Communication device, base station, and communication method

Abstract

The present invention improves the efficiency of radio communication in a radio communication apparatus. This communication device is provided with: a control circuit that controls data communication with a second-type device that has a lower complexity than a first-type device; and a communication circuit that transmits, to the base station, information pertaining to data communication.

Description

Communication device, base station, and communication method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication device, a base station, and a communication method.

[0002] A communication system called the fifth-generation mobile communication system (5G) is currently under consideration. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), an international standardization organization, is studying the advancement of the 5G communication system from the perspectives of both the advancement of the LTE / LTE-Advanced system and New Radio Access Technology (also referred to as New RAT or NR), a new method that is not necessarily backward compatible with the LTE / LTE-Advanced system (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] RP-181726, “Revised WID on New Radio Access Technology”, NTT DOCOMO, September 2018RP-240826, “Revised SID: Study on solutions for Ambient IoT (Internet of Things) in NR”, CMCC, Huawei, T-Mobile USA, March 2024

[0004] However, there is room for improvement in the efficiency of wireless communication in wireless communication devices.

[0005] Non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure contribute to providing a communication device, a base station, and a communication method that can improve the efficiency of wireless communication in wireless communication devices.

[0006] A communication device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a control circuit for controlling data communication with a second type of device that is less complex than a first type of device, and a communication circuit for transmitting information relating to the data communication to a base station.

[0007] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the efficiency of wireless communication in a wireless communication device.

[0009] Further advantages and benefits of an embodiment of the present disclosure will become apparent from the specification and drawings. Such advantages and / or benefits may be provided by some of the embodiments and features described in the specification and drawings, respectively, but not necessarily all of them may be provided to obtain one or more identical features.

[0010] 1. A block diagram showing an example configuration of a portion of a base station. 2. A block diagram showing an example configuration of a portion of an Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) intermediate node. 3. A block diagram showing an example configuration of a portion of an A-IoT device. 4. A block diagram showing an example configuration of a base station. 5. A block diagram showing an example configuration of an A-IoT intermediate node. 6. A block diagram showing an example configuration of an A-IoT device. 7. A diagram showing example operations of a base station, an A-IoT intermediate node, and an A-IoT device. 8. A diagram of an example architecture of a 3GPP NR system. 9. A diagram of an example functional division in a 5G O-RAN.

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] In the following description, for example, a radio frame, a slot, and a symbol are units of physical resources in the time domain. For example, the length of one frame may be 10 milliseconds. For example, one frame may be composed of multiple slots (e.g., 10, 20, or other values). Furthermore, the number of slots constituting one frame may be variable depending on the slot length. Furthermore, one slot may be composed of multiple symbols (e.g., 14 or 12). For example, one symbol is the smallest physical resource unit in the time domain, and the symbol length may vary depending on the subcarrier spacing (SCS).

[0013] Furthermore, a subcarrier and a resource block (RB) are units of physical resources in the frequency domain. For example, one resource block may consist of 12 subcarriers. For example, one subcarrier may be the smallest physical resource unit in the frequency domain. The subcarrier spacing is variable and may be, for example, 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, 240 kHz, 480 kHz, 960 kHz, or other values.

[0014] (Regarding Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT)) Release 19 NR is expected to standardize wireless communication standards for devices that support Ambient IoT (hereinafter also referred to as "Ambient IoT devices," "A-IoT devices," or "devices") (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 2). A-IoT devices communicate wirelessly with equipment called A-IoT readers (also referred to as "A-IoT readers" or "readers").

[0015] In data communication, communication from a reader (A-IoT reader) to a device (A-IoT device) is sometimes called "Reader-to-Device (R2D) communication," and communication from a device (A-IoT device) to a reader (A-IoT reader) is sometimes called "Device-to-Reader (D2R) communication."

[0016] Release 19 A-IoT assumes two connection topologies.

[0017] In the first connection topology, the A-IoT reader is a base station (e.g., a gNB). In the first connection topology, the A-IoT device and the base station perform R2D communication and D2R communication.

[0018] In the second connection topology, the A-IoT reader is a wireless communication device other than a base station, called an intermediate node (e.g., an Intermediate Node (IN) or an A-IoT intermediate node). Wireless communication devices other than a base station can be, for example, a Transmission and Reception Point (TRP), a terminal (User Equipment (UE)), a smartphone, or a car. In the second connection topology, the A-IoT device performs R2D communication or D2R communication with the intermediate node, and does not communicate directly with the base station. In addition, the base station performs wireless communication (e.g., communication via a Uu link) with the intermediate node.

[0019] (R2D communication and D2R communication in the second connection topology) An intermediate node (e.g., an A-IoT reader, an A-IoT intermediate node) in the second connection topology may, for example, schedule R2D data communication or D2R data communication with an A-IoT device.

[0020] For example, an A-IoT intermediate node and an A-IoT device may know each other's periodic resources (e.g., configured resources) for data communication, and the A-IoT intermediate node may schedule data communication with the A-IoT device on any of the periodic resources.

[0021] For example, an A-IoT intermediate node (IN, A-IoT reader) may send a trigger (e.g., a preamble, a start indicator, a clock acquisition part, or a delimiter) to an A-IoT device before data communication within a resource. When the A-IoT device detects the trigger, it may perform data communication with the A-IoT intermediate node within the resource (e.g., the resource from which the trigger was sent).

[0022] In this case, there is room for consideration regarding how the base station can identify (or understand) the status of data communication between the A-IoT intermediate node and the A-IoT device.

[0023] In a non-limiting example of the present disclosure, a method for a base station to identify the status of data communication between an A-IoT intermediate node and an A-IoT device is described. For example, in a non-limiting example of the present disclosure, the A-IoT intermediate node transmits (or feeds back) information regarding data communication between the A-IoT intermediate node and the A-IoT device to the base station.

[0024] [Overview of Communication System] The communication system according to this embodiment includes a base station 100, an A-IoT intermediate node (for example, an A-IoT reader) 200, and an A-IoT device 300.

[0025] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a portion of a base station 100 according to the present embodiment. In the base station 100 shown in Fig. 1, a communication unit (e.g., corresponding to a communication circuit) receives information regarding data communication between a second type of device (e.g., an A-IoT device 300) having a lower complexity than a first type of device and a communication device (e.g., an A-IoT intermediate node 200) from the communication device (A-IoT intermediate node). A control unit (e.g., corresponding to a control circuit) performs scheduling based on the information regarding the data communication.

[0026] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a portion of an A-IoT intermediate node 200 (e.g., corresponding to a communication device) according to this embodiment. In the A-IoT intermediate node 200 shown in FIG. 2, a control unit (e.g., corresponding to a control circuit) controls data communication with a second type of device (e.g., an A-IoT device 300) that is less complex than a first type of device. A communication unit (e.g., a communication circuit) transmits information related to the data communication to the base station 100.

[0027] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a portion of an A-IoT device 300 according to this embodiment. In the A-IoT device 300 shown in FIG. 3, a control unit controls data communication between the A-IoT intermediate node 200 and the A-IoT device 300, and a communication unit performs data communication between the A-IoT intermediate node 200 and the A-IoT device 300.

[0028] [Configuration of Base Station] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of base station 100. In Fig. 4, base station 100 has coding and modulation section 101, signal mapping section 102, transmission section 103, antenna 104, reception section 105, signal separation section 106, demodulation and decoding section 107, and control section 108.

[0029] For example, at least one of the encoding / modulation unit 101, the signal mapping unit 102, the signal separation unit 106, the demodulation / decoding unit 107, and the control unit 108 shown in Fig. 4 may be included in the control unit shown in Fig. 1. Also, for example, at least one of the transmitting unit 103, the antenna 104, and the receiving unit 105 shown in Fig. 4 may be included in the communication unit shown in Fig. 1.

[0030] In FIG. 4, a coding / modulation unit 101 codes and modulates transmission data (downlink data) and outputs the modulated signal to a signal mapping unit 102 .

[0031] The signal mapping section 102 maps the signal input from the coding and modulation section 101 to a downlink resource, and outputs the signal mapped to the downlink resource to the transmission section 103 .

[0032] Transmitting section 103 performs radio transmission processing including frequency conversion on the signal input from signal mapping section 102 , and outputs the signal after radio transmission processing to antenna 104 .

[0033] The antenna 104 radiates the signal input from the transmitting unit 103 to the A-IoT intermediate node 200. The antenna 104 also receives a signal radiated from the A-IoT intermediate node 200 and outputs it to the receiving unit 105, for example.

[0034] The receiving section 105 performs radio reception processing such as frequency conversion or envelope detection on the signal input from the antenna 104 to convert it into a digital signal, and outputs it to the signal separating section 106 .

[0035] The signal separation unit 106 extracts (or separates) a data signal from the uplink resource among the signals input from the receiving unit 105, and outputs the data signal to the demodulation and decoding unit 107. The signal separation unit 106 also extracts feedback information from the A-IoT intermediate node 200 from the signals input from the receiving unit 105, and outputs the feedback information to the control unit 108.

[0036] The demodulation / decoding unit 107 demodulates and decodes the data signal input from the signal separation unit 106, outputs the demodulated data signal (received data), and outputs feedback information from the A-IoT intermediate node 200 to the control unit 108.

[0037] The control unit 108 may control (e.g., schedule) communication between the A-IoT intermediate node 200 and the A-IoT device 300 (e.g., D2R communication or R2D communication), or communication other than data communication via A-IoT, based on feedback information from the A-IoT intermediate node 200 input from at least one of the signal separation unit 106 and the demodulation / decoding unit 107.

[0038] [Configuration of A-IoT intermediate node] Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the A-IoT intermediate node 200. In Fig. 5, the A-IoT intermediate node 200 has a feedback generation unit 201, an encoding / modulation unit 202, a trigger generation unit 203, a signal allocation unit 204, a transmission unit 205, an antenna 206, a reception unit 207, a signal separation unit 208, a demodulation / decoding unit 209, and a control unit 210.

[0039] For example, at least one of the feedback generating unit 201, the encoding / modulating unit 202, the trigger generating unit 203, the signal mapping unit 204, the signal separating unit 208, the demodulating / decoding unit 209, and the control unit 210 shown in Fig. 5 may be included in the control unit shown in Fig. 2. Also, for example, at least one of the transmitting unit 205, the antenna 206, and the receiving unit 207 shown in Fig. 5 may be included in the communication unit shown in Fig. 2.

[0040] 5 , for example, during uplink transmission (e.g., during communication with the base station 100), the feedback generation unit 201 generates feedback information to the base station 100 based on instructions from the control unit 210, and outputs the generated feedback information to the coding / modulation unit 202 or the signal mapping unit 204. The feedback information may include, for example, information regarding data communication between the A-IoT intermediate node 200 and the A-IoT device 300.

[0041] During uplink transmission, the coding and modulation unit 202 codes and modulates uplink data and feedback information to the base station 100 input from the feedback generation unit 201, and outputs the modulated signal to the signal mapping unit 204. Furthermore, during R2D transmission, the coding and modulation unit 202 codes and modulates R2D data, and outputs the modulated signal to the signal mapping unit 204.

[0042] During R2D transmission, the trigger generation unit 203 generates a trigger (for example, a signal instructing the start of R2D communication or D2R communication) in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 210 and outputs the generated trigger to the signal arrangement unit 204.

[0043] During uplink transmission, the signal mapping unit 204 maps signals (e.g., uplink data and feedback information) input from the coding / modulation unit 101 to radio resources (e.g., uplink resources) and outputs the signals mapped to the radio resources to the transmission unit 205. During R2D transmission, the signal mapping unit 204 maps signals (e.g., R2D data) input from the coding / modulation unit 202 to radio resources (e.g., R2D resources) instructed by the control unit 210, maps signals input from the trigger generation unit 203 to radio resources, and outputs the signals mapped to the radio resources to the transmission unit 205.

[0044] Transmitting section 205 performs radio transmission processing including frequency conversion on the signal input from signal mapping section 204 , and outputs the signal after radio transmission processing to antenna 206 .

[0045] The antenna 206 radiates the signal input from the transmitter 205 to the base station 100 during uplink transmission, and to the A-IoT device 300 during R2D transmission. The antenna 206 also receives the signal radiated from the base station 100 during downlink reception, and receives the signal radiated from the A-IoT device 300 during D2R reception, and outputs the received signal to the receiver 207.

[0046] The receiving unit 207 performs radio reception processing such as frequency conversion or envelope detection on the signal input from the antenna 206 to convert it into a digital signal, and outputs it to the signal separating unit 208 .

[0047] During downlink reception, the signal separation unit 208 extracts (or separates) a data signal from the downlink resource among the signals input from the receiving unit 207, and outputs the data signal to the demodulation and decoding unit 209. During D2R reception, the signal separation unit 208 extracts a data signal from the radio resource (e.g., the D2R resource) specified by the control unit 210, and outputs the data signal to the demodulation and decoding unit 209.

[0048] The demodulation / decoding unit 209 demodulates and decodes the data signal input from the signal separation unit 208, and outputs the demodulated data signal (for example, downlink data or D2R data).

[0049] During R2D transmission, the control unit 210 instructs the trigger generation unit 203 to generate a trigger. During R2D transmission, the control unit 210 instructs the signal allocation unit 204 to use R2D resources, and during D2R reception, the control unit 210 instructs the signal separation unit 208 to use D2R resources. During uplink transmission, the control unit 210 instructs the feedback generation unit 201 to generate feedback information to the base station 100. Note that the instruction to generate feedback information may be based on, for example, R2D transmission and D2R reception (e.g., communication with the A-IoT device 300).

[0050] [Configuration of A-IoT Device] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the A-IoT device 300.

[0051] In Figure 6, the A-IoT device 300 has a control unit 301, an encoding / modulation unit 302, a signal placement unit 303, a transmission unit 304, an antenna 305, a reception unit 306, a signal separation unit 307, a trigger detection unit 308, and a demodulation / decoding unit 309.

[0052] For example, at least one of the control unit 301, encoding / modulation unit 302, signal mapping unit 303, signal separation unit 307, trigger detection unit 308, and demodulation / decoding unit 309 shown in Fig. 6 may be included in the control unit shown in Fig. 3. Also, for example, at least one of the transmission unit 304, antenna 305, and reception unit 306 shown in Fig. 6 may be included in the communication unit shown in Fig. 3.

[0053] 6, the control unit 301 controls data communication with the A-IoT intermediate node 200. For example, based on trigger detection information input from the trigger detection unit 308, the control unit 301 instructs the signal arrangement unit 303 on D2R resources and instructs the signal separation unit 307 on R2D resources.

[0054] The encoding / modulation section 302 performs encoding and modulation on the D2R data, and outputs the modulated signal to the signal mapping section 303 .

[0055] Signal mapping section 303 maps the signal input from encoding / modulation section 302 to the D2R resource instructed by control section 301 , and outputs the signal mapped to the D2R resource to transmission section 304 .

[0056] The transmitting unit 304 performs radio transmission processing including frequency conversion on the signal input from the signal mapping unit 303 to convert it into an analog signal, and outputs the signal after radio transmission processing to the antenna 305. For example, the carrier wave used for frequency conversion in the transmitting unit 304 may be generated inside the transmitting unit 304, or may be generated using a backscattering wave (Carrier Wave (CW)) input from the antenna 305.

[0057] The antenna 305, for example, radiates a signal input from the transmitting unit 304 to the A-IoT intermediate node 200. The antenna 305 also receives a signal radiated from the A-IoT intermediate node 200, and outputs the received signal to the receiving unit 306.

[0058] The receiving section 306 performs radio reception processing such as frequency conversion or envelope detection on the signal input from the antenna 305 , and outputs the signal after radio reception processing to the signal separating section 307 .

[0059] The signal separation unit 307 extracts (e.g., separates) signals from the R2D resources instructed by the control unit 301 from the signals input from the receiving unit 306, and outputs the signals to the demodulation and decoding unit 309. The signal separation unit 307 also extracts signals on the trigger resources from the signals input from the receiving unit 306, and outputs the signals to the trigger detection unit 308.

[0060] The trigger detection unit 308 attempts to detect a trigger (or monitors a trigger) in the signal (signal on the trigger resource) input from the signal separation unit 307. When the trigger detection unit 308 detects a trigger, it outputs trigger detection information to the control unit 301.

[0061] The demodulation / decoding unit 309 demodulates and decodes the signal input from the signal separation unit 307 and outputs an R2D data signal.

[0062] <Operational Example> An operational example of the base station 100, A-IoT intermediate node 200, and A-IoT device 300 described above will now be described.

[0063] For example, the A-IoT intermediate node 200 (e.g., the A-IoT reader) reports (feeds back) information regarding data communication between the A-IoT intermediate node 200 and the A-IoT device 300 to the base station 100.

[0064] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the base station 100, the A-IoT intermediate node 200, and the A-IoT device 300.

[0065] In addition, information regarding resources used for data communication (e.g., R2D communication or D2R communication) between the A-IoT intermediate node 200 and the A-IoT device 300 may be set (e.g., specified or notified) in advance to the A-IoT intermediate node 200 and the A-IoT device 300.

[0066] (S101) The A-IoT intermediate node 200 determines whether or not to send a trigger to the A-IoT device 300 (for example, whether or not to start data communication with the A-IoT device 300). If the A-IoT intermediate node 200 decides to send a trigger, it proceeds to processing of S102, and if it does not decide to send a trigger, it proceeds to processing of S105.

[0067] (S102) The A-IoT intermediate node 200 sends a trigger to the A-IoT device 300.

[0068] (S103) The A-IoT device 300 attempts to detect the trigger sent in S102. If the A-IoT device 300 detects a trigger, it proceeds to processing of S104. If the A-IoT device 300 does not detect a trigger, it may end the processing of FIG. 7.

[0069] (S104) The A-IoT intermediate node 200 and the A-IoT device 300 attempt R2D communication or D2R communication.

[0070] (S105) The A-IoT intermediate node 200 transmits feedback information to the base station 100 based on, for example, whether or not a trigger was transmitted in S102, or the results of the R2D communication or D2R communication trial in S104.

[0071] (S106) The base station 100 receives the feedback information transmitted from the A-IoT intermediate node 200 in S105.

[0072] For example, the feedback information transmitted to the base station 100 in the process of S105 may include at least one of the following information: Identifier of the resources used for R2D communication or D2R communication (e.g., slot number or frame number) Identifier of the A-IoT device 300 Identifier of the A-IoT intermediate node 200 Information on whether a trigger was sent in the process of S102 Information on the data communication in the process of S104 (e.g., information on whether the communication was successful) Information on the resources for R2D and D2R (e.g., information on whether the set resources are appropriate, information on desirable resource settings for future data communication) Information on the transmission and reception methods for R2D and D2R (e.g., settings related to repeated transmission, coding rate, modulation method, etc.)

[0073] For example, if data communication between the A-IoT intermediate node 200 and the A-IoT device 300 is performed normally in the resource where the trigger was transmitted, the A-IoT intermediate node 200 may report to the base station 100 "information obtained from the A-IoT device 300" or "that a command (e.g., a trigger) to the A-IoT device 300 was successfully transmitted." Also, if data communication between the A-IoT intermediate node 200 and the A-IoT device 300 is not performed normally in the resource where the trigger was transmitted, the A-IoT intermediate node 200 may report information about the data communication (e.g., information about the A-IoT intermediate node 200, the A-IoT device 300, the resource, etc.) to the base station 100.

[0074] The content of the feedback information is not limited to these, and may be other information related to R2D communication and D2R communication.

[0075] The timing of transmitting the feedback information may vary depending on the feedback content. For example, feedback information including information that "a trigger was not transmitted" in the process of S102 may be transmitted immediately after (immediately after) the determination in the process of S101. Also, for example, feedback information including information that "data communication failed" in the process of S104 may be transmitted after the data communication attempt in the process of S104. This allows the timing of transmitting the feedback information to be optimized.

[0076] Also, for example, depending on the conditions, the transmission of feedback information in the processing of S105 may be skipped (or canceled or stopped). For example, if the data communication is successful in the processing of S104, the A-IoT intermediate node 200 may skip the transmission of feedback information in the processing of S105. This makes it possible to suppress resource overhead due to feedback. Note that this condition is not limited to the case where the data communication is successful, and other conditions may also be used. Furthermore, this condition may be set by the base station 100.

[0077] Alternatively, after transmitting feedback information including information that "a trigger was not transmitted" or "data communication failed" in the processing of S105, the A-IoT intermediate node 200 may suspend trigger transmission, data communication, or feedback transmission for a specified period. This makes it possible to reduce resource overhead due to triggers and feedback. Note that information regarding the "period" (e.g., the start position or length of the period) may be specified by a standard, may be set by the base station 100, or may be determined by the A-IoT intermediate node 200. Furthermore, when the A-IoT intermediate node 200 determines the "period," the information regarding the "period" may be notified to the base station 100 by feedback information from the processing of S105, etc.

[0078] An example of operation has been described above.

[0079] As described above, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the A-IoT intermediate node 200 controls data communication with the A-IoT device 300 and reports information (feedback information) related to data communication with the A-IoT device 300 to the base station 100. This allows the base station 100 to obtain information related to data communication (e.g., R2D communication or D2R communication) between the A-IoT intermediate node 200 and the A-IoT device 300 based on the feedback information from the A-IoT intermediate node 200, thereby improving subsequent scheduling (e.g., A-IoT scheduling or scheduling of communication other than A-IoT) and resource utilization efficiency. This improves the efficiency of wireless communication in wireless communication devices (e.g., the A-IoT intermediate node 200 and the A-IoT device 300).

[0080] (Other Embodiments) The settings of the R2D and D2R data communication resources for the A-IoT device 300 in the above embodiments may be provided by a dedicated setting device at the time of factory shipment or at the time of device operation start, or may be provided by a control signal from the A-IoT intermediate node 200, etc. Furthermore, the settings of the data communication resources for the A-IoT intermediate node 200 may be specified by a standard, or may be provided by the base station 100 by a control signal.

[0081] Furthermore, a plurality of periodic resources may be set as data communication resources. In this case, for example, the A-IoT intermediate node 200 may transmit a trigger to each of the data communication resources.

[0082] Furthermore, the same (common) data communication resources may be assigned to multiple A-IoT devices 300. For example, different frequency resources may be assigned to multiple A-IoT devices 300 within a common time resource. In this case, the feedback information in S105 may include information about all A-IoT devices 300, or information about specific (e.g., some) A-IoT devices 300 (e.g., identifiers of the A-IoT devices 300). A "specific device" may be, for example, an A-IoT device 300 from which no trigger was transmitted, an A-IoT device 300 from which data communication failed, an A-IoT device 300 from which no trigger was transmitted for a specified number of times (or for a specified period), or an A-IoT device 300 from which data communication failed for a specified number of times (or for a specified period).

[0083] Furthermore, in the processing of S101, whether or not the A-IoT intermediate node 200 transmits a trigger to the A-IoT device 300 may be determined based on the result of proximity estimation, the presence or absence of data to be transmitted or received, or an instruction from the base station 100. For example, if the result of proximity estimation in the A-IoT intermediate node 200 determines that the target A-IoT device 300 is not in proximity to the A-IoT intermediate node 200, the A-IoT intermediate node 200 may determine not to transmit a trigger. Alternatively, the A-IoT intermediate node 200 may determine not to transmit a trigger if there is no data to be transmitted or received.

[0084] In addition, the feedback information in the process of S105 may be notified by Uplink Control Information (UCI), Medium Access Control (MAC), or Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, for example, on a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), or other resources.

[0085] Furthermore, whether or not the data communication was successful in the processing of S104 may be determined by the A-IoT intermediate node 200. For example, the A-IoT intermediate node 200 may determine that the data communication failed if it fails to decode the D2R signal. Alternatively, the A-IoT intermediate node 200 may determine that the data communication failed if it does not detect a D2R signal from the A-IoT device 300 within a certain predetermined time range. The "time range" may be defined by a standard, for example, or may be set in advance by the base station 100.

[0086] Alternatively, whether the data communication was successful in the process of S104 may be determined by the A-IoT device 300. For example, the A-IoT device 300 may determine that the data communication failed if it fails to decode the R2D signal. Alternatively, the A-IoT device 300 may determine that the data communication failed if it does not detect an R2D signal from the A-IoT intermediate node 200 within a certain predetermined time range. The "time range" may be defined by a standard, for example, or may be set in advance by the base station 100 or the A-IoT intermediate node 200. The A-IoT device 300 may feed back information indicating whether the data communication was successful to the A-IoT intermediate node 200.

[0087] (Characteristics of A-IoT Device) The A-IoT device in the above embodiment may be a device (e.g., corresponding to a second type of device) that offers lower complexity or power consumption than a device (e.g., corresponding to a first type of device) that supports existing 3GPP LPWA technologies such as Narrowband (NB)-IoT or LTE-Machine Type Communication (MTC). Note that the A-IoT device is not limited to a device having the above-mentioned characteristics.

[0088] The A-IoT device in each of the above embodiments may be, for example, a wireless device having at least one of the following features. - Equipped with a circuit for backscatter communication - The transmission bandwidth to the A-IoT reader is below a threshold (e.g., several subcarriers) - The reception bandwidth from the A-IoT reader is below a threshold (e.g., 12 resource blocks) - The transmittable data size (or Transport Block Size) is below a threshold (e.g., 1000 bits) - The achievable communication speed is below a threshold (e.g., several kbps) - The power capacity of the energy storage (battery or capacitor) is below a threshold, or there is no energy storage - The power consumption is below a threshold (e.g., 1 microW or several hundred microW) - Equipped with a circuit for receiving wireless power (e.g., wireless power transfer, Wireless Power Transfer (WPT)) - Modulates or demodulates using a specific modulation method (e.g., On Off Keying, Frequency Shift Keying, Phase Shift Keying) - Encodes or decodes using a specific Line Coding method (e.g., Manchester, FM0, Miller, Phase Interval Encoding), or Line Do not use coding or decoding with specific forward error correction methods (e.g., convolutional coding, repetition coding), or do not use forward error correction.

[0089] (Backscattered communication in Ambient IoT) When transmitting information to an A-IoT reader, an A-IoT device can use backscattered communication in addition to a communication method using electromagnetic waves (radio waves) generated within the A-IoT device. As an example of backscattered communication, an A-IoT device can transmit information by modulating the electromagnetic waves (e.g., incident waves) emitted from the A-IoT reader or other nodes to correspond to the transmission data, and then reflecting the modulated electromagnetic waves (e.g., reflected waves) back to the A-IoT reader. This reduces the power consumption of the A-IoT device.

[0090] The incident wave for backscatter communication is sometimes called "Carrier Wave (CW)", and a node that emits CW is sometimes called a "CW node".

[0091] (Ambient-IoT specific resources) In the data communication according to the above embodiment, the data transmitted from the A-IoT device to the A-IoT reader may be called Device-to-Reader (D2R) or Device Oriented (DO). This data (D2R signal) may be transmitted in a radio resource (or channel) called the Physical Device-to-Reader Channel (PDRCH).

[0092] In the data communication according to the above embodiment, the data transmitted from the A-IoT reader to the A-IoT device may be called Reader-to-Device (R2D) or Device Terminated (DT). This data (R2D signal) may be transmitted in a radio resource (or channel) called the Physical Reader-to-Device Channel (PRDCH).

[0093] The PRDCH and PDRCH may be scheduled by the A-IoT leader or an A-IoT intermediate node, by the base station, or by the CN (Core Network).

[0094] In addition to the PRDCH and PDRCH, the R2D signal and the D2R signal may be transmitted via the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), the Physical Uplink Shared CHannel (PUSCH), the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), the Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), the Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), the Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH), and the Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

[0095] (Parameter Settings) The parameter values ​​used in each of the above embodiments may be defined in advance in a standard, or may be notified to the A-IoT reader or A-IoT device by a control signal or the like.

[0096] The base station may be referred to as a gNodeB or a gNB, and the terminal may be referred to as a UE.

[0097] The time resource units such as symbols and slots may be replaced with system frames, time slots, minislots, frames, subframes, and the like.

[0098] Furthermore, the notation "... section" in the above-described embodiments may be replaced with other notations such as "... circuitry," "... device," "... unit," or "... module."

[0099] (Additional Information) Information indicating whether a terminal (or an A-IoT device) supports the functions, operations, or processing described in the above-described embodiments may be transmitted (or notified) from the terminal to a base station (or an A-IoT reader, a CW node, or a WPT power transmission station), for example, as capability information or capability parameters of the terminal.

[0100] The capability information may include information elements (IEs) that individually indicate whether the terminal supports at least one of the functions, operations, or processes described in the above-described embodiments, or may include information elements that indicate whether the terminal supports a combination of any two or more of the functions, operations, or processes described in the above-described embodiments.

[0101] For example, the base station may determine (or decide or assume) the functions, operations, or processes that the terminal that transmitted the capability information supports (or does not support) based on the capability information received from the terminal. The base station may perform operations, processes, or controls according to the determination result based on the capability information. For example, the base station may control WPT, CW, or communication based on the capability information received from the terminal.

[0102] Note that the fact that a terminal does not support some of the functions, operations, or processes described in the above-described embodiments may be interpreted as meaning that such some of the functions, operations, or processes are restricted in the terminal. For example, information or a request regarding such restrictions may be notified to the base station.

[0103] Information regarding the capabilities or limitations of the terminal may, for example, be defined in a standard, or may be implicitly notified to the base station in association with information known at the base station or information transmitted to the base station.

[0104] (Control Signal) In the present disclosure, a downlink control signal (or downlink control information) related to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be, for example, a signal (or information) transmitted in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) of a physical layer, or a signal (or information) transmitted in a Medium Access Control Control Element (MAC CE) or Radio Resource Control (RRC) of a higher layer. Furthermore, the signal (or information) is not limited to being notified by a downlink control signal, but may be predefined in a specification (or standard) or preconfigured in a base station and a terminal.

[0105] In the present disclosure, an uplink control signal (or uplink control information) related to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be, for example, a signal (or information) transmitted in a PUCCH of a physical layer, or a signal (or information) transmitted in a MAC CE or RRC of a higher layer. Furthermore, the signal (or information) is not limited to being notified by an uplink control signal, but may be predefined in a specification (or standard) or preconfigured in a base station and a terminal. Furthermore, the uplink control signal may be replaced with, for example, uplink control information (UCI), 1st stage sidelink control information (SCI), or 2nd stage SCI.

[0106] (Base Station) In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the base station may be a Transmission Reception Point (TRP), a cluster head, an access point, a Remote Radio Head (RRH), an eNodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), a Base Station (BS), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a parent device, a gateway, or the like. In sidelink communication, a terminal may play the role of a base station. Instead of a base station, a relay device that relays communication between an upper node and a terminal may be used. Alternatively, a roadside unit may be used.

[0107] (Uplink / Downlink / Sidelink) An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to, for example, any of the uplink, downlink, and sidelink. For example, an embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), or a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) in the uplink, a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), a PDCCH, or a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) in the downlink, or a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), or a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH) in the sidelink.

[0108] The PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PUCCH are examples of a downlink control channel, a downlink data channel, an uplink data channel, and an uplink control channel, respectively. The PSCCH and PSSCH are examples of a sidelink control channel and a sidelink data channel. The PBCH and PSBCH are examples of a broadcast channel, and the PRACH is an example of a random access channel.

[0109] (Data Channel / Control Channel) An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to, for example, either a data channel or a control channel. For example, the channel in an embodiment of the present disclosure may be replaced with any of the data channels PDSCH, PUSCH, and PSSCH, or the control channels PDCCH, PUCCH, PBCH, PSCCH, and PSBCH.

[0110] (Reference Signal) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a reference signal is, for example, a signal known by both a base station and a mobile station, and may also be called a Reference Signal (RS) or a pilot signal. The reference signal may be any of a Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS), a Channel State Information - Reference Signal (CSI-RS), a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), a Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), a Cell-specific Reference Signal (CRS), or a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS).

[0111] (Time Interval) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the unit of time resource is not limited to one or a combination of slots and symbols, but may be, for example, a time resource unit such as a frame, a superframe, a subframe, a slot, a time slot, a subslot, a minislot, a symbol, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, a Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiplexing Access (SC-FDMA) symbol, or another time resource unit. Furthermore, the number of symbols included in one slot is not limited to the number of symbols exemplified in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be another number of symbols.

[0112] (Frequency Band) An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to either a licensed band or an unlicensed band.

[0113] (Communication) An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to communication between a base station and a terminal (Uu link communication), communication between terminals (Sidelink communication), or Vehicle to Everything (V2X) communication. For example, the channel in an embodiment of the present disclosure may be replaced with any of PSCCH, PSSCH, Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH), PSBCH, PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, or PBCH.

[0114] An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to a terrestrial network, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) using a satellite or a high altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS), or a terrestrial network in which transmission delay is large compared to the symbol length or slot length, such as a network with a large cell size or an ultra-wideband transmission network.

[0115] (SBFD) In ​​one embodiment of the present disclosure, operations on uplink, downlink, and sidelink symbols may be applied to symbols (e.g., SBFD symbols) on which SBFD (Subband Non-Overlapping Full Duplex, Subband Full Duplex) operations or controls are performed. In SBFD symbols, a frequency domain (or frequency resource, frequency band) is divided into multiple frequency domains (e.g., subbands, RB sets, subbands, or sub-BWPs (Bandwidth Parts)). A terminal transmits and receives in different directions (e.g., downlink or uplink) in units of subbands, which are the divided domains. In SBFD symbols, a terminal may transmit and receive in one direction, either uplink or downlink, but not in the other direction. On the other hand, a base station may be capable of transmitting and receiving on both the uplink and downlink simultaneously. SBFD symbols may have a smaller frequency domain available for downlink transmission than symbols that transmit and receive only downlink transmission. Also, SBFD symbols may have a smaller frequency domain available for uplink transmission than symbols that transmit and receive only uplink transmission.

[0116] In addition, in the SBFD symbol, a terminal may transmit and receive uplink and downlink simultaneously. In this case, the frequency domain in which the terminal transmits and the frequency domain in which the terminal receives may not be adjacent, but may be separated by a frequency interval (also called a frequency gap).

[0117] In addition, different transmission and reception directions in subband units, which are divided areas, may include transmission and reception of side links.

[0118] (XDD: Cross Division Duplex) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation for uplink, downlink, and sidelink symbols may be applied to symbols (e.g., full duplex symbols) where full duplex operation or control is performed. In a full duplex symbol, both the terminal and the base station can simultaneously transmit and receive on the uplink and downlink. In a full duplex symbol, the terminal and the base station may simultaneously transmit and receive in an available frequency region (or frequency resource, frequency band), or may simultaneously transmit and receive in a partial frequency region (i.e., transmission or reception may be performed in other frequency regions). In this case, the frequency region in which the base station or terminal transmits and receives may not be adjacent, but may have a frequency interval (also called a frequency gap). Furthermore, for the purpose of, for example, reducing interference, either the terminal or the base station may simultaneously transmit and receive (i.e., the other may transmit or receive).

[0119] In addition, full duplex operation may be applied to an operation in which a terminal can simultaneously transmit and receive sidelinks, or to an operation in which a terminal can simultaneously transmit and receive sidelinks and uplinks or downlinks.

[0120] (Antenna Port) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an antenna port refers to a logical antenna (antenna group) consisting of one or more physical antennas. For example, an antenna port does not necessarily refer to a single physical antenna, but may refer to an array antenna consisting of multiple antennas. For example, the number of physical antennas that an antenna port is composed of is not specified, and the antenna port may be specified as the smallest unit by which a terminal station can transmit a reference signal. Furthermore, an antenna port may also be specified as the smallest unit by which a weighting of a precoding vector is multiplied.

[0121] <5G NR System Architecture and Protocol Stack> The 5G NR system architecture generally assumes an NG-RAN (Next Generation - Radio Access Network) including gNBs. The gNBs provide UE-side termination of the NG radio access user plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocols. The gNBs are connected to each other via an Xn interface. The gNBs are also connected to a Next Generation Core (NGC) via a Next Generation (NG) interface, more specifically to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) (e.g., a specific core entity that performs AMF) via an NG-C interface, and to a User Plane Function (UPF) (e.g., a specific core entity that performs UPF) via an NG-U interface. The NG-RAN architecture is shown in Figure 8 (see, for example, 3GPP TS 38.300 v15.6.0, section 4).

[0122] <RRC connection setup and reconfiguration procedure> This shows the NAS part of the interaction between the UE, gNB, and AMF (5GC entity) when the UE transitions from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED (see TS 38.300 v15.6.0).

[0123] RRC is a higher layer signaling protocol used to configure the UE and gNB. The AMF prepares UE context data (including, for example, PDU session context, security keys, UE radio capabilities, UE security capabilities, etc.) and sends it to the gNB along with an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST. The gNB then activates AS security together with the UE. This is done by the gNB sending a SecurityModeCommand message to the UE, and the UE responding with a SecurityModeComplete message to the gNB. The gNB then sends an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE, and upon receiving an RRCReconfigurationComplete from the UE, the gNB performs reconfiguration to set up Signaling Radio Bearer 2 (SRB2) and Data Radio Bearer (DRB). For signaling-only connections, the steps related to RRCReconfiguration are omitted because SRB2 and DRB are not set up. Finally, the gNB notifies the AMF that the setup procedure is complete with an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE.

[0124] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a 5th Generation Core (5GC) entity (e.g., AMF, SMF, etc.) that includes: a control circuit that, upon operation, establishes a Next Generation (NG) connection with a gNodeB; and a transmitter that, upon operation, transmits an initial context setup message to the gNodeB via the NG connection so that a signaling radio bearer between the gNodeB and a user equipment (UE) is set up. Specifically, the gNodeB transmits Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, including a resource allocation configuration information element (IE), to the UE via the signaling radio bearer. The UE then transmits in uplink or receives in downlink based on the resource allocation configuration.

[0125] <QoS Control> The 5G Quality of Service (QoS) model is based on QoS flows and supports both QoS flows that require a guaranteed flow bit rate (Guaranteed Bit Rate QoS flows (GBR)) and QoS flows that do not require a guaranteed flow bit rate (non-GBR QoS flows). Thus, at the NAS level, a QoS flow is the finest granularity of QoS classification in a PDU session. A QoS flow is identified within a PDU session by a QoS Flow ID (QFI) carried in an encapsulation header over the NG-U interface.

[0126] For each UE, 5GC establishes one or more PDU sessions. For each UE, the NG-RAN establishes, for example, at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) for each PDU session. Additional DRBs for the QoS flows of that PDU session can be configured later (when this is up to the NG-RAN). The NG-RAN maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions to different DRBs. NAS-level packet filters in the UE and 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS flows, while AS-level mapping rules in the UE and NG-RAN associate UL and DL QoS flows with DRBs.

[0127] (Open-RAN) The base station described in each embodiment (for example, a 5G NR base station called a gNB) may be configured with three functional modules: a Centralized Unit (CU), a Distributed Unit (DU), and a Radio Unit (RU).

[0128] A CU may be referred to as a centralized node, aggregation node, central station, aggregation station, or centralized unit. A DU may be referred to as an O-RAN Distributed Unit (O-DU), distributed node, distributed station, or distributed unit. An RU may be referred to as an O-RAN Radio Unit (O-RU), radio equipment, radio node, radio station, antenna unit, or radio unit.

[0129] There are several split options for the functional split configuration (or functional split point) between CU, DU, and RU. The term "functional split point" is sometimes referred to as "split," "option," or "split option."

[0130] Examples of "division options" include the following division options 1 to 8. The functions of the base station described in each embodiment may be divided into a CU, a DU, and an RU by any of the following division options 1 to 8. For example, the CU, DU, and RU may be functionally divided, or the functions may be divided only between the CU and DU or only between the DU and RU. (1) Segmentation option 1: Between RRC (radio resource control) and PDCP (2) Segmentation option 2: Between PDCP and RLC (High-RLC) (3) Segmentation option 3: Between High-RLC and Low-RLC (4) Segmentation option 4: Between RLC (Low-RLC) and MAC (High-MAC) (5) Segmentation option 5: Between High-MAC and Low-MAC (6) Segmentation option 6: Between MAC (Low-MAC) and PHY (High-PHY) (7) Segmentation option 7: Between High-PHY and Low-PHY (8) Segmentation option 8: Between PHY (Low-PHY) and RF

[0131] The functional split point between the CU and O-DU may be split option 2. The section between the CU and O-DU is called midhaul, and the F1 interface is specified by 3GPP. The section between the O-DU and O-RU is called fronthaul, and the functional split point may be split option 7-2x, which is adopted as the O-RAN fronthaul specification.

[0132] Figure 9 shows an example of functional division of the gNB base station functions into CU, O-DU, and O-RU using Split Option 2 and Split Option 7-2x.

[0133] The CU may have, for example, a radio resource control (RRC) function, a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) function, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) function.

[0134] The O-DU may include, for example, a radio link control (RLC) function, a MAC function, and a higher physical layer (HIGH-PHY) function. The HIGH-PHY function may include an encoding function, a scrambling function, a modulation function, a layer mapping function, a precoding function, and a resource element (RE) mapping function for downlink (DL) transmission. The HIGH-PHY function may also include a decoding function, a descrambling function, a demodulation function, a layer demapping function, and a resource element (RE) demapping function for uplink (UL) reception.

[0135] The O-RU may have, for example, a LOW-PHY function and an RF function. The LOW-PHY function may also have, for downlink transmission, a beamforming function, an IFFT (Inverse First Fourier Transform) + CP (Cyclic Prefix) assignment function, and a D / A (Digital to Analog) conversion function. The LOW-PHY function may also have, for uplink reception, an A / D (Analog to Digital) conversion function, a CP removal + FFT (First Fourier Transform) function, and a beamforming function.

[0136] In addition, if the O-DU does not have a precoding function, the O-RU may have a precoding function.

[0137] The O-RU may have a function related to LBT (listen before talk). The evolving common public radio interface (eCPRI) is specified as the communication method between the O-DU and the O-RU in Split Option 7-2x. In Split Option 7-2x, eCPRI transmits and receives sampling sequences of the in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) components of the OFDM signal in the frequency domain, as well as information used for beamforming in the antenna and time synchronization signals.

[0138] Information transmitted by the signals described in each embodiment (PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, MAC CE, RRC, etc.) may be transmitted between the O-DU and the O-RU via the eCPRI User Plane (U-Plane) or Control Plane (C-Plane).

[0139] When the functions described in each embodiment are performed in the O-RU by functional division, the O-DU may control the O-RU by transmitting information for controlling the functions via a control signal (e.g., eCPRI) between the O-DU and the O-RU.

[0140] When the functions described in each embodiment are performed in the O-DU by functional division, the O-RU may receive the results of the functions performed in the O-DU via a control signal (e.g., eCPRI) and control the O-RU based on the received results.

[0141] The CU, O-DU, and O-RU may be deployed in physically different devices with their respective functions connected by optical fiber or the like, or some or all of their functions may be deployed in the same physical device.

[0142] The CU and O-DU may be logical entities implemented as software running on a server in the cloud or the like as a virtualized RAN (virtual Radio Access Network: vRAN). Also, some or all of the functions of the CU and O-DU may be provided as a virtualized network function (Network Functions Virtualization: NFV) service.

[0143] The transceiver does not have to be a radio transceiver, but may be, for example, a network transceiver, an optical transceiver, etc. The radio resources allocated by the O-DU may be resources for wireless communication between the O-RU and the UE.

[0144] The present disclosure can be realized in software, hardware, or software in conjunction with hardware.

[0145] Each functional block used in the description of the above embodiments may be partially or entirely realized as an LSI, which is an integrated circuit, and each process described in the above embodiments may be partially or entirely controlled by a single LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI may be composed of individual chips, or may be composed of a single chip that includes some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may have data input and output. Depending on the degree of integration, the LSI may also be called an IC, system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI.

[0146] The integrated circuit method is not limited to LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor, or a dedicated processor. Also, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that can be programmed after LSI manufacturing, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connections and settings of circuit cells within the LSI, may be used. The present disclosure may be realized as digital processing or analog processing.

[0147] Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that can replace LSI emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology or other derivative technologies, it is natural that such technology may be used to integrate functional blocks. The application of biotechnology, etc. is also a possibility.

[0148] The present disclosure may be implemented in any type of apparatus, device, or system (collectively referred to as a communications apparatus) that has a communications function. The communications apparatus may include a radio transceiver and processing / control circuitry. The radio transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, or both functions. The radio transceiver (transmitter and receiver) may include a radio frequency (RF) module and one or more antennas. The RF module may include an amplifier, an RF modulator / demodulator, or the like. Non-limiting examples of communication devices include telephones (e.g., cell phones, smartphones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, notebooks), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (e.g., digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smartwatches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth / telemedicine devices, communication-enabled vehicles or mobile transportation (e.g., cars, airplanes, ships), and combinations of the above devices.

[0149] The communication devices are not limited to portable or mobile devices, but also include any kind of non-portable or fixed equipment, devices, and systems, such as smart home devices (such as home appliances, lighting equipment, smart meters or measuring devices, control panels, etc.), vending machines, and any other "things" that may exist on an IoT (Internet of Things) network.

[0150] Communications include data communications via cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, communication satellite systems, and the like, as well as data communications via combinations of these.

[0151] A communications apparatus also includes devices such as controllers and sensors connected or coupled to a communications device that performs the communications functions described in this disclosure, such as controllers and sensors that generate control and data signals used by the communications device to perform the communications functions of the communications apparatus.

[0152] The communication apparatus also includes infrastructure facilities, such as base stations, access points, and any other apparatus, device, or system that communicates with or controls the various apparatuses listed above, but are not limited to these.

[0153] A communication device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a control circuit for controlling data communication with a second type of device that is less complex than a first type of device, and a communication circuit for transmitting information relating to the data communication to a base station.

[0154] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the information regarding the data communication includes at least one of information identifying the second type of device, information identifying the communication device, information identifying resources used for the data communication, information indicating whether a signal instructing the start of the data communication has been sent, information indicating whether the data communication has failed, information regarding resources for the data communication, and information regarding the communication method for the data communication.

[0155] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit transmits information regarding the data communication to the base station, including information indicating that a signal instructing the start of the data communication will not be transmitted or information indicating that the data communication has failed, and then suspends at least one of the transmission of the signal instructing the start of the data communication, the data communication, and the transmission of the information regarding the data communication for a specified period of time.

[0156] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, information regarding the specified period is included in information regarding the data communication transmitted to the base station.

[0157] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit stops transmitting information related to the data communication if the data communication is successful.

[0158] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the time resource used for the data communication is common to a plurality of the second devices, the information about the data communication includes information about the plurality of second devices.

[0159] A base station according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a communication circuit that receives information regarding data communication between a communication device and a second type of device that is less complex than a first type of device, from the communication device, and a control circuit that performs scheduling based on the information regarding the data communication.

[0160] In a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication device controls data communication with a second type of device having a lower complexity than a first type of device, and transmits information related to the data communication to a base station.

[0161] In a communication method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a base station receives information regarding data communication between a communication device and a second type of device, which has a lower complexity than a first type of device, from the communication device, and performs scheduling based on the information regarding the data communication.

[0162] The disclosures of the specification, drawings and abstract contained in Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-129958, filed on August 6, 2024, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0163] One aspect of the present disclosure is useful in wireless communication systems.

[0164] 100 Base station 101, 202, 302 Encoding and modulation unit 102, 204, 303 Signal allocation unit 103, 205, 304 Transmitting unit 104, 206, 305 Antenna 105, 207, 306 Receiving unit 106, 208, 307 Signal separation unit 107, 209, 309 Demodulation and decoding unit 108, 210, 301 Control unit 200 A-IoT intermediate node 201 Feedback generation unit 203 Trigger generation unit 300 A-IoT device 308 Trigger detection unit

Claims

1. A communication device comprising: a control circuit for controlling data communication with a second type of device, the second type of device being less complex than a first type of device; and a communication circuit for transmitting information relating to the data communication to a base station.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the information relating to the data communication includes at least one of information identifying the second type of device, information identifying the communication device, information identifying resources used for the data communication, information indicating whether a signal instructing the start of the data communication has been transmitted, information indicating whether the data communication has failed, information relating to resources for the data communication, and information relating to the communication method for the data communication.

3. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the control circuit transmits to the base station information relating to the data communication, including information indicating that the signal instructing the start of the data communication will not be transmitted or information indicating that the data communication has failed, and then suspends at least one of the transmission of the signal instructing the start of the data communication, the data communication, and the transmission of the information relating to the data communication for a specified period of time.

4. The communication device according to claim 3, wherein the information regarding the specified period is included in the information regarding the data communication transmitted to the base station.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit stops transmitting information relating to the data communication when the data communication is successful.

6. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein, when the time resource used for the data communication is common to a plurality of the second type devices, the information relating to the data communication includes information relating to the plurality of second type devices.

7. A base station comprising: a communication circuit that receives information regarding data communication between a communication device and a second type of device, the second type of device having a lower complexity than a first type of device, from the communication device; and a control circuit that performs scheduling based on the information regarding the data communication.

8. A communication method, comprising: a communication device controlling data communication with a second type of device having a lower complexity than a first type of device; and transmitting information relating to the data communication to a base station.

9. A communication method, comprising: a base station receiving, from a communication device, information regarding data communication between a second type of device, the second type of device having a lower complexity than a first type of device, and the communication device; and performing scheduling based on the information regarding the data communication.

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