Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and an apparatus. The method comprises: a first apparatus receiving first information sent by a second apparatus, the first information comprising acknowledgment (ACK) information and / or downlink data; in response to the first information, the first apparatus sending second information to the second apparatus, the second information comprising a device identifier or uplink data; the first apparatus receiving third information sent by the second apparatus, wherein the third information comprises D2R scheduling information but does not comprise NACK information, or comprises the NACK information but does not comprise the D2R scheduling information; and, on the basis of the third information, the first apparatus re-transmitting the second information to the second apparatus or re-initiating an access procedure to the second apparatus. Signaling overheads for the second apparatus to transmit the third information are reduced, and the function of re-transmitting the second information or re-initiating the access procedure is achieved.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411434823.5, filed on October 14, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", and to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411605157.7, filed on November 8, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] With the development of communication technology, Internet of Things (IoT) technology has been introduced. For example, IoT technology can be called Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT). A-IoT is based on cellular network communication infrastructure, including network equipment (such as base stations) and passive, semi-passive, or active A-IoT devices (A-IoT devices can be terminals in the cellular network, which can be understood as extremely low-power, extremely low-complexity IoT terminals). Its main services include: inventory, positioning, sensing, or command.

[0004] In the basic inventory or access process of A-IoT, when the network device is a reader and the reader acts as a reader, in one implementation, when the reader-to-device (R2D) message (the message sent by the reader to the A-IoT device) triggers the transmission of the device-to-reader (D2R) message (the message sent by the A-IoT device to the reader), the R2D message or D2R message may fail to transmit, resulting in the reader being unable to receive the message from the A-IoT device. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus to solve the problem of high signaling overhead when triggering retransmission.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first device, such as an A-IoT device, a component of the A-IoT device (e.g., a chip, chip system, processor, or circuit), or hardware and / or software implementing all or part of the functions of the A-IoT device. This application does not limit the scope of this method. In this method, the first device sends second information, which includes at least one of the following: a device identifier, uplink data, a contention resolution identifier, and a random number. The first device receives third information and, based on the third information, sends the second information or initiates an access procedure to a second device.

[0007] In one possible design, the first device receives first information, which includes acknowledgment (ACK) information and / or downlink data, and second information is used in response to the first information.

[0008] Based on the above scheme, the first device can retransmit the second information or initiate an access procedure to the second device based on simple third information, thereby reducing the signaling overhead of the third information.

[0009] In one possible design, if the third information includes D2R scheduling information, the first device sends the second information to the second device.

[0010] Based on the above scheme, the first device can determine whether to retransmit the second information to the second device based on whether the third information includes D2R scheduling information, without the need for other indication information, thus reducing the signaling overhead of the third information.

[0011] In one possible design, if the third information includes the first indication information, the first device initiates an access procedure to the second device. The first indication information is used to indicate that the second information was not successfully received, or to indicate that an access procedure is initiated to the second device.

[0012] Based on the above scheme, the third information may include the first indication information, indicating that the second information was not successfully accessed, implicitly instructing the first device to initiate an access procedure to the second device, or directly and explicitly instructing the first device to initiate an access procedure to the second device, thereby reducing the signaling overhead of the third information, and at the same time realizing the method that the first device can re-initiate the access procedure to the second device.

[0013] In one possible design, if the third information includes D2R scheduling information and the first information, then the first device sends the second information to the second device.

[0014] Based on the above scheme, the first device does not need to store the first information, thus reducing the storage overhead of the first device.

[0015] In one possible design, the aforementioned downlink data may include read commands and / or write commands.

[0016] In one possible design, the aforementioned D2R scheduling information includes at least one of the following: a first data volume TBS, a first time information time offset, and a first frequency domain information.

[0017] In one possible design, the first device receives third configuration information, which instructs the first timer to be enabled.

[0018] In one possible design, D2R scheduling information can be carried in the MAC CE and / or MAC header.

[0019] Based on the above scheme, the first device determines not to use the first timer according to the third configuration information, and determines to retransmit the second information or initiate the access process based on the content of the third information, which improves the processing flexibility of the first device. That is, in this embodiment, the mechanism based on the first timer is not used.

[0020] Secondly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a second device, such as a reader / writer, or by a component of the reader / writer (e.g., a chip, chip system, processor, or circuitry), or by hardware and / or software implementing all or part of the reader / writer's functions. This application does not limit the scope of this method. In this method, the second device receives second information, which includes a device identifier or uplink data. The second device then sends third information, which triggers the first device to send the second information or initiates an access procedure.

[0021] Based on the above scheme, the second device can trigger the first device to retransmit the second information or initiate an access procedure to the second device by sending a simple third information, thereby reducing the signaling overhead of the third information.

[0022] In one possible design, the second device sends first information, which includes acknowledgment (ACK) information and / or downlink data.

[0023] In one possible design, if the third information includes D2R scheduling information, then the third information is used to trigger the first device to send the second information to the second device.

[0024] Based on the above scheme, the second device can trigger the first device to retransmit the second information to the second device by sending the third information including D2R scheduling information, without the need for other indication information, thus reducing the signaling overhead of the third information.

[0025] In one possible design, if the third information includes the first indication information, the third information is used to trigger the first device to initiate an access procedure to the second device, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the second information was not successfully received, or to indicate that an access procedure to the second device is initiated.

[0026] Based on the above scheme, the third information may include the first indication information, indicating that the second information was not successfully accessed, implicitly instructing the first device to initiate an access procedure to the second device, or directly and explicitly instructing the first device to initiate an access procedure to the second device, thereby reducing the signaling overhead of the third information, and at the same time realizing the method that the first device can re-initiate the access procedure to the second device.

[0027] In one possible design, if the third information includes D2R scheduling information and the first information, then the third information is used to trigger the first device to send the second information to the second device.

[0028] Based on the above scheme, the second device sends third information including D2R scheduling information and first information, so that the first device does not need to store the first information, thus reducing the storage overhead of the first device.

[0029] In one possible design, the aforementioned downlink data may include read commands and / or write commands.

[0030] In one possible design, the aforementioned D2R scheduling information includes at least one of the following: a first data volume TBS, a first time information time offset, and a first frequency domain information.

[0031] In one possible design, the second device sends third configuration information, which instructs the first timer to be enabled.

[0032] In one possible design, D2R scheduling information can be carried in the MAC CE and / or MAC header.

[0033] Based on the above scheme, the second device sends third configuration information, so that the first device does not use the first timer, but determines whether to retransmit the second information or initiate the access process based on the content of the third information, which improves the processing flexibility of the first device. That is, in this embodiment, the mechanism based on the first timer is not used.

[0034] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first device, such as an A-IoT device, a component of the A-IoT device (e.g., a chip, chip system, processor, or circuit), or hardware and / or software implementing all or part of the functions of the A-IoT device; this application does not limit this. In this method, the first device sends second information, including a device identifier or uplink data; the first device starts a first timer; the first device determines that if the first timer is running and a third message is received, then the first device sends the second message based on the third message or initiates an access procedure to a second device; and / or, if the first timer times out, the first device initiates an access procedure to the second device.

[0035] In one possible design, the first device receives first information, which includes acknowledgment (ACK) information and / or downlink data, and second information is used in response to the first information.

[0036] Based on the above scheme, the first device starts a first timer and listens for third information during the timer's operation. Controlling the listening time for third information reduces the power consumption of the first device. Simultaneously, the first device can retransmit second information or initiate an access procedure to the second device based on the simple third information, reducing the signaling overhead of the third information. If the first device does not receive the third information when the first timer times out, it initiates an access procedure, thus enabling transmission recovery in the event of a transmission failure and ensuring transmission reliability.

[0037] In one possible design, if the third information includes D2R scheduling information, the first device sends the second information to the second device.

[0038] Based on the above scheme, the first device can determine whether to retransmit the second information to the second device based on whether the third information includes D2R scheduling information, without the need for other indication information, thus reducing the signaling overhead of the third information.

[0039] In one possible design, if the third information includes the first indication information, the first device initiates an access procedure to the second device. The first indication information is used to indicate that the second information was not successfully received, or to indicate that an access procedure is initiated to the second device.

[0040] Based on the above scheme, the third information may include the first indication information, indicating that the second information was not successfully accessed, implicitly instructing the first device to initiate an access procedure to the second device, or directly and explicitly instructing the first device to initiate an access procedure to the second device, thereby reducing the signaling overhead of the third information, and at the same time realizing the method that the first device can re-initiate the access procedure to the second device.

[0041] In one possible design, if the third information includes D2R scheduling information and the first information, then the first device sends the second information to the second device.

[0042] Based on the above scheme, the first device does not need to store the first information, thus reducing the storage overhead of the first device.

[0043] In one possible design, the aforementioned downlink data may include read commands and / or write commands.

[0044] In one possible design, the aforementioned D2R scheduling information includes at least one of the following: a first data volume TBS, a first time information time offset, and a first frequency domain information.

[0045] In one possible design, the first device receives third configuration information, which instructs the first timer to be enabled.

[0046] Based on the above scheme, the first device determines not to use the first timer according to the third configuration information, and determines to retransmit the second information or initiate the access process based on the content of the third information, which improves the processing flexibility of the first device. That is, in this embodiment, the mechanism based on the first timer is not used.

[0047] In one possible design, the first device determines that if the first timer is running and a third message is received, then the first timer is stopped.

[0048] Based on the above scheme, when the first device receives the third information, it can promptly stop the operation of the first timer, thereby reducing the first device's ability to listen for the third information and lowering the power consumption of the first device.

[0049] In one possible design, the first device receives first configuration information, which is used to configure the duration of the first timer.

[0050] Based on the above scheme, the duration of the first timer can be flexibly configured.

[0051] In one possible design, the first device receives second configuration information, which is used to indicate enabling the first timer.

[0052] Based on the above scheme, the first device can be flexibly configured to use a first timer to control the listening for third information or to trigger the access process.

[0053] In one possible design, D2R scheduling information can be carried in the MAC CE and / or MAC header.

[0054] Fourthly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a second device, such as a reader / writer, or by a component of the reader / writer (e.g., a chip, chip system, processor, or circuit), or by hardware and / or software implementing all or part of the reader / writer's functions; this application does not limit this. In this method, the second device sends first information, which includes acknowledgment (ACK) information and / or downlink data; the second device receives second information, which includes a device identifier or uplink data; and the second device sends second configuration information, which is used to indicate enabling a first timer.

[0055] Based on the above scheme, the second device can be flexibly configured to use the first timer to trigger the first device to initiate an access process to the second device.

[0056] In one possible design, if the third information includes D2R scheduling information, then the third information is used to trigger the first device to send the second information to the second device.

[0057] Based on the above scheme, the second device can trigger the first device to retransmit the second information to the second device by sending the third information including D2R scheduling information, without the need for other indication information, thus reducing the signaling overhead of the third information.

[0058] In one possible design, if the third information includes the first indication information, the third information is used to trigger the first device to initiate an access procedure to the second device, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the second information was not successfully received, or to indicate that an access procedure to the second device is initiated.

[0059] Based on the above scheme, the third information may include the first indication information, indicating that the second information was not successfully accessed, implicitly instructing the first device to initiate an access procedure to the second device, or directly and explicitly instructing the first device to initiate an access procedure to the second device, thereby reducing the signaling overhead of the third information, and at the same time realizing the method that the first device can re-initiate the access procedure to the second device.

[0060] In one possible design, if the third information includes D2R scheduling information and the first information, then the third information is used to trigger the first device to send the second information to the second device.

[0061] Based on the above scheme, the second device sends third information including D2R scheduling information and first information, so that the first device does not need to store the first information, thus reducing the storage overhead of the first device.

[0062] In one possible design, the aforementioned downlink data may include read commands and / or write commands.

[0063] In one possible design, the aforementioned D2R scheduling information includes at least one of the following: a first data volume TBS, a first time information time offset, and a first frequency domain information.

[0064] In one possible design, the second device sends first configuration information, which is used to configure the duration of the first timer.

[0065] In one possible design, D2R scheduling information can be carried in the MAC CE and / or MAC header.

[0066] Fifthly, this application provides a communication device that includes a method for implementing any of the possible designs in the first aspect described above. The communication device includes modules or units that perform the operations described in the first aspect. These modules or units can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both.

[0067] Sixthly, this application provides a communication device including one or more processors. The processors are coupled to a memory for storing computer programs or instructions. When the processor executes the computer program or instructions, the communication device implements the methods in any of the possible designs described in the first aspect above.

[0068] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0069] The aforementioned communication device may be an A-IoT device, or a component of an A-IoT device (such as a chip, chip system, processor, or circuit).

[0070] Seventhly, this application provides a communication device that includes a method for implementing any of the possible designs in the second aspect described above. The communication device includes modules or units that perform the operations described in the second aspect, which can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both.

[0071] Eighthly, this application provides a communication device including one or more processors. The processors are coupled to a memory for storing computer programs or instructions. When the processor executes the computer program or instructions, the communication device implements the methods in any of the possible designs described in the second aspect above.

[0072] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0073] The aforementioned communication device may be a reader or a component of a reader (e.g., a chip, chip system, processor, or circuit).

[0074] Ninthly, this application provides a communication device that includes a method for implementing any of the possible designs in the third aspect described above. The communication device includes a module or unit that performs the operations described in the third aspect, which can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0075] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a communication device including one or more processors. The processors are coupled to a memory for storing computer programs or instructions. When the processor executes the computer program or instructions, the communication device implements the methods in any of the possible designs described in the third aspect above.

[0076] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0077] The aforementioned communication device may be an A-IoT device, or a component of an A-IoT device (such as a chip, chip system, processor, or circuit).

[0078] Eleventhly, this application provides a communication device that includes a method for implementing any of the possible designs in the fourth aspect above. The communication device includes modules or units that perform the operations described in the fourth aspect above. These modules or units can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both.

[0079] In a twelfth aspect, this application provides a communication device including one or more processors. The processors are coupled to a memory for storing computer programs or instructions. When the processor executes the computer program or instructions, the communication device implements the methods in any of the possible designs described in the fourth aspect above.

[0080] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0081] The aforementioned communication device may be a reader or a component of a reader (e.g., a chip, chip system, processor, or circuit).

[0082] In a thirteenth aspect, this application provides a communication system comprising the means of the fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth aspects described above, as well as the means of the ninth, tenth, eleventh, or twelfth aspects described above.

[0083] In a fourteenth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method in any of the possible designs in the first aspect described above.

[0084] In a fifteenth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform any of the possible designs in the second aspect described above.

[0085] In a sixteenth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform any of the possible designs in the third aspect described above.

[0086] In a seventeenth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform any of the possible designs in the fourth aspect described above.

[0087] In an eighteenth aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising a computer program or instructions that, when permitted on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method in any of the possible designs described in the first aspect above.

[0088] In a nineteenth aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising a computer program or instructions that, when permitted on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method in any of the possible designs in the second aspect described above.

[0089] In a twentieth aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising a computer program or instructions that, when permitted on a computer, cause the computer to perform any of the possible designs in the third aspect described above.

[0090] In a twentieth aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising a computer program or instructions that, when permitted on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method in any of the possible designs in the fourth aspect described above. Attached Figure Description

[0091] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall workflow of an RFID system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0092] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of various A-IoT network architectures provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0093] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0094] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0095] Figures 5 and 6 are schematic diagrams of the possible communication devices provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0096] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in this application is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, in the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" refers to two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. In addition, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the following points will be explained before introducing the solutions of this application.

[0097] (1) In this application, “instruction” may include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, and implicit instruction. When a certain instruction information is used to instruct A, it can be understood that the instruction information carries A, directly instructs A, or indirectly instructs A.

[0098] In this application, the information indicated by the instruction information is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementations, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be instructed. It can also indicate only a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some extent. Furthermore, the information to be instructed can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information pieces, and the sending period and / or timing of these sub-information pieces can be the same or different.

[0099] (2) In this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include direct transmission via the air interface or indirect transmission by other units or modules via the air interface. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include direct reception from YY via the air interface or indirect reception from YY by other units or modules via the air interface. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via a bus, wiring, or interface. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, "transmission" includes receiving and / or sending. For example, transmitting signals can include receiving signals and / or sending signals.

[0100] (3) In this application, information C is used to determine information D, including both when information D is determined solely based on information C and when it is determined based on information C and other information. Furthermore, information C can also be used to determine information D indirectly, for example, when information D is determined based on information E, and information E is determined based on information C.

[0101] (4) The terms “comprising” and “having” and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not explicitly listed or that are inherent to such process, method, product or device.

[0102] (5) In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0103] (6) In this application, "first" and "second" are used for convenience of description only to distinguish objects, and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application, nor to describe the order or sequence of features. It should be understood that the objects described in this way can be interchanged where appropriate so as to describe solutions other than those in the embodiments of this application.

[0104] (7) In this application, the words “exemplary” or “for example” are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or illustration. Any embodiment or design that is described as “exemplary” or “for example” in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the words “exemplary” or “for example” is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0105] (8) In this application, “information”, such as first information, second information, etc., can be a message or the content of a message.

[0106] (9) In this application, “the first device sends to the second device” means “the second device receives from the first device” or “the second device receives the first device sending”; similarly, “the first device receives the second device sending” means “the second device sends to the first device”; similarly, there are also “the second device sends to the first device” and “the second device receives the first device sending”, which will not be repeated here.

[0107] For ease of understanding, examples are provided to illustrate some concepts related to the embodiments of this application, as shown below.

[0108] 1. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology.

[0109] RFID technology can be used to identify targets. An RFID system typically includes an interrogator and tags. The interrogator interacts with the tags to manage them. The interrogator can read information from the tags or write information to them. The communication between the interrogator and tags is contactless. Tags are simple in function, requiring excitation from the interrogator to transmit information; that is, the tag converts the wireless signal emitted by the interrogator into energy to power itself. Tags support power consumption in the microwatt or hundreds of microwatts range, limiting their ability to support complex designs.

[0110] If RFID is applied to mobile communication systems, such as 4G, 5G, or future-oriented mobile communication systems, then the base station can act as a reader / writer to perform the functions of a reader / writer.

[0111] The primary application of RFID is identification, but it can also be used for data reading and writing.

[0112] Tag devices have the following characteristics: simple tag design, with application layer and air interface signaling integrated into a single design; tags support microwatt-level or hundreds of microwatt-level power consumption, but cannot support complex designs or complex measurements; when multiple tags communicate, time-division multiplexing is used, and multiple tags are read serially. They do not support the distinction between frequency domain and code domain, resulting in poor parallel performance.

[0113] RFID tags are characterized by low power consumption. The power consumption of different types of tags is described below.

[0114] Passive tag: power consumption is about 1μW. The passive tag itself has no energy storage capacity. The energy for receiving and sending signals comes entirely from the radio frequency energy of the reader. Uplink transmission relies on reflection communication. The reader needs to send a carrier signal to trigger the passive tag to send a reflection signal, and use radio frequency energy to send the uplink signal to the reader.

[0115] Semi-passive tag: power consumption is around 100μW. Compared to passive tags, semi-passive tags can store some energy (e.g., using capacitors), so the transmission power consumption can be greater than that of passive tags. Communication also relies on reflection communication, but the communication capability is stronger than that of passive tags (transmission rate, etc.).

[0116] Active tag: power consumption of approximately 50mW. Active tags have their own battery and can actively send signals, communicating without relying on reflected signals, thus having stronger communication capabilities.

[0117] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the overall workflow of an RFID system, including the following processes:

[0118] 1) The reader sends a select / paging message: This is used to select a set of tags, carrying the inventory session, action, and mask. Upon receiving a tag that matches the select message, the reader sets the session ID and the corresponding mask. For example, if the inventory session selects session ID S0 and action = 0, and the mask matches, the tag will set the mask for session S0 to A.

[0119] 2) The reader sends a query: carrying the Q-value, session ID, and a flag. Assuming the session ID is S0 and the flag is A, when the tag determines that its session ID and flag match the session ID and flag in the received query, the tag randomly generates a value between 0 and 2 based on the Q-value. Q-1A random number is used as the initial value for the counter.

[0120] 3) If a tag receives a query, it can return a random number (RN). The random number can be any number of bits. For example, when RN is RN16, RN16 can be understood as a 16-bit random number used for tag contention resolution.

[0121] 4) If no tag sends a response, the reader continues to send repeated queries (queryrep). When a tag receives a queryrep, it sets the counter to counter-1. If the tag generates a counter of 0, the tag sends a random number (RN); otherwise, the tag does not respond. If multiple tags randomly select the same counter value, multiple tags may send RN16 in the same time slot. If the reader does not receive RN16, it sends a queryrep.

[0122] 5) If the counter decreases to 0 after the tag receives (possibly multiple) queryrep messages, the tag will respond with RN16; otherwise, the tag will not respond. For example, each queryrep corresponds to the start or end of an access time slot. The tag can randomly select an access time slot to initiate access, send uplink data, or receive downlink data in the corresponding access time slot.

[0123] 6) When the reader receives RN16, if there is no collision (only one tag's RN16 is received), it sends an acknowledgment (ACK), indicating that the contention is resolved. The ACK contains the random number RN16 received by the reader, which indicates that the contention was resolved successfully, i.e., the access was successful.

[0124] 7) If the tag receives an ACK and confirms that the RN16 carried in the ACK matches the RN16 randomly generated by the tag, the tag will feed back the electronic product code (EPC). Otherwise, the tag will not feed back the EPC.

[0125] 8) If the tag sends an EPC and receives a duplicate query (queryrep), it indicates that the tag data transmission was successful, and the tag flips its flag bit to B (successful data storage). For example, the flag bit can be used to prevent tags that have already been stored from being stored again, because subsequent queries will carry a flag bit of A. If a tag that has been flipped receives a query with a flag bit of A, it will not respond to the reader.

[0126] RFID tags are simple to implement but do not support complex measurements. Therefore, tag design should adhere to the principle of minimalism.

[0127] 2. Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT).

[0128] With the development of communication technology, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defined A-IoT technology. A-IoT in A-IoT technology includes readers and terminal devices; or, in other words, an A-IoT-based communication system includes readers and terminal devices. The terminal device can be a device with A-IoT functionality, also known as an A-IoT device. In this case, both the reader and the A-IoT device can be implemented based on cellular network infrastructure. In other words, both the reader and the A-IoT device can be devices within a cellular network. For example, the functionality of the reader can be implemented by network devices, such as base stations. The A-IoT device can be implemented by terminals within a cellular network, such as ultra-low power, ultra-low complexity IoT terminals. Non-contact data communication can be performed between network devices and terminal devices, allowing the network device to read information from the terminal device and / or write information that needs to be stored into the terminal device.

[0129] A-IoT technology can be understood as an extension of RFID within 3GPP. While A-IoT and RFID share some principles, such as similar inventory management processes, 3GPP introduces more value-added scenarios. A-IoT can be understood as being based on cellular network communication infrastructure, consisting of readers (such as base stations) and passive, semi-passive, or active A-IoT devices (A-IoT devices are terminals within the cellular network, understood as extremely low-power, extremely low-complexity IoT terminals). Its main functions include inventory management, positioning, sensing, and command processing; typical application scenarios include logistics, warehousing, industrial manufacturing, identity recognition, and environmental monitoring.

[0130] Among them, the inventory management service uses a reader (which can be a base station / terminal) to access A-IoT devices within the coverage area. Once successfully connected, the device needs to send its unique identifier (which the network can recognize, such as EPC in RFID) to the reader.

[0131] Positioning can be understood as using some positioning signals to locate the position of A-IoT devices.

[0132] Sensing involves A-IoT devices reporting sensor data to the base station, such as temperature data.

[0133] Commands can be operational instructions, such as write or lock. The write process can be understood as the base station sending downlink commands and data, instructing the A-IoT device to write data into its own memory. The lock process can be understood as sending downlink commands, triggering the A-IoT device to lock the location at a specified address in the memory, making the contents of that memory area unchangeable and / or unreadable.

[0134] When an A-IoT-based communication system includes readers and terminal devices, the workflow between the readers and terminal devices is similar to that in RFID technology. For example, when the reader is inventorying the terminal devices, the process can be seen in Figure 1, which illustrates the workflow between the tag device and the reader.

[0135] This application can be primarily applied to 5G NR communication systems, but it can also be applied to other communication systems. For example, this application is also applicable to 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) systems, or future-oriented wireless communication systems.

[0136] This application can be applied to various network architectures, including an A-IoT network architecture. Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of various A-IoT network architectures according to this application. This A-IoT network architecture can include readers and A-IoT devices. The functionality of the reader can be implemented by radio access network (RAN) nodes, such as base stations (BS). The A-IoT device can be a terminal device. An A-IoT device can be understood as a device with A-IoT functionality. The A-IoT device can be implemented by a terminal in a cellular network, such as an ultra-low power, ultra-low complexity IoT terminal. The A-IoT device can be located within the coverage area provided by the reader. When the reader is a terminal device, the communication between the reader and the A-IoT device can be considered as transmission between terminals.

[0137] For example, as shown in Figure 2(a), this A-IoT network architecture includes a base station 201 that sends signals to A-IoT devices and an A-IoT device 202 that receives signals from the base station. That is, there is uplink and downlink data / signaling between the base station 201 and the A-IoT device 202, or in other words, the A-IoT device 202 and the base station 201 communicate directly and bidirectionally. The communication between the base station 201 and the A-IoT device 202 includes A-IoT data and / or signaling. The communication between the base station 201 and the A-IoT device 202 is via a Uu interface, i.e., air interface communication.

[0138] As shown in Figure 2(b), the A-IoT network architecture includes a base station 201, an intermediate node 203, and an A-IoT device 202. The A-IoT device 202 can communicate bidirectionally with the intermediate node 203 between the A-IoT device 202 and the base station 201. In this topology, the intermediate node can be a repeater, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, user equipment (UE), etc., enabling environmental IoT. The intermediate node 203 transmits A-IoT data and / or signaling between the base station 201 and the A-IoT device 202. The communication between the base station 201 and the intermediate node 203 is via a Uu interface.

[0139] As shown in Figure 2(c), this A-IoT network architecture includes a base station 201, an A-IoT device 202, and an assisting node 204. In this network architecture, the A-IoT device 202 can send data / signaling to the base station 201 and receive data / signaling from the assisting node 204; or the A-IoT device 202 can receive data / signaling from the base station 201 and send data / signaling to the assisting node 204. In this network architecture, the assisting node 204 can be a repeater, IAB, UE, etc., which can be used to implement the Internet of Things. The communication between the base station 201 and the assisting node 204 is via a Uu interface.

[0140] As shown in Figure 2(d), the A-IoT network architecture includes a terminal 205 and an A-IoT device 202. The A-IoT device 202 and the terminal 205 can communicate bidirectionally. The communication between the terminal 205 and the A-IoT device 202 includes environmental IoT data and / or signaling.

[0141] Optionally, the A-IoT network architecture can also be a split architecture. That is, the A-IoT device and the reader (such as the base station) only have uplink (or downlink) connections, and the A-IoT device and the UE or the excitation source (helper) only have downlink (or uplink) connections.

[0142] RAN nodes, also known as radio access network devices, RAN entities, or access nodes, are used to help terminals access communication systems wirelessly. In one application scenario, an RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. It can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems. RAN nodes can be macro base stations, micro base stations, indoor stations, relay nodes, or donor nodes.

[0143] In another application scenario, multiple RAN nodes can collaborate to help terminals achieve wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing different functions of the base station. For example, a RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). Here, the CU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Resource Control (RRC) and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and can also perform the functions of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP). The DU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Link Control (RANC) and Medium Access Control (MAC) layers, and can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. For specific descriptions of these protocol layers, refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement radio frequency signal transmission and reception. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes or integrated into the same RAN node, such as within a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0144] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and an RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). The RAN nodes in the embodiments of this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. For example, a RAN node can be a server loaded with the corresponding software modules. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the RAN nodes. For ease of description, a base station is used as an example of a RAN node in the following description.

[0145] In A-IoT, A-IoT devices include active A-IoT devices, passive A-IoT devices, and semi-passive A-IoT devices. Passive A-IoT devices can also be called passive IoT devices, meaning devices that operate without a physical connection. Therefore, they can also be considered a type of terminal.

[0146] A reader / writer is a handheld or fixed device that reads (and sometimes writes) information from A-IoT devices. It can also be understood as a device that communicates with A-IoT devices. It can take the form of a terminal, a base station, a headend, a PRU, a transmission reception point (TRP), or any other node that transmits signals, or simply a device with read / write capabilities. A reader / writer can also be an IAB node, a smart repeater, or a relay node.

[0147] The helper can be a terminal, a base station, or a small station. This device only communicates with A-IoT devices via downlink, but communicates with readers via uplink and downlink data transmission, which may be through an air interface or a wired connection.

[0148] A terminal can be a device or module that connects to the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, transportation vehicles with wireless communication capabilities, communication modules, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. A terminal typically contains a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication functions. The terminal also contains program instructions for performing the corresponding communication functions.

[0149] Base stations and terminal equipment can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminal equipment.

[0150] Communication between base stations and terminal devices, between base stations, and between terminal devices can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0151] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the base station can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes base station functions. This control subsystem, including base station functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal device can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal device, or by a device that includes terminal device functions.

[0152] The functions of the network devices or terminal devices involved in this application can be implemented by one device, or by multiple devices, or by one or more functional modules within one device, or by one or more chips, or by a system on a chip (SOC) or chip system. A chip system can be composed of chips or include chips and other discrete devices. The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0153] It is understood that the above functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, a combination of hardware and software, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0154] It is understood that this application does not specifically limit the structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of this application. The following description takes the interaction between the first device and the second device as an example. The first device may be a terminal device or a tag, etc., and the first device may also be a chip or module in the terminal device or tag, etc.; the second device may be a network device or a terminal device or a tag, etc., and the second device may also be a chip or module in the network device or a terminal device or a tag, etc.

[0155] The following explanations of some terms or concepts used in the embodiments of this application are provided to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0156] The Query signal, also known as access round indication or access round trigger, is not specifically named. This signaling can be used to trigger / indicate at least one access opportunity. For example, it can directly or indirectly indicate the total number of access opportunities, or it can be used to trigger the first access opportunity.

[0157] QueryRep, also known as access occasion indication or access occasion trigger, is a signaling term without specific name restrictions. It can be used to trigger / indicate the next access occasion, or it can be understood as indicating / associating with the boundary of an access occasion; the boundary can be a start or an end.

[0158] The aforementioned access opportunity can also be described as an access timing, access time slot, etc. Each access opportunity may allow the first device to send at least one of the following: access request, identification information for contention resolution, data, etc.

[0159] Paging can be used to instruct an AIoT device to connect to a reader, for example:

[0160] When the reader is a base station / access network device, Paging can be used to indicate that the device is accessing the network.

[0161] When the reader is a terminal device, Paging can be used to instruct the device to connect to the terminal device. Optionally, the device can connect to the network through the terminal device.

[0162] Paging can also be used to trigger / instruct a device to send uplink data, or to trigger / instruct / request a device to perform a first service, wherein the first service may include at least one of the following: paging service, inventory service, command service (such as read, write, deactivate, lock, etc.), positioning service, and sensing service.

[0163] Paging, also known as trigger message / indication, initial trigger message / indication, downlink trigger message / indication, initial downlink trigger message / indication, selection message, etc., is not subject to specific name restrictions and can be triggered by core network elements (such as AMF, or AIoTMF (ambient IoT management function), AIoTF (ambient IoT function)).

[0164] The above explanations of Query, QueryRep, and Paging apply to the embodiments of this application.

[0165] The first device sends identification information for contention resolution to the second device. This identification information is used for contention resolution or to distinguish different terminal devices during random access / contention resolution. The identification information for contention resolution can be a random number (RN), also called a random access identifier or random ID. For example, RN16. Of course, the number of bits is not limited.

[0166] The second device sends an acknowledgment (ACK) message to the first device, indicating successful contention resolution. Optionally, the ACK may include identification information used for contention resolution to associate the device. The first device can compare the identification information carried in the ACK with the identification information sent by the first device itself; if they match, the contention resolution is considered successful. The ACK message can also be called an access ID response message.

[0167] In one possible implementation, the message that connects the first device to the second device or to the network is called message 1 or AIOT message 1. For example, a message carrying identification information for contention resolution is called message 1 or AIOT message 1.

[0168] In one possible implementation, the message sent by the second device to the first device to confirm successful access is called message 2, or AIOT message 2. For example, the ACK message indicating successful contention resolution is called message 2, or AIOT message 2.

[0169] In one possible implementation, after the first device connects to the second device or to the network, the data-carrying message sent is called message 3, or AIoT message 3. For example, message 3 carries the device ID.

[0170] In this application, the sending of signaling and / or data from the reader to the A-IoT device can be understood as R2D (reader-to-device), and the sending of signaling and / or data from the A-IoT device to the reader can be understood as D2R (device-to-reader).

[0171] For example, R2D messages can be carried on the physical reader-to-device channel (PR2DCH); D2R messages can be carried on the physical device-to-reader channel (PD2RCH).

[0172] In various embodiments of this application, "including" can be understood as "appears," "configured," or "present," etc. For example, a signaling that includes UE information can be understood as the UE information appearing in the information, or the UE information being configured in the information, or the UE information existing in the information, etc. Similarly, a signaling that includes a field can be understood as the field appearing in the information, or the field being configured in the information, or the field existing in the information, etc. Likewise, "not including" can be understood as "does not appear," "does not configure," "is absent," or "is defaulted," etc. For example, a signaling that does not include UE information can be understood as the UE information not appearing in the information, or the UE information not being configured in the information, or the UE information being absent from the information, etc. Similarly, a signaling that does not include a field can be understood as the field not appearing in the information, or the field not being configured in the information, or the field being absent from the information, etc.

[0173] The method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 3 to 6.

[0174] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication method includes, but is not limited to, the following steps:

[0175] 301, The first device receives the trigger message sent by the second device.

[0176] The trigger message can be a select message or a paging message, used to select a set of tags, which can carry the inventory session, action, and mask. Upon receiving a tag that matches the select message, the session ID and corresponding mask are set. For example, if the inventory session selects session ID: S0, action = 0, and the mask matches, the tag will set the mask of session S0 to A.

[0177] Triggering messages can also include query messages, which carry a Q-value, session ID, and a flag. Assuming session ID is S0 and the flag is A, when the tag determines that its session ID and flag match the session ID and flag in the received query, the tag randomly generates a Q-value between 0 and 2. Q-1 A random number is used as the initial value for the counter. Optionally, the Paging message may include a query signaling.

[0178] The selection message or paging message and the inquiry message mentioned above can be sent in the same message or in two separate messages. That is, the first device first receives the selection message or paging message sent by the second device, and then the first device receives the inquiry message sent by the second device.

[0179] In this application, the first device can be an A-IoT device, and the second device can be a reader / writer.

[0180] 302. In response to the trigger message, the first device sends the fourth message to the second device.

[0181] Optionally, the first device generates the fourth information before sending it.

[0182] In one implementation, responding to a trigger message can be understood as sending a fourth message after receiving the trigger message.

[0183] In one implementation, the fourth piece of information may include a random number (RN). For example, RN is RN16, where RN16 can be understood as a 16-bit random number used for contention resolution. If multiple tags randomly select the same counter value, multiple tags may send RN16 in the same time slot. If the reader does not receive RN16, it sends a repeat query (QueryRep). When a tag receives a QueryRep, it sets the counter to counter-1. If the tag generates a counter of 0, the tag returns a random number (RN); otherwise, the tag does not respond. Here, the message containing the random number is denoted as message1.

[0184] 303, The first device receives the first information sent by the second device.

[0185] In one implementation, the first message includes an acknowledgement (ACK) message. When the second device receives the fourth message, if there is no collision (e.g., only the fourth message sent by one tag is received), it sends an acknowledgement (ACK), indicating that the contention is resolved. The ACK contains the fourth message received by the fourth device, indicating that the contention was successfully resolved, i.e., access was successful. Here, the message containing the acknowledgement information is denoted as message2.

[0186] In another implementation, the first information includes downlink data. In this application, for example, the downlink data is R2D data, or a read command and / or a write command. In this case, steps 301 and 302 are not required in this embodiment, i.e., it is for data transmission scenarios. During the data transmission process, the first device can determine the storage area address information and / or data length (e.g., which storage area, which field starts, and the field length / end position) corresponding to the transmitted data based on the content of the R2D data, such as read and write commands.

[0187] In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, steps 301, 302, and 303 are optional steps.

[0188] 304. The first device sends second information to the second device, wherein the second information includes at least one of the following: device identifier, uplink data, contention resolution identifier, and random number.

[0189] In one embodiment, a first device receives first information, and a second information is used in response to the first information.

[0190] In one embodiment, the method of this embodiment does not include step 303, then in step 304 the first device can directly send the second information to the second device without responding to the first information.

[0191] In one implementation, the message containing the second information may be referred to as message 3.

[0192] In one implementation, if the first device receives ACK information and determines that the RN16 carried in the ACK matches the RN16 randomly generated by the first device, then the first device will feed back the electronic product code (EPC); otherwise, the first device will not feed back the EPC.

[0193] In one implementation, the second information is used for accessing a second device or for contention resolution; for example, it can be called msg1, and the specific name is not limited. Exemplarily, the second information may include identification information for contention resolution, which is used for contention resolution or to distinguish different terminal devices during random access / contention resolution. The identification information for contention resolution can be a random number (RN), also called a random access identifier or random ID. For example, RN16; of course, the number of bits is not limited.

[0194] In one implementation, the second information may further include a random number (or contention resolution identifier) ​​and a device identifier. The random number (or contention resolution identifier) ​​can be used to identify the first device, and the number of bits is not limited, such as a 16-bit random number. The device identifier can be used to indicate the device identification information of the first device in the inventory service. Optionally, the device identifier can be replaced with uplink data, such as for responding to command services (e.g., read or write commands) or sensing services; the specific service is not limited.

[0195] In one implementation, when the second information includes a random number, the random number can be the first identification information.

[0196] In one implementation, the second information includes a device identity, such as the device identity information used in inventory management to transmit the first device.

[0197] In another implementation, if the first device receives downlink data (i.e., the first information includes downlink data), then the second information sent by the first device to the second device includes uplink data. For example, the uplink data may be a command response.

[0198] In some cases (denoted as Case 1), the second device may fail to receive the second information, preventing it from acquiring the EPC of the first device. In other cases (denoted as Case 2), the first device may fail to receive the first information sent by the second device, preventing it from receiving the second information. In the prior art, if the second device does not receive the second information within a certain period after sending the first information, it sends a negative acknowledgment (NACK) and scheduling information to the first device, instructing the first device to retransmit the second information. During this process, the second device needs to send NACK and scheduling information, resulting in significant signaling overhead. Furthermore, for Case 1, the first device can retransmit the second information; for Case 2, the first device can re-initiate the access procedure. However, the prior art does not provide specific implementation methods for these. Therefore, the following steps are used to solve this problem.

[0199] In one implementation, steps 302 and 303 are optional steps, and when the second information sent by the first device to the second device includes uplink data, step 304 can be regarded as the first device performing contention-free access resolution.

[0200] In one implementation, the first device performs contention-free access, which can be understood as follows: the first device does not perform a contention-based access procedure and can directly send data to the second device. For example, the first device directly sends upper layer data and / or device ID to the second device through second information.

[0201] In one implementation, the first device can determine to perform CFRA based on received indication information indicating that CFRA should be performed. Optionally, the indication information indicating that CFRA should be performed can be carried in a trigger message, such as a paging or access timing trigger message.

[0202] In one implementation, the second device can instruct the first device to perform either CFRA or CBRA based on an access type indicator. For example, a value of 1 for the access type indicator instructs the first device to perform CFRA; a value of 0 for the access type indicator instructs the first device to perform CBRA. Thus, the first device can determine whether to perform CFRA or CBRA based on the access type indicator.

[0203] In one implementation, after the first device performs CFRA (Content Flow Arrangement), such as by directly sending data to the second device, it receives at least one of the following: NACK (Near Acknowledgement), Access Type Indication, or Data Transmission Indication. In this mode, the first device determines that CFRA has failed and re-accesses. Whether the first device re-accesses via CFRA or CBRA can be determined based on the Access Type Indication.

[0204] In another implementation, after the first device directly sends data to the second device, it does not receive at least one of the following: NACK, access type indication, or data transmission indication. In this mode, the first device assumes CFRA was successful and does not reconnect. Optionally, after the first device sends data to the second device, if it does not receive at least one of the following after a certain period of time: NACK, access type indication, or data transmission indication, the first device assumes CFRA was successful and does not reconnect.

[0205] In one implementation, the second device can indicate whether the first device should reconnect using indication information. For example, when the value of the indication information is 0, it indicates that reconnection will not be performed; when the value of the indication information is 1, it indicates that reconnection will be performed.

[0206] In one implementation, at least one of the following sent by the second device to the first device—NACK, access type indication, and data transmission indication—can be carried in the aforementioned first or third information, and this application embodiment does not limit this. For example, at least one of the following sent by the second device to the first device—NACK, access type indication, and data transmission indication—can also be carried in any other R2D message.

[0207] In one implementation, if the second device instructs the first device to reconnect via scheduling information, the scheduling information may be any of the following: first information, third information, or information for instructing the first device to schedule resources and / or TBS, then the first device may determine whether to reconnect via CFRA, CBRA, or data retransmission based on the scheduling information.

[0208] For example, the value of TBS is equal to the device ID size or the upper layer data size (or the first threshold), indicating that the first device should reconnect to CFRA or retransmit data; the value of TBS is equal to the random ID size, indicating that the first device should reconnect to CBRA.

[0209] For example, if the value of TBS is equal to 0, it indicates that the first device has failed to access the network. The first device can then re-access the network, for example, by determining whether to re-access the network via CFRA or CBRA based on the access type indication mentioned above.

[0210] In one implementation, when the second device indicates a NACK, it in conjunction with the TBS to indicate the aforementioned behavior. For example, if the second device sends a NACK to the first device and indicates to the first device that the value of the TBS is equal to the device ID size, then the first device is instructed to perform a CFRA reconnection or data retransmission.

[0211] In one implementation, the second device implicitly instructs the first device to re-access via CFRA using an access stratum identification (AS ID). Optionally, in this case, the AS ID is assigned by the reader.

[0212] In one embodiment, when the first device determines to perform CBRA access based on the access type indication from the second device, the first device may perform CBRA access in one step, or in two steps, or in three steps, or in four steps.

[0213] In one implementation, the first device performing step 302 can be considered as performing a one-step CBRA access. In this case, steps 305 and 306 are optional or unnecessary. Furthermore, when the first device performs a one-step CBRA access, the second information sent by the first device to the second device includes a device identifier and uplink data, or includes uplink data and a random number, which is a random number of arbitrary bits.

[0214] In one implementation, the first device performing steps 302 and 303 can be considered as performing a two-step CBRA access. In this case, the first device also needs to perform steps 305 and 306, that is, the first device also needs to determine whether the access is successful based on the third information. In addition, in the case of the first device's two-step CBRA access, the second information sent by the first device to the second device includes the device identifier and uplink data, or uplink data and a random number, wherein the random number is a random number of arbitrary bits.

[0215] In one implementation, the first device performs steps 302, 303, and 304, which can be viewed as performing a three-step CBRA access. In this case, the second information sent by the first device to the second device includes the device identifier and / or uplink data.

[0216] In one implementation, the first device performs steps 302, 303, 304, and 305, which can be considered as performing a four-step CBRA access. In this case, the second information sent by the first device to the second device includes the device identifier and / or uplink data.

[0217] 305, the first device receives the third information sent by the second device.

[0218] Since the second device cannot know whether the above problem occurs under condition 1 or condition 2, the following implementation methods may be possible.

[0219] In one implementation, the third information includes D2R scheduling information but excludes NACK information. In this case, the third information is used to instruct the first device to retransmit the second information or retransmit data.

[0220] In one implementation, the third information includes D2R scheduling information. In this case, the third information is used to instruct the first device to retransmit the second information or retransmit data.

[0221] In another implementation, the third information includes D2R scheduling information and second indication information, but excludes NACK information. The second indication information is used to indicate that the second information transmission failed. In this case, the third information is used to instruct the first device to retransmit the second information or retransmit the data. The second indication information is used to indicate that the second information was not successfully received or that the second information transmission failed. For example, the second indication information includes NACK information, or the second indication information directly or explicitly instructs the first device to send the second information to the second device or retransmit the data.

[0222] In another implementation, the third information includes D2R scheduling information and second indication information, whereby the second indication information indicates that the second information transmission failed. In this case, the third information is used to instruct the first device to retransmit the second information or retransmit the data.

[0223] In one implementation, the third information may further include ACK, Query, QueryRep, or Paging. In this implementation, the third information is used to indicate that the second information was successfully transmitted; upon receiving the third information, the first device can determine that the second information was successfully transmitted.

[0224] Since the first device may have already sent the second information, the second instruction information here, which instructs the first device to send the second information to the second device, can be understood as retransmitting the second information.

[0225] Optionally, D2R scheduling information (or third information) can be indicated through the MAC header or MAC CE; or it can be indicated through physical layer information (or sequences in the frame structure) such as postamble, preamble, or calibration information. That is, D2R scheduling information can be physical layer information such as the MAC header, MAC CE, postamble, preamble, or calibration information; or the second information can be located within physical layer information such as the MAC header, MAC CE, postamble, preamble, or calibration information.

[0226] Based on the above implementation methods, in another implementation method, the third information also includes the first information. That is, the third information includes D2R scheduling information and the first information, but does not include NACK information. In this case, the third information is used to instruct the first device to resend the second information or retransmit data. The first information here is the same as the first information in step 303, but it is sent through two different messages.

[0227] In one implementation, the third information includes the amount of data that can be transmitted (e.g., the transport block size (TBS)), such as the amount of data used to indicate the amount of data in the second information or the maximum value of the amount of data in the second information.

[0228] In one implementation, the first device can determine how to respond to the third information based on the amount of data that can be transmitted. If the amount of data that can be transmitted is greater than or equal to a second threshold, the third information is used to instruct the first device to resend the second information or retransmit the data. If the amount of data that can be transmitted is less than or equal to the third threshold, the third information is used to instruct the first device to initiate an access procedure to the second device. The second threshold and the third threshold are greater than or equal to 0, and the third threshold can be equal to the second threshold, or the third threshold and the second threshold can be unequal.

[0229] For example, the third threshold is the amount of data in the fourth information. If the amount of data that can be transmitted as indicated by the third information is equal to the third threshold, it can be understood that the second device instructs the first device to transmit the access initiation or send the fourth information through the third information.

[0230] For example, the second threshold is the amount of data in the first information. If the amount of data that can be transmitted, indicated by the third information, is equal to the second threshold, it can be understood that the second device instructs the first device to send the second information through the third information.

[0231] In one implementation, the third information includes the first indication information but does not include D2R scheduling information. The first indication information is used to indicate that the second information was not successfully received, or that the second information transmission failed, or that the access failed. For example, the first indication information includes NACK information, or the first indication information directly or explicitly instructs the first device to initiate an access procedure to the second device. Since the first device may have already initiated an access procedure before, and the link encountered a problem after this access procedure, the first indication information instructing the first device to initiate an access procedure to the second device can be understood as re-initiating the access procedure, re-accessing the second device, or backing off.

[0232] In one implementation, the third information includes first indication information, which is used to indicate that the second information was not successfully received or that the second information transmission failed or access failed. For example, the first indication information includes NACK information, or the first indication information directly or explicitly instructs the first device to initiate an access process to the second device.

[0233] Based on the above implementation methods, in another implementation method, the third information also includes the first information, that is, the third information includes the first indication information and the first information, but does not include the D2R scheduling information. In this case, the third information is used to instruct the first device to initiate an access process to the second device.

[0234] Based on the above implementation methods, in another implementation method, the third information also includes the first information, that is, the third information includes the first instruction information and the first information. In this case, the third information is used to instruct the first device to initiate an access process to the second device.

[0235] In this application, the D2R scheduling information includes at least one of the following: a first data volume TBS, a first time information time offset, and a first frequency domain information. Optionally, the D2R scheduling information may be carried in a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) and / or a MAC header. Optionally, the D2R scheduling information may also be a physical layer indication (e.g., via sequence information) or a higher layer indication (e.g., a MAC CE and / or a MAC header).

[0236] In one implementation, the third information includes indication information for indicating successful random access, such as first identification information for indicating successful random access.

[0237] 306. The first device sends the second information to the second device or initiates an access procedure to the second device based on the third information.

[0238] In one implementation, if the first device determines that the third information includes D2R scheduling information but does not include NACK information, then the first device sends the second information or retransmits the second information.

[0239] In another implementation, if the first device determines that the third information includes D2R scheduling information, then the first device retransmits the second information.

[0240] In another implementation, if the first device determines that the third information includes D2R scheduling information and the first information, but does not include NACK information, then the first device sends the second information or retransmits the second information.

[0241] In another implementation, if the first device determines that the third information includes D2R scheduling information and the first information, then the first device sends the second information or retransmits the second information.

[0242] In another implementation, the first device determines that the third information includes D2R scheduling information and second indication information, whereby the second indication information indicates that the transmission of the second information failed. In this case, the third information is used to instruct the first device to retransmit the second information or retransmit the data.

[0243] In one implementation, if the first device determines that the third information includes the first indication information but does not include the D2R scheduling information, then the first device initiates an access procedure to the second device.

[0244] In one implementation, if the first device determines that the third information includes the first instruction information, then the first device initiates an access procedure to the second device.

[0245] In another implementation, if the first device determines that the third information includes the first instruction information and the first information, but does not include the D2R scheduling information, then the first device initiates an access procedure to the second device.

[0246] In another implementation, if the first device determines that the third information includes the first instruction information and the first information, then the first device initiates an access process to the second device.

[0247] Based on the above implementation methods, in one implementation method, the time when the first device initiates access to the second device can be immediately after receiving the third information, or after a period of time, or after receiving the instruction information that triggers re-access (such as receiving the Paging that triggers re-access, or receiving the Query that triggers a new round of access opportunities).

[0248] In one implementation, the first device initiating access to the second device can be understood as sending a fourth piece of information, such as contention resolution, or sending a second piece of information, such as contention-free resolution.

[0249] In one implementation, if the first device does not receive the third information and / or the first information after sending the second information, the first device does not actively initiate access to or re-access to the second device until it receives the third information sent by the second device, at which point it re-accesses the third device or resends the second information. The third information includes at least one of the following: a first indication information and a second indication information. This can be understood as the first device continuously listening for downlink messages or R2D messages after sending the second information and before receiving the third information, without actively sending uplink messages or D2R messages.

[0250] In one implementation, after sending the second information, the first device starts a timer. If it does not receive the third information before the timer expires, the first device does not actively initiate access to or reconnect to the second device until it receives the third information sent by the second device, at which point it reconnects to the third device or resends the second information. This can be understood as the first device continuously listening for downlink messages or R2D messages after sending the second information and before receiving the third information, without actively sending uplink messages or D2R messages.

[0251] In one implementation, after the first device sends the second information, it starts a timer. If it receives other messages other than the third information before the timer expires, such as a message to trigger a new access opportunity, a paging message, or a message to schedule other devices, the first device considers the access successful or the data transmission completed or the access completed.

[0252] In one implementation, if the first device does not receive the third information after sending the second information, the first device considers that the access has been successful or the data transmission has been completed or the access has been completed.

[0253] Based on the above implementation methods, in one implementation method, after the first device sends the second information, it can determine that the access is successful without relying on an explicit indication of success or failure, thereby improving access efficiency.

[0254] In one implementation, the first device does not initiate a reconnection after it considers the connection successful.

[0255] In one implementation, after the first device considers a successful access, it does not respond to a re-access instruction and / or retransmission of paging.

[0256] In one implementation, after the first device sends the second information, it starts a timer, and after the timer expires, the access is considered successful.

[0257] In one implementation, after the first device sends the second information, it starts a timer. During the operation of the timer, if it receives at least one of the following: NACK, retransmission instruction, or third information, the first device confirms that the access has failed and closes the timer, that is, stops the timer from running.

[0258] In one embodiment, after the first device sends the second information, if the timer times out and no indication information for indicating re-access is received, or scheduling information for scheduling re-access or retransmission of resource information, or NACK is received, the first device considers the access successful or the data transmission completed or the access completed.

[0259] In one implementation, after the first device sends the second information, if it receives a NACK during the timer's operation, it re-accesses the network. Whether the first device re-accesses based on CFRA or CBRA can be determined based on the aforementioned access type indication.

[0260] The above is an overall description of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application. Steps 303 to 305 will be described below.

[0261] For step 303:

[0262] Optionally, the first information can be access confirmation information, with no restriction on the name. This access confirmation information is used to indicate successful contention resolution. Optionally, the access confirmation information may include identification information used for contention resolution to associate with the device. For example, the access confirmation information may carry identification information for contention resolution. The first device can compare the identification information for contention resolution carried in the access confirmation information with the identification information for contention resolution sent by the first device. If they match, the contention resolution is considered successful. The access confirmation information can also be called an access ID response message.

[0263] In one possible implementation, the message sent by the second device to the first device to confirm successful access is called message 2, or AIOT message 2. For example, the ACK message indicating successful contention resolution is called message 2, or AIOT message 2.

[0264] Optionally, the first information can be used to instruct the AIoT device to access the reader. For example, the first information can be paging or query, and the name is not limited.

[0265] Optionally, when the reader is a base station / access network device, the first information can be used to indicate that the device is accessing the network.

[0266] Optionally, when the reader is a terminal device, Paging can be used to instruct the device to connect to the terminal device. Alternatively, the device can connect to the network through the terminal device.

[0267] Optionally, the first information can also be used to trigger / instruct the device to send uplink data, or to trigger / instruct / request the device to perform a first service, wherein the first service may include at least one of the following: paging service, inventory service, command service (such as read, write, deactivate, lock, etc.), positioning service, and sensing service.

[0268] Optionally, the first information can be data from a single transaction, where a single transaction can be understood as a transaction triggered by a paging message. For example, a single transaction could be an inventory check, a command transaction (such as a read / write transaction), etc. Of course, it's also possible for the first data to include data from multiple transactions. For example, the first information could include data from a single command transaction (such as a read command, write command, lock command, or deactivation command). When the first data includes data from multiple transactions, the data from the multiple transactions can be complete data from multiple transactions, partial data from multiple transactions, or it can include complete data from one or more transactions and partial data from another one or more transactions.

[0269] Optionally, before receiving the first information, the first device accesses the second device or network (e.g., steps 301, 302). The first device may perform random access to the second device, which can be contention-free random access (CFRA) or contention-based random access (CBRA). Alternatively, the first device may not perform random access to the second device, for example, the first device may access the second device or network using a mobile originate (MO) method. For example, the second device sends a Paging message to the first device, skipping random access and directly triggering the first device to send data. Optionally, the Paging message may include Query signaling.

[0270] In this application embodiment, the service that triggers the transmission of the fourth information is referred to as the first service. The first service may include a single service or multiple services. The first service may include one or more of the following: inventory service, command service (such as read, write, deactivate, lock, etc.), positioning service, sensing service, etc.

[0271] Based on the triggering of the first service, the first device sends the second information in the first data to the second device (e.g., step 304). For example, before the first device sends the second information to the second device, the second device instructs the first device on the first service, such as instructing the first device on the first service in a Paging message.

[0272] For step 304:

[0273] Optionally, before sending the second information, the first device may receive R2D trigger messages or R2D data (e.g., step 303). Examples include contention resolution success messages (message2), paging messages, access opportunity trigger messages, and commands (such as read / write / sensor commands).

[0274] Optionally, the second information may be an application layer message, a non-access stratum message, uplink data (UL data), etc. Optionally, the second information is sent by the first device and received by the second device; or the second information is sent by the first device and forwarded to the core network equipment by the second device.

[0275] Optionally, the second information can be used to carry the (uplink) data sent by the first device, such as the identification information (temporary identification information or permanent identification information) of the first device, positioning information, sensor data, read data, command feedback and other information.

[0276] For step 305:

[0277] Optionally, the first device can determine the content of the second information based on its address / location information in the storage area. For example, after sending the second information, the first device saves its address / location information in the storage area. If it receives D2R scheduling information, it sends the data associated with that address / location information. In this way, even if the third information does not include the first information, the first device can determine the content of the second information itself.

[0278] Optionally, when the first device receives an R2D trigger message (or R2D data) (such as the first information), the first device can determine the storage location information of the second information based on the R2D trigger message (or R2D data).

[0279] For example, the storage location information of the second information may refer to the starting position (e.g., the Kth field / byte / bit, where K is an integer greater than or equal to 0) and / or the ending position (e.g., the starting position is the Kth field / byte / bit, and the ending position is the Hth field / byte / bit, where H > K) of the first data in a certain storage area (e.g., User Memory or EPC Memory).

[0280] Optionally, the third information may include storage location information to indicate the storage location information of the second information. For example, the method of indicating or storing the storage location information is similar to the implementation of the data location (such as the storage location information of the second information) described above; specific details can be found in the description of the data location in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0281] Optionally, the storage location information may also include storage area location information, such as indicating 2^M storage areas using M bits. For example, 2 bits can indicate 2^2 = 4 storage areas, where 00 indicates the device ID storage area / EPC storage area / identity storage area, 01 indicates the user (custom) storage area, and 10 and 01 indicate the reserved storage area.

[0282] The storage area address / location information may include one or more of the following: storage areas, such as electronic product code (EPC) storage areas, tag identifier (TID) storage areas, user storage areas, etc. Optionally, after the first device receives a new message (such as a first information paging or query or queryrep message), or receives a success indication, or after a first duration, it may release or discard the second information in the storage area address / location information. The first duration may be specified by a protocol, pre-configured, or indicated to the first device by the second device.

[0283] Optionally, the first device receives an R2D message (e.g., a third message) that includes D2R scheduling information. The D2R scheduling information can be understood as the scheduling information required for the next D2R message transmission or the scheduling information required for the D2R message transmission corresponding to the R2D message (e.g., the third message). For example, if an R2D message contains D2R scheduling information, in response to the R2D message, the first device needs to send a D2R message. The content and / or transmission resources (e.g., the amount of data transmitted, and / or time-domain resources, and / or frequency-domain resources) of the D2R message can be determined based on the D2R scheduling information. As another example, if an R2D message and D2R scheduling information are sent together or separately, in response to the R2D message and / or the D2R scheduling information, the first device needs to send a D2R message. The content and / or transmission resources (e.g., the amount of data transmitted, and / or time-domain resources, and / or frequency-domain resources) of the D2R message can be determined based on the D2R scheduling information.

[0284] Optionally, D2R scheduling information may include or be associated with one or more of the following seven items:

[0285] 1. The amount of data that can be transmitted, for example, the amount of data used to indicate the amount of second information or the maximum value of the amount of second information. In one implementation, the first information may include the transport block size (TBS).

[0286] 2. Transmission parameter information, such as at least one of the following: Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) rules, downlink bandwidth indication, uplink-downlink (UL-DL) processing delay, coding rate, bit repetition count, etc.

[0287] 3. Time / frequency calibration information, such as time offset information used to calibrate the time offset of the first device or to provide time calibration information for the first device, such as calibration sequences. In one possible implementation, since the clock offset of the first device (such as the sampling clock frequency offset, SFO) may be large, such as an offset of 1ms every 10ms, the time / frequency calibration information can be used to correct / adjust the clock offset.

[0288] 4. Time-domain resource information, such as time-domain resources used to instruct the first device to send the second information, or time-domain resources used by the second device to receive the second information. For example, the first information may include time-domain information, and the first device sends the second information after receiving it for a time offset. Optionally, the time-domain information may be a time window, a period of time, or a moment; this embodiment of the application does not limit this.

[0289] 5. Frequency domain resource information, such as frequency domain resources used to instruct the first device to transmit the second information, or frequency domain resources used by the second device to receive the second information. For example, the first information may include frequency domain information. As an example, the parameters included in the first information for determining the frequency domain resource can be implemented in various ways, which will be explained below using various examples such as methods A to C.

[0290] Method A. The parameters included in the first information can indicate the frequency information / frequency domain location / frequency point location of the first frequency domain resource. The first frequency domain is the frequency domain resource for which the first device sends uplink messages (or D2R messages), such as the frequency domain resource for which the first device sends second information.

[0291] Method B. The parameters contained in the first information can indicate the frequency shift between the first frequency domain resource and the default frequency domain location (or the pre-configured frequency domain location).

[0292] Method C. The parameters included in the first information may include at least one of the following:

[0293] Parameter 1. Time parameter (denoted as Tpri). For example, parameter 1 can indicate uplink or downlink or uplink / downlink transmission time unit, or parameters related to uplink or downlink or uplink / downlink transmission time unit, etc.

[0294] Parameter 2. Code length parameter (denoted as M). For example, parameter 2 can be the number of Manchester code repetitions, or a parameter related to the number of Manchester code repetitions, etc.

[0295] Parameter 3. Scaling parameter (denoted as Rchip). For example, parameter 3 can be the number of level repetitions, or a parameter related to the level length, etc.

[0296] In one possible implementation of method C, parameters 1 to 3 can be configured as shown in Table 1 below.

[0297] Table 1

[0298] As shown in Table 1, index = 0 corresponds to Tpri = 25 microseconds (µs), Rchip = 4, and M = 1; index = 1 corresponds to Tpri = 25µs, Rchip = 4, and M = 2, and so on.

[0299] The frequency domain resources / locations can be determined by configuring the three parameters in Table 1.

[0300] 6. Code domain resource information, used to indicate the code domain resources of D2R transmission, such as indicating available sequences or sets of available sequences, or encoding methods, etc.

[0301] By including D2R scheduling information or NACK information in the third information in this embodiment, the first device is triggered to retransmit the second information or to re-initiate the access process, respectively. This reduces the signaling overhead of the second device sending the third information and also realizes the function of retransmitting the second information or re-initiating the access process.

[0302] 7. First identification information, used to associate with the first device, such as identification information generated by the first device or assigned / indicated by the second device (e.g., using a random number of arbitrary bits (such as RN16) or part or all of the device ID), or used to distinguish which device the D2R scheduling information is sent to (e.g., an environmental IoT device). In one implementation, the first identification information can be RNTI, or identification information carried in the MAC header or MAC CE.

[0303] In one implementation, the first identification information may be an AS ID.

[0304] The first device can determine the first identification information through various implementation methods, and this application does not limit this method. For example, the first device can determine the first identification information in the following three ways.

[0305] Method 1: The first device obtains the first identification information from the second device.

[0306] The first identification information may be assigned to the first device by the second device according to certain rules, or it may be randomly assigned to the first device by the second device. For example, the allocation rules may be that the second device assigns the first identification information to the first device based on the identification information of the first device (such as deviceID) and / or access resources (such as time and / or frequency domain resources).

[0307] Alternatively, the second device may decide to send the first identification information to the first device independently, or the second device may first receive information from the first device and then send the first identification information to the first device based on that information. Correspondingly, the first device receives the first identification information from the second device. The following describes the scenario where the second device decides to send the first identification information to the first device independently:

[0308] In one possible scenario, the second device may, at any possible time, send the first identification information to the first device, such as sending a first message containing the first identification information. In this case, the first message may be at least one of the following: a paging message, a message indicating permission to access, or a message responding to a service.

[0309] The paging message can be used for paging. Alternatively, a paging message can be replaced with a query message, which carries a first identification information. The query message can also indicate configuration information related to access and / or data transmission, such as access and / or data transmission resources (e.g., time, frequency resources). Query and paging messages can be combined into a single message; the naming of this message is unrestricted, or it can be transmitted through the same message.

[0310] In addition, the message used to indicate that access is permitted can be ACK. ACK can be used to indicate that the first device is allowed to access the second device. That is, when it is confirmed that the first device is allowed to access, the first identification information is transmitted to the first device by multiplexing the acknowledgment message.

[0311] In one implementation, if the second device decides to transmit the first identification information to the first device during the access phase, the second device can transmit the currently / previously generated / allocated first identification information, or the first identification information obtained in advance from the first device, or the first identification information predefined or preconfigured by the protocol, to the first device via an acknowledgment message (such as an R2D message / downlink message). Accordingly, the first device can receive the acknowledgment message and obtain the first identification information from it, thus determining the first identification information.

[0312] Optionally, the acknowledgment message is an exemplary name, which can also be replaced with any possible name, such as access response message, random access response message, etc., or any message used to implement the function of the acknowledgment message in the embodiments of this application can be understood as an acknowledgment message.

[0313] The message used to respond to a service request can be a queryRep, indicating whether the service transmission was successful or failed, such as whether the service data sent by the first device was successfully received by the second device. If the second device decides to pass the first identification information to the first device during the data transmission phase, the second device can pass the currently / previously generated / allocated first identification information, or the first identification information obtained in advance from the first device, or the first identification information predefined or preconfigured by the protocol, to the first device via a repeat query message. Accordingly, the first device can receive the repeat query message and obtain the first identification information from it, i.e., determine the first identification information.

[0314] Furthermore, the above-mentioned method of carrying the first identification information through a message is one example. The first identification information can also be transmitted through a separate message, which can be an existing message or a newly defined message. There are no restrictions on the specific implementation.

[0315] Method 2: The first device determines the first identification information itself.

[0316] The first identification information can be generated / assigned by the first device itself, such as determining RN16 or AS ID as the first identification information, or generating it through random or hash methods; the specific implementation method is not limited. The first device can generate the first identification information when its current remaining power / energy is insufficient, or it can generate the first identification information at any possible time, or it can generate the first identification information by default; the specific method is not limited. The first identification information can be transmitted to the second device together with the aforementioned indication information, or the first identification information can be sent to the second device separately; the specific transmission method is not limited, and the relevant introduction of Method 1 can be referred to, which will not be repeated here.

[0317] In one embodiment, the first device may store the first identification information. Optionally, the first device may store the first identification information before / after / when the first device goes into hibernation / suspends the first service.

[0318] Method 3: The first device and the second device negotiate to determine the first identification information.

[0319] For example, if the first device sends RN16, the second device can default to using RN16 as the first identification information. However, in some cases, the second device needs to send newly assigned first identification information to the first device instead of RN16. For instance, if multiple first devices send the same RN16, to ensure the uniqueness of the first identification information, the second device reassigns the first identification information to the first device and sends it to the first device, for example, through message2 or any other R2D message.

[0320] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication method includes, but is not limited to, the following steps:

[0321] Steps 401 to 404 are the same as steps 301 to 304 in Figure 3, and will not be repeated here.

[0322] Since the method provided in Figure 4 includes the method provided in Figure 3, the same parts can be found in Figure 3, and will not be repeated here.

[0323] 405, the first device starts the first timer.

[0324] In one embodiment, the first device starts a first timer when it begins to send the second information.

[0325] In another embodiment, the first device starts a first timer during the transmission of the second information.

[0326] In another embodiment, the first device starts a first timer when it finishes sending the second information.

[0327] In another implementation, the first device starts a first timer some time after the second information has been sent.

[0328] In one implementation, before step 405, the first device receives first configuration information sent by the second device. The first configuration information is used to configure the duration of the first timer. The time unit of the duration of the first timer can be absolute time (e.g., milliseconds / seconds / minutes) or relative time, such as frames, subframes, time slots, sub-time slots, the number of received signaling messages, etc.

[0329] In one implementation, prior to step 405, the first device receives second configuration information sent by the second device, the second configuration information indicating that a first timer should be enabled. This can be understood as the second device configuring the first device to use a method based on the first timer to determine whether to retransmit second information or initiate an access procedure. Alternatively, it can be understood as the second device configuring the first device to use the method shown in Figure 4.

[0330] In one implementation, if the first device receives second configuration information sent by the second device, and the second configuration information indicates to enable the first timer, the first device will not start the first timer, and the first device uses the method shown in FIG3.

[0331] In one implementation, the second configuration information and the third configuration information in the method shown in FIG3 can be different states of the same configuration information. For example, a bit can be used to indicate enable and disable, such as bit value 0 for disable and bit value 1 for enable; or conversely, bit value 1 for disable and bit value 0 for enable.

[0332] 406, The first device receives the third information during the operation of the first timer, that is, while the first timer is running.

[0333] In one embodiment, during the operation of the first timer, the first device detects third information, attempts to receive the third information, and may receive the third information. In another embodiment, if the first timer is running and the first device receives the third information, the first timer is stopped.

[0334] In one implementation, the third information includes D2R scheduling information but excludes NACK information. In this case, the third information is used to instruct the first device to retransmit the second information.

[0335] In one implementation, the third information includes D2R scheduling information. In this case, the third information is used to instruct the first device to retransmit the second information.

[0336] Based on the above implementation methods, in another implementation method, the third information also includes the first information, that is, the third information includes D2R scheduling information and the first information, but does not include NACK information. In this case, the third information is used to instruct the first device to retransmit the second information.

[0337] In another implementation, the third information also includes the first information, that is, the third information includes D2R scheduling information and the first information. In this case, the third information is used to instruct the first device to retransmit the second information.

[0338] In one implementation, the third information includes first indication information, which is used to indicate that the second information was not successfully received, i.e., the second indication information includes NACK information, or the first indication information directly or explicitly instructs the first device to initiate an access procedure to the second device.

[0339] In another implementation, the third information includes the first indication information but does not include D2R scheduling information. The first indication information is used to indicate that the second information was not successfully received. That is, the second indication information includes NACK information, or the first indication information directly or explicitly instructs the first device to initiate an access procedure to the second device. Since the first device may have already initiated an access procedure before, and the link has a problem after this access procedure, the first indication information instructing the first device to initiate an access procedure to the second device can be understood as re-initiating the access procedure.

[0340] Based on the above implementation methods, in another implementation method, the third information also includes the first information, that is, the third information includes the first indication information and the first information, but does not include the D2R scheduling information. In this case, the third information is used to instruct the first device to initiate an access process to the second device.

[0341] Based on the above implementation methods, in another implementation method, the third information also includes the first information, that is, the third information includes the first instruction information and the first information. In this case, the third information is used to instruct the first device to initiate an access process to the second device.

[0342] In one implementation, the third information may be occurrence trigger information or paging information.

[0343] 407, The first device sends second information to the second device, or initiates an access procedure to the second device.

[0344] In one implementation, if the first device receives third information during the operation of the first timer, the first device sends second information to the second device or initiates an access procedure to the first device based on the third information.

[0345] In one implementation, if the first device determines that the third information includes D2R scheduling information but does not include NACK information, then the first device retransmits the second information.

[0346] In another implementation, if the first device determines that the third information includes D2R scheduling information and the first information, but does not include NACK information, then the first device retransmits the second information.

[0347] In one implementation, if the first device determines that the third information includes the first indication information but does not include the D2R scheduling information, then the first device initiates an access procedure to the second device.

[0348] In another implementation, if the first device determines that the third information includes the first instruction information and the first information, but does not include the D2R scheduling information, then the first device initiates an access procedure to the second device.

[0349] In another implementation, if the first timer times out, the first device initiates an access procedure to the second device.

[0350] In another implementation, if the first device does not receive the third information before the first timer expires, the first device initiates an access procedure to the second device. This can be understood as follows: if the first device does not receive the third information during the first timer's operation, then when the first timer expires, the first device initiates an access procedure to the second device.

[0351] In one implementation, after sending the second information, the first device starts a first timer. After the first timer expires, it is considered that the access has not been successful, and the first device initiates an access process to the second device. Optionally, the first device does not initiate access immediately, but only initiates access when it receives a re-access instruction (or after determining the time to initiate access based on the re-access instruction).

[0352] In one embodiment, the duration of the first timer is configured to be a value less than a first threshold, where the first threshold is greater than or equal to zero (the time unit is not limited, for example, it can be an absolute time such as seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, etc., or a relative time such as number of frames, number of sub - frames, number of time slots, etc.). At this time, during the operation of the first timer, a re - transmission trigger may not be received or only an indication to trigger N re - transmissions may be received, where N is a positive integer and N < M, and M is a positive integer. It can be understood that when the duration of the first timer is small, it is not sufficient to receive a re - transmission indication during its operation, so as to reduce the detection time of the first device. During its operation, an acknowledgement (ACK) message may be received. If not, it is determined that the transmission fails and an access process is triggered.

[0353] Optionally, the first device may also send energy information to the second device, and the network side (such as the second device or the core network device) determines the duration of the first timer. Among them, the energy information can be energy / capacitance value / remaining battery percentage / energy above a certain threshold, etc., or the data size / time length that the remaining energy of the first device can support for transmission, or the time that the remaining energy can support the first device to maintain the working state, etc. The specific form of expression is not limited, and its function is to measure the current or subsequent available energy of the device.

[0354] Optionally, the energy information may also include energy harvesting information, such as the power / speed of energy harvesting, power consumption speed (such as power in the idle / sleep state, power per bit transmission or energy, etc.). The network side can determine at least how much time the first device needs according to the energy information.

[0355] Optionally, there is no restriction on which message carries the energy information. For example, it can be carried in a message including RN16 or a message including uplink data.

[0356] In one embodiment, the duration of the first timer is related to the maximum number of re - transmissions or the transmission time of the second information. For example, the duration of the first timer is K times the maximum number of re - transmissions, where K can be a real number greater than zero.

[0357] By including D2R scheduling information but not NACK information, or including NACK information but not D2R scheduling information in the third information in this embodiment, the first device is triggered to re - send the second information or the first device is triggered to re - initiate an access process, reducing the signaling overhead of the second device for sending the third information, and at the same time realizing the function of re - transmitting the second information or re - initiating an access process.

[0358] Figures 5 and 6 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the reader and A-IoT terminal in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be the terminal 205 shown in Figure 2, the base station 201 shown in Figure 2, or a module (such as a chip) applied to the terminal or base station.

[0359] As shown in Figure 5, the communication device 500 includes a processing unit 510 and a transceiver unit 520. The communication device 500 is used to implement the functions of the A-IoT terminal or reader / writer in the method embodiments shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4 above.

[0360] When the communication device 500 is used to implement the function of the A-IoT terminal (first device) in the method embodiment shown in FIG3: the transceiver unit 520 is used to receive first information, the first information including acknowledgment (ACK) information and / or downlink data; send second information, the second information including device identifier or uplink data; receive third information; send the second information or initiate an access procedure to the second device;

[0361] The processing unit 510 is configured to respond to the first information after receiving the first information; and to process the third information after determining that the third information has been received.

[0362] When the communication device 500 is used to implement the function of the A-IoT terminal (first device) in the method embodiment shown in FIG4: the transceiver unit 520 is used to receive first information, the first information including acknowledgment (ACK) information and / or downlink data; send second information, the second information including device identifier or uplink data; receive third information; send the second information or initiate an access procedure to the second device;

[0363] The processing unit 510 is configured to respond to the first information after receiving the first information; and to process the third information after determining that the third information has been received; to start the first timer; to process the third information after determining that the first timer is running and receiving the third information; and to determine that the first timer has timed out.

[0364] For a more detailed description of the above-mentioned processing unit 510 and transceiver unit 520, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4.

[0365] As shown in Figure 6, the communication device 600 includes a processor 610 and an interface circuit 620. The processor 610 and the interface circuit 620 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 620 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 600 may also include a memory 630 for storing instructions executed by the processor 610, or storing input data required by the processor 610 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 610 executes instructions.

[0366] When the communication device 600 is used to implement the method shown in FIG3 or FIG4, the processor 610 is used to implement the function of the processing unit 510, and the interface circuit 620 is used to implement the function of the transceiver unit 520.

[0367] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from the base station, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules in the terminal (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent to the terminal chip by these modules. The terminal chip sends information to the base station, which can be understood as the information being first sent to other modules in the terminal (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent to the base station by these modules.

[0368] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a base station, the base station chip implements the functions of the base station in the above method embodiments. The base station chip receives information from the terminal, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules in the base station (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent to the base station chip by these modules. The base station chip sends information to the terminal, which can be understood as the information being sent down to other modules in the base station (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent to the terminal by these modules.

[0369] In this application, entity A sends information to entity B, either directly or indirectly through other entities. Similarly, entity B receives information from entity A, either directly or indirectly through other entities. Entities A and B can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules within RAN nodes or terminals. Information transmission and reception can be between RAN nodes and terminals, such as between a base station and a terminal; between two RAN nodes, such as between a CU and a DU; or between different modules within a single device, such as between a terminal chip and other modules of the terminal, or between a base station chip and other modules of the base station.

[0370] It is understood that the division of units in the aforementioned communication device is merely a logical functional division. One function can correspond to one functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated onto a single physical entity, or distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for specific applications, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0371] It is understood that the aforementioned processor may include one or more of the following: a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor unit (MPU), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an artificial intelligence processor (AI processor), a neural processing unit (NPU), or any other form of processor known in the art.

[0372] It is understood that the aforementioned memory may include one or more of the following storage media: random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), phase-change memory (PCM), resistive random access memory (ReRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), cache, register, read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), hard disk, or any other form of storage media known in the art.

[0373] It is understandable that the memory and processor are coupled, and the memory and processor can exist as discrete components in the communication device, or the memory can be a component of the processor. Similarly, the aforementioned interface unit and processor can exist as discrete components in the communication device, or the aforementioned interface unit can be a component of the processor.

[0374] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are run by a communication device, the method steps executed by the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments are executed.

[0375] This application also provides a chip that may include a processor and a memory (or the chip may be coupled to the memory). The chip executes program instructions in the memory to perform the methods executed by the terminal device or network device in the above embodiments. Here, "coupling" refers to two components being directly or indirectly connected to each other; for example, coupling can refer to an electrical connection between two components.

[0376] This application also provides a communication system, including a first device and a second device. The first device is used to implement the functions of the first device in the foregoing embodiments; the second device is used to implement the functions of the second device in the foregoing embodiments.

[0377] The methods in this application can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, they can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in this application are performed, in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, a core network device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted through the computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center integrating one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium can be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or it can include both volatile and non-volatile types of storage media.

[0378] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method applied to a first device, characterized in that, include: Send a second message, which includes at least one of the following: device identifier, uplink data, contention resolution identifier, and random number; Receive third-party information; The second information is sent based on the third information, or an access process is initiated to the second device.

2. A communication method applied to a first device, characterized in that, include: Send a second message, which includes at least one of the following: device identifier, uplink data, contention resolution identifier, and random number; Start the first timer; If the first timer is running and receives the third information, send the second information or initiate an access process to the second device based on the third information; and / or If the first timer times out, an access procedure is initiated to the second device.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein sending the second information or initiating an access procedure to the second device based on the third information is characterized in that, The method includes: If the third information includes D2R scheduling information, send the second information; or If the third information includes the first indication information, an access procedure is initiated to the second device. The first indication information is used to indicate that the second information was not successfully received, or to indicate that an access procedure is initiated to the second device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein sending the second information or initiating an access procedure to the second device based on the third information is characterized in that, Its features are, The method includes: The third information also includes the first information. If the third information includes D2R scheduling information and the first information, then send the second information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The downlink data includes read commands and / or write commands.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: The D2R scheduling information includes at least one of the following: first data volume TBS, first time information time offset, and first frequency domain information.

7. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, include: If the first timer is running and a third message is received, stop the first timer.

8. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, include: Receive first configuration information, which is used to configure the duration of the first timer.

9. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, include: Receive second configuration information, which is used to indicate that the first timer is enabled.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, include: Receive third configuration information, which is used to instruct the first timer to be enabled.

11. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: The D2R scheduling information can be carried in the MAC CE and / or MAC header.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive first information, the first information including acknowledgment (ACK) information and / or downlink data; The second information is in response to the first information.

13. A communication method applied to a second device, characterized in that, include: Receive second information, which includes a device identifier or uplink data; Send a third message, which is used to trigger the first device to send the second message or initiate an access process.

14. A communication method applied to a second device, characterized in that, include: Receive second information, which includes a device identifier or uplink data; Send second configuration information, which is used to indicate that the first timer is enabled.

15. The method according to any one of claims 13 or 14, wherein the third information is used to trigger the first device to send the second information or to initiate an access procedure, characterized in that, The method includes: If the third information includes D2R scheduling information, the third information is used to trigger the first device to send the second information; or If the third information includes the first indication information, the third information is used to trigger the first device to initiate an access process, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the second information was not successfully received, or to indicate that an access process should be initiated.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 or 14, wherein the third information is used to trigger the first device to send the second information or to initiate an access procedure, characterized in that, The method includes: The third information also includes the first information. If the third information includes D2R scheduling information and the first information, the third information is used to trigger the first device to send the second information.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that, The downlink data includes read commands and / or write commands.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, characterized in that, The method further includes: The D2R scheduling information includes at least one of the following: first data volume TBS, first time information time offset, and first frequency domain information.

19. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, include: Send first configuration information, which is used to configure the duration of the first timer.

20. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, include: Send third configuration information, which is used to instruct the first timer to be deenabled.

21. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that, The method further includes: The D2R scheduling information can be carried in the MAC CE and / or MAC header.

22. The method according to any one of claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The method includes: Send a first message, which includes an acknowledgment (ACK) message and / or downlink data.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes modules or units for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes modules or units for performing the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 22.

25. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes at least one processor coupled to at least one memory for executing computer instructions stored in the memory to cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

26. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes at least one processor coupled to at least one memory for executing computer instructions stored in the memory to cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 22.

27. A communication system, characterized in that, This includes the communication devices as described in claims 1 to 11 and the communication devices as described in claims 13 to 22.

28. A chip or chip system, characterized in that, It includes at least one processing circuit for running a computer program that causes the chip or chip system to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, or the method as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 22.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, or the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 22.

30. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the computer program product is run on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 22.

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