Ambient internet of things (a-IOT) re-access occasion management

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) re-access occasion management. According to example embodiments, a system may include an A-IoT reader, and the A-IoT reader may be configured to detect a failure of an uplink transmission from an A-IoT device. Based on detecting the uplink transmission failure, the A-IoT reader may be configured to determine a network condition, and then assign, based on the network condition, a re-access occasion for the A-IoT device to re-attempt the uplink transmission. Accordingly, the A-IoT reader may be configured to transmit, to the A-IoT device, information associated with the re-access occasion.

Description

AMBIENT INTERNET OF THINGS (A-IOT) RE-ACCESS OCCASION MANAGEMENTCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 703068, filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on October 3, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) re-access occasion management.BACKGROUND

[0003] The information disclosed in this background section is only for the enhancement of understanding of the general background of the disclosure and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

[0004] Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) refers to technology in which devices may harvest energy from the ambient environment (e g., radio waves, light, heat, etc.), thereby enabling these devices to operate with low-power consumption without having a dedicated power source, and to have a reduced complexity and form factor. As further described below, various types of devices, such as A-IoT readers and A-IoT devices, may be involved in an A-IoT -based network.

[0005] Further, in telecommunications, an access occasion is a network resource (e.g., defined in time and / or frequency) reserved for an A-IoT device to perform an uplink transmission.On the other hand, a re-access occasion may refer to a network resource (e.g., a dedicated access occasion) assigned to an A-IoT device that has experienced an uplink transmission failure in order to re-attempt the uplink transmission.SUMMARY

[0006] Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems, methods, and the like, that effectively and efficiently implement A-IoT re-access occasion management.

[0007] According to example embodiments, a system may include an A-IoT reader, and the A-IoT reader may be configured to detect a failure of an uplink transmission from an A-IoT device. Based on detecting the uplink transmission failure, the A-IoT reader may be configured to determine a network condition, and then assign, based on the network condition, a re-access occasion for the A-IoT device to re-attempt the uplink transmission. Accordingly, the A-IoT reader may be configured to transmit, to the A-IoT device, information associated with the re-access occasion.

[0008] According to example embodiments, a method may be performable by an A-IoT reader and may include detecting a failure of an uplink transmission from an A-IoT device. The method may further include: based on detecting the uplink transmission failure, determining, by the A-IoT reader, a network condition. Further, the method may include assigning, based on the network condition, a re-access occasion for the A-IoT device to re-attempt the uplink transmission. Furthermore, the method may include transmitting, to the A-IoT device, information associated with the re-access occasion.

[0009] According to example embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium may have recorded thereon instructions executable by an A-IoT reader to cause the A-loT reader to perform a method. The method may include detecting a failure of an uplink transmission from an A-IoT device. The method may further include: based on detecting the uplink transmission failure, determining, by the A-IoT reader, a network condition. Further, the method may include assigning, based on the network condition, a re-access occasion for the A-IoT device to re-attempt the uplink transmission. Furthermore, the method may include transmitting, to the A-IoT device, information associated with the re-access occasion.

[0010] Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description that follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be realized by practice of the presented embodiments of the disclosure.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Features, aspects, and advantages of embodiments of the disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals denote like elements, and wherein:

[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a generic system configuration, according to one or more example embodiments;

[0013] FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D each illustrates an example connectivity topology, according to one or more example embodiments;

[0014] FIG. 3 illustrate an example method and operations, according to one or more example embodiments;

[0015] FIG. 4 illustrates an example device / apparatus that may implement one or more example embodiments; and

[0016] FIG. 4 illustrates an example environment in which systems, devices, and / or methods, according to one or more example embodiments, may be implemented.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The following detailed description of example embodiments refers to the accompanying drawings. The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the implementations. Further, one or more features or components of one embodiment may be incorporated into or combined with another embodiment (or one or more features of another embodiment). Additionally, the flowchart and description of operations provided below relate to one of the various embodiments. It should be noted that it is possible to make other embodiments that do not exactly match the flowchart and its description. It is understood that in other embodiments one or more operations may be omitted, one or more operations may be added, one or more operations may be performed simultaneously (at least in part).

[0018] It will be apparent that systems and / or methods, described herein, may be implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. The actual specialized control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods is not limited to the described implementations. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and / or methods are described herein without reference to specific software code. It is understood that software and hardware may be designed to implement the systems and / or methods based on the description herein.

[0019] Even though particular combinations of features are disclosed in the claims and / or in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of implementations. In fact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosure of implementations includes each dependent claim in combination with every other claim in the claim set.

[0020] No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items, and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,” “having,” “include,” “including,” or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise. Furthermore, expressions such as “at least one of [A] and [B]”, “[A] and / or [B]”, or “at least one of [A] or [B]”, are to be understood as including only A, only B, or both A and B.

[0021] Expressions such as “at least one processor,” where configured to implement a plurality of operations, execute a plurality of instructions, etc., are to be understood as a single processor implementing the plurality of operations, etc., or each of plural processors implementing at least some (but not necessarily all) of the plurality of operations, etc.

[0022] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “embodiment,” “non-limiting exemplary embodiment,” “example embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the indicated embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present solution. Thus, the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment,” “in one non-limiting exemplary embodiment,” and similarlanguage throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

[0023] Further, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the present disclosure may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more example embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, in light of the description herein, that the present disclosure can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] It shall be noted that, descriptions of example embodiments of the present disclosure may include terms and names defined in one or more standard organizations, such as the Open Radio Access Network (0-RAN) Alliance, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard organization, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) standard organization, and the like. For instance, the terms “A-IoT,” “A-IoT reader,” “A-IoT device,” “access occasion,” “re-access occasion” “random access procedure,” “random access preamble,” “Msgl,” “Msg3,” “R2D transmission,” “D2R transmission,” “paging message,” “R2D message,” and the like, as well as the associated features, operations, interfaces, and messages involved therein, are to be interpreted as consistent with those specified in one or more technical specifications, unless being described otherwise.

[0025] Generally, Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) may involve at least two types of devices, i.e., A-IoT devices and A-IoT readers. An A-IoT device may refer to a device that may harvest energy from the ambient environment (e g., radio waves, light, heat, etc ), thereby operating with low-power consumption without having a dedicated power source and reducing the complexity and form factor thereof. On the other hand, an A-IoT reader may refer to a device thatmay interact with the A-IoT devices, receive data from the A-IoT devices, and allocate resources for uplink Device-to-Reader (D2R) transmissions and downlink Reader-to-Device (R2D) transmissions.

[0026] When a failure of an uplink transmission (e.g., a D2R transmission) occurs, the associated A-IoT device(s) may retry access to the associated A-IoT reader. For instance, the reaccess mechanism may allow the A-IoT device(s) that fails during the initial contention or transmission attempt (e.g., transmission of random access preamble (Msgl) in Contention-based Random Access (CBRA), etc.) to retry accessing the network without causing excessive signaling or congestion. In this regard, the A-IoT reader may centrally control when and how the failed A- loT device(s) retries access, by allocating one or more re-access occasions to the A-IoT device(s). In this regard, a “re-access occasion” may refer to a time-frequency window (e.g., a network resource defined in time and / or frequency) during which the A-IoT device(s) that experience the uplink transmission failure may retry access or transmission. The re-access occasion may be different from an access occasion (i.e., a time-frequency window or network resource) allocated for initial access.

[0027] In this regard, although it is desired that the A-IoT device(s) may retry the failed transmissions or re-attempt access (“re-access” herein) in a timely and efficient manner to minimize collisions and prevent further contention, the specific mechanisms for managing the reaccess occasions (e.g., how the re-access occasions are assigned, communicated, adjusted, etc.) in A-IoT networks remain unspecified and non-standardized in the related art.

[0028] To begin with, the assignment, communication, and adjustment of the re-access occasion are undefined. Specifically, the specific mechanisms as to how the re-access opportunities are assigned, communicated, and adjusted based on real-time network conditions(e.g., such as device density, network load, etc.), remain unspecified and non-standardized. Further, there is no clear mechanism to coordinate re-access occasions across multiple paging rounds, especially in high device density environments. Furthermore, the related art does not account for group-triggered A-IoT devices needing re-access at the same time, leading to repeated collisions within the group when multiple A-IoT devices from the same group experience transmission failure at the same time. Without specifying and clarifying the mechanisms for addressing the above-mentioned scenarios, the A-IoT-based network may experience excessive contention and high collisions during re-access procedures, leading to delayed in the A-IoT device(s) recovering from the transmission failures and eventually reducing the overall efficiency of the A-IoT-based network.

[0029] Example embodiments of the present disclosure, as described in the following, provide devices, systems, methods, and the like, that effectively and efficiently provide A-IoT reaccess occasion management. Specifically, example embodiments implement an A-IoT reader that may be configured to automatically and dynamically detect a failure of an uplink transmission from an A-IoT device, and then determine a network condition based thereon. Accordingly, the A-IoT reader may assign a re-access occasion for the A-IoT device to re-attempt the uplink transmission and transmit information associated with the re-access occasion to the A-IoT device.

[0030] Example embodiments of the present disclosure also introduce various mechanisms to effectively and efficiently manage re-access occasions under various scenarios. For instance, the A-IoT reader may dynamically determine and assign re-access occasions in real-time (or near- real-time) based on one or more network conditions (e.g., device density, network load, etc.), which is crucial in A-IoT networks where device failure rates are relatively higher as compared to non-A-IoT networks. Further, in a high-density environment, the A-IoT reader may assign the re-access occasions between paging rounds. Furthermore, in group-based access scenarios where multiple A-IoT devices are triggered simultaneously and experience uplink transmission failures at the same time, the A-IoT reader may allocate re-access occasions for specific subsets of devices.

[0031] Advantageously, by implementing the example embodiments, the A-IoT reader may dynamically adjust the re-access occasions based on one or more network conditions (e.g., device density, network load, etc.) when dealing with multiple A-IoT devices re-attempting access in high-density deployments, thereby allowing the A-IoT devices to effectively and efficiently reattempt access or uplink transmissions, while minimizing delays and collisions with ongoing transmissions. Further, by implementing the example embodiments, the A-IoT reader may schedule the re-access occasions between paging rounds, effectively and efficiently reducing contention and allowing controlled access retries in high-density environments, further optimizing network efficiency of the A-IoT networks. Furthermore, by implementing the example embodiments, the A-IoT reader may dynamically assign re-access occasions to different subsets of a group of A-IoT devices, thereby reducing the likelihood of collisions and ensuring resource utilization in group-based access scenarios.

[0032] It is contemplated that features, advantages, and significances of example embodiments described hereinabove are merely a portion of the present disclosure, and are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Further descriptions of the features, components, configuration, operations, and implementations of the example embodiments of the present disclosure are provided in the following.Example System Architecture and Configurations

[0033] FIG. 1 illustrates a generic system configuration 100, according to one or more example embodiments. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the system configuration 100 includes an AmbientInternet of Things (A-IoT) reader 110 and an A-IoT device 120. The A-IoT reader 110 and the A- loT device 120 may communicatively couple to each other. It is contemplated that the configuration in FIG. 1 is merely an example provided for descriptive purposes, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For instance, in some example implementations, the A-IoT reader 110 may communicatively couple to multiple A-IoT devices, an A-IoT device 120 may communicatively couple to multiple A-IoT readers, and the like, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0034] The A-IoT reader 110 may refer to any suitable devices that may detect the A-IoT device 120, provide the carrier waves (e.g., for backscatter, etc.) to the A-IoT device 120, allocate uplink and / or downlink resources to the A-IoT device 120, and manage the transmissions and communications (e.g., Device-to-Reader (D2R) transmissions, Reader-to-Device (R2D) transmissions, etc.) with the A-IoT device 120. According to example embodiments, the A-IoT reader 110 may include at least one of: a base station (e.g., eNodeB, gNodeB, etc.), an intermediate or assisting node (e g., a relay, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, a repeater, etc.), or a User Equipment (UE) (e.g., a mobile phone, a computing device, etc., that uses the full transceiver and protocol stacks to communicate with an A-IoT device, etc.).

[0035] The A-IoT device 120 may refer to a low-power, low-complexity device that may harvest energy from the ambient environment, eliminating the need for a dedicated power source or battery replacement. For instance, the A-IoT device 120 may utilize ambient energy sources like radio waves, light, heat, or motion to power the associated operations. The A-IoT device 120 may implement low-end loT applications (e.g., inventory management, simple command, etc.) that may be implemented with an ultra-low complexity device with ultra-low power consumption and / or a small form factor. According to example embodiments, the A-IoT device may include atleast one of: a Radio Frequency (RF) tag (e.g., a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag, an RFIdentification (RFID) tag, a backscatter tag, etc.), a sensor (e.g., motion sensor, light sensor, environmental sensor, etc.), or a UE (e.g., a wearable device, a healthcare tracker, etc., that operates in low power mode).

[0036] According to example embodiments, the A-IoT reader 110 may be configured to periodically (or continuously) broadcast one or more paging / polling messages (that may include the random access-related parameters such as access occasion, etc.) to the nearby A-IoT devices (e.g., for descriptive purposes, it may be assumed that A-IoT device 120 is located near the A-IoT reader 110). On the other hand, the A-IoT device 120 may harvest energy from the ambient environment / energy sources (e.g., harvesting RF energy from the downlink signals broadcast by the A-IoT reader 110, etc.). Upon harvesting sufficient energy, the A-IoT device 120 may wake up and trigger a random access procedure to attempt access to the A-IoT reader 110 when applicable.

[0037] In this regard, the “random access procedure” described herein may refer to a contention-based random access process that enables the A-IoT reader 110 to interoperate with the A-IoT device 120 to establish uplink synchronization. The random access procedure may be similar to the random access channel (RACH) procedure as defined in one or more technical specifications of 3GPP. In this regard, in the first step of the random access procedure, the A-IoT device 120 may transmit a random access preamble (i.e., a first message in the random access procedure and thus may be referred to as “Msgl”) to the A-IoT reader 110, in response to the paging / polling message from the A-IoT reader 110. Upon receiving the random access preamble (Msgl), the A-IoT reader 110 may reply with a random access response (i.e., a second message in the random access procedure and thus may be referred to as “Msg2”) that contains the grantedresources (e.g., timing advance, uplink grant, etc.). Accordingly, the A-IoT device 120 may then send a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message (e.g., RRC connection request, etc.) (i.e., a third message in the random access procedure and thus may be referred to as “Msg3”) to the A-IoT reader 110 based on the granted resources, and the A-IoT reader 110 may send another RRC message (e.g., RRC connection setup, etc.) (i.e., a fourth message in the random access procedure and thus may be referred to as “Msg4”) to the A-IoT device 120.

[0038] Upon completing the random access procedure, the A-IoT device 120 may enter the RRC CONNECTED state, where dedicated uplink and / or downlink resources are allocated to the A-IoT device 120 for further communications and transmissions. For instance, in RRC CONNECTED state, the A-IoT device 120 may use the allocated uplink resources to transmit data (e.g., sensor data, status report, etc.) to the A-IoT reader 110. On the other hand, the A-IoT reader 110 may transmit data (e.g., control commands, configuration updates, etc.) to the A-IoT device via the allocated downlink resources.

[0039] The communications and data transmissions from the A-IoT reader 110 to the A- loT device 120 (e.g., paging message broadcastings, Msg2 / Msg4 transmissions, downlink data transmissions via the allocated downlink resources, etc.) may be collectively referred to as the “R2D transmissions” or the “downlink transmissions”, while the communications and data transmissions from the A-IoT device 120 to the A-IoT reader 110 (e.g., Msgl / Msg3 transmissions, uplink data transmissions via the allocated uplink resources, etc.) may be collectively referred to as the “D2R transmissions” or the “uplink transmissions”.

[0040] According to example embodiments, the A-IoT reader 110 may be configured to interoperate with the A-IoT device 120 to manage re-access occasions when a failure of an uplink transmission from the A-IoT device 120 (e.g., failure of the transmission of a random accesspreamble (Msgl), an RRC message (Msg3), and / or subsequent data, collectively referred to as the“uplink transmission failure” herein) occurs. For instance, the A-IoT reader 110 may be configured to detect the uplink transmission failure. Based on determining the uplink transmission failure, the A-IoT reader 110 may determine a network condition (e.g., a device density, a network load, a collision rate, a successful transmission, etc.), and then assign (based on the network condition) a re-access occasion for the A-IoT device 120 to re-attempt the uplink transmission. Accordingly, the A-IoT reader 110 may transmit, to the A-IoT device 120, information associated with the reaccess occasion.

[0041] According to example embodiments, the A-IoT reader 110 may be configured to dynamically assign the re-access occasion immediately following the detection of the uplink transmission failure via a dedicated R2D transmission, thereby ensuring that the A-IoT device 120 can quickly retry access in the next available time slot without waiting for the next paging round and minimizing delay due to the uplink transmission failure. Alternatively or additionally, in high device density environments, the A-IoT reader 110 may schedule the re-access occasion between paging rounds. In this case, the re-access occasion may be communicated through a separate R2D message, thereby ensuring that the re-access occasion does not interfere with ongoing transmissions and does not collide with new access attempts.

[0042] According to example embodiments, the A-IoT reader 110 may provide one or more downlink, Reader-to-Device (R2D) messages that include information associated with the re-access occasion to the A-IoT device 120. The downlink message(s) may include one or more A-IoT paging message(s) that trigger a random access procedure. Additionally or alternatively, the downlink message(s) may include one or more Query / Report (QueryRep)-like messages (“QueryRep-like R2D messages” herein) that may be similar to the “Query / Report” signalingapproaches / features defined and implemented in, for example, a 3 GPP -based network. Specifically, the A-IoT reader 110 may provide the QueryRep-like R2D message that includes IE(s) that define the changes of the re-access occasion (e.g., add slot X, remove slot Y, etc.) in a manner similar to how a Radio Access Network (RAN) and a device communicate via querying and reporting. In this regard, the QueryRep-like messages may be provided by the A-IoT reader 110 to the A-IoT device 120 after the random access procedure is triggered. The downlink message(s) (e.g., paging message, QueryRep-like R2D message, etc.) may include fields or Information Elements (IES) for re-access occasion scheduling, and may be sent specifically to the A-IoT device(s) that require reaccess, detailing the allocated re-access occasions.

[0043] According to example embodiments, in group-based access scenarios where the A- loT device 120 includes multiple A-IoT devices 120, multiple A-IoT devices 120 may be triggered by the A-IoT reader 110 simultaneously, and multiple A-IoT devices 120 may experience uplink transmission failure(s) and require re-access at the same time. In this regard, the A-IoT reader 110 may allocate or assign separate re-access occasions for different groups of A-IoT devices 120. For instance, the A-IoT reader 110 may allocate a first re-access occasion to a first subset of the plurality of A-IoT devices 120, and then allocate a second re-access occasion to a second subset of the plurality of A-IoT devices 120. In this regard, the first re-access occasion may include or indicate a first time slot and a first frequency band, while the second re-access occasion may include or indicate a second time slot different from the first time slot and a second frequency band different from the first frequency band. In this way, the A-IoT reader 110 may dynamically allocate or assign the re-access occasions based on the size of the group and the number of A-IoT devices that require re-access in each group, thereby ensuring that the A-IoT devices within a group thatexperience uplink transmission failure(s) do not collide during re-access and reducing the probability of collisions within the A-IoT devices in the same group.

[0044] According to example embodiments, the downlink message (e.g., paging message, QueryRep-like message, etc.) may include information (or one or more IES) indicating one or more of: a re-access timing, a frequency resource, a device-specific allocation (e.g., device grouping information that specifies which devices within a group of devices that are allowed to re-access in a specific re-access window, etc.), and the like. For instance, the downlink message may include a re-access time slot that indicates the start and end times of a re-access window (which defines the duration during which re-access attempts can be made, etc.), a re-access frequency band (or time-frequency slots or frequency blocks that specifies the available time slots and / or frequency bands for re-access attempts, etc.) that specifies the resources assigned for re-access attempts, a device ID (in the group-based access scenario) that specifies the device(s) that are allowed to reaccess during the allocated re-access window, a paging continuation field that indicates whether the re-access continues across multiple paging cycles / rounds (if re-access is assigned between paging cycles / rounds), and the like.

[0045] According to example embodiments, the A-IoT reader 110 may dynamically adjust one or more of the aforementioned re-access parameters (e.g., re-access timing, frequency resources, etc.) according to the real-time (or near-real-time) network conditions (e.g., device density, network load, etc.). For instance, in high-density scenarios, the A-IoT reader 110 may dynamically expand the re-access timing / window, add more resources (e.g., frequency blocks, etc ), and the like. Similarly, when the A-IoT reader 110 detects high contention or failure rates, the A-IoT reader 110 may dynamically increase the number of re-access occasions by modifying the re-access parameters and / or send multiple downlink messages (e.g., multiple paging messages,multiple QueryRep-like messages, etc.) to the A-IoT device 120. In this way, the A-IoT reader 110 may optimize the resource usages by tailoring the re-access parameters, messages, and processes according to the network conditions, reducing the likelihood of repeated collisions and increasing the flexibility in responding to uplink transmission failures while avoiding network congestion.

[0046] As described above, the A-IoT reader 110 may provide a paging message that includes information associated with the re-access occasion to the A-IoT device 120. In this regard, the transmission of the paging message may signal or announce the re-access occasion to the A- loT device 120, such that the A-IoT device 120 may re-trigger or re-attempt the random access procedure. In some example embodiments, the transmission of the paging message may trigger the random access procedure, in which the A-IoT device 120 may re-attempt to transmit the random access preamble (Msgl) during the re-access occasion defined in the paging message. According to example embodiments where a plurality of A-IoT devices is involved, the A-IoT reader 110 may determine one or more re-access occasions for each of the A-IoT devices, and then broadcast or announce the paging message to the plurality of A-IoT devices that are grouped into the same subset. In some embodiments, one or more A-IoT devices in the same subset may share or be assigned the same re-access occasion(s). In this way, the A-IoT reader 110 may concurrently provide the information of re-access occasion(s) to multiple A-IoT devices.

[0047] The A-IoT device 120, upon experiencing an uplink transmission failure, may listen for a downlink transmission (e.g., an R2D transmission, etc.) from the A-IoT reader 110 and receive the information of the allocated re-access occasion(s) therefrom. Upon receiving the allocated re-access occasion(s), the A-IoT device 120 may retry accessing the network (e.g., by re-attempting the failed uplink transmission, etc.) during the assigned resources (e.g., in the timefrequency window(s), re-access time slot(s), etc.) indicated by the allocated re-access occasion(s).For instance, assuming that the failed uplink transmission is a failed random access preamble(Msgl) transmission, the A-IoT device 120 may re-attempt the transmission of the random access preamble (Msgl) during the assigned resources. This transmission may follow the same mechanism and format as an initial access attempt, but may be applicable to A-IoT devices that have been allocated the re-access occasion(s). Upon successful re-access, the A-IoT device 120 may provide an acknowledgement to the A-IoT reader 110. For instance, the A-IoT device 120 may perform a D2R transmission that inherently indicates to the A-IoT reader 110 regarding the successful re-access, may provide a dedicated message (e.g., an acknowledgement message, a subsequent D2R command, etc.) that explicitly indicates to the A-IoT reader 110 regarding the successful re-access, and the like.

[0048] In addition to the above, the A-IoT reader 110 and / or the A-IoT device 120 may be deployed in various locations, such as indoors, outdoors, or a combination thereof. Further, the A- loT reader 110 and / or the A-IoT device 120 may be deployed on the same sites as an existing 3GPP deployment (e g., macro-cell-based deployment, micro-cell-based deployment, pico-cell- based deployment, etc.). Furthermore, the A-IoT reader 110 and / or the A-IoT device 120 may be deployed according to various connectivity topologies. Descriptions of several examples of connectivity topologies are provided below with reference to FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D.

[0049] FIG. 2A illustrates a first example connectivity topology 210, according to one or more example embodiments. In this example connectivity topology, a UE 211 is utilized as an example of the A-IoT reader 110. As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the A-IoT device 212 may communicate bidirectionally with the UE 211. The communication between the UE 211 and the A-IoT device 212 may include the transmission of user-plane A-IoT data and / or control -plane signaling

[0050] FIG. 2B illustrates a second example connectivity topology 220, according to one or more example embodiments. In this example connectivity topology, a base station 221 is utilized as an example of the A-IoT reader 110. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the A-IoT device 222 may communicate directly and bidirectionally with the base station 221. The communication between the base station 221 and the A-IoT device 222 may include the transmission of user-plane A-IoT data and / or control-plane signaling. Further, this example connectivity topology may include a scenario in which the base station 221 is different from a base station that is receiving data from the A-IoT device 222.

[0051] FIG. 2C illustrates a third example connectivity topology 230, according to one or more example embodiments. In this example connectivity topology, a base station 231 and an intermediate network node 233 are utilized as an example of the A-IoT reader 110. As illustrated in FIG. 2C, the A-IoT device 232 may communicate bidirectionally with the intermediate network node 233 (e.g., a relay, an IAB node, a UE, a repeater, etc.) that may transfer user-plane A-IoT data and / or control-plane signaling between the base station 231 and the A-IoT device 232.

[0052] FIG. 2D illustrates a fourth example connectivity topology 240, according to one or more example embodiments. In this example connectivity topology, a base station 241 and an assisting network node 243 are utilized as an example of the A-IoT reader 110. As illustrated in FIG. 2D, the A-IoT device 242 may transmit data / signaling to the base station 241, and may receive data / signaling from the assisting network node 243. Additionally or alternatively, the A- loT device 242 may receive data / signaling from the base station 241, and may transmit data / signaling to the assisting network node 243. The assisting network node 243 may include a relay, an IAB node, a UE, a repeater, and the like, which is capable of receiving data from the A-loT device 242 and transmitting the data to the base station 241, and / or receiving data from the base station 241 and transmitting the data to the A-IoT device 242.

[0053] It is contemplated that any of the A-IoT readers (e.g., UE 211, base stations 221- 241, intermediate network node 233, assisting network node 243, etc.) in FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D may be configured to manage the A-IoT re-access occasion in a similar manner as described above with reference to FIG. 1. Further, it can be understood that the connectivity topologies in FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D are merely examples, and the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited thereto.

[0054] In view of the above, example embodiments of the present disclosure clarify and exemplify various system configurations and topologies for implementing A-IoT re-access occasion management. Specifically, example embodiments implement a system that includes an A-IoT reader that may be configured and implemented according to various system configurations and connectivity topologies, as exemplified in FIG. 1 to FIG. 2D. The A-IoT reader may be configured to automatically and dynamically assign one or more re-access occasions for one or more A-IoT devices, and then appropriately provide the determined re-access occasion(s) to the A-IoT device(s) via various approaches.

[0055] For instance, the A-IoT reader may dynamically determine and assign re-access occasions in real-time (or near-real-time) based on one or more network conditions (e.g., device density, network load, etc.), which is crucial in A-IoT networks where device failure rates are relatively higher as compared to non-A-IoT networks. Further, in a high-density environment, the A-IoT reader may assign the re-access occasions between paging rounds. Furthermore, in group- based access scenarios where multiple A-IoT devices are triggered simultaneously and experience uplink transmission failures at the same time, the A-IoT reader may allocate re-access occasions for specific subsets of devices.

[0056] Advantageously, by implementing the example embodiments, the A-IoT reader may dynamically adjust the re-access occasions based on one or more network conditions (e.g., device density, network load, etc.) when dealing with multiple A-IoT devices re-attempting access in high-density deployments, thereby allowing the A-IoT devices to effectively and efficiently reattempt access or uplink transmissions, while minimizing delays and collisions with ongoing transmissions. Further, by implementing the example embodiments, the A-IoT reader may schedule the re-access occasions between paging rounds, effectively and efficiently reducing contention and allowing controller access retries in high-density environments, further optimizing network efficiency of the A-IoT networks. Furthermore, by implementing the example embodiments, the A-IoT reader may dynamically assign re-access occasions to different subsets of a group of A-IoT devices, thereby reducing the likelihood of collisions and ensuring resource utilization in group-based access scenarios.

[0057] Further descriptions of example methods and operations of example embodiments are provided below with reference to FIG. 3, and descriptions of an example device and an example environment for implementing one or more example embodiments are provided below with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 5, respectively.Example Methods and Operations

[0058] As described above with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 2D, the A-IoT reader may perform one or more methods and operations to appropriately manage re-access occasions. Several example methods and operations are described below with reference to FIG. 3. One or more features, parameters, and operations associated with FIG. 3 may be similar to those described above with reference to FIG. 1 and may be implemented via one or more connectivity topologiesin FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D, thus redundant descriptions associated therewith may be omitted below for conciseness.

[0059] For descriptive purposes, the methods and operations may be mainly described herein as being performed by one or more specific network entities, although it can be understood that, in actual implementations, another related network entity(s) may perform similar / related operations, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For instance, an operation of an A-IoT reader providing a data / message to an A-IoT device may suggest or indicate an operation of the A-IoT device receiving the data / message from the A-IoT reader, and the like.

[0060] According to example embodiments, one or more operations of an A-IoT reader may be implemented in one or more apparatuses or hardware components. For instance, the A-IoT reader may be implemented in an apparatus / device that includes a processor and a memory storage (or any other suitable storage mediums), wherein the memory storage may include computerexecutable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform one or more operations of the A-IoT reader.

[0061] FIG. 3 illustrates an example method 300, according to one or more example embodiments. One or more operations in method 300 may be performed by at least one A-IoT reader (e.g., A-IoT reader 110, UE 211, at least one of base stations 221-241, intermediate network node 233, assisting network node 243, etc.).

[0062] As illustrated in FIG. 3, at operation S310, the A-IoT reader may be configured to detect a failure of an uplink transmission from an A-IoT device (e.g., A-IoT device 120, A-IoT device 212, A-IoT device 222, A-IoT device 232, A-IoT device 242, etc.). As described above with reference to FIG. 1, the A-IoT reader may include at least one of: a network node or a first UE (e.g., a UE that implements a power source, etc.), while the A-IoT device may include at leastone of: an RF tag, a sensor, or a second UE that is different from the first UE (e.g., a UE that does not implement a power source, etc.). The uplink transmission may include a transmission of at least one of: a random access preamble (Msgl) or an RRC message (Msg3).

[0063] According to example embodiments, the A-IoT reader may determine whether the uplink transmission failure occurs by monitoring the access occasion assigned to the A-IoT device for performing the uplink transmission (e.g., transmissions of random access preamble (Msgl), RRC message (Msg3), etc.). In this regard, if the A-IoT reader does not detect the expected data or uplink transmission within the assigned access occasion, and / or if the received data / transmissions fails a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) (e.g., an CRC value of the received data exceeds a predetermined threshold, etc.), the A-IoT reader may determine that the uplink transmission failure has occurred. It is contemplated that the A-IoT reader may be configured to determine the uplink transmission failure via any other suitable operations, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0064] Based on detecting the uplink transmission failure, method 300 may proceed to operation S320, at which the A-IoT reader may be configured to determine a network condition. The network condition may include one or more real-time (or near-real-time) network conditions, such as a device density, a network load, and the like. For instance, the A-IoT Reader may determine the device density based on, for example, the count of random access preambles (Msgls) received within the predefined time window (e.g., 1000 Msgls per 1ms, etc.), a number of A-IoT devices that are attempting random access within a predefined time window (e.g., 1000 A-IoT devices within the 100ms time window, etc.), a number of A-IoT devices per cell area (e.g., 1000 A-IoT devices per km2, etc.), and any other suitable parameters. Further, the A-IoT Reader may determine the network load based on, for example, a ratio of allocated Physical Random AccessChannel (PRACH) resources to the total configured PRACH occasions (e.g., 80% utilization rate defines that the available PRACH resources available for allocating is 20%, etc.), a usage of uplink resource block (RB), a collision rate (e.g., a probability / percentage of Msgl transmission that has failed due to conflicts, etc.), and any other suitable parameters.

[0065] Upon determining the network condition, method 300 may proceed to operation S330, at which the A-IoT reader may be configured to assign, based on the network condition (determined at operation S320), a re-access occasion for the A-IoT device to re-attempt the uplink transmission. As illustrated in FIG. 3, example embodiments of the present disclosure introduce various approaches (illustrated as “Approach 1” to “Approach 3” in FIG. 3) that enable the A-IoT reader to assign the re-access occasion for the A-IoT device.

[0066] According to example embodiments, the A-IoT reader may be configured to assign the re-access occasion by performing one of: assigning the re-access occasion immediately following the detection of the uplink transmission failure (e.g., Approach 1) or assigning the reaccess occasion between paging rounds (e.g., Approach 2). By implementing Approach 1, the A- loT reader may dynamically assign the re-access occasion and provide a downlink message (e.g., a paging message) that includes the information on the re-access occasion in the next available R2D transmission upon detecting the uplink transmission failure. Further, in a high-density environment, by implementing Approach 2, the A-IoT reader may provide a downlink message (e.g., a QueryRep-like message) that includes the information on the re-access occasion in the time gap between two paging occasions, thereby ensuring that the re-access does not interfere with ongoing transmissions.

[0067] According to example embodiments in which the A-IoT device includes a plurality of A-IoT devices, by implementing Approach 3, the A-IoT reader may be configured to allocate are-access occasion for a specific subset of devices. For instance, the A-IoT reader may be configured to allocate (e.g., based on the network condition) a first re-access occasion to a first subset of the plurality of A-IoT devices, and allocate (e.g., based on the network condition) a second re-access occasion to a second subset of the plurality of A-IoT devices. In this regard, the first re-access occasion may include or indicate a first time slot and a first frequency band, while the second re-access occasion may include or indicate a second time slot different from the first time slot and a second frequency band different from the first frequency band.

[0068] Referring still to FIG. 3, upon assigning the re-access occasion for the A-IoT device, method 300 may proceed to operation S330, at which the A-IoT reader may be configured to transmit, to the A-IoT device, information associated with the re-access occasion. In this regard, example embodiments of the present disclosure introduce various approaches that enable the A- loT reader to transmit information of the re-access occasion to the A-IoT device via various types of downlink messages (e.g., paging message, QueryRep-like message, etc.). In this regard, each of the downlink messages may include information associated with the re-access occasion, such as a re-access timing, a frequency resource, and / or a device-specific allocation.

[0069] According to example embodiments, the A-IoT reader may be configured to provide, to the A-IoT device, a paging message that includes information associated with the reaccess occasion. According to example embodiments, the A-IoT reader may provide the paging message to the A-IoT device to trigger a random access procedure. For instance, the A-IoT reader may broadcast or announce the paging message to the A-IoT device to provide the re-access occasion to the A-IoT device, thereby enabling the A-IoT device to re-attempt to initiate the random access procedure. Alternatively or additionally, the A-IoT reader may provide a QueryRep-like message to the A-IoT device. The contents and information / re-access parametersthat may be included in the downlink message (e.g., paging message, QueryRep-like message, etc.) have been described above with reference to FIG. 1, thus redundant descriptions associated therewith may be omitted below for conciseness.

[0070] In view of the above, example embodiments provide methods and operations that effectively and efficiently provide A-IoT re-access occasion management. Specifically, method and operations in FIG. 3 may be automatically implemented by an A-IoF reader to efficiently and effectively detect an uplink transmission failure and assign one or more re-access occasions to one or more A-IoT devices under various scenarios and requirements.

[0071] Advantageously, by implementing the method and operations in FIG. 3, the A-IoT reader may dynamically adjust the re-access occasions based on one or more network conditions (e g., device density, network load, etc.) when dealing with multiple A-IoT devices re-attempting access in high-density deployments, thereby allowing the A-IoT devices to effectively and efficiently re-attempt access or uplink transmissions, while minimizing delays and collisions with ongoing transmissions. Further, by implementing the method and operations in FIG. 3, the A-IoT reader may schedule the re-access occasions between paging rounds, effectively and efficiently reducing contention and allowing controller access retries in high-density environments, further optimizing network efficiency of the A-IoT networks. Furthermore, by implementing the method and operations in FIG. 3, the A-IoT reader may dynamically assign re-access occasions to different subsets of a group of A-IoT devices, thereby reducing the likelihood of collisions and ensuring resource utilization in group-based access scenarios.

[0072] It is contemplated that, the methods, operations, advantages, and significances described above with reference to FIG. 3 are merely examples and the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited thereto. Specifically, one or more operations in FIG. 3 may beperformed differently, less or additional operations may be involved, the messages or commands involved therein may include less or additional parameters, additional advantages may be achieved, and the like, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Further, it can be understood that the example embodiments of FIG. 3 may achieve similar technical advantages and significance described above with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 2D, since the method and operations in FIG. 3 may be implemented in the system configuration, device, and topology in FIG. 1 to FIG. 2D.Examples of Device

[0073] One or more components of the example embodiments (e.g., A-IoT reader, A-IoT device, etc.), as well as the operations associated therewith, may be implemented in one or more devices or hardware components. For instance, one or more components / operations of the network entity may be implemented in one or more devices like a server(s), and the like.

[0074] In the following, descriptions of a device in which the example embodiments may be implemented are provided. It is contemplated that one or more features, operations, and methods described above may be performed by the device. For instance, the one or more operations or methods associated with an A-IoT reader may be performed by at least one processor of the device upon executing machine-readable instructions or computer-readable instructions stored in a memory or a storage component of the device.

[0075] FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a device 400. As shown in FIG. 4, the device 400 may include a processor 410, a memory 420, a storage component 430, an input component 440, an output component 450, a communication interface 460, and a bus 470.

[0076] The processor 410, as used herein, means any type of computational circuit that may comprise hardware elements and software elements. The processor 410 may be embodied asa multi-core processor, a single core processor, or a combination of one or more multi-core processors and / or one or more single core processors, a distributed processing system, or the like. The processor 410 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an accelerated processing unit (APU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or another type of processing component.

[0077] Memory 420 includes a non-transitory computer readable medium. Memory 420 includes a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), and / or another type of dynamic or static storage device (e.g., a flash memory, a magnetic memory, and / or an optical memory) that stores information and / or instructions for use by processor 410. The memory 420 comprises machine-readable instructions which are executable by the processor 410. These machine-readable instructions when executed by the processor 410 cause the processor 410 to perform one or more method steps of an embodiment described above.

[0078] Storage component 430 stores information and / or software related to the operation and use of the device 400. For example, storage component 430 may include a hard disk (e g., a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optic disk, and / or a solid-state disk), a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a floppy disk, a cartridge, a magnetic tape, and / or another type of non-transitory computer-readable medium, along with a corresponding drive.

[0079] Input component 440 is configured to receive information, such as user input. For example, the input component 440 may include, but not be limited to, a touch screen display, a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a button, a switch, and / or a microphone. Additionally, or alternatively, the input component 440 may include a sensor for sensing information (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS), an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and / or an actuator).

[0080] Output component 450 is configured to provide output information from the device400. For example, the output component 450 may be, but not limited to, a display, a speaker, instructions to an external device, and / or one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

[0081] Communication interface 460 is an interface that provides a communication connection to other devices, such as external devices and internal devices. The connection by the communication interface 460 can be a wired connection, a wireless connection, or a combination of wired and wireless connections, and can be a direct connection or an indirect connection via a communication network that exists between the device 400 and other devices. In other words, the standard of the communication interface 460 is not limited.

[0082] The bus 470 acts as an interconnect between the processor 410, the memory 420, the storage component 430, the input component 440, the output component 450, and the communication interface 460 of the device 400. The bus 470 may include a wired interconnection or a wireless interconnection.

[0083] The number and arrangement of components shown in FIG. 4 are provided as an example. In practice, device 400 may include additional components, fewer components, different components, or differently arranged components than those shown in FIG. 4. Additionally, or alternatively, a set of components (e.g., one or more components) of device 400 may perform one or more functions described as being performed by another set of components of device 400. Further, one or more method steps described in any of the embodiments may be performed utilizing a plurality of devices 400 in communication with one another.Example Implementation Environment

[0084] Example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitable type of environment. In the following, an example environment (in which the example embodiments may be implemented) is described.

[0085] FIG. 5 illustrates a diagram of an example environment 500 in which systems and / or methods, described herein, may be implemented. The implementation environment 500 includes a UE (User equipment) 510, a service environment 520, and a network 530. The service environment 520 includes one or more sub-environments 521. To illustrate this, FIG. 5 shows, for convenience, examples of a 1st sub-environment 521-1, a 2nd sub -environment 521-2, and an N- th sub-environment 521-N (where N is any natural number).

[0086] The UE 510 is connected to the network 530, and the network 530 is connected to the service environment 520. The connections may be wired, wireless, or a combination of both wired and wireless. The UE 510 and the service environment 520 are connected via the network 530.

[0087] The UE 510 is a device that communicates with the service environment 520. The UE 510 receives information from the service environment 520 and / or sends information to the service environment 520. Also, the UE 510 may generate and / or store information to be transmitted, as necessary. Also, the UE 510 may store and / or process information that is received, as necessary.

[0088] The example FIG. 5 refers to the “UE”. However, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that general terms such as “user device,” “terminal,” “terminal device,” “communication device,” and “communication terminal” can be used interchangeably with the term “UE.”

[0089] For example, the UE 510 may include a computing device (e.g., a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a handheld computer, a smart speaker, a server, etc.), a mobile phone (e.g., a smart phone, a radiotelephone, etc.), a wearable device (e.g., a pair of smart glasses or a smart watch), or a similar device.

[0090] The service environment 520 is an environment that communicates with the UE 510 to provide one or more services. The service environment 520 receives information from the UE 510 and / or sends information to the UE 510. Also, the service environment 520 may generate and / or store information to be transmitted, as necessary. Also, the service environment 520 may store and / or process information that is received, as necessary. For example, the service environment 520 may provide computing resources as one of the services. It should be noted that the service is not limited to being provided to the UE; it may also be provided to devices other than the UE. For example, based on communication from the UE, the service may perform processes such as anomaly detection or traffic analysis and notify the results to a predetermined destination.

[0091] The example FIG. 5 refers to the “service environment”. The term "service environment" is used to refer to the broader context within which services operate. For example, cloud environments, platforms, computing systems, network systems, and cloud systems generally represent the environments in which services are conducted, and these are included within the "service environment." However, the "service environment" is not limited to these examples. Additionally, the specific types of environments within the "service environment" are not restricted. For instance, cloud environments and cloud systems can be categorized as private cloud, public cloud, hybrid cloud, or multi-cloud, all of which are included within the "service environment."

[0092] The one or more services provided by the service environment 520 is not specifically limited and can be adjusted according to the embodiments. For example, the services may include a service that provides information to the UE 510, a service that stores information from the UE 510, or a service that performs processing based on information from the UE 510 and returns the results of the processing.

[0093] In an embodiment, the Service Environments 520 may also provide computing resources as the service. The computing resources can be hardware resources and / or software resources. For example, applications, processors, memory, and storage can be included in the provided computing resources. Each computing resource can communicate with other computing resources via wired connections, wireless connections, or a combination of wired and wireless connections.

[0094] The provided computing resources can be actual resources (also referred to as physical resources) and / or virtual resources. Furthermore, means of virtualization for virtual resources can be selected as appropriate. That is, in this disclosure, the use of adjectives such as "Virtual" or "Virtualized" to describe names does not imply that they are virtualized by a specific means of virtualization. For example, “virtual machine” refers to software that operates like an actual computer, realized through means of virtualization, and it is not intended to exclude those realized by specific means of virtualization such as Hypervisors or Containers. Conversely, when means of virtualization such as Hypervisors or containers are mentioned in this disclosure, it is merely cited as a general method of implementation. It should also be interpreted that embodiments implemented with other virtualization means are also disclosed. Also, the services may also be provided using resources virtualized by different means.

[0095] The service environment 520 includes one or more devices, such as servers and network devices, which provide services or perform processes. The placement of these devices within the service environment 520 can be determined as appropriate. Additionally, if the service environment 520 includes one or more sub-environments 521, the placement of devices can be determined based on predetermined policies for each sub-environment 521. For example, devices related to the first service may be placed in the 1st sub-environment 521-1, and devices related to the second service may be placed in the 2nd sub -environment 521-2. In another example, devices expected to have a higher load than a predetermined threshold may be placed in the 1st subenvironment 521-1, while devices expected to have a lower load than the predetermined threshold may be placed in the 2nd sub-environment 521-2. In this way, specific devices can be placed in specific sub -environments 521. Conversely, each sub-environment 521 can be specialized for a particular purpose.

[0096] In an embodiment, all processes executed in a single service may run within a single service environment, or in multiple service environments. Multiple processes executed in a single service could be provided by different service environments.

[0097] The network 530 is a network that exchanges information between the UE 510 and the service environment 520. The network 530 includes one or more wired and / or wireless networks.

[0098] For example, the network 530 may include a cellular network (e.g., a fifth generation (5G) network, a long-term evolution (LTE) network, a third generation (3G) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, etc ), a public land mobile network (PLMN), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a telephone network (e.g., the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)), a private network, anad hoc network, an intranet, the Internet, a fiber optic-based network, or the like, a non-terrestrial network (NTN), and / or a combination of these or other types of networks.

[0099] The network 530 can be a part of a network. For example, in a 5G network that includes a RAN, a transport network, and a core network, the network 530 can be at least one of the RAN, the transport network, or the core network. For example, the service environment 520 could be in the core network, in which case the network 530 could correspond to a network that is a combination of a RAN and a transport network and is part of the 5G network.

[0100] The number and arrangement of devices and networks shown in FIG. 5 are provided as an example. It should be understood that any changes that may be implemented by those skilled in the art, such as the addition or rearrangement of well-known devices or networks at the time of implementation, are included in this disclosure.Various Aspects of Embodiments

[0101] Example embodiments introduces new mechanisms and features that supplement and enhance the disclosures of one or more standard specifications. As a non-limiting example, example embodiments supplement and enhance at least one technical specification associated with 3GPP (e.g., 3GPP TSG-RAN WG2, etc.), as detailed blow .

[0102] In view of the above, example embodiments introduce specified and standardized approaches for implementing the A-IoT re-access occasion management. Specifically, example embodiments clarify the problems of re-access occasion management in A-IoT and provide various proposals for addressing the problems. Accordingly, example embodiments may be implemented in the 3 GPP -based networks in a clear and standardized manner to effective and efficiently manage the re-access occasion in A-IoT.

[0103] It is contemplated that features, advantages, and significances of example embodiments described hereinabove are merely examples of the present disclosure, and are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0104] Specifically, the foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the implementations.

[0105] Some embodiments may relate to a device, a system, a method, and / or a computer- readable medium at any possible technical detail level of integration. Further, one or more of the above components described above may be implemented as instructions stored on a computer- readable medium and executable by at least one processor (and / or may include at least one processor). The computer-readable medium may include a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium (or media) having computer-readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out operations.

[0106] The computer-readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer-readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.

[0107] Computer-readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded to respective computing / processing devices from a computer-readable storage medium or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network and / or a wireless network. The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and / or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing / processing device receives computer-readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer-readable program instructions for storage in a computer-readable storage medium within the respective computing / processing device.

[0108] Computer-readable program code / instructions for carrying out operations may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object-oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages.

[0109] The computer-readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logiccircuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer-readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer- readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to perform aspects or operations.

[0110] These computer-readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks. These computer- readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and / or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an article of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects of the function / act specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks.[OHl] The computer-readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks.

[0112] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer- readable media according to various embodiments. In this regard, each block in the flowchart orblock diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). The method, computer system, and computer-readable medium may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in the Figures. In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed concurrently or substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0113] It will be apparent that systems and / or methods, described herein, may be implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. The actual specialized control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods is not limited to the implementations. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and / or methods were described herein without reference to specific software code — it is understood that software and hardware may be designed to implement the systems and / or methods based on the description herein.

[0114] In view of the above, various further respective aspects and features of embodiments of the present disclosure may be defined by the following items:Item [1]: A system comprising: an Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) reader configured to: detect a failure of an uplink transmission from an A-IoT device; based ondetecting the uplink transmission failure, determine a network condition; assign, based on the network condition, a re-access occasion for the A-IoT device to re-attempt the uplink transmission; and transmit, to the A-IoT device, information associated with the re-access occasion.Item [2]: The system according to item [1], wherein the A-IoT reader is configured to assign the re-access occasion by: assigning the re-access occasion immediately following the detection of the uplink transmission failure.Item [3]: The system according to one or more of items [l]-[2], wherein the A-IoT reader is configured to assign the re-access occasion by: assigning the re-access occasion between paging rounds.Item [4]: The system according to one or more of items [l]-[3], wherein the A-IoT device comprises a plurality of A-IoT devices, and wherein the A-IoT reader is configured to assign the re-access occasion by: allocating a first re-access occasion to a first subset of the plurality of A-IoT devices; and allocating a second re-access occasion to a second subset of the plurality of A-IoT devices.Item [5]: The system according to item [4], wherein the first re-access occasion comprises a first time slot and a first frequency band, and wherein the second re-access occasion comprises a second time slot different from the first time slot and a second frequency band different from the first frequency band.Item [6]: The system according to one or more of items

[0001] -[5], wherein the uplink transmission is a transmission of at least one of: a random access preamble (Msgl) or a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message (Msg3).Item [7]: The system according to one or more of items

[0001] -[6], wherein the A-IoT reader is configured to transmit information associated with the re-access occasion by: transmitting a downlink message to the A-IoT device, wherein the downlink message comprises information indicating at least one of: a re-access timing, a frequency resource, and a device-specific allocation.Item [8]: The system according to one or more of items [l]-[7], wherein the network condition comprises at least one of: a network load or a device density.Item [9]: A method comprising: detecting, by an Ambient Internet of Things (A- loT) reader, a failure of an uplink transmission from an A-IoT device; based on detecting the uplink transmission failure, determining, by the A-IoT reader, a network condition; assigning, by the A-IoT reader and based on the network condition, a re-access occasion for the A-IoT device to re-attempt the uplink transmission; and transmitting, by the A-IoT reader and to the A-IoT device, information associated with the re-access occasion.Item

[0010] : The method according to item [9], wherein the assigning the re-access occasion comprises: assigning the re-access occasion immediately following the detection of the uplink transmission failure.Item

[0011] : The method according to one or more of items [9]-

[0010] , wherein the assigning the re-access occasion comprises: assigning the re-access occasion between paging rounds.Item

[0012] : The method according to one or more of items [9]-[l 1], wherein the A- loT device comprises a plurality of A-IoT devices, and wherein the assigning the re-access occasion comprises: allocating a first re-access occasion to a first subset of the plurality ofA-IoT devices; and allocating a second re-access occasion to a second subset of the plurality of A-IoT devices.Item

[0013] : The method according to item

[0012] , wherein the first re-access occasion comprises a first time slot and a first frequency band, and wherein the second re-access occasion comprises a second time slot different from the first time slot and a second frequency band different from the first frequency band.Item

[0014] : The method according to one or more of items [9]-

[0013] , wherein the uplink transmission is a transmission of at least one of: a random access preamble (Msgl) or a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message (Msg3).Item

[0015] : The method according to one or more of items [9]-

[0014] , wherein the transmitting the information associated with the re-access occasion comprises: transmitting a downlink message to the A-IoT device, wherein the downlink message comprises information indicating at least one of: a re-access timing, a frequency resource, and a device- specific allocation.Item

[0016] : The method according to one or more of items [9]-[l 5], wherein the network condition comprises at least one of: a network load or a device density.Item

[0017] : A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon instructions executable by an Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) reader to cause the A-IoT reader to perform a method comprising: detecting a failure of an uplink transmission from an A-IoT device; based on detecting the uplink transmission failure, determining a network condition; assigning, based on the network condition, a re-access occasion for the A-IoT device to re-attempt the uplink transmission; and transmitting, to the A-IoT device, information associated with the re-access occasion.Item

[0018] : The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to item

[0017] , wherein the assigning the re-access occasion comprises one of: assigning the reaccess occasion immediately following the detection of the uplink transmission failure; or assigning the re-access occasion between paging rounds.Item

[0019] : The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to one or more of items

[0017] -

[0018] , wherein the A-IoT device comprises a plurality of A-IoT devices, and wherein the assigning the re-access occasion comprises: allocating a first reaccess occasion to a first subset of the plurality of A-IoT devices; and allocating a second re-access occasion to a second subset of the plurality of A-IoT devices.Item

[0020] : The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to item

[0019] , wherein the first re-access occasion comprises a first time slot and a first frequency band, and wherein the second re-access occasion comprises a second time slot different from the first time slot and a second frequency band different from the first frequency band.

[0115] It can be understood that numerous modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings. It will be apparent that within the scope of the appended clauses, the present disclosures may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising: an Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) reader configured to: detect a failure of an uplink transmission from an A-IoT device; based on detecting the failure of the uplink transmission, determine a network condition; assign, based on the network condition, a re-access occasion for the A-IoT device to re-attempt the uplink transmission; and transmit, to the A-IoT device, information associated with the re-access occasion.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the A-IoT reader is configured to assign the re-access occasion by: assigning the re-access occasion immediately following the detection of the failure of the uplink transmission.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the A-IoT reader is configured to assign the re-access occasion by: assigning the re-access occasion between paging rounds4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the A-IoT device comprises a plurality of A- loT devices, and wherein the A-IoT reader is configured to assign the re-access occasion by: allocating a first re-access occasion to a first subset of the plurality of A-IoT devices; and allocating a second re-access occasion to a second subset of the plurality of A-IoT devices.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the first re-access occasion comprises a first time slot and a first frequency band, and wherein the second re-access occasion comprises a second time slot different from the first time slot and a second frequency band different from the first frequency band.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the uplink transmission is a transmission of at least one of a random access preamble (Msgl) or a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message (Msg3).

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the A-IoT reader is configured to transmit information associated with the re-access occasion by: transmitting a downlink message to the A-IoT device, wherein the downlink message comprises information indicating at least one of a re-access timing, a frequency resource, and a device-specific allocation.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the network condition comprises at least one of: a network load or a device density.

9. A method comprising: detecting, by an Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) reader, a failure of an uplink transmission from an A-IoT device;based on detecting the failure of the uplink transmission, determining, by the A-IoT reader, a network condition; assigning, by the A-IoT reader and based on the network condition, a re-access occasion for the A-IoT device to re-attempt the uplink transmission; and transmitting, by the A-IoT reader and to the A-IoT device, information associated with the re-access occasion.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the assigning the re-access occasion comprises: assigning the re-access occasion immediately following the detection of the failure of the uplink transmission.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the assigning the re-access occasion comprises: assigning the re-access occasion between paging rounds12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the A-IoT device comprises a plurality of A-IoT devices, and wherein the assigning the re-access occasion comprises: allocating a first re-access occasion to a first subset of the plurality of A-IoT devices; and allocating a second re-access occasion to a second subset of the plurality of A-IoT devices.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first re-access occasion comprises a first time slot and a first frequency band, and wherein the second re-access occasion comprises asecond time slot different from the first time slot and a second frequency band different from the first frequency band.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the uplink transmission is a transmission of at least one of: a random access preamble (Msgl) or a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message (Msg3).

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the transmitting the information associated with the re-access occasion comprises: transmitting a downlink message to the A-IoT device, wherein the downlink message comprises information indicating at least one of: a re-access timing, a frequency resource, and a device-specific allocation.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the network condition comprises at least one of: a network load or a device density.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon instructions executable by an Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) reader to cause the A-IoT reader to perform a method comprising: detecting a failure of an uplink transmission from an A-IoT device; based on detecting the failure of the uplink transmission, determining a network condition; assigning, based on the network condition, a re-access occasion for the A-IoT device to reattempt the uplink transmission; andtransmitting, to the A-IoT device, information associated with the re-access occasion.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 17, wherein the assigning the re-access occasion comprises one of: assigning the re-access occasion immediately following the detection of the failure of the uplink transmission; or assigning the re-access occasion between paging rounds.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 17, wherein the A-IoT device comprises a plurality of A-IoT devices, and wherein the assigning the re-access occasion comprises: allocating a first re-access occasion to a first subset of the plurality of A-IoT devices; and allocating a second re-access occasion to a second subset of the plurality of A-IoT devices.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 19, wherein the first re-access occasion comprises a first time slot and a first frequency band, and wherein the second re-access occasion comprises a second time slot different from the first time slot and a second frequency band different from the first frequency band.

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