol length, the cyclic prefix (CP) length, etc. may be variously changed.

[0242] The terms "connected," "coupled," or any variation thereof, refer to any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read as "access." As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using one or more wires, cables, and / or printed electrical connections, as well as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and optical (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

[0243] The reference signal may also be abbreviated as Reference Signal (RS) and may be called a pilot depending on the applicable standard.

[0244] As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0245] The "means" in the configuration of each of the above devices may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0246] As used in this disclosure, any reference to an element using a designation such as "first," "second," etc. does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed therein or that the first element must precede the second element in some way.

[0247] When the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, when the term "or" is used in this disclosure, it is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0248] In this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

[0249] As used in this disclosure, the terms "determining" and "determining" may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and the like. "Determining" and "determining" may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), and the like. Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. as having been "judged" or "decided." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding some action as having been "judged" or "decided." Furthermore, "judgment (decision)" can be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

[0250] In the present disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "coupled" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different."

[0251] 21 shows an example of the configuration of a vehicle 2001. As shown in Fig. 21, the vehicle 2001 includes a drive unit 2002, a steering unit 2003, an accelerator pedal 2004, a brake pedal 2005, a shift lever 2006, left and right front wheels 2007, left and right rear wheels 2008, an axle 2009, an electronic control unit 2010, various sensors 2021 to 2029, an information service unit 2012, and a communication module 2013.

[0252] The drive unit 2002 is composed of, for example, an engine, a motor, or a hybrid of an engine and a motor.

[0253] The steering unit 2003 includes at least a steering wheel (also called a handle) and is configured to steer at least one of the front wheels and the rear wheels based on the operation of the steering wheel operated by the user.

[0254] The electronic control unit 2010 is composed of a microprocessor 2031, a memory (ROM, RAM) 2032, and a communication port (IO port) 2033. Signals are input to the electronic control unit 2010 from various sensors 2021 to 2027 provided in the vehicle. The electronic control unit 2010 may also be called an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

[0255] The signals from the various sensors 2021 to 2028 include a current signal from a current sensor 2021 that senses the current of the motor, a rotation speed signal of the front and rear wheels obtained by a rotation speed sensor 2022, an air pressure signal of the front and rear wheels obtained by an air pressure sensor 2023, a vehicle speed signal obtained by a vehicle speed sensor 2024, an acceleration signal obtained by an acceleration sensor 2025, an accelerator pedal depression amount signal obtained by an accelerator pedal sensor 2029, a brake pedal depression amount signal obtained by a brake pedal sensor 2026, a shift lever operation signal obtained by a shift lever sensor 2027, and a detection signal for detecting obstacles, vehicles, pedestrians, etc. obtained by an object detection sensor 2028.

[0256] The information service unit 2012 is composed of various devices, such as a car navigation system, an audio system, speakers, a television, and a radio, for providing various types of information such as driving information, traffic information, and entertainment information, and one or more ECUs for controlling these devices. The information service unit 2012 uses information obtained from external devices via the communication module 2013, etc., to provide various types of multimedia information and multimedia services to the occupants of the vehicle 1.

[0257] The driving assistance system unit 2030 is composed of various devices that provide functions for preventing accidents and reducing the driver's driving burden, such as millimeter-wave radar, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), cameras, positioning locators (e.g., GNSS, etc.), map information (e.g., high-definition (HD) maps, autonomous vehicle (AV) maps, etc.), gyro systems (e.g., IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), INS (Inertial Navigation System), etc.), AI (Artificial Intelligence) chips, and AI processors, as well as one or more ECUs that control these devices. The driving assistance system unit 2030 also transmits and receives various information via the communication module 2013 to realize driving assistance functions or autonomous driving functions.

[0258] The communication module 2013 can communicate with the microprocessor 2031 and components of the vehicle 1 via the communication port. For example, the communication module 2013 transmits and receives data via the communication port 2033 to and from a driving unit 2002, a steering unit 2003, an accelerator pedal 2004, a brake pedal 2005, a shift lever 2006, left and right front wheels 2007, left and right rear wheels 2008, an axle 2009, a microprocessor 2031 and memory (ROM, RAM) 2032 in the electronic control unit 2010, and sensors 2021 to 2028, which are provided in the vehicle 2001.

[0259] The communication module 2013 is a communication device that can be controlled by the microprocessor 2031 of the electronic control unit 2010 and can communicate with an external device. For example, it transmits and receives various information to and from the external device via wireless communication. The communication module 2013 may be located either inside or outside the electronic control unit 2010. The external device may be, for example, a base station, a mobile station, or the like.

[0260] The communication module 2013 transmits, via wireless communication to an external device, a current signal from the current sensor that is input to the electronic control unit 2010. The communication module 2013 also transmits, via wireless communication to an external device, the rotation speed signals of the front and rear wheels acquired by a rotation speed sensor 2022, the air pressure signals of the front and rear wheels acquired by an air pressure sensor 2023, the vehicle speed signal acquired by a vehicle speed sensor 2024, the acceleration signal acquired by an acceleration sensor 2025, the accelerator pedal depression amount signal acquired by an accelerator pedal sensor 2029, the brake pedal depression amount signal acquired by a brake pedal sensor 2026, the shift lever operation signal acquired by a shift lever sensor 2027, and the detection signals for detecting obstacles, vehicles, pedestrians, etc. acquired by an object detection sensor 2028, all of which are input to the electronic control unit 2010.

[0261] The communication module 2013 receives various information (traffic information, traffic signal information, vehicle distance information, etc.) transmitted from external devices and displays it on an information service unit 2012 provided in the vehicle. The communication module 2013 also stores the various information received from the external devices in a memory 2032 that can be used by the microprocessor 2031. Based on the information stored in the memory 2032, the microprocessor 2031 may control the drive unit 2002, steering unit 2003, accelerator pedal 2004, brake pedal 2005, shift lever 2006, left and right front wheels 2007, left and right rear wheels 2008, axle 2009, sensors 2021 to 2028, and the like provided in the vehicle 2001.

[0262] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure.

[0263] (Supplementary Note 1) The above disclosure may be expressed as follows:

[0264] The first feature is a network device comprising a receiving unit that receives a message including information that specifies the range of simple terminals to be called, and a control unit that executes call control of the simple terminals based on the message.

[0265] Feature 1-2 is a network device in which, in feature 1-1, the information specifying the range of the simple terminal to be called includes at least one of identification information of a device that acquires information from the simple terminal, identification information of a base station that communicates directly or indirectly with the simple terminal, identification information of a geographical area where the simple terminal may be located, identification information of a tracking area in which a terminal normally registers its location, and identification information of a group of the simple terminal.

[0266] Feature 1-3 is a network device in which, in feature 1-1 or feature 1-2, the control unit executes control to send a message to call the simple terminal when the simple terminal connected to the network device is included in the range of the simple terminal to be called.

[0267] Features 1-4 are a wireless communication system comprising a simple terminal and a network device, the network device comprising a receiving unit that receives a message including information that identifies the range of simple terminals to be called, and a control unit that executes call control of the simple terminals based on the message.

[0268] Features 1-5 are a wireless communication method comprising the steps of receiving a message including information specifying a range of simple terminals to be called, and executing call control of the simple terminals based on the message.

[0269] (Supplementary Note 2) The above disclosure may be expressed as follows:

[0270] The feature 2-1 is a network device comprising a transmitting unit that transmits a message to call a simple terminal, and a control unit that controls the transmission of the message based on a control method for the simple terminal.

[0271] A feature 2-2 is the network device according to the feature 2-1, wherein the control unit executes repeated transmission of the message as a control method for the simple terminal.

[0272] Feature 2-3 is a network device in which, in feature 2-1 or feature 2-2, the control unit executes control to include in the message at least one of identification information of the simple terminal and identification information of a group of the simple terminal as a control method for the simple terminal.

[0273] A second feature of the fourth aspect of the present invention is a wireless communication system comprising a simple terminal and a network device, the network device comprising a transmitting unit that transmits a message to call the simple terminal, and a control unit that controls the transmission of the message based on a control method for the simple terminal.

[0274] A second feature of the present invention is a wireless communication method including the steps of: transmitting a message to call a simple terminal; and controlling the transmission of the message based on a control method for the simple terminal.

[0275] (Appendix 3) The above disclosure may be expressed as follows:

[0276] A third feature of the present invention is a network device including a receiving unit that receives an access request message from a simple terminal, and a transmitting unit that transmits an access response message in response to the access request message, wherein the access response message includes security setting information related to an uplink data signal that is transmitted from the simple terminal after the access response message.

[0277] A feature 3-2 is the network device according to the feature 3-1, wherein the access response message includes at least one of identification information of the simple terminal and identification information of a group of the simple terminal.

[0278] A third feature of the present invention is a wireless communication system including a simple terminal and a network device, wherein the network device includes a receiving unit that receives an access request message from the simple terminal and a transmitting unit that transmits an access response message in response to the access request message, and the access response message includes security setting information related to an uplink data signal that is transmitted from the simple terminal after the access response message.

[0279] A third-fourth feature is a wireless communication method comprising the steps of receiving an access request message from a simple terminal and transmitting an access response message in response to the access request message, wherein the access response message includes security setting information related to an uplink data signal transmitted from the simple terminal after the access response message.

[0280] (Appendix 4) The above disclosure may be expressed as follows:

[0281] Feature 4-1 is a network device comprising: a receiving unit that receives an uplink data signal from a simple terminal; and a control unit that executes control to transmit the uplink data signal to an upper node, wherein the control unit executes control to include location information related to the uplink data signal in the uplink data signal.

[0282] A 4-2 feature is the network device according to the 4-1 feature, wherein the location information regarding the uplink data signal is location information of the network device.

[0283] A feature 4-3 is the network device according to the feature 4-1 or 4-2, wherein the uplink data signal received from the simple terminal includes a timestamp related to the uplink data signal.

[0284] Feature 4-4 is a network device in which, in at least one of features 4-1 to 4-3, the uplink data signal received from the simple terminal includes at least one of identification information of the simple terminal and identification information of a group of the simple terminal.

[0285] A fourth feature of the fourth-fifth aspect of the present invention is a wireless communication system including a simple terminal and a network device, wherein the network device includes a receiving unit that receives an uplink data signal from the simple terminal and a control unit that executes control to transmit the uplink data signal to an upper node, and the control unit executes control to include location information related to the uplink data signal in the uplink data signal.

[0286] Features 4-6 are a wireless communication method comprising step A of receiving an uplink data signal from a simple terminal, and step B of executing control to transmit the uplink data signal to an upper node, wherein step B includes a step of executing control to include location information related to the uplink data signal in the uplink data signal.

[0287] (Appendix 5) The above disclosure may be expressed as follows:

[0288] Feature 5-1 is a first node comprising: a control unit that controls communication with a simple terminal; and a transmission unit that transmits information about the simple terminal that may be present within an area related to the first node to a second node.

[0289] Feature 5-2 is a first node in feature 5-1, in which, when a network device that communicates with the simple terminal is connected to a base station that does not have a direct interface with the simple terminal, the first node is the network device and the second node is the base station.

[0290] Feature 5-3 is a first node in feature 5-1, in which when a network device that communicates with the simple terminal performs a handover from a source base station to a target base station, the first node is the source base station and the second node is the target base station.

[0291] Feature 5-4 is a first node in feature 5-1, in which when a base station that communicates directly or indirectly with the simple terminal is separated into a control unit and a distributed unit, the first node is the control unit and the second node is the distributed unit.

[0292] A feature of 5-5 is a wireless communication system including a first node and a second node, wherein the first node includes a control unit that controls communication with a simple terminal, and a transmission unit that transmits information about the simple terminal that may be present within an area related to the first node to the second node.

[0293] A fifth and sixth feature is a wireless communication method including a step of a first node controlling communication with a simple terminal, and a step of transmitting, to a second node, information regarding the simple terminal that may be present within an area related to the first node.

[0294] (Appendix 6) Feature 6-1 is a representative terminal included in a group, which is equipped with a management unit that manages the simple terminals that belong to the group, and a control unit that executes location registration processing for the representative terminal on behalf of the group.

[0295] A feature 6-2 is that in the feature 6-1, the representative terminal includes a communication unit that transmits identification information of the simple terminals that belong to the group to the network.

[0296] Feature 6-3 is a representative terminal according to feature 6-1 or feature 6-2, which is equipped with a communication unit that transmits to the network a message that the simple terminals belonging to the group have been updated in response to at least one of an increase and a decrease in the number of simple terminals belonging to the group.

[0297] Feature 6-4 is that in at least one of features 6-1 to 6-3, the management unit is a representative terminal that manages the simple terminals belonging to the group based on signals received from the simple terminals belonging to the group.

[0298] Feature 6-5 is a wireless communication system comprising a representative terminal included in a group and a simple terminal included in the group, wherein the representative terminal comprises a management unit that manages the simple terminals belonging to the group, and a control unit that executes location registration processing for the representative terminal on behalf of the group.

[0299] Feature 6-6 is a wireless communication method comprising the steps of: a representative terminal included in a group managing simple terminals belonging to the group; and the representative terminal, on behalf of the group, executing location registration processing for the representative terminal.

[0300] 10 Wireless communication system 10A First network 10B Second network 20A, 20B Wireless access network 30A, 30B Core network 50 Network device 51 Receiving unit 52 Transmitting unit 53 Control unit 100A, 100B Base station 200 UE 210 Wireless signal transmitting / receiving unit 220 Amplifying unit 230 Modulation / demodulation unit 240 Control signal / reference signal processing unit 250 Encoding / decoding unit 260 Data transmitting / receiving unit 270 Control unit 1001 Processor 1002 Memory 1003 Storage 1004 Communication device 1005 Input device 1006 Output device 1007 Bus 2001 Vehicle 2002 Drive unit 2003 Steering unit 2004 Accelerator pedal 2005 Brake pedal 2006 Shift lever 2007 Left and right front wheels 2008 Left and right rear wheels 2009 Axle 2010 Electronic control unit 2012 Information service unit 2013 Communication module 2021 Current sensor 2022 RPM sensor 2023 Air pressure sensor 2024 Vehicle speed sensor 2025 Acceleration sensor 2026 Brake pedal sensor 2027 Shift lever sensor 2028 Object detection sensor 2029 Accelerator pedal sensor 2030 Driving assistance system unit 2031 Microprocessor 2032 Memory (ROM, RAM) 2033 Communication port

Claims

1. A representative terminal included in a group, comprising: a management unit that manages simple terminals belonging to the group; and a control unit that executes location registration processing for the representative terminal on behalf of the group.

2. The representative terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a communication unit for transmitting identification information of the simple terminals belonging to said group to the network.

3. The representative terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a communication unit that transmits to the network, in response to at least one of an increase and a decrease in the number of simple terminals belonging to said group, a message indicating that the simple terminals belonging to said group have been updated.

4. The representative terminal according to claim 1, wherein said management unit manages the simple terminals belonging to said group based on signals received from the simple terminals belonging to said group.

5. A wireless communication system comprising: a representative terminal included in a group; and simple terminals included in said group, wherein said representative terminal comprises: a management unit that manages the simple terminals belonging to said group; and a control unit that executes location registration processing for said representative terminal on behalf of said group.

6. A wireless communication method comprising: a step in which a representative terminal included in a group manages simple terminals belonging to the group; and a step in which the representative terminal, on behalf of the group, executes location registration processing for the representative terminal.

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