Method executed by intermediate node and intermediate node

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method executed by an intermediate node and an intermediate node. The present disclosure provides a method executed by an intermediate node, characterized by comprising: receiving a first configuration message of a core network node; determining the content of a first A-IoT resource request message on the basis of a first intermediate node function set indicated in the first configuration message, wherein in a message format corresponding to the first A-IoT resource request message, a field group associated with an intermediate node function in the first intermediate node function set appears in the first A-IoT resource request message, and a field group not associated with an intermediate node function in the first intermediate node function set does not appear in the first A-IoT resource request message; and transmitting the first A-IoT resource request message to a base station.

Description

Method performed by an intermediate node and intermediate node TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method performed by an intermediate node and an intermediate node in a wireless communication system. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a wireless communication system, different communication nodes (or simply nodes) can exchange information (e.g., voice, or data) with each other. Examples of communication nodes can include terminal nodes and network nodes, etc., where a terminal node can refer to a mobile terminal, or a wireless terminal, or a terminal device, or a mobile device, or a mobile station (MS), or a user equipment (UE), or simply a device; and a network node can include a base station, etc.

[0003] Examples of wireless communication systems can include systems standardized by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), such as 4G systems based on LTE (Long-Term Evolution) radio access technology, or its evolution (e.g., the corresponding base stations can be eNBs), or 5G systems based on NR (New Radio) radio access technology, or its evolution (e.g., the corresponding base stations can be gNBs). In recent years, wireless communication technologies including LTE, NR, etc., have been widely applied to not only communications between people (or between devices operated or controlled by people), but also “machine-type communications” (MTC), i.e., providing network access services for “things” or “machines”, and, for example, forming an “Internet of Things” (IoT) based thereon.

[0004] Wireless communication systems need improvements in many aspects (e.g., improvements in signaling efficiency), which can include some or all of the following, at least in part: operation on licensed spectrum, operation on unlicensed spectrum, operation on paired spectrum, operation on unpaired spectrum, operation with shared spectrum channel access, operation without shared spectrum channel access, initial access, multiple access, random access, channel coding, line coding, generation, transmission, and reception of physical layer channels and signals, transmission and reception based on some or all of unicast, groupcast, multicast, and broadcast, physical layer control information and signaling procedures (including, for example, synchronization procedures, scheduling mechanisms, and feedback mechanisms), frame structure, timing adjustment, timing relationship, transmission power control, signal measurement, higher layer control information and signaling procedures, allocation and management of resources, multi-carrier operation (including, for example, carrier aggregation and dual connectivity), multi-antenna transmission and reception, beam-based operation, priority-based operation, coordinated multipoint, relaying operation, mobility management, in-device coexistence, and interworking and coexistence between systems.

[0005] Prior Art Documents

[0006] Non-Patent Literature

[0007] Non-Patent Literature 1: RP-170379, Revision of SI: Study on New Radio Access Technology, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #75

[0008] Non-Patent Literature 2: RP-191971, Revised WID: New Radio Access Technology, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #85

[0009] NPL 3: RP-234058, New SID: Study on solutions for Ambient IoT (Internet of Things) in NR, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #102

[0010] NPL 4: RP-240826, Revised SID: Study on solutions for Ambient IoT (Internet of Things) in NR, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #103 SUMMARY

[0011] To solve at least part of the above problems, the present disclosure provides a method performed by an intermediate node and an intermediate node, which can efficiently transmit signaling related to A-IoT communication between the intermediate node and a network node according to one or more configured intermediate node functions.

[0012] According to the present disclosure, a method performed by a device is proposed, which comprises: receiving a first configuration message of a core network node; and determining content of a first A-IoT resource request message according to a first set of intermediate node functions indicated in the first configuration message, wherein in a message format corresponding to the first A-IoT resource request message, a field group associated with an intermediate node function in the first set of intermediate node functions is present in the first A-IoT resource request message, and a field group not associated with an intermediate node function in the first set of intermediate node functions is not present in the first A-IoT resource request message; and transmitting the first A-IoT resource request message to a base station.

[0013] Further, according to the present disclosure, an intermediate node is proposed, which comprises: a processor; and a memory storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, perform the above-mentioned method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] The above and other features of the present disclosure will become more apparent by describing in detail our embodiments thereof with reference made to the attached drawings, of which:

[0015] FIG. 1 shows a flow chart corresponding to a method performed by an intermediate node according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an intermediate node related to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that the present disclosure should not be limited to the specific embodiments described below. In addition, for the sake of brevity, detailed descriptions of well-known technology related to the present disclosure will be omitted so as not to obscure the understanding of the present disclosure.

[0018] The following describes in detail a plurality of embodiments according to the present disclosure, taking 5G wireless communication system specifications established by 3GPP and subsequent evolved versions thereof (e.g., 5G Advanced) as an example application environment. However, it should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, but can be applied to more other wireless communication systems, such as wireless communication systems after 5G, and 4G mobile communication systems such as LTE, LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, etc. before 5G.

[0019] The terms given in the present disclosure can be named differently in different wireless communication systems, but uniform terms are used in the present disclosure, and when applied to a specific system, they can be replaced with the terms used in the corresponding system.

[0020] In the present disclosure, "base station" can refer to a base station of any communication system, such as a base station (e.g., Node B) of a 3G communication system, a base station (e.g., eNB) of a 4G communication system, and a base station (e.g., gNB) of a 5G communication system, etc.

[0021] In the present disclosure, "base station" can refer to any form of base station, such as a Femto Base Station, a Pico Base Station, a Micro Base Station, a Macro Base Station, etc.

[0022] In the present disclosure, "device" can refer to a mobile terminal, or can refer to a wireless terminal, or can refer to a terminal device, or can refer to a mobile device, or can refer to a mobile station (MS), or can refer to a user equipment (UE). Unless otherwise specified, "device" can refer to a device in an A-IoT system (e.g., referred to as an "A-IoT device", or referred to as an "A-IoT UE", or referred to as an "A-IoT terminal", or referred to as an "A-IoT transponder").

[0023] Unless specifically stated, operations described in the present disclosure refer to operations performed by a device.

[0024] In the present disclosure, “network node” can refer to a base station, or can refer to a core network (e.g., 5G Core Network; or, e.g., Evolved Packet Core) node, or can refer to other types of network nodes, where the core network node can at least partly comprise parts or all of AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), UPF (User Plane Function), MME (Mobility Management Entity), S-GW (Serving Gateway), and AIoTF (A-IoT Function).

[0025] It should be noted that, in the present disclosure, two connected by “and”, “or”, “and / or” can represent different description methods of the same intention in different application scenarios, and there can be a relationship between inclusion and being included, and it does not necessarily mean completely different content.

[0026] In the present disclosure, unless specifically stated:

[0027] ● Any two of “predefined”, “predetermined” and “preset” can be interchangeable.

[0028] ● “Number” and “index” can be interchangeable. For example, the number of an RB (resource block) can also be referred to as the index of the RB; for another example, “numbering an RB as 0” can also be described as “indexing an RB as 0”.

[0029] ● The elements in a set (or array, or list, or sequence, etc.) can correspond to indices 0, 1, 2, …, in turn, or correspond to indices 1, 2, 3, …, in turn. For example, the elements t0, t1, …, and tN-1in a set {t0, t1, …, tN-1} can correspond to indices 0, 1, …, and N-1, respectively. N-1 N-1 ● The elements in a set (or array, or list, or sequence, etc.) can correspond to indices 0, 1, 2, …, in turn, or correspond to indices 1, 2, 3, …, in turn. For example, the elements t0, t1, …, and tN-1in a set {t0, t1, …, tN-1} can correspond to indices 0, 1, …, and N-1, respectively.

[0030] ​• An element in a set (or array, or list, or sequence, etc.) can be referred to by its index (e.g., its subscript in the set or array or list or sequence, etc.). For example, a resource element with index 0 can be referred to as "RE 0".

[0031] • An index corresponding to an object (e.g., a subcarrier, a time slot, a cyclic shift, etc.) can be used as an "identifier" (ID) for the object (e.g., the index of the object in a set, or array, or list, or sequence, etc.).

[0032] • An index corresponding to an object can be used to indicate the object in signaling.

[0033] • If a corresponding quantity is not specified when referring to an object, the quantity of the object can be one, or can be multiple. For example, in "performing transmission(s) on a channel", the "transmission(s)" can correspond to one transmission, or multiple transmissions.

[0034] • Elements in a time sequence or a corresponding set (e.g., a set of time slots {t0, t1,..., t N-1}) can occur in chronological order, e.g., the time corresponding to time slot t0 is earlier than (or not later than) the time corresponding to time slot t1, the time corresponding to time slot t1 is earlier than (or not later than) the time corresponding to time slot t2, etc.

[0035] • Δ(x1, x2) can represent an offset between x1 and x2 (or, “an offset of x2 with respect to x1”, or, “an offset from x1 to x2”), where x1 and x2 can be values of two comparable parameters (or variables), or can be two possible values of one parameter (or variable). If x1 and x2 are two time parameters (or variables), Δ(x1, x2) > 0 can represent that the time corresponding to x1 is earlier than the time corresponding to x2, Δ(x1, x2) ≥ 0 can represent that the time corresponding to x1 is earlier than or equal to the time corresponding to x2, Δ(x1, x2) < 0 can represent that the time corresponding to x1 is later than the time corresponding to x2, and Δ(x1, x2) ≤ 0 can represent that the time corresponding to x1 is later than or equal to the time corresponding to x2. For example, if x1 and x2 are two time slots in a resource pool, Δ(x1, x2) can be defined as the difference between the time slot index corresponding to x2 and the time slot index corresponding to x1, where the time slot index can be a physical time slot index, or a logical time slot index (e.g., an index of the corresponding time slot in a time slot set of the resource pool).

[0036] • “Subcarrier” can refer to a subcarrier in an OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) based waveform.

[0037] • Δf can represent a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of a carrier or a BWP (Bandwidth part), where the unit of Δf can be kHz. For example, Δf = 15 kHz; or, Δf = 30 kHz; or, Δf = 60 kHz; or, Δf = 120 kHz.

[0038] • μ can represent an SCS configuration corresponding to an SCS. For example, μ = 0 can correspond to Δf = 15 kHz, and vice versa; or, μ = 1 can correspond to Δf = 30 kHz, and vice versa; or, μ = 2 can correspond to Δf = 60 kHz, and vice versa; or, μ = 3 can correspond to Δf = 120 kHz, and vice versa.

[0039] • Constant T c may be defined as: T c = 1 / (Δf max · Nf ), where Af max = 480-10 3 Hz, N f = 4096.

[0040] • The constant K can be defined as: K = T s / T c = 64, where T s = 1 / (Af ref • N f,ref ), Af ref = 15-10 3 Hz, N f,ref = 2048.

[0041] • can represent the length of a “useful symbol time” of an OFDM symbol corresponding to a subcarrier spacing Af (or a corresponding SCS configuration m), i.e., excluding a CP (cyclic prefix). In some aspects, the can be in seconds, e.g., the can equal seconds, where the can equal 2048-K-2 -μ ; as another example, the can equal seconds; as another example, the can equal seconds. In some aspects, the can be in T c , e.g., in which case the can equal the

[0042] • can represent the total duration of an OFDM symbol corresponding to a subcarrier spacing Af (or a corresponding SCS configuration m), i.e., including a CP. In some aspects, the can be in seconds, e.g., the can equal seconds, where the can equal the duration of the CP of the OFDM symbol. In some aspects, the can be in T c , e.g., in which case the can equal In some aspects, for different OFDM symbol indices, the The values of the first and second time periods can be equal or can not be equal.

[0043] ● may represent an average OFDM symbol duration corresponding to a subcarrier spacing Df (or a corresponding SCS configuration m). For example, the may be equal to seconds.

[0044] In some aspects, in a bit string (e.g., denoted as ‘b0b1…b L-1 ’) of size (or referred to as “length”) L bits, the leftmost bit (i.e., b0) can correspond to the Most Significant Bit (MSB), and correspondingly, the rightmost bit (i.e., b L-1 ) can correspond to the Least Significant Bit (LSB).

[0045] In some aspects, in a bit string (e.g., denoted as ‘b0b1…b L-1 ’) of size (or referred to as “length”) L bits, the leftmost bit (i.e., b0) can correspond to the Least Significant Bit (LSB), and correspondingly, the rightmost bit (i.e., b L-1 ) can correspond to the Most Significant Bit (MSB).

[0046] In some aspects, a bit string can be referred to as a bitmap (or, bit map), and vice versa.

[0047] In some aspects, a priority can correspond to a priority value. For example, a priority corresponds to a priority value of 1, and another priority corresponds to a priority value of 8.

[0048] In some aspects, the relationship between a priority and its corresponding priority value can be that as the priority value increases, the priority decreases. For example, if a first sidelink transmission and a second sidelink transmission are associated with priority values of 1 and 2, respectively, the priority of the first sidelink transmission is higher than the priority of the second sidelink transmission.

[0049] In some aspects, the relationship between a priority and its corresponding priority value can be that as the priority value increases, the priority increases. For example, if a first sidelink transmission and a second sidelink transmission are associated with priority values of 1 and 2, respectively, the priority of the first sidelink transmission is lower than the priority of the second sidelink transmission.

[0050] In some aspects, an “operating band” can refer to an operating band of a duplex mode of FDD (Frequency Division Duplex), or to an operating band of a duplex mode of TDD (Time Division Duplex), or to an operating band defined in other ways.

[0051] In some aspects, an uplink (UL) operating band or a downlink (DL) operating band in an FDD operating band can be referred to as an FDD operating sub-band. Specifically, for example, the FDD uplink operating band can be referred to as an UL operating sub-band, and the FDD downlink operating band can be referred to as a DL operating sub-band.

[0052] In some aspects, “Layer 1” and “physical layer” can be interchangeable.

[0053] In some aspects, “Layer 2” can include zero, one, or more sub-layers, such as part or all of a MAC (Medium Access Control) layer, a RLC (Radio Link Control) layer, a PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) layer, an SDAP (Service Data Adaptation Protocol) layer, and an RRC (Radio Resource Control) layer.

[0054] In some aspects, “higher layer(s)” or “upper layer(s)” can refer to one or more protocol layers or protocol sub-layers above a reference protocol layer or a reference protocol sub-layer in a particular protocol stack (e.g., an access stratum protocol stack). For example, if the reference protocol layer or the reference protocol sub-layer is a physical layer, then “higher layer(s)” can include, at least in part, part or all of a MAC layer, a RLC layer, a PDCP layer, an SDAP layer, an RRC layer, a PC5-RRC layer, a PC5-S layer, and a NAS (Non-Access-Stratum) layer. In all embodiments and implementations of the present disclosure, the reference protocol layer or the reference protocol sub-layer can be a physical layer unless specifically stated otherwise. “Higher layer(s)” can also be referred to as “upper layer(s)” without risk of confusion.

[0055] In some aspects, “lower layer(s)” can refer to one or more protocol layers or protocol sub-layers below a reference protocol layer or a reference protocol sub-layer in a particular protocol stack. For example, if the reference protocol layer or the reference protocol sub-layer is an RRC layer, “lower layer(s)” can include part or all of a MAC layer and a physical layer; as another example, if the reference protocol layer or the reference protocol sub-layer is a MAC layer, “lower layer(s)” can refer to a physical layer. In all embodiments and implementations of the present disclosure, the reference protocol layer or the reference protocol sub-layer can be a MAC layer, unless specifically stated otherwise. “Lower layer(s)” can also be referred to as “low layer(s)” without risk of confusion.

[0056] In some aspects, “signaling” can refer to control information of a physical layer, such as DCI (Downlink Control Information), as another example, UCI (Uplink Control Information), as another example, SCI (Sidelink Control Information).

[0057] In some aspects, “signaling” can refer to control information of a higher layer, such as a MAC CE (Control Element).

[0058] In some aspects, a “parameter” can refer to a parameter of a physical layer.

[0059] In some aspects, a “parameter” can refer to a parameter of a higher layer.

[0060] In all embodiments and implementations of the present disclosure, a “parameter” can refer to a higher layer parameter, unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0061] In some aspects, a “parameter” can refer to a pre-defined parameter. For example, the number of subcarriers in each RB may be a pre-defined constant, such as

[0062] In some aspects, a “parameter” can refer to a “configured” parameter. This can include one or more of the following, for example:

[0063] • The configuration information corresponding to the parameter (e.g., including the value of the parameter) can be provided by a protocol layer (e.g., an RRC layer) in a communication node (e.g., a device) to another protocol layer (e.g., a physical layer) in the communication node.

[0064] • The configuration information (e.g., the value of the parameter) corresponding to the parameter can be provided by a protocol layer (e.g., RRC layer) of one communication node (e.g., one base station) to a peer protocol layer of one or more other communication nodes (e.g., one or more devices).

[0065] • The configuration information (e.g., the value of the parameter) corresponding to the parameter can be pre-configured in a specific storage location in one communication node (e.g., one device) or other storage location accessible by the communication node.

[0066] In some aspects, “configured” can be replaced by “configured or pre-configured”. For example, a configured parameter can refer to a configured or pre-configured parameter. For another example, configuration information can refer to configured or pre-configured information.

[0067] In some aspects, a resource can be at least partially associated with, or can be at least partially identified by, one or more time-domain parameters, one or more frequency-domain parameters, one or more code-domain parameters, and one or more spatial-domain parameters. For example, the one or more time-domain parameters can include some or all of the following: a starting symbol of the resource, a starting slot of the resource, a number of symbols occupied by the resource, and a number of slots occupied by the resource. For another example, the one or more frequency-domain parameters can include some or all of the following: a starting subchannel of the resource, a starting RB of the resource, a starting subcarrier of the resource, a number of subchannels occupied by the resource, a number of RBs occupied by the resource, and a number of subcarriers occupied by the resource. For yet another example, the one or more code-domain parameters can include some or all of the following: a cyclic shift value or a corresponding cyclic shift index of the resource, and a cyclic shift pair value or a corresponding cyclic shift pair index of the resource. For yet another example, the one or more spatial-domain parameters can include a layer of the resource, where a “layer” can refer to one of one or more layers to which a TB (Transport Block) or a corresponding codeword of the TB is mapped in spatial multiplexing.

[0068] In some aspects, “RB” can refer to PRB (physical resource block), and accordingly, “RB index” can refer to PRB index.

[0069] In some aspects, “RB” can refer to a VRB (virtual resource block), and correspondingly, “RB index” can refer to a VRB index.

[0070] In some aspects, “RB” can refer to a CRB (common resource block), and correspondingly, “RB index” can refer to a CRB index.

[0071] In some aspects, “RB” can refer to an IRB (Interlaced Resource Block), and correspondingly, “RB index” can refer to an IRB index.

[0072] In some aspects, in time domain, one “frame” (or referred to as “radio frame”) can refer to one system frame (and the corresponding frame number can be referred to as one system frame number, SFN).

[0073] In some aspects, in time domain, one “frame” (or referred to as “radio frame”) can refer to one direct frame (and the corresponding frame number can be referred to as one direct frame number, DFN).

[0074] In some aspects, one frame number cycle (or referred to as frame cycle) can contain T FNP = 1024 frames, for example, indexed in time sequence as 0, 1, …, 1023. The duration of each frame can be T f = 10 milliseconds, which can contain 10 subframes, where the duration of each subframe can be T sf = 1 millisecond. Each subframe can contain slots, for example, The index of one slot in a subframe can be denoted as The index of one slot in a frame can be denoted as where, may be equal to 10 · 2 μ The index of one slot in a frame number cycle can be denoted as where may be equal to (1024 · (10 · 2 μ ) = 10240 · 2 μ ).

[0075] In some aspects, one frame number cycle can be one SFN cycle.

[0076] In some aspects, one frame number cycle can be one DFN cycle.

[0077] In some aspects, one “physical slot” can refer to a slot belonging to a physical slot set, where the physical slot set can be all slots in a continuous time (e.g., one frame number cycle; or, e.g., one frame; or, e.g., one subframe); the physical slots in the physical slot set can be indexed in time order as 0, 1, …, sequentially.

[0078] In some aspects, the start time of an OFDM symbol can refer to the start time of the CP of the OFDM symbol.

[0079] In some aspects, the start time of an OFDM symbol can refer to the start time of the useful symbol time of the OFDM symbol.

[0080] In some aspects, “transmission” can refer to uplink transmission, or can refer to downlink transmission, or can refer to sidelink transmission, or can refer to other transmission.

[0081] In some aspects, “carrier” can refer to uplink carrier, or can refer to downlink carrier, or can refer to sidelink carrier, or can refer to other carrier.

[0082] In some aspects, “carrier frequency” can refer to radio frequency reference frequency (RF).

[0083] In some aspects, “carrier frequency” can be used to identify the location of a radio frequency channel (RF channel).

[0084] In some aspects, “carrier frequency” can be identified by an ARFCN (Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number), e.g., the ARFCN can be an NR-ARFCN, or can be an EARFCN (E-UTRA ARFCN).

[0085] In some aspects, “carrier frequency” can be referred to as “frequency” without risk of confusion.

[0086] In some aspects, a cell with a radio frequency reference frequency f0 as carrier frequency (e.g., downlink carrier frequency) can be referred to as a “cell on the radio frequency reference frequency f0”.

[0087] In some aspects, a “bandwidth part” can refer to an uplink bandwidth part, or can refer to a downlink bandwidth part, or can refer to a sidelink bandwidth part, or can refer to other bandwidth parts.

[0088] In some aspects, one SCS can be configured (or provided) for one bandwidth part, e.g., the SCS can be provided by a parameter subcarrierSpacing. In some aspects, the SCS can be used for all channels (or all physical layer channels) and all signals (or all physical layer signals) in the bandwidth part, unless specified otherwise (or, unless configured otherwise). In some aspects, the applicable SCS can be related to a frequency range, e.g., for FR1 (Frequency Range 1), the applicable SCS can include at least in part 15 kHz, 30 kHz, and 60 kHz; as another example, for FR2-1 (Frequency Range 2-1), the applicable SCS can include at least in part 60 kHz and 120 kHz; as another example, for FR2-2 (Frequency Range 2-2), the applicable SCS can include at least in part 120 kHz, 480 kHz, and 960 kHz.

[0089] In some aspects, the SCS of one uplink bandwidth part can be referred to as an “uplink SCS” (or “UL SCS”), the SCS of one downlink bandwidth part can be referred to as a “downlink SCS” (or “DL SCS”), and the SCS of one sidelink bandwidth part can be referred to as a “sidelink SCS” (or “SL SCS”).

[0090] In some aspects, an “operation” can refer to an uplink operation, or can refer to a downlink operation, or can refer to a sidelink operation, or can refer to other operations.

[0091] In some aspects, one "transmission" can correspond to a transmission of one physical channel. For example, the physical channel can be a PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), or can be a PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), or can be a PRACH (Physical Random-Access Channel), or can be a PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel), or can be a PUCCH (Phvsical Uplink Control Channel), or can be a PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), or can be a PSCCH (Physical Sidelink Control Channel), or can be a PSSCH (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel), or can be a PSFCH (Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel), or can be a PSBCH (Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel), or can be another physical channel.

[0092] In some aspects, a “transmission” can correspond to a transmission of a physical signal. For example, the physical signal can be a PSS (Primary Synchronization Signal), or can be a SSS (Secondary Synchronization Signal), or can be a CSI-RS (Channel-State Information Reference Signal, CSI reference signal), or can be a DM-RS (Demodulation Reference Signal), or can be a PT-RS (Phase-tracking reference signals), or can be a SRS (Sounding Reference Signal), or can be a RIM-RS (Remote Interference Management Reference Signal), or can be a S-PSS (Sidelink primary synchronization signal), or can be a S-SSS (Sidelink secondary synchronization signal), or can be a SL PRS (Sidelink Positioning Reference Signal), or can be another physical signal.

[0093] In some aspects, one “transmission” can correspond to the transmission of zero or one or more physical channels and zero or one or more physical signals multiplexed in the same resource (e.g., one time-frequency in one resource pool; or, e.g., several RBs in one slot). For example, one “SS / PBCH block” (or referred to as one “SSB”, or referred to as one “SS block”) can consist of one PSS, one SSS, and one PBCH multiplexed in the same slot; or, e.g., one “S-SS / PSBCH block” (or referred to as one “S-SSB”, or referred to as one “S-SS block”, or referred to as one “sidelink SSB”) can consist of one S-PSS, one S-SSS, and one PSBCH multiplexed in the same slot; or, e.g., one “PSCCH / PSSCH” (or referred to as one “PSSCH / PSCCH”) can consist of one PSCCH and its associated one PSSCH multiplexed in the same slot (e.g., one slot in one resource pool). Here, “S-SS / PSBCH” can stand for Sidelink Synchronization Signal / Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel.

[0094] In some aspects, a DCI carried in one downlink transmission (e.g., PDCCH) and corresponding to one specific DCI format (e.g., referred to as DCI format X) can be referred to as “one DCI format X”. For example, a DCI carried in one PDCCH and corresponding to DCI format 0_0 can be referred to as “one DCI format 0_0”.

[0095] 3GPP specifications introduced a UE category, i.e., “Category 0”, for “Low Complexity UEs” in Release 12 (or simply referred to as Rel-12) to provide low-cost devices that can be used for MTC. Compared to the UE categories introduced before Rel-12, Category 0 UEs are simplified in both transmission and reception capabilities, e.g., the TBS (transport block size) of Category 0 UEs for user data transmission is limited to no more than 1000 bits; or, e.g., the half-duplex FDD operation type B supported by Category 0 UEs also has a longer “guard period” than the half-duplex FDD operation type A before.

[0096] Starting from Rel-13, 3GPP specifications start to support eMTC (enhanced MTC, or called "LTE-MTC", or called "LTE-M") to further reduce the cost of MTC devices, and to support wider coverage (e.g., this can be manifested as higher coupling loss). The "Category M1" UE introduced in Rel-13 is a "BLUE" (bandwidth reduced low complexity UE) that supports only 6 PRB channel bandwidth in both uplink and downlink. A later introduced enhanced UE category for BL UE, i.e., "Category M2", is introduced in later 3GPP specifications to support larger PDSCH / PUSCH channel bandwidth. The SIB1 (System Information Block 1) for BL UE is different from that for non-BL UE (non-BL UE).

[0097] 3GPP Rel-13 also supports "UEs in Enhanced Coverage" (or called "UEs in Coverage Enhancement", or simply "UEs in CE") that need to use enhanced coverage functionality to access a cell. For this purpose, two enhanced coverage modes (or called coverage enhancement modes) are introduced in Rel-13: CE mode A and CE mode B, where for BL UE, the support of CE mode A is mandatory. Different CE levels can correspond to different configurations (e.g., PRACH resource configurations) and / or operations in a cell that supports enhanced coverage functionality.

[0098] 3GPP Rel-13 also introduced NB-IoT (Narrow Band Internet of Things), which allows providing network services through E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access) with a channel bandwidth of 200 kHz. NB-IoT provides access to network services using a physical layer optimized for very low power consumption, e.g., this includes using a full carrier bandwidth of 180 kHz, a subcarrier spacing of 3.75 kHz or 15 kHz, etc. In one NB-IoT carrier, the subcarrier spacing of 3.75 kHz and 15 kHz can correspond to a transmission bandwidth configuration of 48 subcarriers and 12 subcarriers, respectively.

[0099] NB-IoT removes a large number of functionalities in E-UTRA that are not relevant to the design goals of NB-IoT, e.g., inter-RAT mobility, handover, relaying, carrier aggregation, dual connectivity, sidelink communication, and sidelink discovery, etc., and thus greatly reduces the complexity of the UE.

[0100] NB-IoT supports "stand-alone operation", "guard band operation", and "in-band operation". In stand-alone operation, NB-IoT uses its own spectrum, e.g., the spectrum corresponding to one or more GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) carriers. In guard band operation, NB-IoT can use the unused resource blocks (RBs) in the guard band of one E-UTRA carrier. In in-band operation, NB-IoT can use the resource blocks (RBs) in one normal E-UTRA carrier.

[0101] The UE categories supported by NB-IoT include "Category NB1" and "Category NB2", where a UE supporting the latter must also support the former. "Category NB2" supports a larger maximum uplink TBS, maximum downlink TBS, and layer 2 buffer size, etc. than "Category NB1".

[0102] eMTC and NB-IoT can be considered as both belonging to the LPWA (low power, wide area) technology, and the characteristics of the devices thereof can include low cost, long battery life, ubiquitous coverage, and high system capacity, etc.

[0103] In recent years, automation and digitization in various industries have opened up many new markets, and there is an urgent need for new IoT technologies to support devices with lower (e.g., one or more orders of magnitude lower than existing 3GPP LPWA technologies, such as eMTC and / or NB-IoT) complexity and / or power consumption. For example, this can include devices with very limited energy storage capabilities, and without any rechargeable or human-replaced batteries. In addition, new IoT technologies need to support higher (e.g., one or more orders of magnitude higher than existing 3GPP LPWA technologies, such as eMTC and / or NB-IoT) connection numbers and / or device densities. To this end, 3GPP has launched a study item named “Study on solutions for Ambient IoT (Internet of Things) in NR” in Rel-19 to evaluate the feasibility of such new IoT technologies (e.g., including the corresponding wireless access technology), which is referred to as “Ambient Power-enabled IoT” (or “Ambient IoT”, or simply “A-IoT”, or “AIoT”).

[0104] In some aspects, A-IoT can support one or more deployment scenarios, e.g., including part or all of “standalone deployment,” “guard-band deployment,” and “in-band deployment,” where, for example, in standalone deployment, A-IoT can use its own spectrum (e.g., the spectrum does not overlap with the spectrum occupied by any NR or LTE carrier); as another example, in guard-band deployment, A-IoT can use the resource block(s) that are not used in the guard band of one NR (or LTE) carrier; as yet another example, in in-band deployment, A-IoT can use the resource block(s) in one NR carrier. In some aspects, each deployment scenario can correspond to one A-IoT “operation mode,” or, without risk of confusion, simply “operation” or “mode,” e.g., “standalone deployment” corresponds to “standalone operation mode,” “guard-band deployment” corresponds to “guard-band operation mode,” and “in-band deployment” corresponds to “in-band operation mode.” In some aspects, for one A-IoT system, “deployment scenario” can be equivalent to “operation mode,” and vice versa.

[0105] In some aspects, the deployment scenario (e.g., denoted as ) of one A-IoT system can be determined, at least in part, according to part or all of the following: pre-defined information, configuration information, and indication information. For example, each value of the can correspond to one of the following part or all of deployment scenarios: “standalone deployment,” “guard-band deployment,” and “in-band deployment.”

[0106] In some aspects, one A-IoT system can include, at least in part, the following part or all:

[0107] • one or more devices. Here each device can also be referred to as an “A-IoT device.”

[0108] • one or more “readers” (or “interrogators”), where a reader can be a base station (e.g., a 5G base station), or can be an “intermediate node” that can communicate bi-directionally with base station(s) (e.g., through LTE Uu interface; as another example, through NR Uu interface), or can be a communication node defined in other ways.

[0109] • one or more "carrier wave nodes" (or "CW nodes"), where a CW node can be used to transmit a CW (carrier wave, or alternatively, radio frequency carrier wave, RF carrier wave, RF CW). In some aspects, a CW transmission can be considered a transmission from a CW node to one or more devices, and can be referred to as a "CW2D" (cw-node-to-device) transmission.

[0110] • one or more core network nodes, including, for example, some or all of: one or more "AIoTFs" (A-IoT Functions) that can communicate with devices (or, alternatively, readers) through NAS layer signaling, and one or more AMFs that can communicate with readers (or, alternatively, devices) through NAS layer signaling.

[0111] In some aspects, a device can be attached to a tag (or label) on an item.

[0112] In some aspects, a "device ID" can be used to identify (e.g., uniquely identify) a device in an A-IoT system. In some aspects, a device ID can be an integer, or can be defined in other ways.

[0113] In some aspects, a "device group ID" can be used to identify (e.g., uniquely identify) a device group in an A-IoT system, where the device group can contain (or, alternatively, can be mapped to) one or more devices. In some aspects, a device group ID can be an integer, or can be defined in other ways.

[0114] In some aspects, a device group ID corresponding to a device group that contains (or, alternatively, is mapped to) all devices can be referred to as a "broadcast ID".

[0115] In some aspects, an intermediate node can be a UE (e.g., an LTE UE; or, alternatively, an NR UE) that supports reader functionality. In some aspects, an intermediate node can transfer data and / or signaling between a base station(s) and a device (e.g., through an NR Uu interface; or, alternatively, through an LTE Uu interface).

[0116] In some aspects, an intermediate node can be referred to as an “intermediate UE” (or, simply, IUE), or can be referred to as a “Reader UE”, or can be referred to as a “UE Reader”.

[0117] In some aspects, an intermediate node can be a network-controlled communication node. For example, a network node (e.g., a base station) can control the A-IoT radio resource(s) used by the intermediate node.

[0118] In some aspects, the waveform of a CW transmitted by a CW node can be a single-tone waveform, e.g., a single-tone unmodulated sinusoid.

[0119] In some aspects, the waveform of a CW transmitted by a CW node can be a multi-tone waveform, e.g., a waveform composed of two single-tone unmodulated sinusoids.

[0120] In some aspects, a device can directly communicate bi-directionally with a reader (e.g., through A-IoT radio access technology), wherein,

[0121] • The bi-directional communication can include transmission of data and / or signaling.

[0122] • The bi-directional communication can include reception of data and / or signaling.

[0123] • A transmission from the device to a reader (e.g., referred to as “Reader A”) can be referred to as a D2R (device-to-reader) transmission, and the corresponding link can be referred to as a “D2R link”. In some aspects, a D2R link can be referred to as an “uplink” (UL) without risk of confusion.

[0124] • A transmission from a reader (e.g., referred to as “Reader B”) to the device can be referred to as a R2D (reader-to-device) transmission, and the corresponding link can be referred to as a “R2D link”. In some aspects, a R2D link can be referred to as a “downlink” (DL) without risk of confusion.

[0125] • In some aspects, the reader A and the reader B can be two different readers.

[0126] • In some aspects, the reader A and the reader B can be the same reader.

[0127] In some aspects, an “A-IoT transmission” can refer to one transmission performed by one node in an A-IoT system (e.g., a reader, e.g., a device, e.g., a CW node), such as an R2D transmission, e.g., a D2R transmission, e.g., a CW transmission. In some aspects, a resource (e.g., a time-frequency resource) that can be used for one A-IoT transmission can be referred to as an “A-IoT resource”. For example, for a device, one A-IoT resource can be used for R2D reception, and part or all of D2R transmission. For another example, for a reader, one A-IoT resource can be used for R2D transmission, D2R reception, and part or all of CW transmission.

[0128] In some aspects, a device can support “energy harvesting” technology, e.g., the device can capture and convert energy from its surrounding environment (e.g., radio waves therein) and use it for powering and / or storing. In some aspects, an antenna of a device for communication and an antenna for Radio Frequency (RF) energy harvesting can be the same antenna, or can be different antennas. In some aspects, a device that supports energy harvesting can be equipped with a rechargeable or human-replaced battery, or can not be equipped with any such battery.

[0129] In some aspects, a device can support backscattered transmission (or backscattering transmission, or backscatter transmission, or “backscattering-based transmission”, or backscatter-based transmission), in which, for example, the device can modulate a CW that it backscatters from a CW node, e.g., by changing the impedance of its antenna according to the information to be transmitted, to achieve a D2R transmission. In some aspects, for the device, the CW is an “externally provided” (rather than internally generated) CW.

[0130] In contrast to backscatter-based transmission, internally-generated transmission can be referred to as “internally-generated transmission” (or “self-generated transmission”, or “transmission based on independent signal generation”). For example, for an internally-generated transmission, the steps of digital baseband signal generation, digital-to-analog conversion, filtering, mixing, analog radio frequency signal generation and amplification, and outputting the signal to an antenna, etc. can all be performed internally within a device.

[0131] In some aspects, “backscatter-based transmission” and “internally-generated transmission” can be considered as two different “types” (or, two different “transmission schemes”) of D2R transmission.

[0132] In some aspects, devices in an A-IoT system can be categorized into multiple categories (or, types).

[0133] For example, a “Category 1” device (e.g., simply referred to as “Device 1”, or “Device Type 1”) can have the following features, some or all of which can include:

[0134] • Ultra-low (e.g., around 1 µW; or, no more than 10 µW) peak power consumption.

[0135] • Energy storage.

[0136] • Initial SFO (sampling frequency offset) can be as high as ppm (parts per million), where N SFO,1 may be a fixed value (e.g., N SFO,1 = 4; or, N SFO,1 = 5), or can vary within a certain range under certain conditions.

[0137] • No signal amplification capability (e.g., neither R2D signal amplification capability, nor D2R signal amplification capability).

[0138] • D2R transmission is backscatter-based transmission.

[0139] For example, a "Class 2a" device (e.g., simply "Device 2a", or "Device Type 2a") can have some or all of the following characteristics:

[0140] • very low (e.g., no more than a few hundred μW; e.g., around 100 μW; e.g., no more than 1 mW; e.g., no more than 10 mW) peak power consumption.

[0141] • energy storage.

[0142] • initial SFO up to where N SFO,2A may be a fixed value (e.g., N SFO,2A = 4; e.g., N SFO,2A = 5), or can vary within a range depending on certain conditions.

[0143] • signal amplification capability (e.g., some or all of R2D signal amplification capability and D2R signal amplification capability).

[0144] • D2R transmission is backscatter-based transmission.

[0145] For example, a "Class 2b" device (e.g., simply "Device 2b", or "Device Type 2b") can have some or all of the following characteristics:

[0146] • very low (e.g., no more than a few hundred μW; e.g., around 100 μW; e.g., no more than 1 mW; e.g., no more than 10 mW) peak power consumption.

[0147] • energy storage.

[0148] • initial SFO up to where N SFO,2B may be a fixed value (e.g., N SFO,2B = 4; e.g., N SFO,2B = 5), or can vary within a range depending on certain conditions.

[0149] • signal amplification capability (e.g., some or all of R2D signal amplification capability and D2R signal amplification capability).

[0150] • D2R transmission is endogenous transmission.

[0151] In some aspects, for an A-IoT system, the A-IoT carrier on which R2D transmission occurs (e.g., referred to as "first A-IoT carrier", and the corresponding carrier frequency can be denoted as ) and the A-IoT carrier (e.g., referred to as the “second A-IoT carrier”, the corresponding carrier frequency can be denoted as ) on which the D2R transmission is located can be determined according to one of the following:

[0152] • The “first A-IoT carrier” and the “second A-IoT carrier” can be the same carrier. For example, the “first A-IoT carrier” and the “second A-IoT carrier” can be based on the same carrier configuration information. In this case, the “first A-IoT carrier” and the “second A-IoT carrier” can be denoted as

[0153] • The “first A-IoT carrier” and the “second A-IoT carrier” can be two different carriers. For example, the “first A-IoT carrier” and the “second A-IoT carrier” can have partially or completely different carrier configuration information, e.g., including

[0154] In some aspects, the and the may be determined at least partially according to predefined information and / or configuration information.

[0155] In some aspects, the CW transmission (if any) is on the “second A-IoT carrier”.

[0156] In some aspects, the “first A-IoT carrier” can be on one FDD operating sub-band (e.g., denoted as ), and the “second A-IoT carrier” can be on one FDD operating sub-band (e.g., denoted as ). In some aspects, the may be equal to the Alternatively, the may not be equal to the (e.g., the and the may be two different FDD operating sub-bands of the same FDD operating band, respectively).

[0157] In some aspects, the and the may be determined at least partially according to predefined information and / or configuration information.

[0158] In some aspects, a time (e.g., a start time; or, e.g., an end time) related to an R2D transmission can refer to a time defined from a perspective of a device (e.g., a device receiving the R2D transmission). For example, an end time of the R2D transmission can refer to an end time of the R2D transmission determined (or, assumed) by the device.

[0159] In some aspects, a time (e.g., a start time; or, e.g., an end time) related to an R2D transmission can refer to a time defined from a perspective of a reader (e.g., a reader performing the R2D transmission). For example, a start time of the R2D transmission can be an actual start time of the R2D transmission.

[0160] In some aspects, a time (e.g., a start time; or, e.g., an end time) related to a D2R transmission can refer to a time defined from a perspective of a device (e.g., a device performing the D2R transmission). For example, a start time of the D2R transmission can be an actual start time of the D2R transmission.

[0161] In some aspects, a time (e.g., a start time; or, e.g., an end time) related to a D2R transmission can refer to a time defined from a perspective of a reader (e.g., a reader receiving the D2R transmission). For example, an end time of the D2R transmission can refer to an end time of the D2R transmission determined (or, assumed) by the reader.

[0162] In some aspects, in time domain, an A-IoT transmission can occupy one or more “chips”, and correspondingly, the one or more chips can be time domain resources corresponding to the respective A-IoT resources. For example, an R2D transmission can occupy one or more “R2D chips” (e.g., one or more consecutive R2D chips). For another example, a D2R transmission can occupy one or more “D2R chips” (e.g., one or more consecutive D2R chips).

[0163] In some aspects, a “chip duration” (or, a “chip length”) can refer to a duration of an R2D chip, or can refer to a duration of a D2R chip, or can refer to a “reference chip duration”, which can be equal to a duration of an R2D chip, or can be equal to a duration of a D2R chip, or can not be equal to any R2D chip duration or D2R chip duration (correspondingly, the “reference chip duration” can not correspond to any actual transmitted R2D chip or D2R chip). For example, a duration of an R2D chip can be equal to two reference chip durations (e.g., denoted as 2·D CH,ref), while a duration of one D2R chip can be equal to six durations of a reference chip (e.g., denoted as 6 · D CH,ref ), where the D CH，ref may represent a duration of a reference chip.

[0164] In some aspects, a chip can be referred to as a “high-voltage chip” if a signal level of an A-IoT transmission (e.g., an R2D transmission; or, e.g., a D2R transmission) in a duration of the chip is “high-voltage” (e.g., which can correspond to a higher power, or can correspond to a power range with a higher average power), and can be referred to as a “low-voltage chip” if the signal level of the A-IoT transmission in the duration of the chip is “low-voltage” (e.g., which can correspond to a lower power, or can correspond to a power range with a lower average power). In some aspects, a high-voltage chip and a low-voltage chip can correspond to chip values and For example, a high-voltage chip can be denoted as For example, a low-voltage chip can be denoted as For example, a high-voltage chip can be denoted as For example, a low-voltage chip can be denoted as For example, may represent a state “ON” (on), may represent a state “OFF” (off).

[0165] In some aspects, one or more parameters (e.g., including zero, one, or more signal generation parameters and zero, one, or more resource parameters) related to an R2D transmission can be determined at least in part according to a “first A-IoT SCS” (e.g., a corresponding SCS configuration can be denoted as For example, may correspond to a case where the “first A-IoT SCS” is 15 kHz.

[0166] In some aspects, the may be equal to a predefined or configured value, or can correspond to a predefined or configured parameter, or can be determined according to one or more predefined or configured parameters.

[0167] In some aspects, the may be determined at least in part according to an operating frequency band for R2D transmissions (e.g., a and another one or more operating frequency bands for R2D transmissions can be predefined or configured. ).

[0168] In some respects, for part or all of the "in-band operation" and "protective band operation", the aforementioned It can be equal to the SCS configuration of the corresponding NR carrier (or NR BWP) (e.g., DL SCS configuration; or UL SCS configuration), for example, to reduce interference between A-IoT and NR.

[0169] In some respects, the waveform corresponding to an R2D transmission can be an OFDM-based waveform, and the corresponding SCS can be the aforementioned waveform. In some respects, the OFDM-based waveforms can be applied to some or all of stand-alone operation, in-band operation, and guardband operation.

[0170] In some respects, in the frequency domain, the bandwidth corresponding to the frequency resources used by an R2D transmission can be referred to as the "transmission bandwidth" of the R2D transmission, for example, denoted as in,

[0171] ●In some respects, the aforementioned The unit can be RB (for example, the transmission bandwidth can be equal to the unit of RB). Configuring for SCS (a number of RBs), or it could be a subcarrier (e.g., the transmission bandwidth could be equal to the number of RBs). Configuring for SCS (a subcarrier), or it can be kHz (for example, the transmission bandwidth can be equal to 10000 kHz). (kHz), or it can be other units.

[0172] ●In some respects, the minimum frequency and center frequency of the frequency resource can be denoted as respectively. and Among them, the It can represent an index (e.g., the lowest RB index; or the lowest subcarrier index; or the lowest subchannel index; or the lowest RB group index), or it can represent an absolute frequency (e.g., MHz; for example, kHz), or may be expressed in other ways; the It can represent an index (e.g., center RB index; center subcarrier index; center subchannel index; center RB group index), or it can represent an absolute frequency (e.g., MHz; for example, (kHz), or it can be expressed in other ways.

[0173] • In some aspects, the total bandwidth corresponding to the frequency resource and its guard band(s) can be referred to as the “occupied bandwidth” of the R2D transmission, e.g., denoted as wherein the unit can be RB (e.g., the occupied bandwidth can equal to RBs configured with the SCS), or can be subcarrier (e.g., the occupied bandwidth can equal to subcarriers configured with the SCS), or can be kHz (e.g., the occupied bandwidth can equal to kHz), or can be other units.

[0174] In some aspects, the modulation scheme used by an A-IoT transmission (e.g., an R2D transmission; or, e.g., a D2R transmission) can be OOK (On-Off keying), e.g., for each chip in the A-IoT transmission, a chip value (e.g., state “ON”) can correspond to the case that all subcarriers in the transmission bandwidth of the A-IoT transmission are modulated, and a chip value (e.g., state “OFF”) can correspond to the case that the power of all subcarriers in the transmission bandwidth of the A-IoT transmission is zero (e.g., from the perspective of baseband, the power is zero).

[0175] In some aspects, in the case that the modulation scheme is OOK, a chip can be referred to as an “OOK chip”. In some aspects, in the case that the modulation scheme is OOK, a chip can correspond to an “OOK symbol”, and accordingly, a chip value can be referred to as an OOK chip value (or, OOK symbol value). In some aspects, in the absence of risk of confusion, “chip value” can be simply referred to as “chip”, and “OOK chip value” can be simply referred to as “OOK chip”.

[0176] In some aspects, one or more parameters (e.g., including zero, one or more signal generation parameters and zero, one, or more resource parameters) related to a D2R transmission can be determined at least partially according to some or all of the following: the “first A-IoT SCS”, and a “second A-IoT SCS” (e.g., with the corresponding SCS configuration denoted as for example, may correspond to a case that the "second A-IoT SCS" is 15 kHz.

[0177] In some aspects, the may be equal to a predefined or configured value, or may correspond to a predefined or configured parameter, or may be determined according to one or more predefined or configured parameters.

[0178] In some aspects, the may be determined at least in part according to the operating frequency band used for D2R transmission (e.g., a predefined or configured operating frequency band that can be used for D2R transmission. ).

[0179] In some aspects, the may be determined at least in part according to the .

[0180] In some aspects, for an FDD operating frequency band, the FDD operating sub-band where the CW is located can be determined at least in part according to the FDD operating sub-band where the R2D transmission is located. For example, if the R2D transmission is in the UL operating sub-band of the FDD operating frequency band, then the CW transmission is in the UL operating sub-band of the FDD operating frequency band. For another example, if the R2D transmission is in the DL operating sub-band of the FDD operating frequency band, then the CW transmission is in the DL operating sub-band of the FDD operating frequency band.

[0181] In some aspects, for an FDD operating frequency band, a device (e.g., a "category 2a" device) can determine the frequency shift direction of the LFS at least in part according to the FDD operating sub-band where the R2D transmission it receives (or, detects). For example, if the R2D transmission is in the UL operating sub-band of the FDD operating frequency band, then the LFS operation will need to move the backscattered signal or channel (e.g., the CW transmission) from the UL operating sub-band to the corresponding DL operating sub-band. For another example, if the R2D transmission is in the DL operating sub-band of the FDD operating frequency band, then the LFS operation will need to move the backscattered signal or channel (e.g., the CW transmission) from the DL operating sub-band to the corresponding UL operating sub-band.

[0182] A method performed by an IUE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is described below in connection with FIG. 1.

[0183] FIG. 1 shows a flow chart corresponding to a method performed by an IUE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0184] As shown in FIG. 1, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the steps performed by the IUE include some or all of the following steps: step S101, step S102, step S103, step S104, step S105, and step S106.

[0185] In particular, at step S101, a Type-0a IUE indication message (e.g., denoted as ) is transmitted.

[0186] In some aspects, the can be transmitted by the IUE to a first network node.

[0187] In some aspects, the can be a physical layer message. For example, the corresponding message format can be a UCI format.

[0188] In some aspects, the can be a higher layer message. For example, the can be a MAC message (e.g., which can include one or more MAC CEs). For another example, the can be an RRC message. For yet another example, the can be a NAS message.

[0189] In some aspects, some or all of the can be carried in one or more uplink transmissions (e.g., one or more PUSCH transmissions; for another example, one or more PUCCH transmissions).

[0190] In some aspects, the can be used at least in part to report (or, indicate) a “first set of IUE functionalities” (e.g., denoted as ), where the set can be a set of IUE functionalities supported by the IUE.

[0191] In some aspects, the set can be a subset of a “full set of IUE functionalities” (e.g., denoted as ). For example, the set can be equal to the set For another example, the set can be a proper subset of the set .

[0192] In some aspects, the set may at least in part comprise one or more of the following, where each can correspond to one IUE function:

[0193] • "R2D transmission". For example, the "R2D transmission" function can at least in part comprise a function of performing R2D transmission, and / or a function of scheduling (or, triggering) D2R transmission. In some aspects, the "R2D transmission" function can be configured (or, indicated) by one higher layer parameter, e.g., denoted as aiot-R2D-Transmission.

[0194] • "CW transmission". For example, the "CW transmission" function can at least in part comprise a function of performing CW transmission. In some aspects, the "CW transmission" function can be configured (or, indicated) by one higher layer parameter, e.g., denoted as aiot-CW-Transmission.

[0195] • "D2R reception". For example, the "D2R reception" function can at least in part comprise a function of performing D2R reception. In some aspects, the "D2R reception" function can be configured (or, indicated) by one higher layer parameter, e.g., denoted as aiot-D2R-Reception.

[0196] • "R2D transmission and D2R reception". For example, the "R2D transmission and D2R reception" function can comprise the "R2D transmission" function and the "D2R reception" function. In some aspects, the "R2D transmission and D2R reception" function can be configured (or, indicated) by one higher layer parameter, e.g., denoted as aiot-R2D-Transmission-and-D2R-Reception.

[0197] • "R2D transmission and CW transmission". For example, the "R2D transmission and CW transmission" function can comprise the "R2D transmission" function and the "CW transmission" function. In some aspects, the "R2D transmission and CW transmission" function can be configured (or, indicated) by one higher layer parameter, e.g., denoted as aiot-R2D-Transmission-and-CW-Transmission.

[0198] ● "R2D transmission, D2R reception, and CW transmission". For example, the "R2D transmission, D2R reception, and CW transmission" functionality can include "R2D transmission", "D2R reception", and "CW transmission" functionality. In some aspects, the "R2D transmission, D2R reception, and CW transmission" functionality can be configured (or indicated) by a higher-level parameter (e.g., denoted as aiot-R2D-Transmission-and-D2R-Reception-and-CW-Transmission).

[0199] In some respects, if one (or more) elements of an IUE function set contain a certain IUE function, then the IUE function set can be considered to contain that IUE function, and vice versa. For example, the set {"R2D transmission and CW transmission", "D2R reception"} contains the "R2D transmission" function, the "CW transmission" function, and the "D2R reception" function.

[0200] In some respects, an IUE feature set (e.g., the set) A specific subset of (a type of IUE) can correspond to an "IUE type", for example, the set The corresponding IUE type can be denoted as

[0201] In some respects, a first reference IUE type (e.g., denoted as) The corresponding IUE function set (e.g., denoted as) ) can be defined as {"R2D transmission and CW transmission"}, or it can be defined as {"R2D transmission", "CW transmission"}; a second reference IUE type (e.g., denoted as The corresponding IUE function set (e.g., denoted as) A third reference IUE type (e.g., denoted as {"D2R reception") can be defined as {"D2R reception"}; The corresponding IUE function set (e.g., denoted as) It can be defined as {"R2D transmission, D2R reception, and CW transmission"}, or it can be defined as {"R2D transmission", "D2R reception", "CW transmission"}; a fourth reference IUE type (e.g., denoted as The corresponding IUE function set (e.g., denoted as) It can be defined as {"R2D transmission and D2R reception"}, or it can be defined as {"R2D transmission", "D2R reception"}; a fifth reference IUE type (e.g., denoted as The corresponding IUE function set (e.g., denoted as) ) can be defined as {“R2D transmission”}; a sixth reference IUE type (e.g., denoted as ) can be defined as {“CW transmission”}.

[0202] In some aspects, the set can be an element of the set , where, for example, the set can be a subset of the set For example, the set can be a subset of the set In some aspects, accordingly, the set can be a subset of the set , where, for example, the set can be a subset of the set For example, the set

[0203] In some aspects, the set can be a predefined or configured set.

[0204] In some aspects, the set can be a predefined or configured set.

[0205] In some aspects, the set can be represented by its index (e.g., denoted as i r,0 ) in the set In some aspects, the i r,0 can also represent the index of the in the set .

[0206] In some aspects, the can be indicated in the .

[0207] In some aspects, the set (or, the set ) can be indicated by the i r,0 (or, a value determined at least in part based on the i r,0 ) (e.g., indicated in the ).

[0208] Further, at step S102, a type 0b IUE indication message (e.g., denoted as ) is received. ​

[0209] In some aspects, the may be transmitted by a second network node to the IUE.

[0210] In some aspects, the may be a physical layer message. For example, the may be a DCI format.

[0211] In some aspects, the may be a higher layer message. For example, the may be a MAC message (e.g., which can include one or more MAC CEs). For another example, the may be a RRC message. For another example, the may be a NAS message.

[0212] In some aspects, the may be carried in one or more downlink transmissions (e.g., one or more PDCCH transmissions; for another example, one or more PDSCH transmissions).

[0213] In some aspects, the may be used at least in part to configure (or, indicate) a “second IUE function set” (e.g., denoted as ) or a corresponding IUE type (e.g., denoted as ).

[0214] In some aspects, the set may be a subset of the set . For example, the set may be equal to the set . For another example, the set may be a proper subset of the set .

[0215] In some aspects, the set may be an element in the set , where, for example, the set may be a subset of the set , e.g., For another example, Correspondingly, a set (e.g., denoted as ) consisting of IUE types corresponding to all elements of the set , respectively, is a subset of the set , e.g., Also for example,

[0216] In some aspects, the set may be a predefined or configured set.

[0217] In some aspects, the set may be a predefined or configured set.

[0218] In some aspects, the set may be represented by its index (e.g., denoted as i c，0 ) in the set In some aspects, the i c，0 may also represent an index of the in the set .

[0219] In some aspects, the may be indicated in the .

[0220] In some aspects, the set (or, the ) can be indicated (e.g., indicated in the ) by the i c，0 (or, a value determined at least in part based on the i c，0 ).

[0221] In some aspects, the set may be determined (e.g., determined by the first network node; or, determined by the second network node) at least in part based on the set For example, the set may be equal to the set For example, the set may be a proper subset of the set .

[0222] In some aspects, the set (or, the ) can be determined by the first network node (or, the second network node).

[0223] In some aspects, the second network node can obtain the set (or, the ) from the first network node, or the set (or, the ).

[0224] In some aspects, the second network node and the first network node can be the same node.

[0225] Further, at step S103, one or more Type-0 IUE operations are performed.

[0226] For example, the "performing one or more Type-0 IUE operations" can include, at least in part, one or more of the following:

[0227] • determining a "third set of IUE functions" (e.g., denoted as ).

[0228] • determining the corresponding IUE type (e.g., denoted as ) for each element in the third set .

[0229] • enabling one or more IUE functions. For example, enabling all IUE functions in the third set . For another example, enabling all IUE functions in the third set that are not already enabled.

[0230] • disabling one or more IUE functions. For example, disabling all IUE functions in the third set . For another example, disabling all IUE functions in the third set that are not already enabled.

[0231] In some aspects, each element in the third set can be an IUE function that the IUE is to enable (or, is enabled; or, is to activate; or, is activated).

[0232] In some aspects, each element in the third set can be an IUE function that is configured (or, indicated) for the IUE.

[0233] In some aspects, the third set can be a subset of the second set . For example, the third set can be equal to the second set . For another example, the third set can be a proper subset of the second set .

[0234] In some aspects, the second set can be a set one element of the set, e.g., the set can be a subset of the set , e.g., Also, for example, In some aspects, correspondingly, a set (e.g., denoted as ) of IUE types corresponding to all elements of the set , respectively, is a subset of the set , e.g., Also, for example,

[0235] In some aspects, the set can be a predefined or configured set.

[0236] In some aspects, the set can be a predefined or configured set.

[0237] In some aspects, the set can be represented by its index (e.g., denoted as i u，0 ) in the set In some aspects, the i u，0 can also represent the index of the in the set .

[0238] In some aspects, the set (or, the set ) can be indicated by the i u，0 (or, a value determined at least in part based on the i u，0 ).

[0239] In some aspects, the set can be determined at least in part based on the set .

[0240] In some aspects, the set can be determined at least in part based on the set . Specifically, in some aspects, the set can be a subset of the set .

[0241] In some aspects, the set can be determined at least in part based on some or all of: the set the set and the set For example, the set may be equal to the set For example, the set may be a subset of the set For example, the set may be equal to the set For example, the set may be a subset of the set For example, the set may be a subset of the set and the intersection of the set (i.e. ).For example, the set may be a subset of the set determined (e.g., autonomously determined) by the IUE.

[0242] Further, at step S104, a Type 1 IUE indication message (e.g., denoted as ) is sent.

[0243] In some aspects, the may be used, at least in part, for one or more of the following:

[0244] • reporting traffic information related to A-IoT communication, e.g., including A-IoT traffic requests and / or one or more A-IoT traffic parameters received by the IUE from a third network node (e.g., an AMF; or, an AIoTF).

[0245] • reporting device information in A-IoT communication, e.g., including some or all of: device IDs respectively corresponding to one or more target devices, and one or more device group IDs (where each device group ID can map to one or more target devices).

[0246] • reporting characteristics of A-IoT transmissions in A-IoT communication, e.g., including cast type of R2D transmissions.

[0247] • reporting information related to data and / or signaling for A-IoT communication, e.g., including some or all of: data volume needed for R2D transmissions, and data volume needed for D2R transmissions (or, reception).

[0248] • request one or more A-IoT resources, e.g., including some or all of: resources for R2D transmission (e.g., including the FDD operating band and / or sub-band in which the resources are located), resources for CW transmission (e.g., including the FDD operating band and / or sub-band in which the resources are located), and resources for D2R transmission (or, reception) (e.g., including the FDD operating band and / or sub-band in which the resources are located). In some aspects, the resources can include time resources and / or frequency resources.

[0249] In some aspects, the may be sent by the IUE to a fourth network node.

[0250] In some aspects, the IUE can send the (or, the ) to the fourth network node after obtaining (or, determining; or, receiving) the set

[0251] In some aspects, the may be a physical layer message. For example, the corresponding message format can be a UCI format.

[0252] In some aspects, the may be a higher layer message. For example, the may be a MAC message (e.g., which can include one or more MAC CEs). As another example, the may be an RRC message. As another example, the may be a NAS message.

[0253] In some aspects, the may be carried in one or more uplink transmissions (e.g., one or more PUSCH transmissions; as another example, one or more PUCCH transmissions).

[0254] In some aspects, the corresponding message format (e.g., denoted as ) can include, at least in part, one or more of:

[0255] • one or more mandatory fields.

[0256] • one or more (or, one or more groups of) conditionally present fields. Here, each group can include one or more conditionally present fields.

[0257] Accordingly, for example, a message instance (e.g., the generated according to the message format ) can contain at least partially all mandatory fields (if any) in the , and zero, one or more conditionally present fields, where for each (or each group of) conditionally present field in the , a certain condition can determine whether it is present in the .

[0258] In some aspects, some or all of the fields in the message format can be grouped into groups (e.g., each group can be referred to as a “type 1 field group”), for example, in the order of their appearance in the message format , can be referred to as “type 1 field group 0”, “type 1 field group 1”, …, “type 1 field group ”, where can be an integer satisfying . In some aspects, the can equal a predefined or configured value (e.g., ), or can correspond to a predefined or configured parameter, or can be determined according to one or more predefined or configured parameters, or can be indicated by one or more other fields of the message format . In some aspects, some or all of each of the type 1 field groups can be grouped into subgroups (e.g., each subgroup can be referred to as a “type 1 field subgroup”), for example, in the order of their appearance in the type 1 field group, can be referred to as “type 1 field subgroup 0”, “type 1 field subgroup 1”, …, “type 1 field subgroup ”, where can be an integer satisfying ; each type 1 field subgroup can contain one or more fields, where in some aspects, the definition of each field can be the same across different type 1 field groups (the corresponding value may, for example, be determined at least partially according to the type 1 field group to which it belongs); in some aspects, the can equal a predefined or configured value, or can correspond to a predefined or configured parameter, or can be determined according to one or more predefined or configured parameters, or can be indicated by one or more other fields of the message format one or more other fields indicate. Specifically, for example, the message format The partial fields of the message format may be divided into two Type 1 field groups, i.e., "Type 1 Field Group 0" and "Type 1 Field Group 1", wherein each Type 1 field group can contain

[0259] In some aspects, one Type 1 field group can correspond to one or more destination (or, target) devices, or can correspond to one or more groups of destination devices.

[0260] In some aspects, one Type 1 field group can correspond to one or more cast types.

[0261] In some aspects, the fields in one Type 1 field group can be used, at least in part, to request A-IoT resources, e.g., to request A-IoT resources for the corresponding destination device(s) or device group(s), or to request A-IoT resources for the corresponding cast type(s).

[0262] In some aspects, each of some or all Type 1 field subgroups in one Type 1 field group can be associated with (or, belong to) a set of IUE functions (e.g., referred to as a "Type 1 IUE function subset"), e.g., "Type 1 Field Subgroup 0" can be associated with (or, belong to) a "Type 1 IUE function subset 0", "Type 1 Field Subgroup 1" can be associated with (or, belong to) a "Type 1 IUE function subset 1", and so on, wherein

[0263] • In some aspects, each Type 1 IUE function subset can contain one or more IUE functions. In some aspects, as a special case, in the case where there is only one element in the Type 1 IUE function subset, the corresponding Type 1 field subgroup can be considered to be associated with (or, belong to) one IUE function (rather than a set containing one or more IUE functions).

[0264] • In some aspects, the intersection of any two different Type 1 IUE function subsets can be an empty set.

[0265] • In some aspects, each Type 1 I E function subset can be a subset of the set • In some aspects, each Type 1 I E function subset can be a subset of the set • In some aspects, each Type 1 I E function subset can be a subset of the set • In some aspects, each Type 1 I E function subset can be a subset of the set

[0266] • In some aspects, each I E function in each Type 1 I E function subset can be an I E function included in the set • In some aspects, each I E function in each Type 1 I E function subset can be an I E function included in the set • In some aspects, each I E function in each Type 1 I E function subset can be an I E function included in the set • In some aspects, each I E function in each Type 1 I E function subset can be an I E function included in the set

[0267] • In some aspects, each Type 1 I E function subset can correspond to an I E type. For example, the I E type can be an element in the set • In some aspects, each Type 1 I E function subset can correspond to an I E type. For example, the I E type can be an element in the set • In some aspects, each Type 1 I E function subset can correspond to an I E type. For example, the I E type can be an element in the set • In some aspects, each Type 1 I E function subset can correspond to an I E type. For example, the I E type can be an element in the set • In some aspects, the I E type can be referred to as the I E type associated with (or, subordinate to) the corresponding Type 1 field subset. In some aspects, the I E types corresponding to any two different Type 1 I E function subsets can be two different I E types.

[0268] For example, a Type 1 field subset defined for the message format may be associated with (or, subordinate to) the set of I E functions { "R2D transmission"} (or, the I E function "R2D transmission" ), and accordingly, the Type 1 field subset can at least partially include one or more of the following:

[0269] • R2D transmission bandwidth. For example, this can be used to indicate the bandwidth (e.g., in terms of number of PRBs) required for a R2D transmission.

[0270] • R2D buffer size. For example, this can be used to indicate the total amount of data available for R2D transmission.

[0271] For another example, a Type 1 field subset defined for the message format may be associated with (or, subordinate to) the set of I E functions { "D2R reception"} (or, the I E function "D2R reception" ), and accordingly, the Type 1 field subset can at least partially include one or more of the following:

[0272] ​​• D2R transmission bandwidth. For example, this can be used to indicate the bandwidth (e.g., in number of PRBs) required for a received D2R transmission.

[0273] • D2R buffer size. For example, this can be used to indicate the total amount of data for a received D2R transmission.

[0274] In some aspects, the presence or absence of a Type 1 field subset in the message format may be determined at least in part based on some or all of: the Type 1 I E functionality subset to which the Type 1 field subset is associated (or, subordinate to), the I E type to which the Type 1 field subset is associated (or, subordinate to), and the indication information in the message format . Here, in some aspects, the "Type 1 field subset" can refer to any one of the portions or all of the Type 1 field groups in the message format Type 1 field groups in the message format ; in some aspects, the presence of the "Type 1 field subset" can be equivalent to the presence of all the field(s) in the "Type 1 field subset"; in some aspects, the absence of the "Type 1 field subset" can be equivalent to the absence of all the field(s) in the "Type 1 field subset". For example, the "Type 1 field subset" can refer to any one of all the Type 1 field subsets in the message format with the same name (or, index) in different Type 1 field groups.

[0275] For example, if a Type 1 field subset satisfies a Type la I E functionality condition, the Type 1 field subset can be present in the message format , where the Type la I E functionality condition can include, at least in part, one or more of the following (e.g., the Type la I E functionality condition can correspond to one or more of the following in a manner of "and" or "or" combination):

[0276] • the Type 1 I E functionality subset to which the Type 1 field subset is associated is a subset of the set .

[0277] • the Type 1 I E functionality subset to which the Type 1 field subset is associated is equal to the set

[0278] ​• all IUE functionalities contained in the Type 1 IUE functionality subset associated with the Type 1 field sub-group are contained in the set of IUE functionalities.

[0279] • the Type 1 IUE functionality subset associated with the Type 1 field sub-group is an element of the set

[0280] • all IUE functionalities contained in the Type 1 IUE functionality subset associated with the Type 1 field sub-group are contained in the IUE functionalities contained in the element of the set

[0281] • the IUE functionality associated with the Type 1 field sub-group is an element of the set

[0282] • the IUE functionality associated with the Type 1 field sub-group is an element of the set

[0283] • the IUE type associated with the Type 1 field sub-group is an element of the set

[0284] • the IUE type associated with the Type 1 field sub-group is the IUE type

[0285] • one or more fields (e.g., one or more fields that do not belong to any Type 1 field group; or, e.g., one or more fields that are in the Type 1 field group to which the Type 1 field sub-group belongs, but do not belong to any Type 1 field sub-group) of the set

[0286] For example, if a Type 1 field sub-group does not satisfy the Type 1a IUE functionality condition, the Type 1 field sub-group can not exist in the set

[0287] In some aspects, for any Type 1 field sub-group, the Type 1a IUE functionality condition can be independent of the Type 1 field group to which the Type 1 field sub-group belongs.

[0288] For example, if a Type 1 field sub-group satisfies the Type 1b IUE functionality condition, the Type 1 field sub-group can not exist in the set ​​​​​​​Among others, for the Type 1 field subset, the Type 1 b IUE functionality condition can comprise one or more of the following (e.g., the Type 1 b IUE functionality condition can correspond to one or more of the following in a combination of "and" or "or" fashion):

[0289] • the Type 1 IUE functionality subset associated with the Type 1 field subset is not a subset of the set • the Type 1 IUE functionality subset associated with the Type 1 field subset is not equal to the set

[0290] • the Type 1 IUE functionality subset associated with the Type 1 field subset contains at least one IUE functionality not contained in the set

[0291] • the Type 1 IUE functionality subset associated with the Type 1 field subset contains any IUE functionality not contained in the set • the Type 1 IUE functionality subset associated with the Type 1 field subset is not one element of the set

[0292] • the Type 1 IUE functionality subset associated with the Type 1 field subset contains at least one IUE functionality not contained in the IUE functionality contained in any one element of the set • the Type 1 IUE functionality subset associated with the Type 1 field subset contains any IUE functionality not contained in the IUE functionality contained in any one element of the set

[0293] • the IUE functionality associated with the Type 1 field subset is not one element of the set • the IUE functionality associated with the Type 1 field subset is not contained in the IUE functionality contained in the set

[0294] • the IUE functionality associated with the Type 1 field subset is not contained in the IUE functionality contained in any one element of the set • the IUE functionality associated with the Type 1 field subset is not contained in the IUE functionality contained in any one element of the set

[0295] • the IUE type associated with the Type 1 field subset is not one element of the set

[0296] • the IUE type associated with the Type 1 field subset is not contained in the IUE functionality contained in the set • the IUE type associated with the Type 1 field subset is not contained in the IUE functionality contained in any one element of the set

[0297]

[0298] • the IUE type associated with the Type 1 field subset is not one element of the set

[0299] ​​​​• the IUE type associated with the type 1 field sub-group is not the IUE type

[0300] • the one or more fields (e.g., one or more fields that do not belong to any type 1 field group; or, e.g., one or more fields that are in the type 1 field group to which the type 1 field sub-group belongs, and that do not belong to any type 1 field sub-group) indicate that the type 1 field sub-group is not present.

[0301] For example, if a type 1 field sub-group does not satisfy the type 1b IUE functionality condition, the type 1 field sub-group can be present in the .

[0302] In some aspects, for any one type 1 field sub-group, the type 1b IUE functionality condition can be independent of the type 1 field group to which the type 1 field sub-group belongs.

[0303] In some aspects, the set can be determined, at least in part, based on some or all of: the set the set the set and the set For example, the set can be a subset of the set , where the set can be the set , or the set , or the set , or the set In particular, for example, the set can be equal to the set For example, the set can be a subset of the set determined (e.g., determined by the IUE itself) by the IUE.

[0304] In some aspects, the set can be determined, at least in part, based on some or all of: the set the set the set and the set For example, the set can be a subset of the set , where the set can be the set Or can be the set Or can be the set Or can be the set In particular, for example, the set Can be equal to the set Also, for example, the set Can be a subset of the set determined (e.g., by the IUE itself) by the IUE.

[0305] In some aspects, the set Can be determined, at least in part, from some or all of: the set The set The set The set For example, the set Can be a subset of the set Where the set Can be the set Or can be the set Or can be the set Or can be the set In particular, for example, the set Can be equal to the set Also, for example, the set Can be a subset of the set determined (e.g., by the IUE itself) by the IUE.

[0306] In some aspects, the IUE type Can be determined, at least in part, from some or all of: the The The The The The The The The For example, Also, Also, Also, Also, Also, Also, Also, Also,

[0307] In some aspects, the IUE type can be one of a set of IUE types corresponding to the set

[0308] In some aspects, the message format can be one of one or more predefined or configured "Type 1 message formats", in which

[0309] • In some aspects, each Type 1 message format can correspond to a set of Type 1 field groups, in which each Type 1 field group can define a subset (e.g., referred to as a "Type 1 field subgroup subset") of a set of Type 1 field subgroups; the intersection of the Type 1 field subgroup subsets corresponding to two different Type 1 message formats, respectively, can be an empty set.

[0310] • In some aspects, the value of the set (or, the IUE type ) can be one of a set of predefined or configured values, in which each value of the set of values can correspond to a distinct Type 1 message format.

[0311] In some aspects, in the message format , one or more fields that do not belong to any Type 1 field group can be defined, e.g., the one or more fields can at least partially include one or more of the following:

[0312] • Presence of "Type 1 field subgroup 0". For example, a first value of this field can be used to indicate that "Type 1 field subgroup 0" is present (e.g., in all Type 1 field groups); for another example, a second value of this field can be used to indicate that "Type 1 field subgroup 0" is not present (e.g., in all Type 1 field groups).

[0313] • Presence of "Type 1 field subgroup 1". For example, a first value of this field can be used to indicate that "Type 1 field subgroup 1" is present (e.g., in all Type 1 field groups); for another example, a second value of this field can be used to indicate that "Type 1 field subgroup 1" is not present (e.g., in all Type 1 field groups).

[0314] •...

[0315] • Presence of "Type 1 field subgroup ". For example, a first value of this field can be used to indicate that "Type 1 field subgroup "Type 1 field sub-group 0" exists (e.g., in the type 1 field group to which it belongs). For example, a first value of this field can be used to indicate that "Type 1 field sub-group 0" exists (e.g., in the type 1 field group to which it belongs); and / or for example, a second value of this field can be used to indicate that "Type 1 field sub-group 0" does not exist (e.g., in the type 1 field group to which it belongs). "Type 1 field sub-group 0" does not exist (e.g., in the type 1 field group to which it belongs).

[0316] In some aspects, in the message format , some or all of the type 1 field groups can be defined, at least in part, by one or more of the following fields:

[0317] • Target device ID (or, alternatively, a corresponding index).

[0318] • Target device group ID (or, alternatively, a corresponding index).

[0319] • Target device (group) type.

[0320] • Presence of "Type 1 field sub-group 0". For example, a first value of this field can be used to indicate that "Type 1 field sub-group 0" exists (e.g., in the type 1 field group to which it belongs); and / or for example, a second value of this field can be used to indicate that "Type 1 field sub-group 0" does not exist (e.g., in the type 1 field group to which it belongs).

[0321] • Presence of "Type 1 field sub-group 1". For example, a first value of this field can be used to indicate that "Type 1 field sub-group 1" exists (e.g., in the type 1 field group to which it belongs); and / or for example, a second value of this field can be used to indicate that "Type 1 field sub-group 1" does not exist (e.g., in the type 1 field group to which it belongs).

[0322] •...

[0323] • Presence of "Type 1 field sub-group ". For example, a first value of this field can be used to indicate that "Type 1 field sub-group " exists (e.g., in the type 1 field group to which it belongs); and / or for example, a second value of this field can be used to indicate that "Type 1 field sub-group " does not exist (e.g., in the type 1 field group to which it belongs).

[0324] Further, at step S105, a type 2 IUE indication message (e.g., denoted as ) is received.

[0325] In some aspects, the may be used, at least in part, for one or more of the following:

[0326] • scheduling one or more A-IoT transmissions (e.g., including some or all of: R2D transmissions by the IUE, D2R transmissions by one or more devices, and CW transmissions by the IUE). In some aspects, the IUE relays scheduling of D2R transmissions by the one or more devices through its R2D transmissions.

[0327] • scheduling one or more A-IoT receptions, e.g., reception of D2R transmissions by one or more devices.

[0328] • allocating one or more A-IoT resources (e.g., including some or all of: one or more resources that can be used for R2D transmissions, one or more resources that can be used for D2R transmissions, one or more resources that can be used for D2R receptions, and one or more resources that can be used for CW transmissions). In some aspects, each of the A-IoT resources can include, at least in part, time resources and / or frequency resources.

[0329] • indicating one or more pieces of control information for A-IoT communications (e.g., including some or all of: physical layer control information, and higher layer control information). In some aspects, the control information can contain one or more values of parameters related to A-IoT communications (e.g., including some or all of: physical layer parameters, and higher layer parameters).

[0330] • triggering generation and / or transmission of one or more pieces of feedback information related to A-IoT communications by the IUE (e.g., including some or all of: physical layer feedback information, and higher layer feedback information).

[0331] • transmitting one or more commands related to A-IoT communications (e.g., including some or all of: physical layer commands, and higher layer commands). For example, the one or more commands related to A-IoT communications can be used, at least in part, to enable (or, activate; or, disable; or, deactivate) some or all of the IUE functionalities of the IUE.

[0332] In some aspects, the may indicate values of some or all of the parameters in the first set of A-IoT parameters.

[0333] In some aspects, the may be transmitted to the IUE by a fifth network node.

[0334] In some aspects, the may be a physical layer message. For example, the may correspond to a DCI format.

[0335] In some aspects, the can be a higher layer message. For example, the can be a MAC message (e.g., which can contain one or more MAC CEs). For another example, the can be an RRC message. For another example, the can be a NAS message.

[0336] In some aspects, the can be carried in one or more downlink transmissions (e.g., one or more PDCCH transmissions; for another example, one or more PDSCH transmissions).

[0337] In some aspects, the corresponding message format (e.g., denoted as ) can at least partially contain one or more of the following:

[0338] • one or more mandatory fields.

[0339] • one or more (or, one or more groups of) conditionally present fields. Here, each group can contain one or more conditionally present fields.

[0340] Accordingly, for example, a message instance (e.g., the ) generated according to the message format can at least partially contain all the mandatory fields (if any) in the message format , and zero, one, or more conditionally present fields, where for each (or, each group of) conditionally present field in the message format , it can be determined whether it is present in the according to certain conditions.

[0341] In some aspects, some or all of the fields of the message format can be grouped into groups (e.g., each group can be referred to as a “Type 2 field group”), which can be referred to in order as “Type 2 field group 0”, “Type 2 field group 1”, …, “Type 2 field group ”, for example, according to their order of appearance in the message format , where can be an integer satisfying . In some aspects, the can be equal to a pre-defined or configured value (e.g., ), or can correspond to a predefined or configured parameter, or can be determined according to one or more predefined or configured parameters, or can be indicated by one or more other fields of the message format . In some aspects, the part or all of each of the one or more Type 2 field groups can be divided into subgroups (e.g., each subgroup can be referred to as a “Type 2 field subgroup”), e.g., in the order of their appearance in the Type 2 field group, can be referred to as “Type 2 field subgroup 0”, “Type 2 field subgroup 1”, …, “Type 2 field subgroup ”, respectively, where can be an integer satisfying ; each Type 2 field subgroup can contain one or more fields, where, in some aspects, the definition of each field can be the same across different Type 2 field groups (the corresponding value can be determined, e.g., at least in part, according to the Type 2 field group to which it belongs); in some aspects, the can be equal to a predefined or configured value, or can correspond to a predefined or configured parameter, or can be determined according to one or more predefined or configured parameters, or can be indicated by one or more other fields of the message format . Specifically, for example, part of the message format can be divided into Type 2 field groups, i.e., “Type 2 field group 0” and “Type 2 field group 1”, where each Type 2 field group can contain Type 2 field subgroups, i.e., “Type 2 field subgroup 0” (e.g., consisting of field “g0_0”), “Type 2 field subgroup 1” (e.g., consisting of field “g1_0” and field “g1_1”), and “Type 2 field subgroup 2” (e.g., consisting of field “g2_0”, field “g2_1”, and field “g2_2”).

[0342] In some aspects, a Type 2 field group can correspond to one or more destination (or, target) devices, or can correspond to one or more groups of destination devices.

[0343] In some aspects, a Type 2 field group can correspond to one or more propagation types.

[0344] In some aspects, the field(s) in one Type 2 field group can be used at least in part for allocating A-IoT resources, e.g., allocating A-IoT resources for corresponding target device(s) or device group(s), or as another example, allocating A-IoT resources for corresponding cast type(s).

[0345] In some aspects, each of some or all Type 2 field subgroups in one Type 2 field group can be associated with (or, belong to) one IUE function set (e.g., referred to as one “Type 2 IUE function subset”), e.g., “Type 2 field subgroup 0” can be associated with (or, belong to) one “Type 2 IUE function subset 0”, “Type 2 field subgroup 1” can be associated with (or, belong to) one “Type 2 IUE function subset 1”, and so on, where,

[0346] • In some aspects, each Type 2 IUE function subset can contain one or more IUE functions. In some aspects, as a special case, in the case where there is only one element in the Type 2 IUE function subset, the corresponding Type 2 field subgroup can be considered to be associated with (or, belong to) one IUE function (rather than one set containing one or more IUE functions).

[0347] • In some aspects, the intersection of any two different Type 2 IUE function subsets can be an empty set.

[0348] • In some aspects, each Type 2 IUE function subset can be a subset of the set (or, the set (or, the set (or, the set ).

[0349] • In some aspects, each IUE function in each Type 2 IUE function subset can be one IUE function contained in the set (or, the set (or, the set (or, the set ).

[0350] • In some aspects, each Type 2 IUE function subset can correspond to one IUE type. For example, the IUE type can be one of the set (or, the set (or, the set (or, the set An element within a category. In some respects, the IUE type may be referred to as the IUE type associated with (or subordinate to) the corresponding type 2 field subgroup. In some respects, the IUE types corresponding to any two distinct subsets of type 2 IUE functionality may be two distinct IUE types.

[0351] For example, one is the message format. The defined Type 2 field subgroup may be associated with (or subordinate to) the IUE function set {“R2D transport”} (or the IUE function “R2D transport”), and accordingly, the Type 2 field subgroup may at least partially contain one or more of the following:

[0352] ●R2D time resource allocation.

[0353] ●R2D frequency resource allocation.

[0354] For example, one is the aforementioned message format. The defined Type 2 field subgroup may be associated with (or subordinate to) the IUE function set {“D2R Reception”} (or the IUE function “D2R Reception”), and accordingly, the Type 2 field subgroup may at least partially contain one or more of the following:

[0355] ●D2R time resource allocation.

[0356] ●D2R frequency resource allocation.

[0357] In some respects, in the above In this context, the presence or absence of a Type 2 field subgroup can be determined at least in part based on some or all of the following: the Type 2 IUE feature subset associated with (or dependent on) the Type 2 field subgroup, the IUE type associated with (or dependent on) the Type 2 field subgroup, and the... The instruction information in the text. Here, in some respects, the "Type 2 field subgroup" may refer to the message format. of Any part or all of the two fields in a type 2 group Any one or all of the Type 2 field subgroups; in some aspects, the existence of the "Type 2 field subgroup" may be equivalent to the existence of all fields(s) in the "Type 2 field subgroup"; in some aspects, the absence of the "Type 2 field subgroup" may be equivalent to the absence of all fields(s) in the "Type 2 field subgroup". For example, the "Type 2 field subgroup" may refer to the message format. all of the type 2 field subsets with the same name (or, index) in the different type 2 field groups.

[0358] For example, if a type 2 field subset satisfies a type 2a IUE functionality condition, then the type 2 field subset can exist in the wherein the type 2a IUE functionality condition can include, at least in part, one or more of the following (e.g., the type 2a IUE functionality condition can correspond to one or more of the following in a manner of "and" or "or" combination):

[0359] • the type 2 IUE functionality subset associated with the type 2 field subset is a subset of the set • the type 2 IUE functionality subset associated with the type 2 field subset is equal to an element of the set

[0360] • the type 2 IUE functionality subset associated with the type 2 field subset contains all IUE functionalities contained in an element of the set

[0361] • the type 2 IUE functionality subset associated with the type 2 field subset contains all IUE functionalities contained in an element of the set • the type 2 IUE functionality associated with the type 2 field subset is contained in an element of the set

[0362] • the type 2 IUE functionality associated with the type 2 field subset is contained in an element of the set • the IUE type associated with the type 2 field subset is an element of the set

[0363] • the IUE type associated with the type 2 field subset is an element of the set • the IUE type associated with the type 2 field subset is an element of the set

[0364] • the IUE functionality associated with the type 2 field subset is an element of the set • the IUE functionality associated with the type 2 field subset is an element of the set

[0365] • the IUE functionality associated with the type 2 field subset is an element of the set • the IUE functionality associated with the type 2 field subset is an element of the set

[0366] • the IUE type associated with the type 2 field subset is an element of the set • the IUE type associated with the type 2 field subset is an element of the set

[0367] • the IUE type associated with the type 2 field subset is an element of the set

[0368] • the One or more fields (e.g., one or more fields that do not belong to any type 2 field group; or one or more fields in the type 2 field group to which the type 2 field subgroup belongs that do not belong to any type 2 field subgroup) indicate the existence of the type 2 field subgroup.

[0369] For example, if a type 2 field subgroup does not satisfy the type 2a IUE functional condition, then the type 2 field subgroup may not exist in the... middle.

[0370] In some respects, for any type 2 field subgroup, the type 2aIUE function condition may be independent of the type 2 field group to which the type 2 field subgroup belongs.

[0371] For example, if a type 2 field subgroup satisfies the type 2b IUE functional condition, then the type 2 field subgroup may not exist in the... In this context, for the type 2 field subgroup, the type 2b IUE functional condition may at least partially include one or more of the following items (for example, the type 2b IUE functional condition may correspond to one or more of the following items in an AND or OR combination):

[0372] ●The type 2 IUE feature subset associated with the type 2 field subgroup is not the set. A subset of.

[0373] ●The subset of Type 2 IUE functions associated with the Type 2 field subgroup is not equal to the set.

[0374] ●At least one of the IUE functions contained in the Type 2 IUE function subset associated with the Type 2 field subgroup is not in the set. The included IUE functions.

[0375] ● Any IUE functionality contained in the Type 2 IUE functionality subset associated with the Type 2 field subgroup is not included in the set. The included IUE functions.

[0376] ●The type 2 IUE feature subset associated with the type 2 field subgroup is not the set. One of the elements.

[0377] ●At least one of the IUE functions contained in the Type 2 IUE function subset associated with the Type 2 field subgroup is not in the set. The IUE functionality contained in any of the elements.

[0378] • any I E functionality included in the subset of Type 2 I E functionality associated with the Type 2 field sub-group is not included in the I E functionality included in any element of the set

[0379] • the I E functionality associated with the Type 2 field sub-group is not one element of the set

[0380] • the I E functionality associated with the Type 2 field sub-group is not included in the I E functionality included in the set

[0381] • the I E type associated with the Type 2 field sub-group is not one element of the set

[0382] • the I E type associated with the Type 2 field sub-group is not the I E type

[0383] • one or more fields (e.g., one or more fields that do not belong to any Type 2 field group; or, for example, one or more fields that are in the Type 2 field group to which the Type 2 field sub-group belongs, that do not belong to any Type 2 field sub-group) of the set

[0384] For example, if a Type 2 field sub-group does not satisfy the Type 2b I E functionality condition, the Type 2 field sub-group can be present in the set

[0385] In some aspects, for any Type 2 field sub-group, the Type 2b I E functionality condition can be independent of the Type 2 field group to which the Type 2 field sub-group belongs.

[0386] In some aspects, the set may be determined, at least in part, based on some or all of: the set the set the set the set and the set For example, the set may be a subset of the set where the set may be the set or the set or the set or the set or the set​​​​​​ In particular, for example, the set may be equal to the set Also, for example, the set may be a subset of the set determined by the fifth network node.

[0387] In some aspects, the set may be determined at least in part based on some or all of: the set the set the set and the set For example, the set may be a subset of the set , where the set may be the set or the set or the set or the set In particular, for example, the set may be equal to the set Also, for example, the set may be a subset of the set determined by the fifth network node.

[0388] In some aspects, the set may be determined at least in part based on some or all of: the set the set the set and the set For example, the set may be a subset of the set , where the set may be the set or the set or the set or the set In particular, for example, the set may be equal to the set Also, for example, the set may be a subset of the set determined by the fifth network node.

[0389] In some aspects, the IUE type may be determined at least in part based on some or all of the following: may be determined at least in part based on some or all of the following: may be determined at least in part based on some or all of the following: may be determined at least in part based on some or all of the following: may be determined at least in part based on some or all of the following: may be determined at least in part based on some or all of the following: may be determined at least in part based on some or all of the following: may be determined at least in part based on some or all of the following: may be determined at least in part based on some or all of the following: For example, For example, For example, For example, For example, For example, For example, For example, For example,

[0390] In some aspects, the IUE type may be the set of IUE types corresponding to the IUE type.

[0391] In some aspects, the message format may be one of one or more predefined or configured “type 2 message formats”, in which,

[0392] • In some aspects, each type 2 message format can correspond to the set of type 2 field groups, in which, for each type 2 field group, a subset (e.g., referred to as a “type 2 field subgroup subset”) of the set of the distinct type 2 field subgroups can be defined; the intersection of the type 2 field subgroup subsets respectively corresponding to two different type 2 message formats can be an empty set.

[0393] • In some aspects, the set of values of the IUE type may be one of a set of predefined or configured values, in which each value of the set of values can correspond to a distinct type 2 message format.

[0394] In some aspects, in the message format , one or more fields that do not belong to any type 2 field group can be defined, e.g., the one or more fields can at least in part include one or more of the following:

[0395] • Presence of Type 2 Field Subgroup 0. For example, a first value of this field can be used to indicate that Type 2 Field Subgroup 0 is present (e.g., in all Type 2 Field Groups); for another example, a second value of this field can be used to indicate that Type 2 Field Subgroup 0 is not present (e.g., in all Type 2 Field Groups).

[0396] • Presence of Type 2 Field Subgroup 1. For example, a first value of this field can be used to indicate that Type 2 Field Subgroup 1 is present (e.g., in all Type 2 Field Groups); for another example, a second value of this field can be used to indicate that Type 2 Field Subgroup 1 is not present (e.g., in all Type 2 Field Groups).

[0397] •...

[0398] • Presence of Type 2 Field Subgroup . For example, a first value of this field can be used to indicate that Type 2 Field Subgroup is present (e.g., in all Type 2 Field Groups); for another example, a second value of this field can be used to indicate that Type 2 Field Subgroup is not present (e.g., in all Type 2 Field Groups).

[0399] In some aspects, in each of the part or all Type 2 Field Groups of the message format , one or more of the following fields can be defined, at least in part:

[0400] • Target Device ID (or, a corresponding index).

[0401] • Target Device Group ID (or, a corresponding index).

[0402] • Target Device (Group) Type.

[0403] • Presence of Type 2 Field Subgroup 0. For example, a first value of this field can be used to indicate that Type 2 Field Subgroup 0 is present (e.g., in the Type 2 Field Group to which it belongs); for another example, a second value of this field can be used to indicate that Type 2 Field Subgroup 0 is not present (e.g., in the Type 2 Field Group to which it belongs).

[0404] • Presence of Type 2 Field Subgroup 1. For example, a first value of this field can be used to indicate that Type 2 Field Subgroup 1 is present (e.g., in the Type 2 Field Group to which it belongs); for another example, a second value of this field can be used to indicate that Type 2 Field Subgroup 1 is not present (e.g., in the Type 2 Field Group to which it belongs).

[0405] •...

[0406] • presence of a Type 2 field sub-group . For example, a first value of the field can be used to indicate that a Type 2 field sub-group is present (e.g., present in the Type 2 field group to which it belongs); as another example, a second value of the field can be used to indicate that a Type 2 field sub-group is not present (e.g., not present in the Type 2 field group to which it belongs).

[0407] Further, at step S106, one or more Type 1 IUE operations are performed.

[0408] In some aspects, the one or more Type 1 IUE operations (e.g., whether a certain operation is present, and zero, one, or more parameters related to the operation) can be determined, at least in part, based on some or all of the following: • an indication of the • an indication of the • an indication of the • an indication of the • an indication of a message (e.g., denoted as

[0409] In some aspects, the "performing one or more Type 1 IUE operations" can include, at least in part, one or more of the following:

[0410] • determining one or more A-IoT resources.

[0411] • performing one or more R2D transmissions. In some aspects, for the one or more R2D transmissions, whether to perform transmission timing adjustment (e.g., including applying a TA (timing advance)) can be determined, at least in part, based on the . For example, if the corresponds to an UL operating sub-band, then transmission timing adjustment is performed. As another example, if the corresponds to a DL operating sub-band, then transmission timing adjustment is not performed.

[0412] • performing reception of one or more D2R transmissions.

[0413] • performing one or more CW transmissions.

[0414] • enabling (or, activating) one or more IUE functions. For example, based on the (or, the (or, the (or, the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the

[0415] • disable (or deactivate) one or more IUE functions. For example, disable one or more IUE functions according to the indication of the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the or the indication of the IUE function indicated by the

[0416] In some aspects, in some or all of the one or more A-IoT resources, each A-IoT resource can correspond to one or more time periods in the time domain. In some aspects, a set consisting of the one or more time periods (e.g., in chronological order) can be partitioned into one or more disjoint subsets, where all time periods in each subset containing more than one element are contiguous.

[0417] In some aspects, one or more aspects (e.g., including timing, such as a start time of each A-IoT resource, and / or such as a length of time corresponding to each A-IoT resource) of some or all of the one or more A-IoT resources can be determined at least in part according to one or more of the following:

[0418] • an indication in the (or, an indication in the (or, an indication in the (or, an indication in the (or, an indication in the ) such as an A-IoT resource assignment indication.

[0419] • one or more parameters of a “first IUE reference cell” (e.g., denoted as ), including some or all of: a downlink timing of the cell, and an uplink timing of the cell.

[0420] • the “first A-IoT reference SCS configuration” (e.g., denoted as ). For example, the can be the or can be the

[0421] • a “first A-IoT reference carrier frequency” (e.g., denoted as ). For example, the can be the or can be the or can be the In some aspects, the can be indicated in the (or, the (or, the (or, the (or, the ).

[0422] • the deployment scenario In some aspects, the can be indicated in the (or, the (or, the (or, the (or, the ) indicated in the

[0423] For example, in some or all of the one or more A-IoT resources, a start time of each A-IoT resource can be a start time of a certain frame (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol, e.g., containing CP, or not containing CP) in the cell (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) can be a frame (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) in one downlink carrier (or, one uplink carrier; or, one downlink BWP, e.g., one downlink BWP in one downlink carrier; or, one uplink BWP, e.g., one uplink BWP in one uplink carrier) of the cell (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) can be a frame (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) in one downlink carrier (or, one uplink carrier; or, one downlink BWP, e.g., one downlink BWP in one downlink carrier; or, one uplink BWP, e.g., one uplink BWP in one uplink carrier) of the cell (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) can be a frame (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) in one downlink carrier (or, one uplink carrier; or, one downlink BWP, e.g., one downlink BWP in one downlink carrier; or, one uplink BWP, e.g., one uplink BWP in one uplink carrier) of the cell (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) can be a frame (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) in one downlink carrier (or, one uplink carrier; or, one downlink BWP, e.g., one downlink BWP in one downlink carrier; or, one uplink BWP, e.g., one uplink BWP in one uplink carrier) of the cell (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) can be a frame (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) in one downlink carrier (or, one uplink carrier; or, one downlink BWP, e.g., one downlink BWP in one downlink carrier; or, one uplink BWP, e.g., one uplink BWP in one uplink carrier) of the cell (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) can be a frame (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) in one downlink carrier (or, one uplink carrier; or, one downlink BWP, e.g., one downlink BWP in one downlink carrier; or, one uplink BWP, e.g., one uplink BWP in one uplink carrier) of the cell (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) can be a frame (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) in one downlink carrier (or, one uplink carrier; or, one downlink BWP, e.g., one downlink BWP in one downlink carrier; or, one uplink BWP, e.g., one uplink BWP in one uplink carrier) of the cell

[0424] For example, in some or all of the one or more A-IoT resources, a start time of each A-IoT resource can be a start time of a certain frame (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol, e.g., containing CP, or not containing CP) in the cell (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) can be a frame (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) in one downlink carrier (or, one uplink carrier; or, one downlink BWP, e.g., one downlink BWP in one downlink carrier; or, one uplink BWP, e.g., one uplink BWP in one uplink carrier) of the cell a frame (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) in one downlink carrier (or, one uplink carrier; or, one downlink BWP, e.g., one downlink BWP in one downlink carrier; or, one uplink BWP, e.g., one uplink BWP in one uplink carrier) of the cell; in some aspects, a duration of the frame (or, subframe; or, slot; or, OFDM symbol) can be determined at least in part according to some or all of: the indication in the the the the and one or more parameters of the cell (e.g., including some or all of an SCS configuration (e.g., denoted as ) and a CP type of the downlink carrier or uplink carrier or downlink BWP or uplink BWP).

[0425] In some aspects, the SCS configuration of the cell can be an SCS configuration of the cell , e.g., the SCS configuration of the cell can be an SCS configuration of one carrier in the cell , e.g., the SCS configuration of the carrier can correspond to a parameter subcarrierSpacing in an information element SCS-SpecificCarrier to which the carrier corresponds. As another example, the SCS configuration of the cell can be an SCS configuration of one BWP in the cell , e.g., the SCS configuration of the BWP can correspond to a parameter subcarrierSpacing in an information element BWP to which the BWP corresponds.

[0426] In some aspects, the cell can be a serving cell of the IUE, or can be a non-serving cell.

[0427] In some aspects, the cell can be identified (or, indicated; or, configured) at least in part according to one or more of:

[0428] • a serving cell index.

[0429] • a PCID (physical cell identifier). For example, the PCID can be a PCID of an NR cell.

[0430] • a cell global identifier. For example, the cell global identifier can be a NR cell global identifier.

[0431] • a radio frequency reference frequency (e.g., represented by a NR-ARFCN). For example, the radio frequency reference frequency can be used to identify a cell-defining SSB (Cell Defining SSB) in a cell.

[0432] For example, the cell may be a cell wherein the cell may be a cell determined at least in part based on some or all of: pre-defined information (e.g., including one or more pre-defined rules), configuration information, and indication information. Specifically, for example, the cell may be a PCell (Primary Cell) of the IUE. As another example, the cell may be indicated or configured in the (or the (or the (or the (or the ), or can be determined at least in part based on the indication information or configuration information in the (or the (or the (or the (or the ).

[0433] As another example, if a Type 1 reference configuration condition is satisfied, the cell may be a cell wherein the Type 1 reference configuration condition can include one or more of (e.g., the Type 1 reference configuration condition can correspond to one or more of the following in a manner of “and” or “or” in a combination):

[0434] • the indicates “stand-alone deployment”.

[0435] • the IUE is not configured with a SCG (Secondary Cell Group). In some aspects, this can be equivalent to the IUE being configured with only one CG (Cell Group), i.e., a MCG (Master Cell Group).

[0436] • none of the cells in the MCG of the IUE satisfy the Type 1 reference carrier frequency condition.

[0437] • none of the cells in the MCG of the IUE satisfy the Type 1 reference carrier frequency condition.

[0438] • none of the serving cells of the IUE satisfy the Type 1 reference carrier frequency condition.

[0439] For another example, if a Type 2 reference configuration condition is satisfied, the cell may be the cell where the Type 2 reference configuration condition can include, at least in part, one or more of the following (e.g., the Type 2 reference configuration condition can correspond to one or more of the following in a manner of “and” or “or” in a combination):

[0440] • the indicates “in-band deployment”.

[0441] • the indicates “guard-band deployment”.

[0442] • the indicates “in-band deployment” or “guard-band deployment”.

[0443] • the IUE is not configured with an SCG.

[0444] • the PCell of the IUE satisfies the Type 1 reference carrier frequency condition.

[0445] • one of the cells in the MCG of the IUE satisfies the Type 1 reference carrier frequency condition.

[0446] For another example, if a Type 3 reference configuration condition is satisfied, the cell may be the cell where the cell may be a cell determined at least in part according to some or all of the following: pre-defined information (e.g., including one or more pre-defined rules), configuration information, and indication information. Specifically, for example, the cell may be a PSCell (Primary SCG Cell) of the IUE. For another example, the cell may be indicated or configured in the (or the (or the (or the (or the ), or can be determined at least in part according to the (or, the indication information or configuration information in the (or, the indication information or configuration information in the (or, the indication information or configuration information in the (or, the indication information or configuration information in the ) determines.

[0447] In some aspects, the Type 3 reference configuration condition can comprise, at least in part, one or more of the following (e.g., the Type 3 reference configuration condition can correspond to one or more of the following in a manner of “and” or “or” in a combination):

[0448] • the IUE is configured with an SCG. indicates “stand-alone deployment”.

[0449] • the IUE is configured with an SCG. In some aspects, this can be equivalent to the IUE being configured with two CGs, i.e., MCG and SCG. In some aspects, this can be referred to as a “DC (Dual Connectivity)” case.

[0450] • the PSCell of the IUE does not satisfy the Type 1 reference carrier frequency condition.

[0451] • none of the cells in the SCG of the IUE satisfies the Type 1 reference carrier frequency condition.

[0452] • none of the serving cells of the IUE satisfies the Type 1 reference carrier frequency condition.

[0453] For another example, if the Type 4 reference configuration condition is satisfied, the cell may be the cell wherein the Type 4 reference configuration condition can comprise, at least in part, one or more of the following (e.g., the Type 4 reference configuration condition can correspond to one or more of the following in a manner of “and” or “or” in a combination):

[0454] • the IUE is configured with an SCG. indicates “in-band deployment”.

[0455] • the IUE is configured with an SCG. indicates “guard-band deployment”.

[0456] • the IUE is configured with an SCG. indicates “in-band deployment” or “guard-band deployment”.

[0457] • the IUE is configured with an SCG.

[0458] • the PSCell of the IUE satisfies the Type 1 reference carrier frequency condition.

[0459] • one cell in the SCG of the IUE satisfies the Type 1 reference carrier frequency condition.

[0460] For example, the cell may be a cell that satisfies the Type 1 reference carrier frequency condition.

[0461] For another example, if the Type 5 reference configuration condition is satisfied, the cell may be a cell that satisfies the Type 1 reference carrier frequency condition, wherein the Type 5 reference configuration condition can include, at least in part, one or more of the following (e.g., the Type 5 reference configuration condition can correspond to one or more of the following in an “and” or “or” fashion, one of each):

[0462] • the indicates “in-band deployment”.

[0463] • the indicates “guard-band deployment”.

[0464] • the indicates “in-band deployment” or “guard-band deployment”.

[0465] For another example, if the indicates “stand-alone deployment”, the cell may be a cell that satisfies the Type 1 reference carrier frequency condition.

[0466] For example, the cell may be a cell wherein the cell may be a cell that receives (or, detects; or, is configured to receive; or, is configured to detect) the (or, a channel, e.g., PDCCH, such as PDSCH, used to carry the (or, a channel, e.g., PDCCH, such as PDSCH, used to carry the (or, a channel, e.g., PDCCH, such as PDSCH, used to carry the . For example, the cell may be a cell that receives (or, detects; or, is configured to receive; or, is configured to detect) the

[0467] . may be the cell

[0468] For another example, if the cell indicates "stand-alone deployment", the cell may be the cell

[0469] In some aspects, for a cell c a，1 The Type 1 reference carrier frequency condition can include, at least in part, one or more of the following (e.g., the Type 1 reference carrier frequency condition can correspond to a combination of one or more of the following in an "and" or "or" fashion):

[0470] • the cell c a,1 is a serving cell of the IUE.

[0471] • the cell c a,1 is a non-serving cell of the IUE.

[0472] • the cell c a,1 is a serving cell of the IUE or a non-serving cell of the IUE.

[0473] • the carrier frequency of the cell c a,1 is the same as the

[0474] • the carrier frequency of the cell c a,1 is on the same operating frequency band (e.g., FDD operating frequency band) as the

[0475] • the carrier frequency of the cell c a,1 is on the same FDD operating sub-band as the

[0476] • the cell c a,1 is configured with an SCS configuration of

[0477] • the downlink carrier frequency of the cell c a,1 is the same as the

[0478] • the downlink carrier frequency of the cell c a,1 is on the same operating frequency band (e.g., FDD operating frequency band) as the

[0479] • the downlink carrier frequency of the cell c a,1 is on the same FDD operating sub-band as the ​​​​​​On the same FDD operating subband.

[0480] ●The community c a,1 An SCS configuration was set up in the middle. downlink carrier.

[0481] In some respects, the community It can be the highest priority cell among one or more candidate cells, wherein, in some aspects, the one or more candidate cells may at least partially include some or all of the following: the PCell of the IUE, the PSCell of the IUE (if any), and the cell The community (if any), the aforementioned community One or more cells that satisfy the Type 1 reference carrier frequency conditions; in some respects, the priority of each of the candidate cells may be determined at least in part based on some or all of the following: predefined information (e.g., including one or more predefined rules), configuration information, and indication information.

[0482] For example, if the reference configuration conditions of type 5 are met, then the cell It can be the highest priority cell among the one or more candidate cells.

[0483] For example, if the stated The instruction "independent deployment" then refers to the cell It can be the highest priority cell among the one or more candidate cells.

[0484] In some respects, the stated It can be at least partially based on the said cell Confirmed. For example, if the cell... If the type 1 reference carrier frequency condition is satisfied, then the This corresponds to "in-band deployment" (or "in-band deployment" or "protection zone deployment"). For example, if the aforementioned cell... If the type 1 reference carrier frequency condition is not met, then the This corresponds to "independent deployment".

[0485] In some aspects, in a method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure shown in FIG1, "IUE function" can be replaced by one of the following: "IUE capability", "IUE feature", "reader function", "reader capability", "reader feature".

[0486] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the disclosure, “determining (or, identifying; or, configuring; or, indicating; or, reporting) a set of IUE functions” can be replaced by “determining (or, identifying; or, configuring; or, indicating; or, reporting) an IUE type (to which the set of IUE functions corresponds)”, and vice versa.

[0487] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the disclosure, only IUE types can be defined (i.e., each IUE type can correspond to one or more specific sets of IUE functions), without explicitly defining (or configuring, or indicating, or reporting) the sets of IUE functions.

[0488] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the disclosure, “R2D transmission” can at least partially include PRDCH transmission.

[0489] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the disclosure, “D2R transmission” can at least partially include PDRCH transmission.

[0490] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the disclosure, “D2R reception” can at least partially include PDRCH reception.

[0491] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the disclosure, “CW transmission” can at least partially include transmission of part or all of “single-tone” CW and “multi-tone” CW.

[0492] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the disclosure, the first network node can be a base station, or can be an AMF, or can be an AIoT F, or can be another type of network node.

[0493] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the disclosure, the second network node can be a base station, or can be an AMF, or can be an AIoT F, or can be another type of network node.

[0494] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the disclosure, the third network node can be a base station, or can be an AMF, or can be an AIoT F, or can be another type of network node.

[0495] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the disclosure, the fourth network node can be a base station, or can be an AMF, or can be an AIoT F, or can be another type of network node.

[0496] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the disclosure, the fifth network node can be a base station, or can be an AMF, or can be an AIoT F, or can be another type of network node.

[0497] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the disclosure, the sixth network node can be a base station, or can be an AMF, or can be an AIoT F, or can be another type of network node.

[0498] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the disclosure, part or all of the first network node, the second network node, the third network node, the fourth network node, the fifth network node, and the sixth network node can be the same node.

[0499] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the disclosure, part or all of the set the set and the set may be the same set.

[0500] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the disclosure, part or all of the set the set and the set may be the same set.

[0501] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the disclosure, “IUE type” can be replaced by “reader type”, or can be replaced by “intermediate node type”, or can be replaced by “reader UE type”, or can be replaced by “UE reader type”.

[0502] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the disclosure, one message format can correspond to part or all of the fields in one message (e.g., a MAC message) (e.g., a MAC CE carried in the MAC message).

[0503] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a Type 1 message format can be a UCI format, or can be a MAC CE format, or can be another message format.

[0504] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a Type 2 message format can be a DCI format, or can be a MAC CE format, or can be another message format.

[0505] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the All Type 1 field groups included can be located in the same MAC CE.

[0506] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the Each Type 1 field group included can be located in a distinct MAC CE.

[0507] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the All Type 2 field groups included can be located in the same MAC CE.

[0508] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the Each Type 2 field group included can be located in a distinct MAC CE.

[0509] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a "cell" can refer to an NR cell, or can refer to an LTE cell.

[0510] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a carrier frequency of a cell can refer to a downlink carrier frequency of the cell.

[0511] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a carrier frequency of a cell can refer to an uplink carrier frequency of the cell.

[0512] In some aspects, in a method of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, "send" can be replaced with "transmit" where applicable.

[0513] In some aspects, in a method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure shown in Fig. 1, as not specifically described, the described operations refer to operations performed by the IUE.

[0514] Thus, according to Fig. 1, the present disclosure provides a method that can efficiently transmit signaling related to A-IoT communication between an intermediate node and a network node according to one or more configured intermediate node functions.

[0515] Variation

[0516] In the following, Fig. 2 is used to illustrate an intermediate node that can perform the method performed by an intermediate node according to the present disclosure described in detail above as a variation.

[0517] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an intermediate node according to the present disclosure.

[0518] As shown in Fig. 2, the intermediate node DEV 20 includes a processor 201 and a memory 202. The processor 201 can include, for example, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, an embedded processor, etc. The memory 202 can include, for example, a volatile memory (such as a random access memory RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a non-volatile memory (such as a flash memory), or other memory, etc. The memory 202 stores program instructions thereon. The instructions, when executed by the processor 201, can perform the above-described method performed by an intermediate node according to the present disclosure.

[0519] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented on a computer program product. More specifically, the computer program product is a product having a computer readable medium with computer program logic encoded thereon, which when executed on a computing device, provides related operations to implement the above-described technical solutions of the present disclosure. When executed on at least one processor of a computing system, the computer program logic causes the processor to perform the operations (methods) described in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Such a setup of the present disclosure is typically provided as software, code and / or other data structures arranged or encoded on a computer readable medium such as an optical medium (e.g., CD-ROM), floppy disk, or hard disk, etc., or other media such as firmware or microcode in one or more ROM or RAM or PROM chips, or as downloadable software images, shared databases, etc., in one or more modules. The software or firmware or such configuration can be installed on a computing device to cause one or more processors in the computing device to perform the technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0520] The computer-executable instructions or programs that run on the intermediate node according to the present disclosure can be programs that control a central processing unit (CPU) to enable a computer to implement the functions of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The programs or information processed by the programs can be temporarily stored in a volatile memory (such as a random access memory RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a non-volatile memory (such as a flash memory), or other memory systems.

[0521] The computer-executable instructions or programs for implementing the functions of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium. The corresponding functions can be implemented by causing a computer system to read the programs recorded on the recording medium and execute the programs. The so-called "computer system" here can be a computer system embedded in the intermediate node and can include an operating system or hardware (such as a peripheral device). The "computer-readable storage medium" can be a semiconductor recording medium, an optical recording medium, a magnetic recording medium, a short-time dynamic storage program recording medium, or any other computer-readable recording medium.

[0522] The various features or functional modules of the intermediate node used in the above-described embodiments can be implemented or executed by a circuit (for example, a single-chip or multi-chip integrated circuit). The circuit designed to perform the functions described in this specification can include a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination of the above devices. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but can also be any existing processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The above-mentioned circuit can be a digital circuit, but can also be an analog circuit. In the case of the emergence of new integrated circuit technologies that replace existing integrated circuits due to advances in semiconductor technologies, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented using these new integrated circuit technologies.

[0523] It should be understood that the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of both software and hardware. For example, various components inside the base station and the intermediate node in the above-described embodiments can be implemented by various devices, including but not limited to analog circuit devices, digital circuit devices, digital signal processing (DSP) circuits, programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and the like.

[0524] The method and the intermediate node according to the present disclosure have been described above in connection with preferred embodiments. It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the method shown above is merely exemplary and that the embodiments described above can be combined with each other without contradiction. The method according to the present disclosure is not limited to the steps and the order shown above. The network node and the intermediate node shown above can comprise more modules, for example, modules that can be developed or will be developed in the future, etc. The various identifiers shown above are merely exemplary and not limiting, and the present disclosure is not limited to the specific information elements as examples of the identifiers. A person skilled in the art can make many changes and modifications in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments shown above.

[0525] It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that any one set is a subset of itself; the empty set is a subset of any one set; parts or all of a mathematical expression or a mathematical equation or a mathematical inequality can be simplified or transformed or rewritten to some extent, for example, combining constant terms, for example, exchanging two additive terms, for example, exchanging two multiplicative terms, for example, moving an item from the left side of an equation or inequality to the right side after changing its sign, for example, moving an item from the right side of an equation or inequality to the left side after changing its sign, etc.; the mathematical expression or the mathematical equation or the mathematical inequality before and after the simplification or the transformation or the rewriting can be considered equivalent.

[0526] In addition, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Although various examples of the embodiments have been described, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the present disclosure can be applied to fixed or non-mobile electronic devices installed indoors or outdoors, such as audio and / or video devices, kitchen devices, cleaning devices, air conditioners, office devices, vending machines, and other home appliances, etc.

[0527] As described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the present disclosure also includes any design modification without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, various modifications can be made to the present disclosure within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included within the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, components described in the above-described embodiments having the same effect can be substituted for each other.

Claims

1. A method executed by an intermediate node, characterized in that... Comprising: receiving a first configuration message of a core network node; and, determining a content of a first A-IoT resource request message according to a first set of intermediate node functions indicated in the first configuration message, wherein in a message format corresponding to the first A-IoT resource request message, a group of fields associated with intermediate node functions in the first set of intermediate node functions are present in the first A-IoT resource request message, and a group of fields not associated with intermediate node functions in the first set of intermediate node functions are not present in the first A-IoT resource request message; and transmitting the first A-IoT resource request message to a base station.

2. An intermediate node, comprising: a processor; and a memory storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, perform the method according to claim 1. ​

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