Device and communication method

Abstract

The present invention defines a function for a reader to transmit Msg2 to a plurality of devices, and performs appropriate communication between the reader and the devices. This device has lower complexity than a narrow band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) device. The device comprises: a transmission unit that transmits a first message; a reception unit that receives a second message which is a response to the first message and which includes control information and data; and a control unit that monitors the control information and the data. In the second message, the control information is transmitted to a plurality of devices through a common channel, and the data is transmitted through a different channel for each device. The control unit monitors the data of the second message on the basis of the control information.

Description

Device and Communication Method

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

[0002] In NR (New Radio), which is a successor system to LTE (Long Term Evolution) (also referred to as "5G"), technologies that meet requirements such as a large-capacity system, high data transmission speed, low latency, simultaneous connection of a large number of terminals, low cost, and power saving are being studied (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] Also, in Release 18 (Rel-18) of 3GPP (registered trademark), Ambient IoT (A-IoT: Ambient Internet of Things) is being studied (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 2). Ambient IoT targets devices with a very simple configuration for low-end IoT applications that operate with extremely low power consumption.

[0004] 3GPP TS 38.300 V17.3.0 (2022-12)”Revised SID on Ambient IoT”, RP-232404, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #101, September 2023 3GPP TR 38.848 V1.0.0 (2023-09) 3GPP TS 36.211 V16.8.0 (2023-09)”Study on solutions for Ambient IoT (Internet of Things) in NR”, RP-234058, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #102, December 2023

[0005] In the two-step or four-step access procedure, the device transmits a message called A-IoT Msg1 to the reader, and the reader that has received A-IoT Msg1 transmits a message called A-IoT Msg2 to the device.

[0006] However, at present, the function of the reader to transmit A-IoT Msg2 to a plurality of devices has not yet been defined and there is room for study. Therefore, there is a possibility that appropriate communication cannot be performed between the reader and the device.

[0007] One aspect of this disclosure contributes to providing a device and a communication method that enable appropriate communication between a reader and a device.

[0008] A device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a device of lower complexity than an NB-IoT (Narrow Band Internet of Things) device, comprising: a transmitting unit that transmits a first message; a receiving unit that receives a second message which is a response to the first message and includes control information and data; and a control unit that monitors the control information and the data, wherein in the second message, the control information is transmitted to multiple devices on a common channel, and the data is transmitted to each device on a separate channel, and the control unit monitors the data of the second message based on the control information.

[0009] This figure shows an example of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This figure illustrates topology 1. This figure illustrates topology 2. This figure illustrates topology 3 in DL support. This figure illustrates topology 3 in UL support. This figure illustrates topology 4. This figure illustrates backscatter transmission. This figure shows an example of a candidate topology for CW / R2D / D2R transmission in topology 1. This figure shows an example of a candidate topology for CW / R2D / D2R transmission in topology 2. This figure shows an example of an access procedure for an A-IoT device. This figure shows an example of a 4-step (or 3-step) random access procedure for an A-IoT device. This figure shows an example of a 2-step random access procedure for an A-IoT device. This figure shows an example of a procedure when an A-IoT device does not use random access (RA). This figure shows an example of scheme 1 for an access procedure between a reader and multiple devices. This figure shows an example of scheme 2 for an access procedure between a reader and multiple devices. This figure shows the first problem that the present disclosure aims to solve. This figure shows the second problem that the present disclosure aims to solve. This figure shows an example of device operation according to proposal 1 of the present disclosure. This figure shows an example of device operation according to proposal 2 of the present disclosure. This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a base station and device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment relating to one aspect of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is merely an example, and the embodiments to which this disclosure applies are not limited to the embodiments described below.

[0011] In the operation of the wireless communication system according to the embodiments of this disclosure, existing technologies will be used as appropriate. Such existing technologies include, for example, existing LTE or NR, but are not limited to existing LTE or NR. Furthermore, the term "LTE" as used herein has a broad meaning that includes LTE-Advanced and LTE-Advanced and later technologies, unless otherwise specified.

[0012] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this disclosure described below, terms such as SS (synchronization signal), PSS (primary SS), SSS (secondary SS), PBCH (physical broadcast channel), PRACH (physical random access channel), PDCCH (physical downlink control channel), PDSCH (physical downlink shared channel), PUCCH (physical uplink control channel), and PUSCH (physical uplink shared channel), which are used in existing LTE systems, will be used. This is for convenience of description, and similar signals, functions, etc., may be called by other names. Also, the above terms in NR correspond to NR-SS, NR-PSS, NR-SSS, NR-PBCH, NR-PRACH, etc. However, even if a signal is used in NR, it is not necessarily explicitly stated as "NR-".

[0013] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this disclosure, the duplex method may be a TDD (Time Division Duplex) method, an FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) method, or any other method (for example, a Flexible Duplex).

[0014] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this disclosure, "configuring" wireless parameters means that predetermined values ​​are pre-configured, or that wireless parameters notified by a base station, device, terminal, etc. are configured.

[0015] (Embodiment) <Wireless Communication System> Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication system 1 includes a base station 10 and a device 20. Figure 1 shows one base station 10 and one device 20, but this is just an example, and there may be multiple base stations and devices. The base station is also referred to as BS (Base Station), gNB, etc. The device 20 can be said to be a form of terminal (UE: User Equipment), and may be an ambient IoT device, which is a device with lower complexity than an NB-IoT (Narrow Band Internet of Things) device. The ambient IoT device may be referred to as an ambient IoT terminal, ambient IoT UE, etc.

[0016] Base station 10 is a communication device that provides one or more cells and performs wireless communication with device 20. The physical resources of the wireless signal are defined in the time domain and the frequency domain. The time domain may be defined by the number of OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) symbols. The frequency domain may be defined by the number of subcarriers or the number of resource blocks (RB).

[0017] The base station 10 transmits DL (Downlink) signals to the device 20, including control information, configuration information, and data. The base station 10 receives UL (Uplink) signals from the device 20, including control information, information regarding the processing capabilities of the device 20 (device capability (information) or A-IoT capability (information); for example, capability, device capability, A-IoT capability, A-IoT device capability, etc.), and data.

[0018] The channels used to transmit DL signals include, for example, a data channel and a control channel. For example, the data channel may include a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), and the control channel may include a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). For example, base station 10 transmits control information to device 20 using PDCCH and transmits DL data signals using PDSCH. Note that PDSCH is an example of a Downlink Shared Channel or a data channel, and PDCCH is an example of a Downlink Control Channel. PDCCH may be interpreted as Downlink Control Information (DCI), control information, etc., transmitted in the PDCCH.

[0019] As will be discussed later, wireless communication systems may include intermediate nodes, assisting nodes, and / or terminals (UEs) (see <Device Types and Topologies> below). In the following, "and / or" may simply be written as " / ".

[0020] Device 20 is a communication device equipped with wireless communication capabilities and, as described above, may be an ambient IoT device (e.g., a sensor). Hereafter, ambient IoT devices will also be referred to as A-IoT UE.

[0021] Device 20 receives DL signals such as control signals, configuration information, and data from base station 10, and transmits UL signals such as control signals, device 20 capability information, and data to base station 10.

[0022] The channels used to transmit UL signals include, for example, a data channel and a control channel. For example, the data channel may include a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and the control channel may include a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH). For example, device 20 transmits control information using PUCCH and transmits UL data signals using PUSCH. Note that PUSCH is an example of an uplink shared channel or a data channel, and PUCCH is an example of an uplink control channel. Note that PUSCH or PUCCH may be interpreted as Uplink Control Information (UCI), control information, etc., transmitted in PUSCH or PUCCH.

[0023] <Ambient IoT> In Rel-18, consideration of ambient IoT, which is even lower end than existing NB-IoT (see, for example, Section 10 of Non-Patent Document 4), was approved (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 2). Ambient IoT targets ultra-low power consumption and ultra-low complexity devices.

[0024] In ambient IoT, for example, the following deployment scenarios and characteristics may be considered for relevant use cases: • Indoor or outdoor environment • Base station type, e.g., macro / micro / picocell-based deployment • Connectivity topology, e.g., which nodes (base stations, terminals (UEs), relays, and repeaters, etc.) communicate with ambient IoT devices • Duplexing method (TDD or FDD), frequency band (licensed or unlicensed) • Coexistence with existing UEs and network equipment in frequency bands intended for 3GPP technology • Assuming outgoing and incoming traffic from devices

[0025] Based on the above implementation scenarios and characteristics, the following RAN design targets may be formulated, for example: • Power consumption • Complexity • Coverage • Data rate • Positioning accuracy

[0026] Based on deployment scenarios suitable for relevant use cases, compare and evaluate the feasibility of meeting design targets and identify the supporting functionalities.

[0027] <Device Types and Topologies> Based on the results of the study items, TR 38.848 (Non-Patent Document 3) was approved. TR 38.848 considers ambient IoT devices in the following categories: Device A: Device A does not have power (energy) storage, does not have independent signal generation and signal amplification functions, and performs backscattering transmission. Device B: Device B has power storage, does not have independent signal generation functions, and performs backscattering transmission. Device B uses the stored power to amplify the reflected signal. Device C: Device C has power storage, has independent signal generation functions, and has an active RF (radio frequency) component for transmission.

[0028] The complexity of device A is expected to be similar to that of RFID (radio frequency identification).

[0029] TR 38.848 defines topologies 1 to 4, described below, for ambient IoT networks.

[0030] Figure 2 illustrates topology 1. As shown in Figure 2, topology 1 is a configuration in which a base station (BS) and ambient IoT devices communicate. The ambient IoT devices directly perform bidirectional communication with the base station.

[0031] Figure 3 illustrates topology 2. As shown in Figure 3, topology 2 is a configuration in which a base station and ambient IoT devices communicate via an intermediate node. Ambient IoT devices perform bidirectional communication with the intermediate node placed between the base station and the ambient IoT device. The intermediate node may be, for example, a relay, an IAB (integrated access and backhaul) node, a UE, a repeater, etc.

[0032] Figure 4 illustrates topology 3 in DL support. As shown in Figure 4, topology 3 is a configuration that includes communication between the base station and the assisting node, communication between the assisting node and the ambient IoT device, and communication between the ambient IoT device and the base station.

[0033] The support node assists with DL communication. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the support node receives DL signals from the base station and transmits the received DL signals to the ambient IoT device. For UL communication, the ambient IoT device transmits UL signals directly to the base station.

[0034] Figure 5 illustrates topology 3 in UL support. As shown in Figure 5, topology 3 is a configuration that includes communication between the base station and the support node, communication between the support node and the ambient IoT device, and communication between the ambient IoT device and the base station.

[0035] The support node assists with UL communication. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the support node receives UL signals from ambient IoT devices and transmits the received UL signals to the base station. For DL ​​communication, ambient IoT devices receive DL signals directly from the base station.

[0036] The support nodes shown in Figures 4 and 5 may be, for example, relays, IAB nodes, UEs, repeaters, etc.

[0037] Figure 6 illustrates topology 4. Topology 4 is a configuration in which the UE and ambient IoT devices communicate. The ambient IoT devices perform bidirectional communication with the UE. The communication related to topology 4 may be considered as sidelink (SL) communication.

[0038] In addition, in topologies 1 to 4 described above, the ambient IoT device may be supplied with a carrier wave from another node inside or outside the topology (see Section 4.2.1 of Non-Patent Document 3).

[0039] The wireless communication system 1 (wireless communication network) may include, in addition to device 20, base stations, support nodes, intermediate nodes and / or terminals (UEs in topology 4). In this specification, base stations, support nodes, intermediate nodes and terminals may be read as network or (network) nodes. Also, an A-IoT device may be simply referred to as A-IoT.

[0040] <Backscatter transmission> Base stations, intermediate nodes, support nodes, and other nodes transmit RF signals to ambient IoT devices. Ambient IoT devices are activated and receive power from the RF operating field of the base station, intermediate nodes, support nodes, and other nodes via inductive coupling.

[0041] Ambient IoT devices backscatter modulate RF signals received from base stations, intermediate nodes, support nodes, and other nodes by switching the reflection coefficient of their own antennas, and then transmit the information to base stations, intermediate nodes, support nodes, and other nodes.

[0042] Figure 7 illustrates backscatter transmission. Figure 7 shows an example where an ambient IoT device performs ON-OFF keying and transmits information. The dashed area in Figure 7 represents the OFF interval, which may correspond to a "0" in the information (bits). A sinusoidal signal may correspond to a "1" in the information.

[0043] <Rel-19 SID> In Rel-19 SID (Study Item Description), solutions necessary and feasible for A-IoT were considered (see Section 4.1 of Non-Patent Document 5). The considered solutions include, for example, determination of which functions, procedures, etc. are necessary and which are not.

[0044] Also, for the DL and UL of A-IoT, several matters are discussed under the leadership of RAN 1. One of the matters under discussion is the DL and UL scheduling and timing relationships in A-IoT. In the discussion of scheduling and timing relationships, the following 1. traffic flow, 2. device assumption, and 3. topology can be considered.

[0045] 1. Traffic Flow As the traffic flow of A-IoT, the following DT and DO-DTT are being considered.

[0046] ・ DT (device terminated) As traffic, there is transmission (DL) to the A-IoT UE and no transmission (UL) from the A-IoT UE. In other words, there is information to be transmitted to the A-IoT UE and no information to be transmitted from the A-IoT UE. DT corresponds to, for example, a command type where there are instructions such as commands or commands to the A-IoT UE.

[0047] ・ DO-DTT (device originated - device terminated triggered) As traffic, there is a trigger from the network (NW) and there is transmission (UL) from the A-IoT UE. In other words, as traffic, there is information to be transmitted from the A-IoT UE. DO-DTT corresponds to, for example, a sensor information report type where the A-IoT UE transmits sensor information it has collected.

[0048] In the present disclosure, the transmission of information corresponds to the transmission of a signal containing the information or the transmission of a signal. Also, in the present disclosure, the transmission to a certain device X corresponds to the transmission of a signal (or information) to device X. Further, the transmission from a certain device X and the transmission of a certain device X correspond to the transmission of a signal (or information) by device X. Also, the reception from a certain device X corresponds to the reception of a signal (or information) transmitted by device X. Further, the reception of a certain device X corresponds to the reception of a signal (or information) by device X.

[0049] 2. Device Premises In the A-IoT UE, the following TX (transmission) and FR (frequency range) 1-FDD are assumed.

[0050] - TX TX is a backscatter UL transmission without an amplifier or a backscatter UL transmission with an amplifier. Alternatively, a general UL transmission with an amplifier may be performed.

[0051] - FR1-FDD FR1-FDD is applied to the A-IoT UE. That is, the A-IoT UE can switch the carrier frequency between the DL carrier and the UL carrier. However, the present disclosure is not limited to FR1-FDD and may be applied to TDD or may be applied to FR2 or FR3.

[0052] The frequency bands of each FR are, for example, as follows. - FR1: 410 MHz to 7.125 GHz - FR2: 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz - FR3: 7.125 GHz to 24.25 GHz

[0053] In FR1, a sub-carrier spacing (SCS: Sub-Carrier Spacing) of 15 kHz, 30 kHz or 60 kHz is used, and a bandwidth (BW: Bandwidth) of 5 to 100 MHz may be used. FR2 is at a higher frequency than FR1, and an SCS of 60 kHz or 120 kHz (240 kHz may be included) is used, and a bandwidth (BW) of 50 to 400 MHz may be used.

[0054] 3. Among the topologies shown in Topology Diagrams 2 to 6, Topology 1 and Topology 2 are of particular interest.

[0055] In Topology 1, UL and / or DL ​​communication takes place between the base station and the A-IoT UE without the need for intermediate nodes. Note that the base station in Topology 1 may also support microcells.

[0056] In Topology 2, communication takes place between the base station and the A-IoT UE via an intermediate node. The A-IoT UE performs bidirectional communication with the intermediate node located between the base station and the A-IoT UE. In Topology 2, the base station may correspond to a macrocell. Furthermore, the Topology 2 case may also be applied to indoor environments. Hereafter, the intermediate node will also be referred to as the intermediate UE, int. UE (intermediate UE), etc.

[0057] <Device Types> For A-IoT devices, the following three device types are defined: Device 1, Device 2a, and Device 2b.

[0058] Device 1 (may be referred to as Type 1) Device 1 is a device type that consumes power with a peak power of 1 μW or less. Device 1 has energy storage and has an initial sampling frequency offset (SFO) of up to Z [ppm (parts per million)] (where Z is 10 to the power of x (where x is a non-negative integer)). Also, there is no DL or UL amplification in Device 1. UL transmission in Device 1 is performed by backscatter of an externally supplied carrier wave (CW), i.e., an unmodulated wave.

[0059] Device 2a (may be referred to as Type 2a) Device 2a is a device type that consumes power with a peak power of several hundred μW. Device 2a has energy storage and an initial sampling frequency offset of up to Z [ppm] (where Z is 10 to the power of x (where x is a non-negative integer)). DL and / or UL amplification is also performed in Device 2a. UL transmission in Device 2a is performed by backscattering in CW provided externally.

[0060] Device 2b (may be referred to as Type 2b) Device 2b is a device type that consumes power with a peak power of several hundred μW. Device 2b has energy storage and an initial sampling frequency offset of up to Z [ppm] (where Z is 10 to the power of x (where x is a non-negative integer)). DL and / or UL amplification is also performed in Device 2b. UL transmission in Device 2b is performed internally within Device 2b. In other words, UL transmission in Device 2b does not have to be performed by backscattering in CW provided externally.

[0061] <Candidate Topologies> Next, we will describe the candidate topologies for CW / R2D / D2R transmission.

[0062] Figure 8 shows examples of candidate topologies for CW / R2D / D2R transmission in Topology 1. Figure 8 shows topologies 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E as examples of candidate topologies.

[0063] As shown in Figure 8, in topologies 1A to 1E, CW / R2D communication signals (sometimes referred to as "R2D" in Figure 8 and below) and D2R communication signals (sometimes referred to as "D2R" in Figure 8 and below) can be transmitted to and received from A-IoT devices.

[0064] In this embodiment, DL and R2D (reader to device) may be interchangeable, and UL and D2R (device to reader) may be interchangeable. Here, reader corresponds to BS and / or intermediate UE, and device corresponds to A-IoT device.

[0065] In topology 1A, the node transmitting CW (first BS) is different from the node receiving D2R communication signals transmitted by backscatter by the A-IoT device (second BS), while the node transmitting CW is the same as the node transmitting R2D communication signals. Also, the node transmitting R2D communication signals is different from the node receiving D2R communication signals transmitted by backscatter by the A-IoT device. In other words, the R in R2D and the R in D2R are different.

[0066] In topology 1B, the node transmitting CW (BS), the node transmitting R2D communication signals, and the node receiving D2R communication signals transmitted by backscatter from the A-IoT device are all the same.

[0067] In topology 1C, the node transmitting CW (CW node) is different from the node transmitting R2D communication signals (BS). Also in topology 1C, the node transmitting CW is different from the node receiving D2R communication signals transmitted by backscatter by A-IoT devices (BS). Also in topology 1C, the node transmitting R2D communication signals is the same as the node receiving D2R communication signals transmitted by backscatter by A-IoT devices. In other words, the R in R2D and the R in D2R are the same. Note that the CW node may be a BS / (intermediate) UE / IAB node / NCR (network-controlled repeater) node / relay node / other type of node.

[0068] In topology 1D, the node (BS) that transmits R2D communication signals is the same node that receives D2R communication signals generated and transmitted by the A-IoT device. In other words, the R in R2D and the R in D2R are the same.

[0069] In topology 1E, the node that transmits the R2D communication signal (first BS) is different from the node that receives the D2R communication signal generated and transmitted by the A-IoT device (second BS). In other words, the R in R2D and the R in D2R are different.

[0070] Figure 9 shows examples of candidate topologies for CW / R2D / D2R transmission in Topology 2. Figure 9 shows topologies 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, and 2E as examples of candidate topologies.

[0071] As shown in Figure 9, in topologies 2A to 2E, CW / R2D communication signals (labeled "R2D" in Figure 9) and D2R communication signals (labeled "D2R" in Figure 9) can be transmitted to and received from A-IoT devices.

[0072] In topology 2A, the node transmitting CW (first intermediate UE) is different from the node receiving D2R communication signals transmitted by backscatter by the A-IoT device (second intermediate UE), while the node transmitting CW is the same as the node transmitting R2D communication signals. Also, the node transmitting R2D communication signals is different from the node receiving D2R communication signals transmitted by backscatter by the A-IoT device. In other words, the R in R2D and the R in D2R are different.

[0073] In topology 2B, the node transmitting CW (intermediate UE), the node transmitting R2D communication signals, and the node receiving D2R communication signals transmitted by backscatter from A-IoT devices are all the same.

[0074] In topology 2C, the node transmitting CW (CW node) is different from the node transmitting R2D communication signals (intermediate UE). Also, in topology 1C, the node transmitting CW is different from the node receiving D2R communication signals transmitted by backscatter from the A-IoT device (BS). Also, in topology 1C, the node transmitting R2D communication signals is the same as the node receiving D2R communication signals transmitted by backscatter from the A-IoT device. In other words, the R in R2D and the R in D2R are the same. Note that the CW node may be a BS / (intermediate) UE / IAB node / NCR node / relay node / other type of node.

[0075] In topology 2D, the node that transmits R2D communication signals (intermediate UE) is the same node that receives D2R communication signals generated and transmitted by the A-IoT device. In other words, the R in R2D and the R in D2R are the same.

[0076] In topology 2E, the node that transmits the R2D communication signal (first intermediate UE) is different from the node that receives the D2R communication signal generated and transmitted by the A-IoT device (second intermediate UE). In other words, the R in R2D and the R in D2R are different.

[0077] <Access Procedure for A-IoT Devices> In an A-IoT communication session, an access procedure for A-IoT devices (hereinafter also simply referred to as devices) is executed. Two approaches are being considered for the A-IoT device access procedure: a two-step approach and a four-step approach.

[0078] Figure 10 shows an example of an access procedure for an A-IoT device. Figure 10 shows the exchange of signals between one reader and one device. The horizontal axis in Figure 10 represents the time axis. Figure 10 shows exchanges including a two-step access procedure and a four-step access procedure.

[0079] In the two-step access procedure, the reader sends an A-IoT paging message. The A-IoT paging message corresponds to the first R2D transmission in the A-IoT communication session. The device that receives the A-IoT paging message sends a message called A-IoT Msg1 to the reader. In the two-step access procedure, A-IoT Msg1 contains information that identifies the device (e.g., device ID). A-IoT Msg1 can also be considered a device ID report. The reader that receives A-IoT Msg1 sends a message called A-IoT Msg2 to the device. For example, the reader that receives A-IoT Msg1 sends an A-IoT Msg2 addressed to the device indicated by the device ID contained in A-IoT Msg1. A-IoT Msg2 contains information indicating contention resolution. A-IoT Msg2 can be considered as Contention Resolution. The two-step access procedure is then complete.

[0080] In the four-step access procedure, the reader sends an A-IoT paging message. A device that receives the A-IoT paging message sends a message called A-IoT Msg1 to the reader. In the four-step access procedure, A-IoT Msg1 contains a random ID. A-IoT Msg1 can also be considered a random ID report. Upon receiving A-IoT Msg1, the reader sends a message called A-IoT Msg2 to the device. For example, the A-IoT reader sends A-IoT Msg2, which contains the random ID included in A-IoT Msg1. A-IoT Msg2 contains information indicating a contention resolution. A-IoT Msg2 can also be considered a contention resolution. The device receives A-IoT Msg2 and sends A-IoT Msg3 to the reader. For example, a device sends A-IoT Msg3 to the reader if the random ID of the received A-IoT Msg2 matches the random ID of the transmitted A-IoT Msg1. In the four-step access procedure, A-IoT Msg3 contains information that identifies the device (e.g., device ID). A-IoT Msg3 can also be considered a device ID report. Upon receiving A-IoT Msg3, the reader sends a response (e.g., R2D response). The four-step access procedure is then completed. However, in the four-step access procedure, the reader who receives A-IoT Msg3 does not have to send a response (e.g., R2D response).

[0081] For example, in the "inventory" use case, such as checking the location of an A-IoT device, each communication session includes only the two-step access procedure or the four-step access procedure described above. Note that the "inventory" use case is not limited to checking the location of an A-IoT device.

[0082] For example, in an "inventory + command" use case that includes checking the location of an A-IoT device and issuing instructions to the A-IoT device, as shown in Figure 10, each communication session sends an R2D command message and a D2R response after the two-step or four-step access procedure described above.

[0083] Furthermore, in the exchange including the access procedure shown in Figure 10, a contention-based access procedure, such as slotted-ALOHA, may be applied to at least A-IoT Msg1.

[0084] In an A-IoT communication session, a single A-IoT paging message may be sent to multiple devices. Multiple devices that have received a single A-IoT paging message may then continue with subsequent transmissions / receptions within the communication session. These subsequent transmissions / receptions may include, as shown in Figure 10, at least one of the following: sending A-IoT Msg1, receiving A-IoT Msg2, sending A-IoT Msg3, receiving an R2D response, receiving an R2D command message, and sending a D2R response.

[0085] In the interactions including the access procedure shown in Figure 10, etc., A-IoT paging, A-IoT Msg1, A-IoT Msg2, and A-IoT Msg3 may be abbreviated as paging, Msg1, Msg2, and Msg3, respectively. Also, A-IoT paging, A-IoT Msg1, A-IoT Msg2, and A-IoT Msg3 may be associated with names other than these.

[0086] The message type may be any of the following: A-IoT paging, A-IoT Msg1, A-IoT Msg2, A-IoT Msg3, R2D response, R2D command message, or D2R response. The R2D response may be omitted. The message type may be interchangeable with the notation "message." The term "message" may be interchangeable with notations such as "signal" or "information." For example, sending / receiving a message may be interchangeable with sending / receiving a signal. The R2D command message may also be referred to as R2D data.

[0087] In the following, we will primarily use a four-step access procedure and "inventory+command" communication as examples. However, this disclosure is not limited to these. This disclosure may also be applied to a two-step access procedure or to "inventory" communication. The example of "inventory + command" communication corresponds to a case in which R2D command messages and D2R responses are sent / received after the four-step access procedure.

[0088] Furthermore, in the following description, one or more steps (e.g., processing) may be omitted (or skipped). For example, in the case of a two-step approach as described above, the transmission / reception of A-IoT Msg3 may be omitted. Also, in the case of "inventory" communication as described above, the R2D command message and D2R response may be omitted.

[0089] Furthermore, any of the above message types may be sent via unicast, multicast, broadcast, or groupcast.

[0090] <Procedures based on agreements> Rel-19 considers use cases related to inventory and command, as well as DO-DTT and DT traffic. For these use cases / traffic types, the following steps 1 and 2 are considered.

[0091] 1. In the case of "inventory only": Step A: The reader sends A-IoT paging to the device. Step B: The device sends the device ID to the reader (via Random Access (RA), or without using RA).

[0092] 2. In the case of "inventory and command": Step A: The reader sends A-IoT paging to the device. Step B: The device sends its device ID to the reader (via Random Access (RA), or without using RA). Step C: The reader sends data to the device (e.g., R2D command). Step D: The corresponding device sends data to the reader (e.g., feedback). It is yet to be determined whether Step D is optional or not.

[0093] Furthermore, at the 3GPP RAN2#126 meeting, the following steps were agreed upon in relation to the procedure described above.

[0094] [3GPP RAN2#126 Agreement (Command Procedure)] 1. If "inventory only" is the baseline, the following procedure is supported: - Step A: A-IoT paging - Step B: Sending device ID (via Random Access (RA) or without RA). Details are TBD.

[0095] 2. For "inventory and command" as the baseline, the following steps will be supported: - Step A: A-IoT paging - Step B: Sending device ID (via Random Access (RA) or without RA). Details are TBD. - Step C: Sending data from reader to device (e.g., R2D command), and - Step D: Sending data from corresponding device to reader (e.g., feedback). Whether this is optional is TBD and awaits discussion in other working groups.

[0096] For an example where random access (RA) is not used, please refer to Figure 13.

[0097] <Random Access (RA) Based on Agreements> The following steps 1 and 2 are being considered for random access.

[0098] 1.4 Steps (or 3 Steps) (See Figure 11) ・A-IoT Msg1: The device sends an ID to the reader. The ID is a random ID generated by the device. The size of the random ID is fixed and is 16 bits. ・A-IoT Msg2: The reader echoes the ID received in Msg1. ・A-IoT Msg3: The device sends the device ID and / or other higher-layer data (as requested by the higher layer). ・The device considers the conflict resolution to have been successful when it receives Msg2 containing the same random ID as Msg1. ・"Msg4" (i.e., subsequent R2D transmissions after D2R transmissions) do not always need to be sent with random access. "Msg4" may be considered to handle failures of Msg3 transmission (for various reasons).

[0099] 2.2 Step (See Figure 12) - A-IoT Msg1: The device transmits the device ID and / or other higher-layer data (as required by the higher layer). A random ID (fixed 16 bits) may be additionally included in Msg1. - A-IoT Msg2: If Msg1 contains a random ID, the reader echoes the ID received in Msg1.

[0100] Furthermore, at the 3GPP RAN2 #126 and #127 meetings, the following steps were agreed upon in relation to the procedures described above.

[0101] [3GPP RAN2#126 "4-Step" RA Agreement] 1. A-IoT Msg1: The device sends an ID to the reader. The ID is a random ID generated by the device (the generation method is undetermined; for example, it may be randomly generated or based on the device ID). The ID size is undetermined. This does not exclude other information agreed upon in RAN1. 2. A-IoT Msg2: The reader echoes the ID received in Msg1. Based on the agreement in RAN1, Msg2 may contain further information. 3. A-IoT Msg3: The device sends the device ID and / or other higher-layer data (as required by the higher layer). 4. The device considers the conflict resolution successful when it receives Msg2 containing the same random ID as Msg1. RAN2 assumes that the size of the random ID in Msg1 is sufficient for the purpose of conflict resolution. 5. "Msg4" (i.e., the R2D transmission following a D2R transmission) does not always need to be transmitted with random access. "Msg4" may be considered to handle the failure of Msg3 transmission (for various reasons). The use / existence of "Msg4" may be further discussed. RAN2 does not use the term "Msg4" for further consideration of random access.

[0102] [3GPP RAN2#126 Agreement on 2-Step CB RA] 1. A-IoT Msg1: The device transmits a device ID and / or other higher-level data (as requested by the higher layer). The device ID is TBD. Whether an additional random ID is required is TBD. This does not preclude other information agreed upon in RAN1. 2. A-IoT Msg2: The reader may echo some information from Msg1. What that information is is TBD. The use / existence of "Msg2" may be further discussed.

[0103] [3GPP RAN2#127 Agreement (3-step CBRA)] - For 3-step CBRA (Contention-Based Random Access) support, the fixed random ID size is 16 bits. IDs are generated randomly. - Indication of D2R failure / success is being considered. It is undecided whether D2R failure / success indication will be implicit or explicit, and under what circumstances it will be required. It is also undecided whether D2R failure / success indication will apply only in certain cases.

[0104] [3GPP RAN2#127 Agreement (2-step CBRA)] ・In the case of 2-step CBRA, the RAN2 specification supports Msg2. Whether it is necessary is up to the reader. If it is necessary, it is TBD. In the case of 2-step CBRA (if Msg2 is required), the random ID (fixed 16 bits) is also included in A-IoT Msg1 and echoed to A-IoT Msg2. If there are devices that only support 2-step RA, it is TBD whether other optimizations will be required for such devices. ・In contention-free access, after being triggered, the A-IoT device directly sends higher-layer data (such as device ID) in the first D2R message (i.e., skips conflict resolution Msg1 / 2). Whether a short AS ID is also included in the message, and what type of ID is included for scheduling purposes, is TBD. ・If the reader assigns an AS ID for scheduling purposes, it is TBD.

[0105] <Examples of access procedures between a reader and multiple devices> First, we will explain two schemes for access procedures between a reader and multiple devices. The two schemes described below are two random access schemes based on slotted ALOHA.

[0106] (Scheme 1) Figure 14 shows an example of Scheme 1, an access procedure between a reader and multiple devices. Figure 14 shows the signal exchange between one reader and N devices, devices #1 to #N (where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2), from the time a certain traffic (e.g., a set of inventory and commands) occurs until processing of that traffic is completed. The horizontal axis of Figure 14 represents the time axis. In Scheme 1, one A-IoT paging (hereinafter also referred to as paging) is associated with multiple slots for D2R transmission. Hereinafter, slots used for D2R transmission will be referred to as D2R slots. Figure 14 shows, exemplarily, multiple slots (D2R slots) associated with the initial paging and used to transmit Msg1 from each device. Although omitted in Figure 14, "Re-paging," which is paging after the initial paging, may also be associated with multiple slots used to transmit Msg1 from each device. In Scheme 1, "Slotted-ALOHA" means that a single trigger determines multiple time-division multiplexed slots (TDMed slots), and each device selects one slot without further triggers for each slot. Note that a slot is an example of a unit of time resource, but it may be replaced with other units of time notation.

[0107] As shown in Figure 14, in Scheme 1, messages are exchanged in the following order: (1) A-IoT paging (2) Msg1 from devices #1 to #N (3) Msg2 from devices #1 to #N (4) Msg3 from devices #1 to #N

[0108] (1) above notifies the user of multiple time resources (slots) to be used in (2) above. Each device selects one or more time resources from among these multiple time resources and sends Msg1. At this time, A-IoT paging does not need to be sent again for each time resource. After the series of operations related to (1) to (4) above are completed, the reader may send A-IoT paging again for the same information and perform the series of operations related to (1) to (4) above. The A-IoT paging that the reader sends again may be called re-paging. In processing for a certain traffic, the second and subsequent A-IoT paging may be called re-paging. A device that has not completed communication regarding the same information may communicate with the reader based on the re-paging. Regarding (2) above, in this embodiment, for the sake of illustration, an example is shown in which devices #1 to #N send Msg1 in this order. However, in this disclosure, the order in which the devices that send Msg1 are transmitted is not particularly limited in (2) above. Similarly to (3) and (4) above, the order in which the devices that send / receive messages are not particularly limited.

[0109] (Scheme 2) Figure 15 shows an example of Scheme 2, an access procedure between a reader and multiple devices. Figure 15 shows the signal exchange between one reader and N devices, devices #1 to #N (where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2), from the time a certain traffic occurs until the processing of that traffic is completed. The horizontal axis in Figure 15 represents the time axis. In Scheme 2, each paging provides a single D2R slot. As shown in Figure 15, for each slot provided by the paging, Msg1 and a message following Msg1 (Msg2, etc.) are exchanged. In Scheme 2, "Slotted-ALOHA" is sent by a single trigger to determine a single slot, and the next trigger to determine the next slot.

[0110] As shown in Figure 15, in Scheme 2, messages are exchanged in the following order (1) to (9): (1) A-IoT paging (2) Msg1 from device #1 (3) Msg2 from device #1 (4) Msg3 from device #1 (5) Re-paging (6) Msg1 from device #2 (7) Msg2 from device #2 (8) Msg3 from device #2 (9) From here on, devices #3 and beyond are the same as devices #1 and #2. However, each device from device #3 onwards sends Msg1 and subsequent messages in the slot provided by A-IoT paging, similar to (1) and (5).

[0111] Each of (1) and (5) above notifies the single time resource (slot) to be used for the subsequent Msg1. Regarding (2) to (9) above, in this embodiment, for illustrative purposes, devices #1 to #N are shown in this order to perform communication for the access procedure. However, the order of the communicating devices is not particularly limited in this disclosure.

[0112] <Collision Avoidance Mechanism> In both of the above schemes, when a device receives a paging / re-paging, the device decides whether or not to respond to that paging / re-paging based on the information within that paging / re-paging. If the device skips the response, it means that the device has decided to respond to a future paging / re-paging. In other words, if the device decides not to respond to the received paging / re-paging (e.g., sending Msg1) based on the information within the received paging / re-paging, it may mean that the device has decided to respond to a future paging / re-paging. Here, a future paging / re-paging may correspond to at least one paging / re-paging that occurs in time after the received paging / re-paging. This mechanism is an effective mechanism for avoiding D2R collisions.

[0113] <Explanation of Terms> Here, we will summarize and explain the terms related to A-IoT mentioned above.

[0114] - A-IoT device or device: A device included in an A-IoT system that has one of the above-mentioned types of devices.

[0115] - Leader: The D2R receiver-leader may be either a BS or a UE. The UE acting as the leader may also be called an intermediate UE. - The R2D transmitter and D2R receiver may be on the same node or on different nodes.

[0116] - R2D: Abbreviation for Reader-to-Device link. - PRDCH: Abbreviation for physical R2D channel. - D2R: Abbreviation for Device-to-Reader link. - PRDCH: Abbreviation for physical D2R channel.

[0117] DT traffic: This is an abbreviation for Device-Terminated traffic. DT traffic is, for example, traffic that sends commands from a reader to a device and terminates at the device.

[0118] - DO-DTT traffic: Device Originated-Device Terminated Trigger - DO-DTT traffic is, for example, "inventory" traffic.

[0119] • DO-A traffic: Device Originated Autonomous Traffic • DO-A traffic is, for example, traffic from sensors or monitoring systems.

[0120] The timing acquisition signal, preamble, midamble, postamble, and synchronization signal can be substituted for each other.

[0121] The matters described in the following proposals may be combined as appropriate, provided that they do not create contradictions.

[0122] In the following proposals, the options may be combined as appropriate.

[0123] In the following proposals, different options may be applied on a case-by-case basis.

[0124] In the following proposal, indication / configuration may be transmitted by physical (PHY) layer control information or higher-layer payloads (e.g., MAC (Medium Access Control) layer control information, Msg0 (paging), Msg2 (RAR (Random Access Response)), Msg4, unicast data, etc.).

[0125] In the following proposal, the terminology used in R2D may have the same meaning as described above.

[0126] In the following proposal, the display / configuration may be transmitted by PRDCH or R2D timing acquisition signals (preamble / midamble / postamble) / synchronization signals.

[0127] In the following proposal, a slot may be a time interval of 1 ms (i.e., one OFDM slot), a slotted ALOHA, or any other unit of time domain consisting of one or more symbols.

[0128] In the following proposal, the symbol may be a single OFDM symbol, an OOK M chip, or a single PSF / FSK modulation symbol.

[0129] In the following proposals, different alternatives / options may be applied to R2D and D2R.

[0130] In the following proposals, different alternatives / options may be applied depending on the device type.

[0131] In the following proposals, different connection topologies may be subject to different alternatives / options.

[0132] In the following proposal, different alternatives / options may be applied to different R2D / D2R channels (PRDCH: PHY channel for R2D control, PDRCH: PHY channel for D2R control).

[0133] In the following proposals, different R2D / D2R information / formats / commands (R2D data, R2D control, R2D system information, R2D information that triggers contention-based access, D2R data, D2R control, D2R ACK / NACK responses, D2R responses in contention-based access (Msg1 / Msg3)) may be subject to different alternatives / options.

[0134] <Points to Consider> In both of the two schemes for access procedures between the reader and multiple devices described above (Scheme 1 shown in Figure 14 and Scheme 2 shown in Figure 15), the function of the reader sending Msg2 to multiple devices has not yet been defined.

[0135] If this definition is not provided, the device may not be able to receive Msg2 correctly.

[0136] In Scheme 1, after Msg1, which has been TDM'd from multiple devices to the reader (regardless of whether FDM / CDM is applied), is D2R'd, Msg2, which includes an ID response, must be R2D'd from the reader to each device.

[0137] In Scheme 2, after Msg1, which has been TDM or CDM-transmitted from multiple devices to the reader, is D2R-transmitted, Msg2, which includes an ID response, must be R2D-transmitted from the reader to each device.

[0138] In RAN1, the following options are considered for the transmission of Msg2 in response to the FDMA and / or TDMA of multiple Msg1 transmissions initiated by R2D transmissions that trigger random access: • Option 1: A single PRDCH for Msg2 transmission contains a single R2D response echoing one ID received in A-IoT Msg1. • Option 2: A single PRDCH for Msg2 transmission contains multiple R2D responses echoing multiple IDs received in A-IoT Msg1. • Option 3: A single PRDCH for Msg2 transmission contains one or more R2D responses echoing one or more IDs received in A-IoT Msg1. The number of devices echoed in a single Msg2 is determined by the reader.

[0139] One possibility is that Msg2 is sent per device (Option 1 above).

[0140] The first challenge in this case is that a control signal / CRC is transmitted in each Msg2 (PRDCH), which results in significant overhead from a system perspective (see Figure 16).

[0141] Another possibility is that each Msg2 (PRDCH) contains an ID response directed to each of multiple devices, meaning the same Msg2 is received by multiple devices (Option 2 above).

[0142] The challenge in this case (the second challenge) is that each Msg2 becomes longer, requiring the devices to receive / detect Msg2 over a longer period, which increases the power consumption of each device (see Figure 17).

[0143] Option 3 is a combination of either Option 1 or Option 2.

[0144] Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned problems, this embodiment proposes an A-IoT Msg2 transmission method that corresponds to multiple Msg1 messages.

[0145] In the following, sending / receiving may be referred to as communication. For example, the action of sending a message and / or receiving a message may be referred to as message communication. Also, for example, a failed message transmission and / or a failed message reception may be referred to as a message communication failure.

[0146] <Proposal> Below, we will explain a proposal to solve the above problems in A-IoT Msg2 transmission that supports multiple Msg1s.

[0147] <Proposal 1> Proposal 1 aims to solve the first problem by having the reader send control information to multiple devices on a common channel in response to the device receiving Msg2, and sending data on separate channels. Proposal 1 will be explained in detail below.

[0148] [Step 1] The device monitors the control information of Msg2. This control information is common to multiple devices. This control information includes, for example, the following:

[0149] (Example 1) The control information may include information indicating which device each Msg2 data is directed to, in other words, information indicating which Msg2 data each device should monitor.

[0150] For example, if 20 slots are provided for Msg1, the control signal will be transmitted only through the first slot, and the control information may include information indicating the slot to which Msg2 will be transmitted, for example, information represented by a 20-bit bitmap such as "00001010011100...". In the example bitmap above, it means that a response (Msg2) will be transmitted in the slot corresponding to "1".

[0151] (Example 2) The control information may include information indicating the duration or end timing of the data for each Msg2. Upon receiving this information, each device can skip monitoring this R2D data and enter sleep mode if no response is sent, and start monitoring the next R2D data after the sleep mode ends.

[0152] [Step 2] The device monitors the data portion of Msg2 based on the detected control information.

[0153] If the device detects that the echoed ID may be included in the data portion of Msg2, it will receive / detect the data portion of Msg2; otherwise, it will skip receiving the data portion of Msg2 and / or enter sleep mode.

[0154] For example, the device monitors the slot corresponding to "1" in the bitmap example above.

[0155] For example, when the device sends Msg1 in the seventh slot and detects the control information, it monitors only the portion of the seventh slot (see Figure 18).

[0156] (Effects of Proposal 1) According to Proposal 1, overhead can be reduced by transmitting control information to multiple devices on a common channel and data on separate channels.

[0157] <Proposal 2> Proposal 2 aims to solve the second problem, and in response to the reception of Msg2 by the device, the control information indicates the device / slot related to the corresponding Msg2. Proposal 2 will be explained in detail below.

[0158] [Step 1] The device monitors the control information of Msg2. This control information includes, for example, the following:

[0159] (Example 1) The control information may include information indicating which device the data of Msg2 is intended for, in other words, information indicating whether or not each device will receive the data of Msg2.

[0160] (Example 2) The control information may include information indicating which slot the data for Msg2 will be transmitted through. For example, if the slot set consists of multiple slots, the information may include information indicating which slot set the data for Msg2 will be transmitted through.

[0161] For example, if 10 × N slots are provided for Msg1, and N slot sets (e.g., N = 10) are defined, each consisting of 10 slots, then the control information will refer to the nth slot set (0 ≤ n < N).

[0162] (Example 3) The control information may include information indicating the duration or end timing of the Msg2 data. Upon receiving this information, each device can skip monitoring this R2D data and enter sleep mode if no response is sent, and start monitoring the next R2D data after the sleep mode ends.

[0163] (Example 4) The control information may include information indicating how many of the echoed IDs are included in the data of Msg2. Upon receiving this information, each device can skip monitoring this R2D data and enter sleep mode if no response is sent, and start monitoring the next R2D data after the sleep state ends.

[0164] [Step 2] The device monitors the data portion of Msg2 based on the detected control information.

[0165] If the device detects that the echoed ID may be included in the data of Msg2, it will receive / detect the data portion of Msg2; otherwise, it will skip receiving the data portion of Msg2 and / or enter sleep mode.

[0166] For example, if N slot sets (e.g., N=10) are defined, each consisting of 10 slots, then, for instance, when a device transmits Msg1 in the 12th slot of the 1st slot set and detects control information, it skips receiving the portion of the 0th slot set and monitors the portion of the 1st slot set (see Figure 19).

[0167] (Effects of Proposal 2) According to Proposal 2, by indicating the device / slot related to the corresponding Msg2 in the control information, the device does not need to receive / detect Msg2 over a long period of time, and power consumption can be reduced.

[0168] <Device Configuration> Next, the configuration of the base station 10 and the device 20 will be described. Note that the configuration of the base station 10 and the device 20 described below is an example of a function related to this embodiment. The base station 10 and the device 20 may have functions not shown. Furthermore, the function classification and / or the name of the function unit are not limited as long as the function performs the operation according to this embodiment.

[0169] <Base Station Configuration> Figure 20 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a base station 10 according to an embodiment. The base station 10 includes, for example, a transmitting unit 101, a receiving unit 102, and a control unit 103. The base station 10 communicates wirelessly with the device 20 (see Figure 21). The base station 10 may be a terminal (an intermediate UE that communicates with the device 20) or a CW node.

[0170] The transmitting unit 101 transmits a downlink (DL) signal to the device 20. For example, the transmitting unit 101 transmits the DL signal under the control of the control unit 103.

[0171] The DL signal may include, for example, data signals for the downlink and control information (e.g., DCI (Downlink Control Information)). The DL signal may also include information indicating the scheduling of signal transmission for device 20 (e.g., UL grant). Furthermore, the DL signal may include control information from higher layers (e.g., RRC (Radio Resource Control) control information). The DL signal may also include a reference signal.

[0172] The channels used to transmit DL signals include, for example, a data channel and a control channel. For example, the data channel may include a PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), and the control channel may include a PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel). For example, base station 10 transmits control information to device 20 using the PDCCH and transmits downlink data signals using the PDSCH.

[0173] The reference signals included in the DL signal may include, for example, at least one of the following: DMRS (Demodulation Reference Signal), PTRS (Phase Tracking Reference Signal), CSI-RS (Channel State Information-Reference Signal), SRS (Sounding Reference Signal), and PRS (Positioning Reference Signal) for position information. For example, reference signals such as DMRS and PTRS are used for demodulating the data signal of the downlink and are transmitted using PDSCH.

[0174] The receiving unit 102 receives the uplink (UL) signal transmitted from the device 20. For example, the receiving unit 102 receives the UL signal under the control of the control unit 103.

[0175] The control unit 103 controls the communication operations of the base station 10, including the transmission process of the transmission unit 101 and the reception process of the reception unit 102. For example, the control unit 103 performs operations other than the transmission and reception described in the above embodiment (these operations may be performed by the reception unit 102 and / or the transmission unit 101).

[0176] For example, the control unit 103 acquires information such as data and control information from the upper layer and outputs it to the transmission unit 101. The control unit 103 also outputs the data and control information received from the receiving unit 102 to the upper layer.

[0177] For example, the control unit 103 allocates resources (or channels) used for transmitting and receiving DL signals and / or resources used for transmitting and receiving UL signals based on signals received from the device 20 (e.g., data and control information, etc.) and / or data and control information, etc. acquired from higher layers. Information regarding the allocated resources may be included in the control information transmitted to the device 20.

[0178] The control unit 103 sets a PUCCH resource as an example of resource allocation for transmitting and receiving UL signals. Information regarding PUCCH settings, such as the PUCCH cell timing pattern (PUCCH setting information), may be notified to the device 20 by RRC.

[0179] Here, the transmitting unit 101 and the receiving unit 102 (which may be collectively referred to as the communication unit) communicate with the device 20.

[0180] For example, the communication unit of a base station 10 (an example of a wireless communication device) performs a first communication operation, which involves sending or receiving a first message, in a procedure for communicating multiple messages in each of multiple unit periods (e.g., multiple rounds). The control unit 103 decides, if the first communication operation fails, to re-execute the first communication operation in the first unit period including the first communication operation, or in a second unit period that follows the first unit period.

[0181] <Device Configuration> Figure 21 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of device 20 according to the embodiment. Device 20 is a device with lower complexity than a Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) device, and is, for example, an A-IoT UE. Device 20 may be considered as a device that is powered by energy harvesting. For example, device 20 may be considered as a device that is powered by CW supplied from base station 10. Device 20 includes, for example, a receiving unit 201, a transmitting unit 202, and a control unit 203. Device 20 communicates with base station 10 wirelessly, for example. Device 20 may be a terminal (for example, an intermediate UE) or a CW node.

[0182] The receiving unit 201 receives DL signals transmitted from the base station 10. For example, the receiving unit 201 receives DL signals under the control of the control unit 203.

[0183] The transmitting unit 202 transmits the UL signal to the base station 10. For example, the transmitting unit 202 transmits the UL signal under the control of the control unit 203.

[0184] The UL signal may include, for example, data signals for the uplink and control information (e.g., UCI (Uplink Control Information)). It may also include, for example, information regarding the processing capability of device 20 (e.g., A-IoT capability). Furthermore, the UL signal may include a reference signal.

[0185] The channels used to transmit UL signals include, for example, a data channel and a control channel. For example, the data channel may include PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), and the control channel may include PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel). For example, device 20 transmits control information from base station 10 using PUCCH and transmits uplink data signals using PUSCH.

[0186] The reference signals included in the UL signal may include, for example, at least one of DMRS, PTRS, CSI-RS, SRS, and PRS. For example, reference signals such as DMRS and PTRS are used for demodulating the uplink data signal and are transmitted using an uplink channel (e.g., PUSCH).

[0187] The control unit 203 controls the communication operation of the device 20, including the receiving process in the receiving unit 201 and the transmitting process in the transmitting unit 202. For example, the control unit 203 performs operations other than the transmitting and receiving operations described in the above embodiment (these operations may be performed by the receiving unit 201 and / or the transmitting unit 202).

[0188] For example, the control unit 203 acquires information such as data and control information from the upper layer and outputs it to the transmission unit 202. The control unit 203 also outputs data and control information received from the receiving unit 201 to the upper layer.

[0189] For example, the control unit 203 controls the transmission of information to be fed back to the base station 10. The information to be fed back to the base station 10 may include, for example, HARQ ACK / NACK, Channel State Information (CSI), or Scheduling Request (SR). The information to be fed back to the base station 10 may also be included in the UCI. The UCI is transmitted, for example, in the PUCCH resource.

[0190] The control unit 203 sets up PUCCH resources based on the setting information received from the base station 10 (for example, setting information such as the PUCCH cell timing pattern notified by RRC and / or DCI). The control unit 203 determines the PUCCH resource to be used to transmit the information to be fed back to the base station 10. The transmission unit 202 transmits the information to be fed back to the base station 10 using the PUCCH resource determined by the control unit 203, under the control of the control unit 203.

[0191] The channels used for transmitting DL signals and UL signals are not limited to the examples described above. For example, the channels used for transmitting DL signals and UL signals may include RACH (Random Access Channel) and PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel). RACH may be used, for example, for transmitting DCI including RA-RNTI (Random Access Radio Network Temporary Identifier).

[0192] Here, the receiving unit 201 and the transmitting unit 202 (which may be collectively referred to as the communication unit) communicate with the base station 10, intermediate UE, and other network components.

[0193] For example, in a procedure for communicating multiple messages in each of multiple unit periods, the communication unit of device 20 performs a first communication operation, which involves sending or receiving a first message. If the first communication operation fails, the control unit 203 decides to re-execute the first communication operation in the first unit period including the first communication operation, or in a second unit period that follows the first unit period.

[0194] This concludes the explanation of this disclosure. The division of items in the above explanation is not essential to this disclosure, and matters described in two or more items may be combined as needed, and matters described in one item may be applied to matters described in another item (as long as they do not contradict each other).

[0195] <Hardware Configuration, etc.> The block diagram used in the description of the above embodiment shows functional units. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using one device that is physically or logically coupled, or it may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (for example, using wired, wireless, etc.). A functional block may be realized by combining the above one device or the above multiple devices with software.

[0196] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, decision, judgment, calculation, calculation, processing, derivation, investigation, exploration, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, assumption, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating (mapping), and assigning. For example, a functional block (configuration part) that enables transmission is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. In all cases, as mentioned above, the method of implementation is not particularly limited.

[0197] For example, a base station, device, etc. in one embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that processes the communication method of the present disclosure. Figure 22 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a base station and device according to an embodiment. The base station 10 and device 20 described above may be physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, memory 1002, storage 1003, communication device 1004, input device 1005, output device 1006, bus 1007, etc.

[0198] In the following explanation, the term "device" can be replaced with "circuit," "device," "unit," etc. The hardware configuration of the base station 10 and device 20 may include one or more of the devices shown in the figure, or it may be configured to omit some of the devices.

[0199] Each function in the base station 10 and device 20 is realized by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, which allows the processor 1001 to perform calculations and control communication by the communication device 1004, or control at least one of reading and writing data in the memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0200] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer, for example, by running an operating system. The processor 1001 may be composed of a central processing unit (CPU) that includes interfaces with peripheral devices, control devices, arithmetic units, registers, etc. For example, the control unit 103 and control unit 203 described above may be implemented by the processor 1001.

[0201] Furthermore, the processor 1001 reads programs (program code), software modules, data, etc., from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002 and executes various processes accordingly. The program used is one that causes the computer to execute at least a part of the operations described in the above embodiment. For example, the control unit 103 of the base station 10 and the control unit 203 of the device 20 may be implemented by control programs stored in the memory 1002 and operated on the processor 1001, and other functional blocks may be implemented similarly. The above-described various processes have been explained as being executed by one processor 1001, but they may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The program may also be transmitted from the network via a telecommunications line.

[0202] The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The memory 1002 may also be called a register, cache, main memory, etc. The memory 1002 can store executable programs (program code), software modules, etc., for implementing a communication method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0203] The storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: an optical disc such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disc, a digital multipurpose disc, a Blu-ray® disc), a smart card, flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy® disk, a magnetic strip, etc. The storage 1003 may also be called an auxiliary storage device. The above-mentioned storage medium may be, for example, a database, server, or other suitable medium including at least one of the memory 1002 and the storage 1003.

[0204] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmitting / receiving device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also referred to as a network device, network controller, network card, communication module, etc. The communication device 1004 may be configured to include a high-frequency switch, duplexer, filter, frequency synthesizer, etc., in order to implement at least one of frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD). For example, the above-mentioned transmitting unit 101, receiving unit 102, receiving unit 201, and transmitting unit 202 may be implemented by the communication device 1004.

[0205] The input device 1005 is an input device that accepts input from an external source (e.g., a keyboard, mouse, microphone, switch, button, sensor, etc.). The output device 1006 is an output device that outputs to an external source (e.g., a display, speaker, LED lamp, etc.). The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be configured as an integrated unit (e.g., a touch panel).

[0206] Furthermore, each device, such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or different buses may be configured for each device.

[0207] Furthermore, the base station 10 and the device 20 may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), and an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and some or all of each functional block may be realized by such hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these hardware components.

[0208] <Notification of Information, Signaling> Notification of information is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be carried out by other methods. For example, notification of information may be carried out by physical layer signaling (e.g., DCI (Downlink Control Information), UCI (Uplink Control Information)), upper layer signaling (e.g., RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling, MAC (Medium Access Control) signaling, broadcast information (MIB (Master Information Block), SIB (System Information Block))), other signals, or combinations thereof. RRC signaling may also be called RRC messages, and may be, for example, RRC Connection Setup messages, RRC Connection Reconfiguration messages, etc.

[0209] <Applicable Systems> The embodiments described in this disclosure include LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), 6th generation mobile communication system (6G), xth generation mobile communication system (xG) (xG (where x is, for example, an integer or decimal)), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (new Radio), New radio access (NX), Future generation radio access (FX), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20 may apply to at least one system utilizing UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth®, or other appropriate systems, and to next-generation systems extended, modified, created, or defined based thereon. Alternatively, multiple systems may be applied in combination (e.g., a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A with 5G).

[0210] <Processing Procedures, etc.> The processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc., of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be rearranged in order, as long as there is no contradiction. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present various step elements using exemplary order and are not limited to the specific order presented.

[0211] <Base Station Operation> The specific operations described in this disclosure as being performed by a base station may, in some cases, be performed by its upper node. In a network consisting of one or more network nodes having a base station, it is clear that various operations performed for communication with a terminal can be performed by the base station and at least one other network node (for example, an MME or S-GW, but not limited to these). The above example illustrates the case where there is one other network node besides the base station, but it may also be a combination of multiple other network nodes (for example, an MME and an S-GW).

[0212] <Direction of Input / Output> Information, etc. (see the section on <Information, Signals>) can be output from a higher layer (or lower layer) to a lower layer (or higher layer). Input and output may also occur via multiple network nodes.

[0213] <Handling of Input / Output Information, etc.> Input and output information, etc. may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or managed using a management table. Input and output information, etc. may be overwritten, updated, or appended to. Output information, etc. may be deleted. Input information, etc. may be transmitted to other devices.

[0214] <Determination Method> The determination may be made by a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), by a boolean value (true or false), or by a numerical comparison (for example, a comparison with a predetermined value).

[0215] <Variations of Embodiments, etc.> Each embodiment / appearance described in this disclosure may be used individually, in combination, or switched between during implementation. Furthermore, notification of predetermined information (for example, notification that "it is X") is not limited to explicit notification, but may also be implicit (for example, by not providing notification of the predetermined information).

[0216] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the intent and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the descriptions in the present disclosure are illustrative and not intended to be restrictive in any way.

[0217] <Software> Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, etc., whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or by any other name.

[0218] Furthermore, software, instructions, information, etc., may be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using at least one of wired technology (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) and wireless technology (such as infrared or microwave), then at least one of these wired and wireless technologies is included in the definition of a transmission medium.

[0219] <Information, Signals> The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of the various different techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc., which may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0220] In addition, terms used in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings. For example, at least one of the channel and symbol may be a signal (signaling). Also, a signal may be a message. Furthermore, a component carrier (CC) may be called a carrier frequency, cell, frequency carrier, etc.

[0221] <Systems and Networks> The terms “systems” and “networks” as used in this disclosure are interchangeable.

[0222] <Parameters, Channel Names> Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or other corresponding information. For example, wireless resources may be indicated by an index.

[0223] The names used for the parameters described above are not restrictive in any way. Furthermore, the formulas and other expressions using these parameters may differ from those expressly disclosed in this disclosure. Various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements can be identified by any suitable name, and therefore, the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not restrictive in any way.

[0224] <Base Station> In this disclosure, terms such as "Base Station (BS)", "wireless base station", "fixed station", "NodeB", "eNodeB (eNB)", "gNodeB (gNB)", "access point", "transmission point", "reception point", "transmission / reception point", "cell", "sector", "cell group", "carrier", and "component carrier" may be used interchangeably. Base stations may also be referred to by terms such as macrocell, small cell, femtocell, and picocell.

[0225] A base station can accommodate one or more (e.g., three) cells. If a base station accommodates multiple cells, the entire coverage area of ​​the base station can be divided into multiple smaller areas, each of which may also be provided with communication services by a base station subsystem (e.g., a Remote Radio Head (RRH)). The terms “cell” or “sector” refer to part or all of the coverage area of ​​at least one of the base station and / or base station subsystems that provide communication services in that coverage.

[0226] In this disclosure, the transmission of information by a base station to a terminal may be interpreted as the base station instructing the terminal to perform control or operation based on the information.

[0227] <Mobile Station> In this disclosure, terms such as "Mobile Station (MS)", "user terminal", "User Equipment (UE)", and "terminal" may be used interchangeably.

[0228] A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or several other appropriate terms.

[0229] <Base Station / Mobile Station> At least one of a base station and a mobile station may be called a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, etc. At least one of a base station and a mobile station may be a device mounted on a mobile body, the mobile body itself, etc. The mobile body refers to a movable object, and its speed of movement is arbitrary. This also includes cases where the mobile body is stationary. The mobile body includes, but is not limited to, vehicles, transport vehicles, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, connected cars, excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, dump trucks, forklifts, trains, buses, handcarts, rickshaws, ships and other watercraft, airplanes, rockets, satellites, drones (registered trademark), multicopters, quadcopters, balloons, and items mounted on them. The mobile body may also be a mobile body that moves autonomously based on operation commands. It may be a vehicle (e.g., a car, an airplane, etc.), an unmanned mobile body (e.g., a drone, an autonomous vehicle, etc.), or a robot (manned or unmanned). Furthermore, at least one of the base station and the mobile station may include devices that do not necessarily move during communication operations. For example, at least one of the base station and the mobile station may be an IoT (Internet of Things) device such as a sensor.

[0230] Furthermore, the term "base station" in this disclosure may be interpreted as "terminal." For example, the embodiments of this disclosure may be applied to a configuration in which communication between a base station and a terminal is replaced with communication between multiple terminals (which may be called, for example, D2D (Device-to-Device), V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything)). In this case, the device 20 may have the functions that the base station 10 has. Also, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" may be interpreted as terms corresponding to terminal-to-terminal communication (for example, "side"). For example, uplink channel, downlink channel, etc., may be interpreted as side channel.

[0231] Similarly, the term "terminal" in this disclosure may be replaced with "base station." In this case, the base station 10 may be configured to have the same functions as the device 20 described above.

[0232] Figure 23 shows an example of the configuration of vehicle 2001. As shown in Figure 23, vehicle 2001 includes a drive unit 2002, a steering unit 2003, an accelerator pedal 2004, a brake pedal 2005, a shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, an axle 2009, an electronic control unit 2010, various sensors 2021 to 2029, an information service unit 2012, and a communication module 2013. Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be applied to a communication device mounted on vehicle 2001, for example, to the communication module 2013.

[0233] The drive unit 2002 consists of, for example, an engine, a motor, or a hybrid of an engine and a motor. The steering unit 2003 includes at least a steering wheel (also called a handle) and is configured to steer at least one of the front wheels and the rear wheels based on the operation of the steering wheel, which is operated by the user.

[0234] The electronic control unit 2010 consists of a microprocessor 2031, memory (ROM, RAM) 2032, and communication ports (IO ports) 2033. Signals from various sensors 2021 to 2029 installed in the vehicle 2001 are input to the electronic control unit 2010. The electronic control unit 2010 may also be called an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

[0235] Signals from various sensors 2021 to 2029 include current signals from current sensor 2021 for sensing motor current, front and rear wheel rotation speed signals acquired by rotation speed sensor 2022, front and rear wheel air pressure signals acquired by air pressure sensor 2023, vehicle speed signals acquired by vehicle speed sensor 2024, acceleration signals acquired by acceleration sensor 2025, accelerator pedal depression signals acquired by accelerator pedal sensor 2029, brake pedal depression signals acquired by brake pedal sensor 2026, shift lever operation signals acquired by shift lever sensor 2027, and detection signals acquired by object detection sensor 2028 for detecting obstacles, vehicles, pedestrians, etc.

[0236] The Information Services Unit 2012 consists of various devices for providing (outputting) various types of information such as driving information, traffic information, and entertainment information, including a car navigation system, audio system, speakers, television, and radio, and one or more ECUs that control these devices. The Information Services Unit 2012 uses information acquired from external devices via a communication module 2013, etc., to provide various multimedia information and multimedia services to the occupants of the vehicle 2001.

[0237] The Information Services Unit 2012 may include input devices that accept input from the outside (e.g., keyboards, mice, microphones, switches, buttons, sensors, touch panels, etc.) and output devices that perform output to the outside (e.g., displays, speakers, LED lamps, touch panels, etc.).

[0238] The driver assistance system unit 2030 consists of various devices that provide functions to prevent accidents or reduce the driver's workload, such as millimeter-wave radar, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), cameras, positioning locators (e.g., GNSS), map information (e.g., high-definition (HD) maps, autonomous vehicle (AV) maps), gyro systems (e.g., IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), INS (Inertial Navigation System)), AI (Artificial Intelligence) chips, and AI processors, as well as one or more ECUs that control these devices. The driver assistance system unit 2030 also transmits and receives various information via the communication module 2013 to realize driver assistance functions or autonomous driving functions.

[0239] The communication module 2013 can communicate with the microprocessor 2031 and components of the vehicle 2001 via its communication port. For example, the communication module 2013 sends and receives data via the communication port 2033 between the drive unit 2002, steering unit 2003, accelerator pedal 2004, brake pedal 2005, shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, axle 2009, the microprocessor 2031 and memory (ROM, RAM) 2032 in the electronic control unit 2010, and sensors 2021-29 provided in the vehicle 2001.

[0240] The communication module 2013 is a communication device that can be controlled by the microprocessor 2031 of the electronic control unit 2010 and can communicate with external devices. For example, it can send and receive various types of information with external devices via wireless communication. The communication module 2013 may be located either inside or outside the electronic control unit 2010. The external device may be, for example, a base station or a mobile station.

[0241] The communication module 2013 may transmit at least one of the following to an external device via wireless communication: signals from the various sensors 2021 to 2029 input to the electronic control unit 2010, information obtained based on said signals, and information based on input from an external source (user) obtained via the information service unit 2012. The electronic control unit 2010, the various sensors 2021 to 2029, the information service unit 2012, etc., may also be called input units that accept input. For example, the PUSCH transmitted by the communication module 2013 may include the information based on the above input.

[0242] The communication module 2013 receives various information (traffic information, signal information, inter-vehicle information, etc.) transmitted from an external device and displays it on the information service unit 2012 provided in the vehicle 2001. The information service unit 2012 may also be called an output unit, which outputs information (for example, it outputs information to devices such as displays and speakers based on the PDSCH (or data / information decoded from the PDSCH) received by the communication module 2013).

[0243] Furthermore, the communication module 2013 stores various information received from external devices in a memory 2032 that can be used by the microprocessor 2031. Based on the information stored in the memory 2032, the microprocessor 2031 may control the drive unit 2002, steering unit 2003, accelerator pedal 2004, brake pedal 2005, shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, axles 2009, sensors 2021 to 2029, etc., which are provided in the vehicle 2001.

[0244] <Meaning and Interpretation of Terms> As used in this disclosure, the terms “determining” and “determining” may encompass a wide variety of actions. “Determining” may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, search, inquiry (e.g., searching in tables, databases or other data structures), and ascertaining. “Determining” may also include, for example, receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, and accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory). Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having "judgmented" or "decided" after resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having "judgmented" or "decided" about some action. Also, "judgment (decision)" can be reinterpreted as "assuming," "expecting," or "considering."

[0245] The terms “connected,” “coupled,” and any variations thereof mean any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are “connected” or “coupled” with each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, “connection” may be read as “access.” As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be “connected” or “coupled” with each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, and, in some non-limiting and non-exclusive examples, electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency domain, microwave domain, and optical (both visible and invisible) domain.

[0246] <Reference Signal> The reference signal can also be abbreviated as RS (Reference Signal), and may be called a pilot depending on the applicable standard.

[0247] <Meaning of "based on"> As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based solely on" unless otherwise specified. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based solely on" and "based at least on".

[0248] <"First", "Second"> Any reference to elements using the designations "first", "second", etc. as used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Accordingly, references to first and second elements do not imply that only two elements may be adopted, or that the first element must precede the second element in any way.

[0249] <Means> The "means" in the configuration of each of the above devices may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0250] <Open Format> Where the terms “include,” “including,” and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, as is the term “comprising.” Furthermore, the term “or” as used in this disclosure is not intended to be exclusive OR.

[0251] <Time units such as TTI, frequency units such as RB, and wireless frame configuration> A wireless frame may consist of one or more frames in the time domain. Each of the one or more frames in the time domain may be called a subframe. A subframe may further consist of one or more slots in the time domain. A subframe may have a fixed time length (e.g., 1 ms) that is independent of numerology.

[0252] Numerology may be communication parameters applied to at least one of the transmission and reception of a signal or channel. Numerology may include, for example, at least one of the following: subcarrier spacing (SCS), bandwidth, symbol length, cyclic prefix length, transmission time interval (TTI), number of symbols per TTI, radio frame configuration, specific filtering processes performed by the transceiver in the frequency domain, and specific windowing processes performed by the transceiver in the time domain.

[0253] A slot may consist of one or more symbols in the time domain (such as OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) symbols, SC-FDMA (Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access) symbols, etc.). A slot may also be a time unit based on neurology.

[0254] A slot may include multiple minislots. Each minislot may consist of one or more symbols in the time domain. Minislots may also be called subslots. Minislots may consist of fewer symbols than a slot. A PDSCH (or PUSCH) transmitted in a time unit larger than a minislot may be called a PDSCH (or PUSCH) mapping type A. A PDSCH (or PUSCH) transmitted using a minislot may be called a PDSCH (or PUSCH) mapping type B.

[0255] Wireless frames, subframes, slots, minislots, and symbols all represent units of time when transmitting a signal. Different names may be used for each of these terms.

[0256] For example, one subframe may be called a Transmission Time Interval (TTI), multiple consecutive subframes may be called a TTI, or one slot or one minislot may be called a TTI. In other words, at least one of a subframe and a TTI may be a subframe in existing LTE (1 ms), a period shorter than 1 ms (e.g., 1-13 symbols), or a period longer than 1 ms. Note that the unit representing the TTI may be called a slot, minislot, etc., instead of a subframe.

[0257] Here, TTI refers to, for example, the smallest time unit for scheduling in wireless communication. For example, in an LTE system, the base station schedules each user terminal to allocate wireless resources (such as the frequency bandwidth and transmission power available to each user terminal) in TTI units. However, the definition of TTI is not limited to this.

[0258] TTI may be a transmission time unit for channel-encoded data packets (transport blocks), code blocks, code words, etc., or it may be a processing unit for scheduling, link adaptation, etc. When a TTI is given, the actual time interval (e.g., number of symbols) in which the transport block, code block, code word, etc. are mapped may be shorter than the TTI.

[0259] Furthermore, if one slot or one mini-slot is referred to as a TTI, then one or more TTIs (i.e., one or more slots or one or more mini-slots) may constitute the minimum time unit for scheduling. In addition, the number of slots (number of mini-slots) that constitute this minimum time unit for scheduling may be controlled.

[0260] A TTI with a time length of 1 ms may be called a normal TTI, a long TTI, a normal subframe, a long subframe, a slot, etc. A TTI shorter than a normal TTI may be called a shortened TTI, a short TTI, a partial or fractional TTI, a shortened subframe, a short subframe, a mini slot, a sub slot, a slot, etc.

[0261] Furthermore, long TTIs (e.g., normal TTIs, subframes, etc.) may be interpreted as TTIs with a time length exceeding 1 ms, and short TTIs (e.g., shortened TTIs, etc.) may be interpreted as TTIs with a TTI length less than that of a long TTI but 1 ms or more.

[0262] A resource block (RB) is a resource allocation unit in the time domain and frequency domain, and in the frequency domain, it may contain one or more consecutive subcarriers. The number of subcarriers in an RB may be the same regardless of the neurology, for example, 12. The number of subcarriers in an RB may be determined based on the neurology.

[0263] Furthermore, the time domain of the RB may contain one or more symbols and may be the length of one slot, one minislot, one subframe, or one TTI. One TTI, one subframe, etc., may each consist of one or more resource blocks.

[0264] One or more RBs may also be called a Physical RB (PRB), Sub-Carrier Group (SCG), Resource Element Group (REG), PRB pair, RB pair, etc.

[0265] Furthermore, a resource block may consist of one or more resource elements (REs). For example, one RE may be a radio resource area comprising one subcarrier and one symbol.

[0266] A Bandwidth Part (BWP), also known as a partial bandwidth, may represent a subset of consecutive common resource blocks (RBs) for a given neurology in a given carrier. These common RBs may be identified by an index of the RBs relative to a common reference point of the carrier. The PRBs may be defined and numbered within a given BWP.

[0267] A BWP may include a BWP for UL (UL BWP) and a BWP for DL ​​(DL BWP). One or more BWPs may be set within a single carrier for a UE.

[0268] At least one of the configured BWPs may be active, and the UE does not need to assume that it will transmit or receive a predetermined signal / channel outside of the active BWP. In this disclosure, terms such as "cell" and "carrier" may be read as "BWP".

[0269] The structures described above, such as wireless frames, subframes, slots, minislots, and symbols, are merely illustrative. For example, the number of subframes included in a wireless frame, the number of slots per subframe or wireless frame, the number of minislots included in a slot, the number of symbols and RBs included in a slot or minislot, the number of subcarriers included in an RB, and the number of symbols, symbol length, and cyclic prefix (CP) length within a TTI can be varied in various ways.

[0270] <Maximum Transmit Power> The term "maximum transmit power" as used in this disclosure may mean the maximum value of the transmit power, the nominal UE maximum transmit power, or the rated UE maximum transmit power.

[0271] <Articles> In this disclosure, if articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may also include the fact that the noun following these articles is plural.

[0272] <"Different"> In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combine" may be interpreted similarly to "different."

[0273] All disclosures in the specification, drawings, and abstract contained in the Japanese application No. 2024-181284, filed on 16 October 2024, are incorporated herein by reference.

[0274] One aspect of this disclosure is useful for wireless communication systems.

[0275] 10 Base station 20 Devices 101, 202 Transmitting unit 102, 201 Receiving unit 103, 203 Control unit

Claims

1. A device with lower complexity than an NB-IoT (Narrow Band Internet of Things) device, comprising: a transmitting unit that transmits a first message; a receiving unit that receives a second message which is a response to the first message and includes control information and data; and a control unit that monitors the control information and the data, wherein in the second message, the control information is transmitted to multiple devices on a common channel, and the data is transmitted to each device on a separate channel, and the control unit monitors the data of the second message based on the control information.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the control information includes information indicating the slot on which the data of the second message is transmitted.

3. A device with lower complexity than an NB-IoT (Narrow Band Internet of Things) device, comprising: a transmitting unit that transmits a first message; a receiving unit that receives a second message which is a response to the first message and includes control information and data; and a control unit that monitors the control information and the data, wherein the second message is received by multiple devices, the control information includes information indicating which device the data in the second message is directed to, and the control unit monitors the data in the second message based on the control information.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the control information includes information indicating the slot on which the data of the second message is transmitted.

5. A communication method comprising: a device with lower complexity than an NB-IoT (Narrow Band Internet of Things) device transmitting a first message; receiving a second message which is a response to the first message and includes control information and data; monitoring the control information and data; in the second message, the control information is transmitted to multiple devices on a common channel, and the data is transmitted to each device on a separate channel; and monitoring the data of the second message based on the control information.

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