Aiot data transfer

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for ambient internet of things (AIoT) data transfer. In an example method, a terminal device receives, from a network device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for AIoT data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRC_INACTIVE) state of the terminal device. The terminal device receives, from the network device, a request for an AIoT procedure. The first device transmits, to the network device, AIoT data related to the AIoT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

Description

AIOT DATA TRANSFERCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority from, and the benefit of, India Provisional Application No. 202441075272, filed October 4, 2024, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.FIELD

[0002] Various example embodiments relate to the field of communication, and in particular, to devices, methods, apparatuses, and a computer readable medium for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer.BACKGROUND

[0003] A communication network can be seen as a facility that enables communications between two or more communication devices, or provides communication devices access to a data network. A mobile or wireless communication network is one example of a communication network.

[0004] Such communication networks operate in accordance with standards, such as those promulgated by 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) or ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute). Examples of such standards include the so-called 5G (5th Generation) standard or other standards promulgated by 3GPP.SUMMARY

[0005] In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for AloT data transfer, especially for a UE in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state.

[0006] In a first aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminal device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device at least to: receive, from a network device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state of the terminal device; receive, from the network device, a request for an AloT procedure; and transmit, to the network device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

[0007] In a second aspect, there is provided a network device. The network device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device at least to: transmit, to a terminal device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state of the terminal device; transmit, to the terminal device, a request for an AloT procedure; and receive, from the terminal device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

[0008] In a third aspect, there is provided a method. The method comprises: receiving, from a networkdevice, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state of a terminal device; receiving, from the network device, a request for an AloT procedure; and transmitting, to the network device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, there is provided a method. The method comprises: transmitting, to a terminal device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJN ACTIVE) state of the terminal device; transmitting, to the terminal device, a request for an AloT procedure; and receiving, from the terminal device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

[0010] In a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus. The apparatus comprises: means for receiving, from a network device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state of a terminal device; means for receiving, from the network device, a request for an AloT procedure; and means for transmitting, to the network device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

[0011] In a sixth aspect, there is provided an apparatus. The apparatus comprises: means for transmitting, to a terminal device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state of the terminal device; means for transmitting, to the terminal device, a request for an AloT procedure; and means for receiving, from the terminal device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

[0012] In a seventh aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least method of the above third aspect or fourth aspect.

[0013] In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the method of the above third aspect or fourth aspect.

[0014] In a ninth aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminal device comprises: first receiving circuitry configured to receive, from a network device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state of the terminal device; second receiving circuitry configured to receive, from the network device, a request for an AloT procedure; and transmitting circuitry configured to transmit, to the network device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein therandom access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

[0015] In a tenth aspect, there is provided a network device. The network device comprises: first transmitting circuitry configured to transmit, to a terminal device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state of the terminal device; second transmitting circuitry configured to transmit, to the terminal device, a request for an AloT procedure; and receiving circuitry configured to receive, from the terminal device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

[0016] It is to be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates an example topology 2 scenario in AloT communication environment in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0019] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a process flow in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a process flow based on a reader specific preamble pool configuration for AloT traffic in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow based on a dynamic preamble configuration for AloT traffic in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a process flow based on a static partition of preambles for AloT traffic in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example method implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an example method implemented at a network device in accordance with some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] FIG. 8 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0026] FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a computer-readable medium in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.

[0029] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0030] References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

[0031] It shall be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0032] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “has”, “having”, “includes” and / or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

[0033] As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following:(a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry) and(b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable):(i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware and(ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and(c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (for example, firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

[0034] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0035] As used herein, the term “network”, “communication network” or “data network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as long term evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced (LTE-A), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA), narrow band Internet of things (NB-loT), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) and so on. Furthermore, the communications between a terminal device and a network device / element in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, the fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, the future fifth generation (5G), IEEE 802.11 communication protocols, and / or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will of course also be future type communication technologies and systems with which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned system.

[0036] As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device receives services (e.g., positioning services) therefrom. The network device may refer to a core network device or access network device, such as base station (BS) or an access point (AP) or a transmission and reception point (TRP), for example, a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a WiFi device, a relay, a low power node such as a femto, a pico, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology. In the following description, the terms “network device”, “AP device”, “AP” and “access point” may be used interchangeably.

[0037] The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example rather than limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communicationdevice, user equipment (UE), a Subscriber Station (SS), a Portable Subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS), a station (STA) or station device, or an Access Terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (for example, remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (for example, a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. In the following description, the terms “station”, “station device”, “STA”, “terminal device”, “communication device”, “terminal”, “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0038] FIG. 1 illustrates an example topology 2 scenario in AloT communication environment in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The AloT communication environment, which may be a part of a communication system, comprises terminal devices and network devices.

[0039] The network may be implemented according to any proper wireless or wired communication protocol (s), comprising, but not limited to, cellular communication protocols and core network communication protocols of the fourth generation (4G) and the fifth generation (5G) and the like, wireless local network communication protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 and the like, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Moreover, the communication may utilize any proper wireless communication technology, comprising but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple- Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0040] It is to be understood that the number of devices and their connection relationships and types shown in FIG. 1 are for illustrative purposes without suggesting any limitation. The AloT communication environment may comprise any suitable number of devices adapted for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0041] As illustrated in FIG. 1 , it can be seen that in topology 2 scenario, a user equipment (UE) (e.g., UE 110 in FIG. 1) is used as an intermediate node for the communication between a base station (BS) (e.g., gNB 120 in FIG. 1) and the AloT devices (e.g., AloT device 130 in FIG. 1). The intermediate node, referred to as “Reader UE”, interacts with the AloT devices and accumulates AloT data. The reader UE then sendsthe AloT data to the gNB over the Uu interface. There are proposals that the reader UE may be in any of the RRC states while performing AloT communication. Generally, the reader UE is assumed to be in RRC_CONNECTED state while receiving the inventory or command request from the gNB. This means, the UE in RRCJNACTIVE state may have to move to RRC_CONNECTED state to receive the inventory or the command request from the gNB, then it may move to RRCJDLE / RRCJNACTIVE state, perform the AloT communication (which is more suitable given the infrequency and small size of the AloT traffic) and may have to move back to RRC_CONNECTED state for sending the AloT data read from the devices to the gNB. The change of states involves a lot of signaling and consumes UE battery significantly as these procedures may repeat very often. In some cases, it is not possible to configure a UE in RRCJNACTIVE state for receiving / transmitting information related to AloT traffic over the Uu interface.

[0042] For a UE in RRCJNACTIVE state to send AloT data in the uplink (UL), the gNB may need to know that this data corresponds to AloT service. The UE in inactive state may need to be enabled to send both AloT service data and non-AloT service data over the Uu interface, and the resource allocation may need to be different for AloT and non-AloT traffic. In most of the cases, this can be done assuming that the gNB may have fair idea on the resource requirements for AloT traffic based on the information received from the core network and the gNB can allocate the resources accordingly.

[0043] The problems to be addressed in some embodiments of the present disclosure may relate to the following issues.

[0044] For the first issue, in topology 2, for reader UE in RRC-INACTIVE state, the resource allocation on Uu interface does not consider the support of the AloT functionality (i.e., the SDT-based AloT traffic between reader UE and devices). For the second issue, there are no means for the gNB to differentiate between AloT and non-AloT traffic for the random access based UL small data transmission (SDT) from UEs in RRCJNACTIVE state.

[0045] Generally, some embodiments of the present disclosure is for the network to configure the UEs in RRCJNACTIVE state for AloT inventory or command request, thereby enabling the UEs to provide the AloT data to the gNB in the UL without having to transition to RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0046] In this case, a reader specific preamble or a pool of preambles is allocated and configured to UEs in RRCJNACTIVE state. The UEs in RRCJNACTIVE state then use these preambles in MSG1 when performing random access based (RA-based) SDT with the gNB for AloT traffic. The same preamble may be configured for multiple UEs or the same pool of preambles may be configured for multiple UEs if the number of reader UEs is very high. The configuration of the preambles or the pool of preambles may be implemented by different solutions as described below.

[0047] For the first solution, it is proposed to allocate reader specific preamble pool. This pool may contain a list of preambles which may be used by the UEs when attempting to initiate RA-based SDT via MSG1 to send AloT traffic to the gNB. This preamble pool for AloT traffic to be used in RRCJNACTIVE state may beconfigured to the UEs during reader UE registration time.

[0048] For the second solution, it is proposed to dynamically allocate the preamble for the reader UEs in RRCJNACTIVE state when the reader UE is being requested to perform an AloT inventory procedure or an AloT inventory and command procedure. When the reader UE in RRCJNACTIVE state is paged in a MT- SDT procedure, the preamble or the pool of preambles may be configured dynamically in the MT-SDT message.

[0049] In other words, the group of preambles dedicated for reader UEs performing AloT procedures with the devices may be dynamically adjusted every time the gNB receives a request from the core network to start an inventory and / or command procedure with a group of AloT devices. Factors that control the dynamic adjustment may be the presence of the AloT traffic, the number of AloT devices to be targeted, the number of reader UEs triggering the devices, and how frequent that the devices are triggered.

[0050] For the above mentioned first and second solutions, since the UE specific RACH resource configuration for AloT data transmission for reader in RRC-INACTIVE state is proposed, the gNB may provide the UE (i.e., the reader UE) with specific RACH resource configuration for AloT data transmission in RRC- INACTIVE state in any of the following means.

[0051] For the first solution, as part of the reader registration, the suspend configuration in RRC connection release (RRC_Release) message may include the RACH configuration for SDT. And for the second solution, as part of the MT-SDT transmission towards the reader UE, the RACH configuration may be provided as a MAC control element.

[0052] Moreover, the AloT specific RACH configuration may consist of a set of preambles for contention based RACH or contention free single preamble to be used for the next SDT from the reader UE. The AloT specific RACH configuration may also provide physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resources for a two- step SDT procedure.

[0053] Furthermore, for the third solution, it is proposed to statically partition the preamble(s) for AloT for UE in RRC_CONNECTED state and broadcast the preamble or the pool of preambles in the system information to all the UEs in the cell. This is an extension of partitioning the RACH resources for UEs in RRCJNACTIVE state sending / receiving AloT traffic. The MT-SDT message may contain the device(s) or a group of devices to be targeted for the AloT procedure and the type of the AloT procedure, inventory, or inventory and command.

[0054] For the third solution, since the cell specific RACH resource partition for AloT data transmission for AloT reader operation is proposed, as an alternative method, the gNB may provide separate RACH partition for AloT SDT in system information based on the UE capability information (i.e., whether the served UEs support AloT reader functionality). In this case, the same configuration is applicable for all reader UEs and the RACH resources are statically reserved irrespective of actual AloT operation in the network.

[0055] Moreover, the AloT PRACH partitioning per cell may also be determined based on whether theserved UEs support AloT reader functionality (or historical data about served UEs of a particular cell), the presence of the AloT traffic, the number of AloT devices to be targeted, the number of reader UEs triggering the devices, and how frequent that the devices are triggered.

[0056] Generally, some embodiments of the present disclosure propose a solution for AloT data transfer. In this solution, a terminal device (e.g., a UE configured as an AloT reader) receives, from a network device (e.g., a base station), a configuration for random access. The configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJN ACTIVE) state of the terminal device. In addition, the terminal device receives, from the network device, a request for an AloT procedure. Then, the terminal device transmits, to the network device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure. The random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration. By implementing the example embodiments of the present disclosure, the AloT data can be transferred from the terminal device in a RRCJNACTIVE state to the network device.

[0057] For illustrative purposes, principles and example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 9. However, it is to be noted that these embodiments are given to enable the skilled in the art to understand inventive concepts of the present disclosure and implement the solution as proposed herein, and not intended to limit scope of the present application in any way.

[0058] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a process flow 200 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For ease of understanding, the process flow 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. It would be appreciated that although the process flow 200 has been described referring to the communication environment of FIG. 1 , this process flow 200 may be likewise applied to other similar communication scenarios.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 2, at 230, a network device 220 may transmit, to a terminal device 210, a configuration 232 for random access. The configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state of the terminal device. Accordingly, at 234, the terminal device 210 may receive, from the network device 220, the configuration for random access.

[0060] At 240, the network device 220 may transmit, to the terminal device 240, a request 244 for an AloT procedure. Accordingly, at 244, the terminal device 220 may receive, from the network device 220, the request 244 for the AloT procedure.

[0061] Thereafter, at 250, the terminal device may transmit, to the network device 220, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure. The random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration. Accordingly, at 254, the network device 220 may receive, from the terminal device 210, the AloT data related to the AloT procedure during the random access procedure.

[0062] In some implementations, the terminal device is configured as an AloT reader, and the network device is a base station, and the AloT procedure comprises an AloT inventory procedure or an AloT inventory and command procedure.

[0063] In some implementations, the request is received in a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT- SDT) paging message, and the configuration at least comprises one or more preambles including a preamble or a pool of preambles.

[0064] In some implementations, the configuration is a terminal device specific random access resource configuration (i.e., corresponds to the first and second solutions as mentioned above), and the one or more preambles are dedicated for AloT traffic, and the one or more preambles are received in a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration during a registration procedure of the terminal device, the MT-SDT paging message, or both of them.

[0065] Alternatively, in some implementations, the configuration is a cell specific random access resource configuration (i.e., corresponds to the second solution as mentioned above), and the one or more preambles are statically partitioned for AloT traffic, and the one or more preambles are received in a system information block (SIB) broadcast to the terminal device.

[0066] In some implementations, the MT-SDT paging message comprises information related to a random access SDT (RA-SDT) procedure, and the information related to the RA-SDT procedure indicates one or more AloT devices to be targeted for the AloT procedure, a type of the AloT procedure, inventory, or inventory and command, or both of them. In some implementations, the information related to the RA-SDT procedure is included in initial trigger message (ITM) contents.

[0067] In some implementations, the random access procedure is a two-step random access procedure, and the configuration further comprises at least information about a first resource allocation for a physical random access channel (PRACH), a second resource allocation for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and a third resource allocation for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0068] In this case, in some implementations, during the random access procedure, the terminal device may further transmit, based on the first resource allocation, a random access message 1 (MSG1) with at least one preamble among the one or more preambles, transmit, based on the second resource allocation, the AloT data along with a RRC_Resume request message, and receive, based on information received on the PDCCH, a random access message 2 (MSG2) comprising a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration, the MSG2 is a random access response (RAR)..

[0069] Alternatively, in some implementations, the random access procedure is a four-step random access procedure, and during the random access procedure, the terminal device may further transmit a MSG1 with at least one preamble among the one or more preambles, the MSG1 comprises a size of the AloT data, receive a random access message 2 (MSG2) with information related to a fourth resource allocation for the AloT data, the MSG2 is a random access response (RAR), transmit, based on the fourth resource allocation, a RRC_Resume request message with the AloT data, and receive a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration.

[0070] The primary differences between the above mentioned three solutions are about the method inwhich the preambles are shared from the gNB to the reader UE. For example, the first solution uses RRC_Release with suspend configuration to share the preambles to the reader UE, the second solution uses MT-SDT paging message to share the preambles to the reader UE, and the third solution uses the SIB broadcast method to share the preambles to the reader UE.

[0071] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a process flow 300 based on a reader specific preamble pool configuration for AloT traffic in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0072] At 301 (relates to reader UE registration), the AloT function (AloTF) indicates the gNB 340 on the information about the reader UE 320. The gNB 340, while sending RRC_Release with suspend indication to move the reader UE to inactive state, share the preamble or pool of preambles to be used for AloT data transfer in RRCJNACTIVE state.

[0073] For four-step RACH procedure, the configuration may contain a preamble or a pool of preambles. An indication on the size of the data to be transmitted may also be indicated in the MSG1 in the four-step RACH procedure. For two-step RACH procedure, a two-step RACH resource allocation may be provided that includes a preamble or a pool of preambles along with PUSCH and PDCCH allocations. Based on the two- step or the four-step RACH procedure, the UE may use the preamble or pick a preamble from the pool of preambles during MSG1. This will help the gNB know that this RACH is attempted by a UE in RRCJNACTIVE state for transferring AloT data and the gNB may allocate the resources accordingly.

[0074] The MT-SDT message may contain the initial trigger message (ITM) contents indicating the device(s) or a group of devices to be targeted for the AloT procedure and the type of the AloT procedure, inventory, or inventory and command.

[0075] If a single UE is allocated with a single preamble or with a pool of preambles, it may be a contention free random access (CFRA) process as the preamble or any preamble from the pool of preambles may be used only by that reader UE. If multiple UEs have given the same preamble or a pool of preambles, any of these UEs may use any of the preambles from the pool configured, and the gNB may understand that this is for the AloT traffic from a UE in RRCJNACTIVE state. There may be contention among these UEs using the same preamble, hence may be a contention based random access (CBRA) process.

[0076] At 302, the reader UE 320 moves to RRCJNACTIVE state.

[0077] At 303, the gNB 340 triggers paging for the reader UE in RRCJNACTIVE state. This paging indication contains the AloT inventory procedure request or AloT inventory and command procedure request.

[0078] At 304, the reader UE 320 then communicates with the AloT devices 360 based on the AloT request received at 303.

[0079] In case of two-step RACH process, at 305, the reader UE 320 sends MSG1 with the configured preamble as part of a CFRA procedure. The reader UE 320 uses the preamble configured at 301 . This also contains the AloT data to be transmitted along with RRC_Resume request message.

[0080] At 306, the gNB responds with Random Access Response (RAR) with RRC_Release with suspendconfiguration.

[0081] In an alternate option, as part of four-step RACH procedure, at 307, the reader UE 320 sends the MSG1 with preamble configured at 301 as part of a CBRA process. This also contains the size of the AloT data to be transmitted.

[0082] At 308, the gNB 340 sends the Random access response (RAR) with resource allocation to be used for AloT data transfer.

[0083] At 309, the reader UE 320 sends RRC_Resume request with payload.

[0084] At 310, the gNB 340 sends RRC_Release with suspend configuration.

[0085] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow 400 based on a dynamic preamble configuration for AloT traffic in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0086] At 401 , the reader UE 420 is in inactive state.

[0087] At 402, paging for MT-SDT. When the reader UE 420 is paged for MT-SDT, it contains the following information.

[0088] The inventory request or inventory and command request, and preambles or a pool of preambles which are configured for AloT data transfer in RRCJNACTIVE state.

[0089] In case of a four-step RACH process, the gNB 440 allocates the preamble or a pool of preambles that may be used by the reader UE in RRCJNACTIVE state for MSG1 . In case of a two-step RACH process, the gNB 440, apart from allocating preamble or a pool of preambles, also allocates the resources needed for the reader UE to attempt the two-step RACH procedure. The MT-SDT message along with the RACH resources may also contain the device(s) or a group of devices to be targeted for the AloT procedure and the type of the AloT procedure, inventory, or inventory and command.

[0090] At 403, the reader UE 420 then communicates with the AloT devices 460 based on the AloT request received at 402.

[0091] At 404, in case of two-step RACH process, the reader UE 420 sends MSG1 with the configured preamble as part of a CFRA procedure. The reader UE 420 uses the preamble configured at 401 . This also contains the AloT data to be transmitted along with RRC_Resume request message.

[0092] At 405, the gNB 440 responds with Random Access Response (RAR) with RRC_Release with suspend indication.

[0093] At 406, in an alternate option, as part of four-step RACH procedure, the reader UE 420 sends the MSG1 with preamble configured at 401 as part of a CBRA process. This also contains the size of the AloT data to be transmitted.

[0094] At 407, the gNB 440 sends the Random access response (RAR) with resource allocation to be used for AloT data transfer.

[0095] At 408, the reader UE 420 sends RRC_Resume request with payload.

[0096] At 409, the gNB 440 sends RRC_Release with suspend configuration.

[0097] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a process flow 500 based on a static partition of preambles for AloT traffic in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0098] At 501a, the gNB 540 performs the preamble partitioning based on the reader UE capability information from initial cell selection (or cell re-selection) or based on historical data.

[0099] At 501 b, the gNB 540 then broadcast the preambles partitioned for reader UEs in RRCJNACTIVE state for AloT traffic. The partitioned preambles are transmitted by SIB to the reader UEs. These preambles may be used by the reader UEs when attempting MSG1 in RRCJNACTIVE state for transferring AloT data.

[0100] At 502, paging for MT-SDT. When the reader UE 520 is paged for MT-SDT, it contains the inventory request or inventory and command request.

[0101] At 503, the reader UE 520 then communicates with the AloT devices 560 based on the AloT request received at 502.

[0102] In case of two-step RACH process, at 504, the reader UE 520 sends MSG1 with the configured preamble as part of a CFRA procedure. The reader UE 520 uses the preamble configured at 501 b. This also contains the AloT data to be transmitted along with RRC_Resume request message.

[0103] At 505, the gNB 540 responds with Random Access Response (RAR) with RRC_Release with suspend indication.

[0104] In an alternate option, as part of four-step RACH procedure, the reader UE 520 sends the MSG1 with preamble configured at 501 b as part of a CBRA process. This also contains the size of the AloT data to be transmitted.

[0105] At 506, the gNB 506 sends the Random access response (RAR) with resource allocation to be used for AloT data transfer.

[0106] At 508, the reader UE 520 sends RRC_Resume request with payload.

[0107] At 509, the gNB 540 sends RRC_Release with suspend configuration.

[0108] FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 600 implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some other embodiments of the present disclosure. For ease of understanding, the method 600 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 210 with reference to FIG. 2.

[0109] At block 610, the terminal device 210 may receive, from a network device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state of the terminal device. At block 620, the terminal device 210 may receive, from the network device, a request for an AloT procedure. At block 630, the terminal device 210 may transmit, to the network device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

[0110] In some embodiments, the request is received in a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT) paging message, and the configuration at least comprises one or more preambles including a preamble or a pool of preambles.

[0111] In some embodiments, the configuration is a terminal device specific random access resource configuration, and the one or more preambles are dedicated for AloT traffic, and wherein the one or more preambles are received in at least one of the following: a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration during a registration procedure of the terminal device; or the MT-SDT paging message.

[0112] Alternatively, in some implementations, the configuration is a cell specific random access resource configuration, and the one or more preambles are statically partitioned for AloT traffic, and wherein the one or more preambles are received in a system information block (SIB) broadcast to the terminal device.

[0113] In some implementations, the MT-SDT paging message comprises information related to a random access SDT (RA-SDT) procedure, and the information related to the RA-SDT procedure indicates the following: one or more AloT devices to be targeted for the AloT procedure; and a type of the AloT procedure, inventory, or inventory and command. In some implementations, the information related to the RA-SDT procedure is included in initial trigger message (ITM) contents.

[0114] In some implementations, the random access procedure is a two-step random access procedure, and the configuration further comprises at least information about the following: a first resource allocation for a physical random access channel (PRACH); a second resource allocation for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH); and a third resource allocation for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0115] In this case, in some implementations, during the random access procedure, the terminal device is further caused to: transmit, based on the first resource allocation, a random access message 1 (MSG1) with at least one preamble among the one or more preambles, and transmit, based on the second resource allocation, the AloT data along with a RRC_Resume request message; and receive, based on information received on the PDCCH, a random access message 2 (MSG2) comprising a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration, wherein the MSG2 is a random access response (RAR).

[0116] Alternatively, in some implementations, the random access procedure is a four-step random access procedure, and during the random access procedure, the terminal device is further caused to: transmit a MSG1 with at least one preamble among the one or more preambles, and the MSG1 comprises a size of the AloT data; receive a random access message 2 (MSG2) with information related to a fourth resource allocation for the AloT data, wherein the MSG2 is a random access response (RAR); transmit, based on the fourth resource allocation, a RRC_Resume request message with the AloT data; and receive a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration.

[0117] In some implementations, the terminal device is configured as an AloT reader, the network device is a base station, and the AloT procedure comprises an AloT inventory procedure or an AloT inventory and command procedure.

[0118] FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 700 implemented at a network device in accordance with some other embodiments of the present disclosure. For ease of understanding, the method 700 will be described from the perspective of the network device 220 with reference to FIG. 2.

[0119] At block 710, the network device 220 may transmit, to a terminal device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJN ACTIVE) state of the terminal device. At block 720, the network device 220 may transmit, to the terminal device, a request for an AloT procedure. At block 730, the network device 220 may receive, from the terminal device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

[0120] In some implementations, the request is transmitted in a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT- SDT) paging message, and the configuration at least comprises one or more preambles including a preamble or a pool of preambles.

[0121] In some implementations, the configuration is a terminal device specific random access resource configuration, and the one or more preambles are dedicated for AloT traffic, and wherein the one or more preambles are transmitted in at least one of the following: a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration during a registration procedure of the terminal device; or the MT-SDT paging message.

[0122] Alternatively, in some implementations, the configuration is a cell specific random access resource configuration, and the one or more preambles are statically partitioned for AloT traffic, and wherein the one or more preambles are transmitted in a system information block (SIB) broadcast to the terminal device.

[0123] In some implementations, the MT-SDT paging message comprises information related to a random access SDT (RA-SDT) procedure, and the information related to the RA-SDT procedure indicates the following: one or more AloT devices to be targeted for the AloT procedure; and a type of the AloT procedure, inventory, or inventory and command. In some implementations, the information related to the RA-SDT procedure is included in initial trigger message (ITM) contents.

[0124] In some implementations, the random access procedure is a two-step random access procedure, and the configuration further comprises at least information about the following: a first resource allocation for a physical random access channel (PRACH); a second resource allocation for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH); and a third resource allocation for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0125] In this case, in some implementations, during the random access procedure, the network device is further caused to: receive, based on the first resource allocation, a random access message 1 (MSG1) with at least one preamble among the one or more preambles, and receive, based on the second resource allocation, the AloT data along with a RRC_Resume request message; and transmit, based on information transmitted on the PDCCH, a random access message 2 (MSG2) comprising a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration, wherein the MSG2 is a random access response (RAR).

[0126] Alternatively, in some implementations, the random access procedure is a four-step random access procedure, and during the random access procedure, the network device is caused to: receive a MSG1 with at least one preamble among the one or more preambles, and the MSG1 comprises a size of the AloT data; transmit a random access message 2 (MSG2) with information related to a fourth resource allocation for theAloT data, wherein the MSG2 is a random access response (RAR); receive, based on the fourth resource allocation, a RRC_Resume request message with the AloT data; and transmit a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration.

[0127] In some implementations, the terminal device is configured as an AloT reader, and the network device is a base station, and the AloT procedure comprises an AloT inventory procedure or an AloT inventory and command procedure.

[0128] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the method 600 (for example, the terminal device 210) may comprise means for performing the respective steps of the method 600. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

[0129] In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises means for receiving, from a network device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state of the terminal device; means for receiving, from the network device, a request for an AloT procedure; and means for transmitting, to the network device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

[0130] In some embodiments, the request is received in a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT) paging message, and the configuration at least comprises one or more preambles including a preamble or a pool of preambles.

[0131] In some embodiments, the configuration is a terminal device specific random access resource configuration, and the one or more preambles are dedicated for AloT traffic, and wherein the one or more preambles are received in at least one of the following: a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration during a registration procedure of the terminal device; or the MT-SDT paging message.

[0132] Alternatively, in some implementations, the configuration is a cell specific random access resource configuration, and the one or more preambles are statically partitioned for AloT traffic, and wherein the one or more preambles are received in a system information block (SIB) broadcast to the terminal device.

[0133] In some implementations, the MT-SDT paging message comprises information related to a random access SDT (RA-SDT) procedure, and the information related to the RA-SDT procedure indicates the following: one or more AloT devices to be targeted for the AloT procedure; and a type of the AloT procedure, inventory, or inventory and command. In some implementations, the information related to the RA-SDT procedure is included in initial trigger message (ITM) contents.

[0134] In some implementations, the random access procedure is a two-step random access procedure, and the configuration further comprises at least information about the following: a first resource allocation for a physical random access channel (PRACH); a second resource allocation for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH); and a third resource allocation for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0135] In this case, in some implementations, during the random access procedure, the terminal device is further caused to: transmit, based on the first resource allocation, a random access message 1 (MSG1) with at least one preamble among the one or more preambles, and transmit, based on the second resource allocation, the AloT data along with a RRC_Resume request message; and receive, based on information received on the PDCCH, a random access message 2 (MSG2) comprising a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration, wherein the MSG2 is a random access response (RAR).

[0136] Alternatively, in some implementations, the random access procedure is a four-step random access procedure, and during the random access procedure, the terminal device is further caused to: transmit a MSG1 with at least one preamble among the one or more preambles, and the MSG1 comprises a size of the AloT data; receive a random access message 2 (MSG2) with information related to a fourth resource allocation for the AloT data, wherein the MSG2 is a random access response (RAR); transmit, based on the fourth resource allocation, a RRC_Resume request message with the AloT data; and receive a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration.

[0137] In some implementations, the terminal device is configured as an AloT reader, the network device is a base station, and the AloT procedure comprises an AloT inventory procedure or an AloT inventory and command procedure.

[0138] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of the method 600. In some embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the performance of the apparatus.

[0139] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the method 700 (for example, the network device 220) may comprise means for performing the respective steps of the method 700. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

[0140] In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises means for transmitting, to a terminal device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state of the terminal device; means for transmitting, to the terminal device, a request for an AloT procedure; and means for receiving, from the terminal device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

[0141] In some implementations, the request is transmitted in a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT- SDT) paging message, and the configuration at least comprises one or more preambles including a preamble or a pool of preambles.

[0142] In some implementations, the configuration is a terminal device specific random access resource configuration, and the one or more preambles are dedicated for AloT traffic, and wherein the one or morepreambles are transmitted in at least one of the following: a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration during a registration procedure of the terminal device; or the MT-SDT paging message.

[0143] Alternatively, in some implementations, the configuration is a cell specific random access resource configuration, and the one or more preambles are statically partitioned for AloT traffic, and wherein the one or more preambles are transmitted in a system information block (SIB) broadcast to the terminal device.

[0144] In some implementations, the MT-SDT paging message comprises information related to a random access SDT (RA-SDT) procedure, and the information related to the RA-SDT procedure indicates the following: one or more AloT devices to be targeted for the AloT procedure; and a type of the AloT procedure, inventory, or inventory and command. In some implementations, the information related to the RA-SDT procedure is included in initial trigger message (ITM) contents.

[0145] In some implementations, the random access procedure is a two-step random access procedure, and the configuration further comprises at least information about the following: a first resource allocation for a physical random access channel (PRACH); a second resource allocation for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH); and a third resource allocation for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0146] In this case, in some implementations, during the random access procedure, the network device is further caused to: receive, based on the first resource allocation, a random access message 1 (MSG1) with at least one preamble among the one or more preambles, and receive, based on the second resource allocation, the AloT data along with a RRC_Resume request message; and transmit, based on information transmitted on the PDCCH, a random access message 2 (MSG2) comprising a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration, wherein the MSG2 is a random access response (RAR).

[0147] Alternatively, in some implementations, the random access procedure is a four-step random access procedure, and during the random access procedure, the network device is caused to: receive a MSG1 with at least one preamble among the one or more preambles, and the MSG1 comprises a size of the AloT data; transmit a random access message 2 (MSG2) with information related to a fourth resource allocation for the AloT data, wherein the MSG2 is a random access response (RAR); receive, based on the fourth resource allocation, a RRC_Resume request message with the AloT data; and transmit a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration.

[0148] In some implementations, the terminal device is configured as an AloT reader, and the network device is a base station, and the AloT procedure comprises an AloT inventory procedure or an AloT inventory and command procedure.

[0149] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of the method 700. In some embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the performance of the apparatus.

[0150] FIG. 8 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device 800 that is suitable for implementing someexample embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 800 may be provided to implement a communication device, for example, the terminal device 210 or the network device 220 as shown in FIG. 2. As shown, the device 800 includes one or more processors 810, one or more memories 820 coupled to the processor 810, and one or more communication modules 840 coupled to the processor 810.

[0151] The communication module 840 is for bidirectional communications. The communication module 840 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0152] The processor 810 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 800 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

[0153] The memory 820 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of the non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 824, an electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of the volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a random access memory (RAM) 822 and other volatile memories that will not last in the power-down duration.

[0154] A computer program 830 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 810. The program 830 may be stored in the ROM 824. The processor 810 may perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 830 into the RAM 822.

[0155] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program 830 so that the device 800 may perform any process of the disclosure as discussed with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the program 830 may be tangibly contained in a computer- readable medium which may be included in the device 800 (such as in the memory 820) or other storage devices that are accessible by the device 800. The device 800 may load the program 830 from the computer- readable medium to the RAM 822 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any types of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like.

[0157] FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a computer-readable medium 700 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The computer-readable medium 900 has the program 830 stored thereon. It is noted that although the computer-readable medium 900 is depicted in form of CD or DVD in FIG. 9, the computer-readable medium 900 may be in any other form suitable for carry or hold the program 830.

[0158] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representations, it is to be understood that the block, apparatus, system, technique or method described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0159] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computerexecutable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor, to carry out the method 600 or 700 as described above with reference to FIG. 6 or 7. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0160] Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

[0161] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable the device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, computer-readable medium, and the like.

[0162] The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer- readable storage medium. A computer-readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. The term “non- transitory,” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0163] Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0164] Although the present disclosure has been described in languages specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:1 . A terminal device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device at least to: receive, from a network device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state of the terminal device; receive, from the network device, a request for an AloT procedure; and transmit, to the network device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

2. The terminal device of claim 1 , wherein the request is received in a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT) paging message, and the configuration at least comprises one or more preambles including a preamble or a pool of preambles.

3. The terminal device of claim 2, wherein the configuration is a terminal device specific random access resource configuration, and the one or more preambles are dedicated for AloT traffic, and wherein the one or more preambles are received in at least one of the following: a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration during a registration procedure of the terminal device; or the MT-SDT paging message.

4. The terminal device of claim 2, wherein the configuration is a cell specific random access resource configuration, and the one or more preambles are statically partitioned for AloT traffic, and wherein the one or more preambles are received in a system information block (SIB) broadcast to the terminal device.

5. The terminal device of claim 2, wherein the MT-SDT paging message comprises information related to a random access SDT (RA-SDT) procedure, and the information related to the RA-SDT procedure indicates the following: one or more AloT devices to be targeted for the AloT procedure; and a type of the AloT procedure, inventory, or inventory and command.

6. The terminal device of claim 5, wherein the information related to the RA-SDT procedure is included in initial trigger message (ITM) contents.

7. The terminal device of any of claims 2-6, wherein the random access procedure is a two-step random access procedure, and the configuration further comprises at least information about the following: a first resource allocation for a physical random access channel (PRACH); a second resource allocation for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH); and a third resource allocation for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

8. The terminal device of claim 7, wherein during the random access procedure, the terminal device is further caused to: transmit, based on the first resource allocation, a random access message 1 (MSG1) with at least one preamble among the one or more preambles, and transmit, based on the second resource allocation, the AloT data along with a RRC_Resume request message; and receive, based on information received on the PDCCH, a random access message 2 (MSG2) comprising a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration, wherein the MSG2 is a random access response (RAR).

9. The terminal device of any of claims 2-6, wherein the random access procedure is a four-step random access procedure, and during the random access procedure, the terminal device is further caused to: transmit a MSG1 with at least one preamble among the one or more preambles, and the MSG1 comprises a size of the AloT data; receive a random access message 2 (MSG2) with information related to a fourth resource allocation for the AloT data, wherein the MSG2 is a random access response (RAR); transmit, based on the fourth resource allocation, a RRC_Resume request message with the AloT data; and receive a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration.

10. The terminal device of any of claims 1-9, wherein the terminal device is configured as an AloT reader, the network device is a base station, and the AloT procedure comprises an AloT inventory procedure or an AloT inventory and command procedure.11 . A network device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device at least to:transmit, to a terminal device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state of the terminal device; transmit, to the terminal device, a request for an AloT procedure; and receive, from the terminal device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

12. The network device of claim 11 , wherein the request is transmitted in a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT) paging message, and the configuration at least comprises one or more preambles including a preamble or a pool of preambles.

13. The network device of claim 12, wherein the configuration is a terminal device specific random access resource configuration, and the one or more preambles are dedicated for AloT traffic, and wherein the one or more preambles are transmitted in at least one of the following: a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration during a registration procedure of the terminal device; or the MT-SDT paging message.

14. The network device of claim 12, wherein the configuration is a cell specific random access resource configuration, and the one or more preambles are statically partitioned for AloT traffic, and wherein the one or more preambles are transmitted in a system information block (SIB) broadcast to the terminal device.

15. The network device of claim 12, wherein the MT-SDT paging message comprises information related to a random access SDT (RA-SDT) procedure, and the information related to the RA-SDT procedure indicates the following: one or more AloT devices to be targeted for the AloT procedure; and a type of the AloT procedure, inventory, or inventory and command.

16. The network device of claim 15, wherein the information related to the RA-SDT procedure is included in initial trigger message (ITM) contents.

17. The network device of any of claims 12-16, wherein the random access procedure is a two-step random access procedure, and the configuration further comprises at least information about the following: a first resource allocation for a physical random access channel (PRACH);a second resource allocation for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH); and a third resource allocation for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

18. The network device of claim 17, wherein during the random access procedure, the network device is further caused to: receive, based on the first resource allocation, a random access message 1 (MSG1) with at least one preamble among the one or more preambles, and receive, based on the second resource allocation, the AloT data along with a RRC_Resume request message; and transmit, based on information transmitted on the PDCCH, a random access message 2 (MSG2) comprising a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration, wherein the MSG2 is a random access response (RAR).

19. The network device of any of claims 12-16, wherein the random access procedure is a four-step random access procedure, and during the random access procedure, the network device is caused to: receive a MSG1 with at least one preamble among the one or more preambles, and the MSG1 comprises a size of the AloT data; transmit a random access message 2 (MSG2) with information related to a fourth resource allocation for the AloT data, wherein the MSG2 is a random access response (RAR); receive, based on the fourth resource allocation, a RRC_Resume request message with the AloT data; and transmit a RRC_Release message with a suspend configuration.

20. The network device of any of claims 11-19, wherein the terminal device is configured as an AloT reader, and the network device is a base station, and the AloT procedure comprises an AloT inventory procedure or an AloT inventory and command procedure.

21. A method comprising: receiving, from a network device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state of a terminal device; receiving, from the network device, a request for an AloT procedure; and transmitting, to the network device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

22. A method comprising:transmitting, to a terminal device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state of the terminal device; transmitting, to the terminal device, a request for an AloT procedure; and receiving, from the terminal device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

23. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving, from a network device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state of a terminal device; means for receiving, from the network device, a request for an AloT procedure; and means for transmitting, to the network device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

24. An apparatus comprising: means for transmitting, to a terminal device, a configuration for random access, wherein the configuration is used for ambient internet of things (AloT) data transfer in a radio resource control inactive (RRCJNACTIVE) state of the terminal device; means for transmitting, to the terminal device, a request for an AloT procedure; and means for receiving, from the terminal device, AloT data related to the AloT procedure during a random access procedure, wherein the random access procedure is initiated based on the configuration.

25. A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least method of claim 21-22.

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