Communication device and communication method

Abstract

This communication device comprises: a control unit that determines a midamble to be used for R2D transmission to which frequency hopping or repetition is applied; and a transmission unit that transmits the midamble and the R2D transmission to an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) device. If the frequency hopping is applied, the transmission unit transmits the midamble for each hop of the R2D transmission, and if the repetition is applied, the transmission unit transmits the midamble for each repetition of the R2D transmission.

Description

Communication device and communication method

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device and a communication method in a wireless communication system.

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

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

[0004] 3GPP TS 38.300 V18.0.0 (2023-12)“New SID: Study on solutions for Ambient IoT (Internet of Things) in NR”, RP-234058, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #102, December 20233GPP TR 38.848 V18.0.0 (2023-09)

[0005] Timing acquisition signals used for communication in a communication system including ambient IoT devices have been studied. If the ambient IoT devices cannot properly determine the timing acquisition signals, they may not be able to properly transmit and receive channels and / or signals, which may result in degradation of system performance. Therefore, a technique for properly determining timing acquisition signals used for communication in a communication system including ambient IoT devices is required.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has an object to enable an Ambient Internet of Things (IoT) terminal to acquire timing in a wireless communication system.

[0007] According to the disclosed technology, a communication device is provided that includes a control unit that determines a midamble to be used for R2D transmission to which frequency hopping or repetition is applied, and a transmission unit that transmits the midamble and the R2D transmission to an ambient IoT (Internet of Things) device, wherein the transmission unit transmits a midamble for each hop of the R2D transmission when frequency hopping is applied, and transmits a midamble for each repetition of the R2D transmission when repetition is applied.

[0008] According to the disclosed technology, an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) terminal can acquire timing in a wireless communication system.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a topology (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a topology (2) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a midamble transmission (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a midamble transmission (2) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a midamble transmission (3) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a midamble transmission (4) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a midamble transmission (5) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a midamble transmission (6) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a restriction on midamble transmission (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a restriction on midamble transmission (2) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a restriction on midamble transmission (3) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a base station 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a terminal 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a base station 10 or a terminal 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a vehicle 2001 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

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

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

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

[0014] Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present invention, "configuring" radio parameters etc. may mean that predetermined values ​​are pre-configured, or that radio parameters notified from the base station 10 or the terminal 20 are set.

[0015] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example (1) of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the wireless communication system according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a base station 10 and a terminal 20. Although Fig. 1 shows one base station 10 and one terminal 20, this is an example, and there may be a plurality of each.

[0016] The base station 10 is a communication device that provides one or more cells and performs wireless communication with the terminal 20. The physical resources of a wireless signal are defined in the time domain and the frequency domain. The time domain may be defined by the number of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, and the frequency domain may be defined by the number of subcarriers or the number of resource blocks. The base station 10 transmits a synchronization signal and system information to the terminal 20. The synchronization signal is, for example, NR-PSS and NR-SSS. The system information is, for example, transmitted via NR-PBCH and is also referred to as broadcast information. The synchronization signal and system information may also be referred to as SSB (SS / PBCH block). As shown in FIG. 1 , the base station 10 transmits control signals or data to the terminal 20 via DL (Downlink) and receives control signals or data from the terminal 20 via UL (Uplink). Both the base station 10 and the terminal 20 are capable of transmitting and receiving signals by performing beamforming. Furthermore, both the base station 10 and the terminal 20 can apply MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) communication to DL or UL. Furthermore, both the base station 10 and the terminal 20 may communicate via a secondary cell (SCell: Secondary Cell) and a primary cell (PCell: Primary Cell) using CA (Carrier Aggregation). Furthermore, the terminal 20 may communicate via a primary cell of the base station 10 and a primary secondary cell group cell (PSCell: Primary SCG Cell) of another base station 10 using DC (Dual Connectivity).

[0017] The terminal 20 is a communication device equipped with a wireless communication function, such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet, a wearable terminal, or an M2M (Machine-to-Machine) communication module. As shown in Fig. 1, the terminal 20 receives control signals or data from the base station 10 via DL and transmits control signals or data to the base station 10 via UL, thereby utilizing various communication services provided by the wireless communication system. The terminal 20 also receives various reference signals transmitted from the base station 10 and measures propagation path quality based on the reception results of the reference signals.

[0018] The terminal 20 is capable of performing carrier aggregation, which aggregates multiple cells (multiple CCs (Component Carriers)) to communicate with the base station 10. In carrier aggregation, one PCell (Primary cell) and one or more SCells (Secondary cells) are used. Also, a PUCCH-SCell having a PUCCH may be used.

[0019] In response to this, Ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) is being considered (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 2). Ambient IoT targets devices with extremely simple configurations for the lowest-end IoT applications that operate with extremely low power consumption.

[0020] For example, ambient IoT can be considered for the following deployment scenarios and characteristics:

[0021] 1) Indoor or outdoor environment. 2) Base station characteristics, e.g., macro, micro, or pico cell-based deployment. 3) Connectivity topology, e.g., which nodes (e.g., base stations, UEs, relays, repeaters, etc.) communicate with ambient IoT devices. 4) TDD or FDD, licensed or unlicensed frequency band. 5) Coexistence with UEs and infrastructure in frequency bands for existing 3GPP technologies. 6) Traffic assumptions originating from and / or terminating to the device.

[0022] RAN design targets based on the above deployment scenarios and characteristics for relevant use cases may include at least the following aspects:

[0023] 1) Power consumption 2) Complexity 3) Coverage 4) Data rate 5) Positioning accuracy

[0024] The feasibility of RAN design targets for use cases based on suitable deployment scenarios may be weighed to clarify expectations of required functionality to be supported.

[0025] For example, the following device categories may be envisioned for ambient IoT:

[0026] Device A has no power storage and is not capable of independent signal generation and amplification. Backscattering transmission is possible.

[0027] Device B has power storage and is not capable of independent signal generation. It is capable of backscatter transmission and amplifying the reflected signal using the stored power.

[0028] Device C has power storage and is capable of independently generating a signal, i.e., it has active RF components for transmission.

[0029] It is assumed that the complexity of device A is about the same as that of an RFID.

[0030] Additionally, the following device types may be defined:

[0031] Device 1) A device with a maximum power consumption of 1 μW or less, including an energy storage device, and an initial sampling frequency offset (SFO) of 10 Ｘ ppm and has no DL or UL amplifiers. UL transmission is performed by backscattering an externally supplied carrier wave.

[0032] Device 2a) A device with a maximum power consumption of a few hundred μW or less, with an energy storage device, and an initial sampling frequency offset (SFO) of 10 Ｘ ppm and has DL and / or UL amplifiers. UL transmission is performed by backscattering an externally supplied carrier wave.

[0033] Device 2b) A device with a maximum power consumption of a few hundred μW or less, with an energy storage device, and an initial sampling frequency offset (SFO) of 10 Ｘ ppm and has DL and / or UL amplifiers. UL transmissions are generated internally to the device.

[0034] For example, the following network topology may be envisaged for ambient IoT (see Non-Patent Document 3):

[0035] Topology 1 is a configuration in which a BS and an ambient IoT device communicate with each other. The ambient IoT device performs bidirectional communication directly with the base station. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of topology (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 shows an example of topology 1.

[0036] Topology 2 is a configuration in which a BS and an ambient IoT device communicate via an intermediate node. The ambient IoT device performs bidirectional communication with an intermediate node located between the base station and the ambient IoT device. The intermediate node may be, for example, a relay, an IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) node, a UE, a repeater, etc. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of topology (2) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of Topology 2. The intermediate UE may receive DL data or signaling for an AIOT terminal from the BS and transmit the DL data or signaling to the AIOT terminal. Alternatively, the intermediate UE may transmit an unmodulated wave to the AIOT terminal, receive UL data or signaling from the AIOT terminal, and transmit the UL data or signaling to the BS.

[0037] Furthermore, the base station, intermediate node, support node, or other node transmits an RF signal to the ambient IoT device. The ambient IoT device is activated and obtains power from an RF operating field from the base station, intermediate node, support node, or other node via inductive coupling. The ambient IoT device transmits information to the base station, intermediate node, support node, or other node by backscattering modulation of the RF signal received from the base station, intermediate node, support node, or other node by switching the reflection coefficient of its own antenna. For example, the ambient IoT device may transmit information by performing ON-OFF keying.

[0038] For example, for RFID in 860 MHz-960 MHz, the reader of the RFID system corresponds to the base station, intermediate node, or support node of the ambient IoT system. The tag corresponds to the ambient IoT device. The RF signal from the reader to the tag is usually a sine wave of a predetermined frequency. ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying) modulation is used for DL ​​information from the reader to the tag. Also, PIE (Pulse Interval Encoding) coding is used for DL ​​information from the reader to the tag. ASK and / or PSK (Phase Shift Keying) modulation is used for UL backscattering. Also, FM0 coding and Miller coding are used for UL backscattering.

[0039] The traffic flow of the ambient IoT is assumed to be either 1) or 2) shown below.

[0040] 1) DT (Device-terminated): Sends information to an IoT terminal without transmission from the IoT terminal. For example, a command type. 2) DO-DTT (Device-originated - device-terminated triggered): Sends information from an IoT terminal due to a network trigger. For example, a sensor information report.

[0041] The device transmits via UL backscattering without an amplifier, or UL backscattering with an amplifier, or UL with an amplifier. Like FR1-FDD, the AIoT terminal can switch carrier frequencies between DL and UL carriers.

[0042] In the above-mentioned topology 1 in which the BS and the AIOT terminal are connected via DL and UL, and topology 2 in which the BS and the AIOT terminal are connected via DL and UL via an intermediate UE, the signal design for the AIOT terminal may be common.

[0043] Here, D2R transmissions at the physical layer using repetitive transmissions are considered. For example, for an R2D timing acquisition signal immediately preceding a physical channel transmission, a preamble having at least two portions including a start indicator portion and a clock acquisition portion is considered. For example, the start indicator portion provides the start of the R2D transmission. The clock acquisition portion may provide at least chip synchronization for the subsequent physical channel transmission. The preamble may be specified as not being part of the physical channel.

[0044] Regarding D2R transmissions, the following items may be considered: Details of the start indicator section Details of the clock acquisition section, e.g., structure, coding, length, etc. Methods for determining the chip period of the subsequent physical channel transmission Other functionality Other parts of the preamble Whether the clock acquisition is sufficient for all devices How to make the preamble compact

[0045] For D2R, the preamble preceding each PDRCH transmission may be considered as at least a baseline for the D2R timing acquisition signal. The preamble is not part of the PDRCH. Other functions of the preamble may also be considered.

[0046] To determine or derive the end of the PRDCH transmission, at least the following options may be considered: Option 1: The R2D postamble immediately follows the PRDCH, indicating the end of the PRDCH. Option 2: Based on R2D control information.

[0047] For the reader to detect the end of the PDRCH transmission, at least the following options may be considered: Option 1: D2R postamble immediately follows the PDRCH. Option 2: Based on control information.

[0048] For D2R transmissions, the need for a midamble may be considered, at least for the purposes of performing timing and / or frequency tracking or channel estimation or interference estimation, taking into account at least the following:

[0049] Modulation and coding scheme, e.g., data modulation, line and / or channel coding Reception method, e.g., coherent or non-coherent D2R transmission length and / or packet size Midamble overhead Timing and / or frequency accuracy Phase accuracy

[0050] If Manchester coding is used, R2D transmission without a midamble may be considered as a baseline. If PIE is used, the need for R2D transmission with a midamble may be considered.

[0051] Timing acquisition in R2D and / or D2R transmission will be described below. In a communication system including A-IoT devices, the above-mentioned candidate topologies are possible, and R2D communication signals (hereinafter also simply referred to as "R2D") and D2R communication signals (hereinafter also simply referred to as "D2R") are transmitted and received. Hereinafter, R2D and / or D2R will also be referred to as R2D / D2R.

[0052] It has been agreed to consider a timing acquisition signal for such R2D / D2R transmissions. Note that timing acquisition may be replaced with (time) synchronization. Hereinafter, the timing acquisition signal for R2D will be referred to as the R2D timing acquisition signal, and the timing acquisition signal for D2R will be referred to as the D2R timing acquisition signal.

[0053] For R2D transmissions, it has been agreed that an R2D timing acquisition signal will be included in the R2D at least for timing acquisition purposes and to indicate the beginning (or start or beginning) of the R2D transmission in the time domain, where the R2D timing acquisition signal may be, for example, an R2D preamble.

[0054] For D2R transmissions, it has been agreed that a D2R timing acquisition signal is included in the D2R at least for timing acquisition purposes and to indicate the beginning of the D2R transmission in the time domain, where the D2R timing acquisition signal may be, for example, a D2R preamble.

[0055] The R2D preamble may be placed temporally before the R2D control / data, and the D2R preamble may be placed temporally before the D2R control / data. Note that in this specification and drawings, control information and / or data (information) may be abbreviated and referred to as control / data.

[0056] As described above, A-IoT devices are expected to be devices with extremely simple configurations for low-end IoT applications that operate with extremely low power consumption, and therefore may not have time synchronization capabilities. In this case, the timing, i.e., synchronization, acquired by the R2D preamble or D2R preamble may be lost during communication, making it impossible to properly execute communication.

[0057] Therefore, in addition to the preamble, a midamble is also considered for timing acquisition. That is, the midamble may be used for timing acquisition in consideration of cases where the timing acquired from the preamble cannot be accurately maintained until the end (or termination or endpoint) of the R2D / D2R transmission. The R2D midamble may need to be placed in the center (middle) of the R2D control / data transmission, and the D2R midamble may need to be placed in the center (middle) of the D2R control / data transmission. The R2D midamble may also be referred to as a timing acquisition signal, an additional timing acquisition signal, an R2D timing acquisition signal, an additional R2D timing acquisition signal, etc. The D2R midamble may also be referred to as a timing acquisition signal, an additional timing acquisition signal, a D2R timing acquisition signal, an additional D2R timing acquisition signal, etc.

[0058] Postambles are also considered. Postambles may be used to signal the end of R2D / D2R transmissions in the time domain. The R2D postamble may be placed at the end of the R2D control / data transmission (after the last R2D control / data in time), and the D2R postamble may be placed at the end of the R2D control / data transmission (after the last D2R control / data in time).

[0059] As described above, the use of midambles for timing acquisition is being considered. However, the details of the time resources (or time domain resources) of the R2D midamble and the D2R midamble have not been clarified. If an A-IoT device cannot properly determine the time resources of the R2D midamble / D2R midamble, it may not be able to maintain timing as accurately as if there were no R2D midamble / D2R midamble. As a result, R2D / D2R may not be properly transmitted or received, which may result in degradation of system performance.

[0060] Therefore, in the following, the time resource of the R2D midamble and the D2R midamble communicated in the communication system including the A-IoT device may be associated with, for example, the period of the R2D or D2R transmission to determine the time position of the midamble. Also, when frequency hopping is applied to the R2D or D2R transmission, the impact on the midamble transmission needs to be considered.

[0061] This embodiment can be applied to A-IoT reception of an R2D midamble and A-IoT transmission of a D2R midamble. This embodiment can also be applied to transmission of an R2D midamble by an intermediate UE and reception of a D2R midamble by an intermediate UE. The "midamble" in this embodiment may be replaced with a "preamble", a "postamble", a "timing acquisition signal", or a "synchronization signal".

[0062] When frequency hopping is enabled for R2D / D2R transmission, the R2D / D2R transmission may be an operation of transmitting at least a PRDCH / PDRCH with data or control, or a dedicated channel with control, and may include an R2D / D2R preamble / postamble.

[0063] 4 is a diagram illustrating an example (1) of midamble transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the time domain position of the midamble is determined for each frequency hop. Whether or not a midamble is transmitted at each frequency hop may be determined based on some or all of the time domain duration, payload size, chip length, modulation scheme, modulation order, coding scheme, coding rate, device type, topology, and time synchronization capability of the R2D / D2R transmission at each frequency hop.

[0064] For example, if the time domain duration or payload size of the R2D / D2R transmission for each frequency hop is greater than X, then a midamble may be transmitted; otherwise, no midamble may be transmitted.

[0065] The number of midambles transmitted at each frequency hop may be determined based on some or all of the time domain duration, payload size, chip length, modulation scheme, modulation order, coding scheme, coding rate, device type, topology, and time synchronization capability of the R2D / D2R transmission at each frequency hop.

[0066] For example, if the time domain duration or payload size of the R2D / D2R transmission for each frequency hop is greater than X1 and less than X2, then N1 (eg, N1=1) midambles may be transmitted.

[0067] For example, if the time domain duration or payload size of the R2D / D2R transmission for each frequency hop is greater than X2 and less than X3, then N2 (eg, N2=2) midambles may be transmitted.

[0068] As shown in Figure 4, the time domain location of the midamble at each frequency hop may be determined using an offset relative to the start time of the R2D / D2R transmission at each frequency hop, and may also be determined using an offset relative to the end time of the previous frequency hop.

[0069] The offset can be the number of symbols / slots / chips / bits / other time units. The offset may be specification / system defined and may further be defined based on some or all of the time domain duration / payload size / chip length / modulation scheme / modulation order / coding scheme / coding rate / device type / topology / time synchronization capability of the R2D / D2R transmission for each frequency hop. The offset may be signaled by higher layer and / or PHY layer signaling.

[0070] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example (2) of midamble transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example (3) of midamble transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, as shown in Fig. 5 or 6, a midamble may be transmitted at the start of R2D / D2R transmission of each hop (or excluding the first and / or last hop) and immediately before the PRDCH / PDRCH of each hop. A preamble may be transmitted at the start of the first frequency hop. Also, as shown in Fig. 5, a postamble may or may not be transmitted. Also, as shown in Fig. 6, a midamble may not be transmitted in the last hop.

[0071] For example, a midamble may be transmitted at the end of the R2D / D2R transmission of each hop (or excluding the first and / or last hop), e.g., immediately after the PRDCH / PDRCH of each hop. A postamble may be transmitted at the end of the last frequency hop. A midamble may be transmitted between R2D / D2R transmissions every two frequency hops.

[0072] If the time domain position of the midamble is determined per entire R2D / D2R transmission (rather than per frequency hop) or relative to the start of the entire R2D / D2R transmission, for example, based on the duration / payload size of the entire R2D / D2R transmission, some restrictions may be defined.

[0073] For example, a midamble may be transmitted at each frequency hop (or except for the first and / or last frequency hop).

[0074] For example, a midamble may be transmitted between every two frequency hops, or before every frequency hop, or after every frequency hop (or except for the first and / or last frequency hop).

[0075] When R2D / D2R with per transport block repetition is transmitted, the midamble may be transmitted as described below.

[0076] If repetition is possible for an R2D / D2R transmission, the R2D / D2R transmission may transmit at least a PRDCH / PDRCH with data or control, or a dedicated channel with control, and may also include an R2D / D2R preamble / postamble.

[0077] The time domain location of the midamble is determined for each repetition. Whether or not a midamble is transmitted in each repetition may be determined based on some or all of the following: time domain duration, payload size, chip length, modulation scheme, modulation order, coding scheme, coding rate, device type, topology, and time synchronization capability of the R2D / D2R transmission of each repetition.

[0078] For example, if the time domain duration or payload size of each repeated R2D / D2R transmission is greater than X, then a midamble may be transmitted; otherwise, no midamble may be transmitted.

[0079] The number of midambles transmitted in each repetition may be determined based on some or all of the time domain duration, payload size, chip length, modulation scheme, modulation order, coding scheme, coding rate, device type, topology, and time synchronization capability of each repetition of R2D / D2R transmission.

[0080] For example, if the time domain duration or payload size of each repeated R2D / D2R transmission is greater than X1 and less than X2, N1 (eg, N1=1) midambles may be transmitted.

[0081] If the time domain duration or payload size of each repeated R2D / D2R transmission is greater than X2 and less than X3, then N2 (eg, N2=2) midambles may be transmitted.

[0082] 7 is a diagram illustrating an example (4) of midamble transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the time domain position of the midamble in each repetition may be determined using an offset relative to the start time of the R2D / D2R transmission of that repetition, or may be determined using an offset relative to the end time of the immediately preceding repetition.

[0083] The offset can be the number of symbols / slots / chips / bits / other time units. The offset may be specification / system defined and may further be defined based on some or all of the time domain duration / payload size / chip length / modulation scheme / modulation order / coding scheme / coding rate / device type / topology / time synchronization capability of the R2D / D2R transmission for each frequency hop. The offset may be signaled by higher layer and / or PHY layer signaling.

[0084] 8 is a diagram illustrating an example (5) of midamble transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, a midamble may be transmitted at the start of each R2D / D2R transmission (or except for the first and / or last repetition), for example, immediately before the PRDCH / PDRCH of each repetition. A preamble may be transmitted at the start of the first repetition.

[0085] A midamble may be transmitted at the end of the R2D / D2R transmission of each repetition (or except for the first and / or last repetition), e.g., immediately after the PRDCH / PDRCH of each repetition. A postamble may or may not be transmitted at the end of the last repetition. A midamble may be transmitted between the R2D / D2R transmissions of each of the two repetitions.

[0086] The time domain position of the midamble may be determined for each repetition (for each group of N repetitions, where N is defined in the specification / system or indicated by higher layer / PHY signaling, where N may be related to the total number of repetitions).

[0087] Whether a midamble is transmitted in each group of N repetitions may be determined based on some or all of the time domain duration, payload size, chip length, modulation scheme, modulation order, coding scheme, coding rate, device type, topology, and time synchronization capability of the R2D / D2R transmission in each group of N repetitions.

[0088] For example, if the time domain duration or payload size of the R2D / D2R transmission of each group of N repetitions is greater than X, then a midamble may be transmitted; otherwise, no midamble may be transmitted.

[0089] The number of midambles transmitted in each group of N repetitions may be determined based on some or all of the time domain duration, payload size, chip length, modulation scheme, modulation order, coding scheme, coding rate, device type, topology, and time synchronization capability of the R2D / D2R transmission in each group of N repetitions.

[0090] For example, if the time domain duration / payload size of R2D / D2R transmissions of each group of N repetitions is greater than X1 and less than X2, N1 (eg, N1=1) midambles may be transmitted.

[0091] If the time domain duration / payload size of the R2D / D2R transmission of each group of N repetitions is greater than X2 and less than X3, then N2 (eg, N2=2) midambles may be transmitted.

[0092] The time domain position of the midamble in each group of N repetitions may be determined using an offset relative to the start time of the R2D / D2R transmission of each group of N repetitions, or may be determined based on an offset relative to the end time of the immediately preceding repetition.

[0093] The offset can be the number of symbols / slots / chips / bits / other time units. The offset may be specification / system defined and may further be defined based on some or all of the time domain duration / payload size / chip length / modulation scheme / modulation order / coding scheme / coding rate / device type / topology / time synchronization capability of the R2D / D2R transmission for each frequency hop. The offset may be signaled by higher layer and / or PHY layer signaling.

[0094] 9 is a diagram illustrating an example (6) of midamble transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, a midamble may be transmitted at the start of R2D / D2R transmission for each group of N repetitions (or except for the first and / or last group of repetitions), for example, immediately before the PRDCH / PDRCH for each group of N repetitions.

[0095] The preamble may be transmitted at the beginning of the first repetition, and the midamble may be transmitted at the end of the R2D / D2R transmission of each group of N repetitions (or except for the first and / or last group of repetitions), e.g., immediately after the PRDCH / PDRCH of each group of N repetitions.

[0096] A postamble may be transmitted at the end of the last repetition. A midamble may be transmitted between each two groups of R2D / D2R transmissions of N repetitions. N may be defined in the specification and / or system, or may be signaled by higher layers and / or PHY signaling. N may be related to the total number of repetitions.

[0097] If the time domain position of the midamble is determined relative to the start of the entire R2D / D2R transmission, including N repetitions (rather than per repetition), or per entire R2D / D2R transmission, for example, based on the duration / payload size of the entire R2D / D2R transmission, some restrictions may be defined.

[0098] A midamble may be transmitted in each repetition (or excluding the first and / or last repetition). Also, for example, no midamble may be transmitted in the middle of a repetition. A midamble may be transmitted every N repetitions, where N may be defined in the specification and / or system, or signaled by higher layers and / or PHY signaling. N may relate to the total number of repetitions (or may exclude the first and / or last group of repetitions).

[0099] A midamble may be transmitted between every two repetitions, before every repetition, or after every repetition (or except the first and / or last repetition).

[0100] A midamble may be transmitted between every two groups of N repetitions, or before each group of N repetitions, or after each group of N repetitions. N may be defined in the specification and / or system, or may be signaled by higher layers and / or PHY signaling. N may be related to the total number of repetitions (or may exclude the first and / or last group of repetitions).

[0101] If the repetition is not per transport block but per bit or per multiple bits (bit groups) repetition is applied, the transmission of the midamble in per bit or per multiple bit repetition may be performed as described below.

[0102] The transmission of the midamble in bit-by-bit repetition or multiple bit-by-bit repetition may take into account some limitations.

[0103] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example (1) of restrictions on midamble transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention. When bit-by-bit repetition is supported, for example, for a bit sequence 1010 with a repetition factor of 4, the coded bits are 1111000011110000. Here, as shown in FIG. 10, a midamble does not have to be transmitted between repetitions of the same bit, or may be transmitted between repetitions of a certain bit and repetitions of a different bit.

[0104] 11 is a diagram illustrating an example (2) of restrictions on midamble transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention. When repetition of multiple bits (bit groups) is supported, for example, for a bit sequence 101100 with a repetition factor of 2, the coded bits are 101101100100. As shown in FIG. 11, the midamble does not have to be transmitted between bits within a bit group, or it may be transmitted between bit groups.

[0105] 12 is a diagram illustrating an example (3) of restrictions on midamble transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention. When repetition of multiple bits (bit groups) is supported, for example, for a bit sequence 101100 with a repetition factor of 2, the coded bits are 101101100100. As shown in FIG. 12, a midamble does not have to be transmitted between repetitions of the same bit group, or may be transmitted between repetitions of one bit group and repetitions of a different bit group.

[0106] The start of the R2D / D2R midamble time position may be an offset relative to a reference point, which may be the start / end time of a frame / slot / symbol, the start / end time of a preamble, the start / end time of R2D / D2R control / data, or the start / end time of a previous midamble. The offset may be a number of time units.

[0107] When an offset between the start of the time position of the R2D / D2R midamble and a reference point is defined or indicated, if bit-by-bit repetition is supported, the granularity of the offset between the start of the time position of the R2D / D2R midamble and the reference point may be N bits (N x bit duration), where N is the number of repetitions of each bit. In other words, the granularity may be N x M chips (N x M chip duration), where N is the number of repetitions of each bit, and M is the number of chips of each bit.

[0108] When an offset between the start of the time position of the R2D / D2R midamble and a reference point is defined or indicated, when repetition of every multiple bits (bit groups) is supported, the granularity of the offset between the start of the time position of the R2D / D2R midamble and the reference point may be N bits (N x bit duration), where N is the number of bits in a bit group. In other words, the granularity is N x M chips (N x M chip duration), where N is the number of bits in a bit group, and M is the number of chips for each bit.

[0109] When an offset between the start of the time position of the R2D / D2R midamble and a reference point is defined or indicated, and repetition of each multiple bit (bit group) is supported, the granularity of the offset between the start of the time position of the R2D / D2R midamble and the reference point may be N×L bits (N×L×bit duration), where N is the number of bits in a bit group, and L is the number of repetitions of the bit group. In other words, the granularity is N×L×M chips (N×L×M×chip duration), where N is the number of bits in a bit group, and M is the number of chips for each bit, and L is the number of repetitions of the bit group.

[0110] The above-described embodiments may be applied to R2D reception of A-IoT and D2R transmission of A-IoT. The above-described embodiments may be applied to R2D transmission and D2R reception of a UE that is an intermediate node. A preamble may be replaced with a timing acquisition signal or a synchronization signal. In the above-described embodiments, a midamble or a repetition of a midamble may be inserted in an R2D transmission or a D2R transmission. In the above-described embodiments, the preamble, midamble, postamble, synchronization signal, and timing acquisition signal may be mutually replaceable. The repetition in the above-described embodiments may be performed simultaneously with bit-level repetition, bit group-level repetition, channel-level repetition, or transport block-level repetition.

[0111] Note that different operations or options may be applied for R2D and D2R. Different operations or options may be applied for R2D channels and D2R channels (PRDCH, R2D physical control channel, PDRCH, D2R physical control channel).

[0112] Note that different actions or options may apply for R2D information, format or commands and for D2R information, format commands. Different actions or options may apply for R2D data, R2D control information, R2D system information, contention-based R2D information triggers, D2R data, D2R control information, D2R ACK or NACK responses, or contention-based D2R responses (Msg. 1 or Msg. 3).

[0113] It should be noted that different operations or options may apply to different device types, and different operations or options may apply to different connection topologies.

[0114] In the embodiments of the present invention, the time domain resource may be a symbol, a slot, a subframe, a frame, or any other unit of time defined by the specifications, and in the embodiments of the present invention, the frequency domain resource may be a band, a CC, a BWP, a RB, a subcarrier, or any other unit of frequency defined by the specifications.

[0115] In the embodiments of the present invention, the spatial domain resource may be a spatial domain filter, a Quasi co-location (QCL) referring to an RS, a beam, a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state, a port, a panel, a Transmission and Reception Point (TRP), or a spatial domain resource defined by other terms.

[0116] In addition, in the embodiments of the present invention, the code domain resource may be an orthogonal code, an orthogonal cover code (OCC), a cyclic shift (CS), a quasi-orthogonal code, a Gold sequence, an M sequence, a Zadoff-Chu sequence, or a code domain resource defined by other terms.

[0117] Embodiments of the present invention may only be applied if the corresponding capability is supported by the UE, IAB or ambient IoT device and / or enabled by the corresponding higher layer parameters.

[0118] According to the above-described embodiment, the BS or the intermediate UE can transmit a valid midamble when transmitting a DL signal to which frequency hopping or repetition is applied to the ambient IoT device, and the BS or the intermediate UE can use a valid midamble when receiving a UL signal to which frequency hopping or repetition is applied from the ambient IoT device.

[0119] That is, in a wireless communication system, an Ambient Internet of Things (IoT) terminal can acquire timing.

[0120] (Device Configuration) Next, a functional configuration example of the base station 10 and the terminal 20 that execute the processes and operations described above will be described. The base station 10 and the terminal 20 include functions for implementing the above-described embodiments. However, the base station 10 and the terminal 20 may each include only a part of the functions of the embodiments.

[0121] <Base Station 10> Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the base station 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 13, the base station 10 has a transmitting unit 110, a receiving unit 120, a setting unit 130, and a control unit 140. The functional configuration shown in Fig. 13 is merely an example. The names of the functional divisions and functional units may be any as long as they can perform the operations according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0122] The transmitter 110 has a function of generating a signal to be transmitted to the terminal 20 side and transmitting the signal wirelessly. The transmitter 110 also transmits inter-network node messages to other network nodes. The receiver 120 has a function of receiving various signals transmitted from the terminal 20 and acquiring, for example, information of higher layers from the received signals. The transmitter 110 also has a function of transmitting NR-PSS, NR-SSS, NR-PBCH, DL / UL control signals, etc. to the terminal 20. The receiver 120 also receives inter-network node messages from other network nodes.

[0123] The setting unit 130 stores preset setting information and various setting information to be transmitted to the terminal 20. The content of the setting information is, for example, information related to communication with an ambient IoT device.

[0124] The control unit 140 performs control to realize the functions described in the embodiments. Furthermore, as described in the embodiments, the control unit 140 performs control related to communication with the ambient IoT device. A functional unit related to signal transmission in the control unit 140 may be included in the transmitting unit 110, and a functional unit related to signal reception in the control unit 140 may be included in the receiving unit 120.

[0125] <Terminal 20> Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of terminal 20 in an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 14, terminal 20 has a transmitting unit 210, a receiving unit 220, a setting unit 230, and a control unit 240. The functional configuration shown in Fig. 14 is merely an example. The names of the functional divisions and functional units may be any as long as they can execute the operations related to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0126] The transmitter 210 creates a transmission signal from transmission data and transmits the transmission signal wirelessly. The receiver 220 wirelessly receives various signals and acquires higher layer signals from the received physical layer signals. The receiver 220 also has a function of receiving NR-PSS, NR-SSS, NR-PBCH, DL / UL / SL control signals, and the like transmitted from the base station 10. For example, the transmitter 210 transmits a PSCCH (Physical Sidelink Control Channel), a PSSCH (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel), a PSDCH (Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel), a PSBCH (Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel), and the like to another terminal 20 as D2D communication, and the receiver 220 receives the PSCCH, PSSCH, PSDCH, or PSBCH, and the like, from the other terminal 20.

[0127] The setting unit 230 stores various setting information received from the base station 10 by the receiving unit 220. The setting unit 230 also stores setting information that is set in advance. The content of the setting information is, for example, information related to communication with an ambient IoT device.

[0128] The control unit 240 performs control to realize the functions described in the embodiments. Furthermore, as described in the embodiments, the control unit 240 performs control related to communication with the ambient IoT device. A functional unit related to signal transmission in the control unit 240 may be included in the transmitting unit 210, and a functional unit related to signal reception in the control unit 240 may be included in the receiving unit 220.

[0129] (Hardware Configuration) The block diagrams (FIGS. 13 and 14) used to explain the above embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method for realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using a single device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (for example, using wires, wirelessly, etc.) and these multiple devices. The functional block may be realized by combining software with the single device or the multiple devices.

[0130] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, determination, judgment, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, consideration, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assignment. For example, a functional block (component) that performs transmission is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. As mentioned above, there are no particular limitations on how these functions are implemented.

[0131] For example, the base station 10, the terminal 20, etc. according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that performs processing of the wireless communication method of the present disclosure. Fig. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the base station 10 and the terminal 20 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The base station 10 and the terminal 20 described above may be physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a storage device 1002, an auxiliary storage device 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a bus 1007, etc.

[0132] In the following description, the term "apparatus" can be interpreted as a circuit, a device, a unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the base station 10 and the terminal 20 may be configured to include one or more of the apparatuses shown in the drawings, or may be configured to exclude some of the apparatuses.

[0133] Each function in the base station 10 and the terminal 20 is realized by loading specified software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001, the memory device 1002, etc., so that the processor 1001 performs calculations, controls communication by the communication device 1004, and controls at least one of reading and writing data in the memory device 1002 and the auxiliary memory device 1003.

[0134] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer by running, for example, an operating system. The processor 1001 may be configured as a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control device, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. For example, the above-mentioned control unit 140, control unit 240, etc. may be realized by the processor 1001.

[0135] Furthermore, the processor 1001 reads programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the auxiliary storage device 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the storage device 1002 and executes various processes in accordance with the programs. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least some of the operations described in the above-described embodiments. For example, the control unit 140 of the base station 10 shown in FIG. 13 may be implemented by a control program stored in the storage device 1002 and running on the processor 1001. Furthermore, for example, the control unit 240 of the terminal 20 shown in FIG. 14 may be implemented by a control program stored in the storage device 1002 and running on the processor 1001. While the above-described various processes have been described as being executed by one processor 1001, they may also be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The programs may also be transmitted from a network via a telecommunications line.

[0136] The storage device 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be configured, for example, by at least one of a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc. The storage device 1002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory, etc. The storage device 1002 can store executable programs (program codes), software modules, etc. for implementing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0137] The secondary storage device 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be, for example, at least one of an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, etc. The above-mentioned storage medium may be, for example, a database, a server, or other appropriate medium including at least one of the storage device 1002 and the secondary storage device 1003.

[0138] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmission / reception device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also referred to as, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, etc. The communication device 1004 may be configured to include a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, etc. to realize at least one of frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD). For example, a transmission / reception antenna, an amplifier unit, a transmission / reception unit, a transmission path interface, etc. may be realized by the communication device 1004. The transmission / reception unit may be implemented as a transmission unit and a reception unit that are physically or logically separated.

[0139] 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).

[0140] Furthermore, each device such as the processor 1001 and the storage device 1002 is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

[0141] Furthermore, the base station 10 and the terminal 20 may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

[0142] Fig. 16 shows an example configuration of a vehicle 2001. As shown in Fig. 16, the vehicle 2001 includes a drive unit 2002, a steering unit 2003, an accelerator pedal 2004, a brake pedal 2005, a shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, an axle 2009, an electronic control unit 2010, various sensors 2021 to 2029, an information service unit 2012, and a communication module 2013. Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be applied to a communication device mounted on the vehicle 2001, and may be applied to the communication module 2013, for example.

[0143] The drive unit 2002 is configured, for example, by an engine, a motor, or a hybrid of an engine and a motor. The steering unit 2003 includes at least a steering wheel (also called a handle) and is configured to steer at least one of the front wheels and the rear wheels based on the operation of the steering wheel operated by the user.

[0144] The electronic control unit 2010 is composed of a microprocessor 2031, a memory (ROM, RAM) 2032, and a communication port (IO port) 2033. Signals are input to the electronic control unit 2010 from various sensors 2021 to 2029 provided in the vehicle 2001. The electronic control unit 2010 may also be called an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

[0145] The signals from the various sensors 2021 to 2029 include a current signal from a current sensor 2021 that senses the current of the motor, a front or rear wheel rotation speed signal obtained by a rotation speed sensor 2022, a front or rear wheel air pressure signal 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.

[0146] The information service unit 2012 is composed of various devices, such as a car navigation system, an audio system, speakers, a television, and a radio, for providing (outputting) various types of information, such as driving information, traffic information, and entertainment information, and one or more ECUs for controlling these devices. The information service unit 2012 uses information acquired from external devices via the communication module 2013 or the like to provide various types of multimedia information and multimedia services to the occupants of the vehicle 2001. The information service unit 2012 may include input devices (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, a touch panel, etc.) that accept input from the outside, and may also include output devices (e.g., a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, a touch panel, etc.) that output information to the outside.

[0147] The driving assistance system unit 2030 is composed of various devices that provide functions for preventing accidents and reducing the driving burden on the driver, such as millimeter-wave radar, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), cameras, positioning locators (e.g., GNSS, etc.), map information (e.g., high-definition (HD) maps, autonomous vehicle (AV) maps, etc.), gyro systems (e.g., IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), INS (Inertial Navigation System), etc.), AI (Artificial Intelligence) chips, and AI processors, as well as one or more ECUs that control these devices. In addition, the driving assistance system unit 2030 transmits and receives various information via the communication module 2013 to realize the driving assistance function or the autonomous driving function.

[0148] The communication module 2013 can communicate with the microprocessor 2031 and components of the vehicle 2001 via the communication port. For example, the communication module 2013 transmits and receives data via the communication port 2033 to and from the drive unit 2002, steering unit 2003, accelerator pedal 2004, brake pedal 2005, shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, axle 2009, microprocessor 2031 and memory (ROM, RAM) 2032 in the electronic control unit 2010, and sensors 2021 to 29, which are provided in the vehicle 2001.

[0149] 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.

[0150] The communication module 2013 may transmit at least one of signals from the above-mentioned various sensors 2021-2028 input to the electronic control unit 2010, information obtained based on the signals, and information based on input from the outside (user) obtained via the information service unit 2012 to an external device via wireless communication. The electronic control unit 2010, the various sensors 2021-2028, the information service unit 2012, etc. may be referred to as input units that accept input. For example, the PUSCH transmitted by the communication module 2013 may include information based on the above-mentioned input.

[0151] The communication module 2013 receives various information (traffic information, traffic signal information, vehicle-to-vehicle information, etc.) transmitted from external devices and displays it on an information service unit 2012 provided in the vehicle 2001. The information service unit 2012 may be called an output unit that outputs information (for example, outputs information to a device such as a display or speaker based on the PDSCH (or data / information decoded from the PDSCH) received by the communication module 2013). The communication module 2013 also stores the various information received from external devices in a memory 2032 that can be used by the microprocessor 2031. Based on the information stored in the memory 2032, the microprocessor 2031 may control the drive unit 2002, steering unit 2003, accelerator pedal 2004, brake pedal 2005, shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, axles 2009, sensors 2021 to 2029, etc. provided in the vehicle 2001.

[0152] (Summary of the embodiment) As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a communication device including a control unit that determines a midamble to be used for R2D transmission to which frequency hopping or repetition is applied, and a transmission unit that transmits the midamble and the R2D transmission to an ambient IoT (Internet of Things) device, wherein the transmission unit transmits a midamble for each hop of the R2D transmission when frequency hopping is applied, and transmits a midamble for each repetition of the R2D transmission when repetition is applied.

[0153] With the above configuration, a BS or an intermediate UE can transmit a valid midamble when transmitting a DL signal to which frequency hopping or repetition is applied to an ambient IoT device. The BS or the intermediate UE can use a valid midamble when receiving a UL signal to which frequency hopping or repetition is applied from an ambient IoT device. That is, in a wireless communication system, an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) terminal can acquire timing.

[0154] The transmitter may not transmit a midamble in the first hop or the last hop when frequency hopping is applied. With this configuration, the BS or the intermediate UE can transmit a valid midamble when transmitting a DL signal to which frequency hopping or repetition is applied to an ambient IoT device.

[0155] When repetition is applied, the transmitter may not transmit a midamble in the first repetition or the last repetition. With this configuration, the BS or the intermediate UE can transmit a valid midamble when transmitting a DL signal to which frequency hopping or repetition is applied to an ambient IoT device.

[0156] The transmitter may transmit a midamble for each of a plurality of repetitions when repetition is applied. With this configuration, the BS or the intermediate UE can transmit a valid midamble when transmitting a DL signal to which frequency hopping or repetition is applied to an ambient IoT device.

[0157] The controller may assume that the granularity of the offset from the start position of the R2D transmission to the midamble is the period corresponding to the plurality of bits when multiple bit repetitions are applied. With this configuration, a BS or an intermediate UE can transmit a valid midamble when transmitting a DL signal to an ambient IoT device to which frequency hopping or repetitions are applied.

[0158] Also, according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a communication method in which a communication device executes the steps of determining a midamble to be used for R2D transmission to which frequency hopping or repetition is applied, transmitting the midamble and the R2D transmission to an ambient IoT (Internet of Things) device, and transmitting a midamble for each hop of the R2D transmission if frequency hopping is applied, and transmitting a midamble for each repetition of the R2D transmission if repetition is applied.

[0159] With the above configuration, a BS or an intermediate UE can transmit a valid midamble when transmitting a DL signal to which frequency hopping or repetition is applied to an ambient IoT device. The BS or the intermediate UE can use a valid midamble when receiving a UL signal to which frequency hopping or repetition is applied from an ambient IoT device. That is, in a wireless communication system, an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) terminal can acquire timing.

[0160] (Supplementary Notes on the Embodiments) Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the disclosed invention is not limited to such embodiments, and those skilled in the art will understand various modifications, alterations, alternatives, and substitutions. While specific numerical examples have been used to facilitate understanding of the invention, unless otherwise specified, these numerical values ​​are merely examples, and any appropriate values ​​may be used. The division of items in the above description is not essential to the present invention; matters described in two or more items may be used in combination as needed, and matters described in one item may apply to matters described in another item (as long as there is no contradiction). Boundaries between functional units or processing units in functional block diagrams do not necessarily correspond to boundaries between physical components. The operations of multiple functional units may be performed by a single physical component, or the operations of a single functional unit may be performed by multiple physical components. The order of processing steps described in the embodiments may be reversed as long as there is no contradiction. For convenience of processing description, the base station 10 and terminal 20 have been described using functional block diagrams, but such devices may be realized by hardware, software, or a combination thereof. The software operated by the processor of the base station 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention and the software operated by the processor of the terminal 20 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention may each be stored in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), EPROM, EEPROM, register, hard disk (HDD), removable disk, CD-ROM, database, server, or any other suitable storage medium.

[0161] 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., Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling), broadcast information (Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), other signals, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, 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.

[0162] Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be implemented using any of the following standards: LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), 6th generation mobile communication system (6G), xth generation mobile communication system (xG) (xG (x is, for example, an integer or a decimal number)), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (new Radio), New radio access (NX), Future generation radio access (FX), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.17 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.19 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.21 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.22 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.23 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.24 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.25 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.26 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.27 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.28 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.29 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.30 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.31 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.32 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.33 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.34 ( The present invention may be applied to at least one of systems using 802.20, UWB (Ultra-Wide Band), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or other suitable systems, and next-generation systems that are extended, modified, created, or defined based on these systems. The present invention may also be applied to a combination of multiple systems (e.g., a combination of LTE and / or LTE-A with 5G).

[0163] The order of the procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. of each aspect / embodiment described herein may be rearranged 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.

[0164] In this specification, a specific operation described as being performed by the base station 10 may be performed by its upper node in some cases. In a network consisting of one or more network nodes having the base station 10, it is clear that various operations performed for communication with the terminal 20 may be performed by at least one of the base station 10 and another network node other than the base station 10 (such as, but not limited to, an MME or an S-GW). Although the above example illustrates a case where there is one other network node other than the base station 10, the other network node may be a combination of multiple other network nodes (such as an MME and an S-GW).

[0165] The information, signals, etc. described in the present disclosure 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.

[0166] Input and output information may be stored in a specific location (for example, memory) or may be managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be sent to another device.

[0167] In the present disclosure, 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).

[0168] 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.

[0169] 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.

[0170] 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.

[0171] 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.

[0172] As used in this disclosure, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

[0173] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc. described in the present disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or other corresponding information. For example, a radio resource may be indicated by an index.

[0174] 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.

[0175] In the present disclosure, terms such as "base station (BS)," "radio base station," "base station device," "fixed station," "NodeB," "eNodeB (eNB)," "gNodeB (gNB)," "access point," "transmission point," "reception point," "transmission / reception point," "cell," "sector," "cell group," "carrier," and "component carrier" may be used interchangeably. A base station may also be referred to by terms such as a macrocell, a small cell, a femtocell, and a picocell.

[0176] A base station can accommodate one or more (e.g., three) cells. When a base station accommodates multiple cells, the overall coverage area of ​​the base station can be partitioned into multiple smaller areas, and each smaller area can also be provided with communication services by a base station subsystem (e.g., a small indoor base station (RRH: Remote Radio Head)). 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.

[0177] In the present disclosure, the base station transmitting information to a terminal may be interpreted as the base station instructing the terminal to control or operate based on the information.

[0178] In this disclosure, the terms "Mobile Station (MS)," "user terminal," "User Equipment (UE)," "terminal," and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0179] 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.

[0180] At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be referred to as a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, etc. At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be a device mounted on a mobile object, the mobile object itself, etc. The mobile object refers to a movable object, and may move at any speed. Naturally, this also includes cases where the mobile object is stationary. Examples of the mobile object include, but are not limited to, vehicles, transport vehicles, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, connected cars, excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, dump trucks, forklifts, trains, buses, handcars, rickshaws, ships and other watercraft, airplanes, rockets, satellites, drones (registered trademark), multicopters, quadcopters, balloons, and objects mounted thereon. The mobile object may also be a mobile object that moves autonomously based on an operational command. It may be a vehicle (e.g., a car, an airplane, etc.), an unmanned mobile object (e.g., a drone, an autonomous vehicle, etc.), or a robot (manned or unmanned). At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be a device that does not necessarily move during communication operations. For example, at least one of the base station and the mobile station may be an IoT (Internet of Things) device such as a sensor.

[0181] Furthermore, a base station in the present disclosure may be read as a user terminal. For example, the aspects / embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to a configuration in which communication between a base station and a user terminal is replaced with communication between multiple terminals 20 (which may be called, for example, Device-to-Device (D2D) or Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X)). In this case, the terminal 20 may be configured to have the functions of the base station 10 described above. Furthermore, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" may be read as terms corresponding to 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.

[0182] Similarly, the user terminal in the present disclosure may be read as a base station, in which case the base station may be configured to have the functions of the user terminal described above.

[0183] 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.

[0184] 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.

[0185] The reference signal may be abbreviated as RS (Reference Signal) or may be called a pilot depending on the applicable standard.

[0186] 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."

[0187] 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 or that the first element must in some way precede the second element.

[0188] The "means" in the configuration of each of the above devices may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0189] 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.

[0190] A radio frame may be composed of one or more frames in the time domain. Each of the one or more frames in the time domain may be called a subframe. A subframe may further be composed of one or more slots in the time domain. A subframe may have a fixed time length (e.g., 1 ms) that is independent of numerology.

[0191] 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, specific windowing operations performed by the transceiver in the time domain, etc.

[0192] A slot may be composed of one or more symbols (such as an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol or a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) symbol) in the time domain. A slot may be a time unit based on numerology.

[0193] 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.

[0194] 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.

[0195] For example, one subframe may be called a transmission time interval (TTI), multiple consecutive subframes may be called a TTI, or one slot or one minislot may be called a TTI. That is, at least one of the subframe and the TTI may be a subframe (1 ms) in existing LTE, a period shorter than 1 ms (for example, 1-13 symbols), or a period longer than 1 ms. Note that the unit representing the TTI may be called a slot, minislot, etc. instead of a subframe.

[0196] Here, TTI refers to, for example, the smallest time unit for scheduling in wireless communication. For example, in an LTE system, a base station performs scheduling to allocate wireless resources (such as frequency bandwidth and transmission power that can be used by each terminal 20) to each terminal 20 in TTI units. Note that the definition of TTI is not limited to this.

[0197] 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.

[0198] When one slot or one minislot is called a TTI, one or more TTIs (i.e., one or more slots or one or more minislots) may be the minimum time unit for scheduling. Also, the number of slots (minislots) constituting the minimum time unit for scheduling may be controlled.

[0199] 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.

[0200] In addition, a long TTI (e.g., a normal TTI, a subframe, etc.) may be interpreted as a TTI having a time length of more than 1 ms, and a short TTI (e.g., a shortened TTI, etc.) may be interpreted as a TTI having a TTI length shorter than the TTI length of a long TTI and greater than or equal to 1 ms.

[0201] 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 the numerology, for example, 12. The number of subcarriers included in an RB may be determined based on the numerology.

[0202] 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.

[0203] 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.

[0204] 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.

[0205] A Bandwidth Part (BWP) (which may also be referred to as a fractional bandwidth) may represent a subset of contiguous common resource blocks (RBs) for a given numerology on a given carrier, where the common RBs may be identified by their index relative to a Common Reference Point of the carrier. PRBs may be defined in a BWP and numbered within the BWP.

[0206] 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.

[0207] 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."

[0208] The above-described structures of radio frames, subframes, slots, minislots, symbols, etc. are merely examples, and various changes may be made to the number of subframes included in a radio frame, the number of slots per subframe or radio frame, the number of minislots included in a slot, the number of symbols and RBs included in a slot or minislot, the number of subcarriers included in an RB, the number of symbols in a TTI, the symbol length, the cyclic prefix (CP) length, etc.

[0209] 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.

[0210] 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."

[0211] 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).

[0212] 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.

[0213] This international patent application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-082119, filed on May 20, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0214] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Base station 110 Transmitter 120 Receiver 130 Setting unit 140 Control unit 20 Terminal 210 Transmitter 220 Receiver 230 Setting unit 240 Control unit 30 Core network 1001 Processor 1002 Storage device 1003 Auxiliary storage device 1004 Communication device 1005 Input device 1006 Output device 2001 Vehicle 2002 Drive unit 2003 Steering unit 2004 Accelerator pedal 2005 Brake pedal 2006 Shift lever 2007 Front wheels 2008 Rear wheels 2009 Axle 2010 Electronic control unit 2012 Information service unit 2013 Communication module 2021 Current sensor 2022 RPM sensor 2023 Tire 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 (IO port)

Claims

1. A communications device comprising: a control unit that determines a midamble to be used for R2D transmission to which frequency hopping or repetition is applied; and a transmission unit that transmits the midamble and the R2D transmission to an ambient IoT (Internet of Things) device, wherein the transmission unit transmits a midamble for each hop of the R2D transmission when frequency hopping is applied, and transmits a midamble for each repetition of the R2D transmission when repetition is applied.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting unit does not transmit a midamble at the first hop or the last hop when frequency hopping is applied.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting unit does not transmit a midamble in the first repetition or the last repetition when repetition is applied.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter transmits a midamble for each of a plurality of repetitions when repetition is applied.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the control unit, when repetition of multiple bits is applied, assumes that the granularity of the offset from the start position of the R2D transmission to the midamble is the period corresponding to the multiple bits.

6. A communication method in which a communication device executes the steps of: determining a midamble to be used for R2D transmission to which frequency hopping or repetition is applied; transmitting the midamble and the R2D transmission to an ambient IoT (Internet of Things) device; and transmitting a midamble for each hop of the R2D transmission if frequency hopping is applied, and transmitting a midamble for each repetition of the R2D transmission if repetition is applied.

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