Communication apparatus and communication method

Abstract

This communication apparatus comprises: a transmission unit that transmits a paging message to an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) device; and a reception unit that receives, from the ambient IoT device, a response to the paging message. The reception unit receives, from a core network, an instruction to transmit an upper layer message addressed to the ambient IoT device and information indicating whether or not the ambient IoT device executes transmission after receiving the upper layer message. The transmission unit transmits the upper layer message to the ambient IoT device, and has a control unit that determines, on the basis of the information indicating whether or not the ambient IoT device executes the transmission, whether or not a response to the upper layer message is to be received from the ambient IoT device.

Description

Communication device and communication method

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device and a communication method in a wireless communication system.

[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 (for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

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

[0004] 3GPP TS 38.300 V18.0.0 (2023-12)"New SID: Study on solutions for Ambient IoT (Internet of Things) in NR", RP-234058, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #102, December 20, 2023 3GPP TR 38.848 V18.0.0 (2023-09)

[0005] When the ambient IoT reader cannot receive a D2R message from the ambient IoT device due to a temporary deterioration of the wireless environment, the ambient IoT reader may retransmit an R2D message to the ambient IoT device. However, even when the ambient IoT reader cannot receive a D2R message from the ambient IoT device, retransmission of the R2D message may not be necessary.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to suppress unnecessary operations in an ambient IoT (Internet of Things) reader.

[0007] The disclosed technology provides a communication device comprising: a transmitting unit that transmits paging messages to an ambient IoT (Internet of Things) device; and a receiving unit that receives a response to the paging message from the ambient IoT device, wherein the receiving unit receives from the core network an instruction to transmit a higher-layer message to the ambient IoT device and information indicating whether the ambient IoT device will perform the transmission after receiving the higher-layer message; and the transmitting unit transmits the higher-layer message to the ambient IoT device and has a control unit that determines whether to receive a response to the higher-layer message from the ambient IoT device based on the information indicating whether the ambient IoT device will perform the transmission.

[0008] According to the disclosed technology, unwanted behavior in ambient IoT (Internet of Things) readers can be suppressed.

[0009] This figure shows an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system. This figure shows an example of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of topology (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of topology (2) according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of architecture (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of architecture (2) according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates a protocol stack according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a random access procedure (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a random access procedure (2) according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a random access procedure (3) according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of communication (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of communication (2) according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of communication (3) according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of communication (5) according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of the functional configuration of a base station 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of the functional configuration of a terminal 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of a base station 10 or terminal 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of the configuration of a vehicle 2001 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are examples, and the embodiments to which the present invention is applied are not limited to those described below.

[0011] In the operation of the wireless communication system according to the embodiments of the present invention, existing technologies may be used as appropriate. However, such existing technologies include, for example, existing LTE, but are not limited to existing LTE. Furthermore, the term "LTE" as used herein has a broad meaning that includes LTE-Advanced and LTE-Advanced and later technologies (e.g., NR), unless otherwise specified.

[0012] Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present invention 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 the present invention, the duplex system may be a TDD (Time Division Duplex) system, an FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) system, or any other system (for example, a Flexible Duplex).

[0014] Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present invention, "configuring" wireless parameters may mean that predetermined values ​​are pre-configured, or that wireless parameters notified from the base station 10 or terminal 20 are configured.

[0015] Figure 1 shows an example configuration (1) of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a base station 10 and a terminal 20, as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 shows one base station 10 and one terminal 20, but this is an example, and there may be multiple base stations 10 and terminals 20.

[0016] Base station 10 is a communication device that provides one or more cells and communicates wirelessly with terminal 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, and the frequency domain may be defined by the number of subcarriers or resource blocks. Base station 10 transmits synchronization signals and system information to terminal 20. Synchronization signals are, for example, NR-PSS and NR-SSS. System information is transmitted, for example, in NR-PBCH and is also called broadcast information. Synchronization signals and system information may also be called SSB (SS / PBCH block). As shown in Figure 1, base station 10 transmits control signals or data to terminal 20 via DL (Downlink) and receives control signals or data from terminal 20 via UL (Uplink). Both base station 10 and terminal 20 are capable of transmitting and receiving signals using beamforming. Furthermore, both the base station 10 and the terminal 20 can apply MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) communication to DL or UL. Also, both the base station 10 and the terminal 20 may communicate via Carrier Aggregation (CA) through secondary cells (SCell) and primary cells (PCell). Additionally, the terminal 20 may communicate via Dual Connectivity (DC) through the primary cell of base station 10 and the primary secondary cell group cell (PSCell) of another base station 10.

[0017] Terminal 20 is a communication device equipped with wireless communication capabilities, such as a smartphone, mobile phone, tablet, wearable device, or M2M (Machine-to-Machine) communication module. As shown in Figure 1, Terminal 20 receives control signals or data from the base station 10 via DL and transmits control signals or data to the base station 10 via UL, thereby utilizing various communication services provided by the wireless communication system. Terminal 20 also receives various reference signals transmitted from the base station 10 and performs propagation path quality measurement based on the reception results of said reference signals.

[0018] Terminal 20 is capable of performing carrier aggregation, which involves bundling multiple cells (multiple CCs (Component Carriers)) together to communicate with base station 10. Carrier aggregation uses one PCell (Primary cell) and one or more SCells (Secondary cells). A PUCCH-SCell with a PUCCH may also be used.

[0019] Here, Ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) is being considered (for example, Non-Patent Document 2). Ambient IoT targets devices with extremely simple configurations for the lowest-end IoT applications that operate with extremely low power consumption.

[0020] For example, ambient IoT can be considered in terms of the following deployment scenarios and characteristics.

[0021] 1) Indoor or outdoor environment. 2) Base station characteristics, e.g., macro, micro, or picocell-based deployment. 3) Connectivity topology, e.g., which nodes (base station, UE, relay, repeater, etc.) communicate with ambient IoT devices. 4) TDD or FDD, licensed or unlicensed frequency band. 5) Coexistence with infrastructure in frequency bands for UE and existing 3GPP technologies. 6) Assumed outgoing and / or incoming traffic to / from devices.

[0022] The above deployment scenarios and RAN design targets based on the above characteristics for related use cases may include at least the following perspectives.

[0023] 1) Power consumption 2) Complexity 3) Coverage 4) Data rate 5) Positioning accuracy

[0024] You may compare and examine the feasibility of RAN design targets for use cases based on suitable deployment scenarios and clarify the assumed required functionalities to be supported.

[0025] For example, the following device categories may be considered for ambient IoT.

[0026] Device A lacks power storage and cannot independently generate or amplify signals. It is capable of backscattering transmission.

[0027] Device B has power storage and cannot generate signals independently. It is capable of backscatter transmission and amplifying reflected signals using the stored power.

[0028] Device C has power storage and is capable of independently generating signals; that is, it has an active RF component for transmission.

[0029] The complexity of device A can be assumed to be similar to that of RFID.

[0030] Figure 2 shows an example of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, in step 1, an Ambient IoT reader, which is a BS or UE, sends an R2D message to an Ambient IoT device (e.g., an RFID tag). An R2D message is a message from the reader to the device. In step 2, the Ambient IoT device sends a D2R message to the Ambient IoT reader. A D2R message is a message from the device to the reader. In step 3, the Ambient IoT reader reports to the CN's AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) or a new node.

[0031] For ambient IoT devices, compact protocol stacks and minimal signaling procedures are being considered to enable DO-DTT (Device-Originated - Device-Terminated Triggered) and DT (Device-Terminated) data transmission. For example, data transmission including paging, random access, and radio resource control, as well as higher-layer operations, are being investigated.

[0032] For example, the following network topology may be considered for ambient IoT (see Non-Patent Document 3).

[0033] Figure 3 shows an example topology (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention. Topology 1 shown in Figure 3 is a configuration in which a base station (BS) and an ambient IoT device communicate. The ambient IoT device directly performs bidirectional communication with the base station. Furthermore, the BS is connected to an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) or a new node in the CN (Core Network). Hereinafter, the CN may refer to any node on the network.

[0034] Figure 4 shows an example of topology (2) according to an embodiment of the present invention. Topology 2 shown in Figure 4 is a configuration in which a base station (BS) and an ambient IoT device communicate via an intermediate node. The ambient IoT device performs bidirectional communication with the intermediate node located 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. The intermediate node may receive DL data or signaling for an AIoT terminal from the BS and transmit the DL data or signaling to the AIoT terminal.

[0035] The intermediate node and the BS may be connected via a Uu interface. Uu is the wireless interface between UTRAN (Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network) and UE (User Equipment). The intermediate node may also transmit an unmodulated wave to an AIoT terminal, receive UL data or signaling from the AIoT terminal, and transmit the UL data or signaling to the BS. Furthermore, the BS is connected to the AMF or a new node in the CN.

[0036] Furthermore, the base station, intermediate node, support node, or other node transmits RF signals to the ambient IoT device. The ambient IoT device is activated and receives power from the RF operating field of the base station, intermediate node, support node, or other node via inductive coupling. The ambient IoT device transmits information to the base station, intermediate node, support node, or other node by backscatter modulation of the RF signals received from the base station, intermediate node, support node, or other node by switching the reflection coefficient of its own antenna. For example, the ambient IoT device may transmit information by performing ON-OFF keying.

[0037] For RFID in the 860MHz-960MHz range, the RFID system reader corresponds to a base station, intermediate node, or support node in an ambient IoT system. The tag corresponds to an ambient IoT device. The RF signal from the reader to the tag is typically a sine wave of a predetermined frequency. ASK (Amplitude shift keying) modulation is used for DL ​​information from the reader to the tag. PIE (Pulse Interval Encoding) encoding is also used for DL ​​information from the reader to the tag. ASK and / or PSK (Phase shift keying) modulation is used for UL backscattering. FM0 encoding and Miller encoding are also used for UL backscattering.

[0038] Additionally, the following device types may be defined:

[0039] Device 1) is a device with a maximum power consumption of 1 μW or less, has energy storage, and does not have DL or UL amplifiers. UL transmission is performed by backscattering an externally supplied carrier wave.

[0040] Device 2a) is a device with a maximum power consumption of several hundred μW or less, has power storage, and has DL and / or UL amplifiers. UL transmission is performed by backscattering an externally supplied carrier wave.

[0041] Device 2b) A device with a maximum power consumption of several hundred μW or less, having power storage and having DL and / or UL amplifiers. UL transmission is generated within the device.

[0042] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example (1) of the architecture according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example (2) of the architecture according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 5 and 6 show an example of defining an architecture common to topology 1 and topology 2. In FIGS. 5 and 6, a BS or an intermediate node (e.g., UE) includes a Reader function node inside, and the node functions as a reader. In addition to the node, the BS and UE have a RAN function node inside. The RAN function node executes communication with the CN or the BS.

[0043] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the protocol stack according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the communication between the ambient IoT device and the network, it was agreed not to support the RRC, SDAP, PDCP, and RLC layers. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the following protocol stack is assumed.

[0044] NAS (Non-access stratum) / A-IoT NAS: A layer that transmits control information regarding the ambient IoT device. It may be assumed to support End-to-end security protection. Note that "NAS / A-IoT NAS" may mean "NAS or A-IoT NAS".

[0045] MAC / A-IoT MAC: Supports the A-IoT random access procedure. Other functions, such as BSR and SR similar functions, may also be supported. Note that "MAC / A-IoT MAC" may mean "MAC or A-IoT MAC".

[0046] PHY / A-IoT PHY: Supports physical channels (PDRSH, PRDSH) specific to the A-IoT system. Other necessary physical layer protocols may also be supported. Note that "PHY / A-IoT PHY" may mean "PHY or A-IoT PHY".

[0047] Here, the 4-step A-IoT random access procedure may be defined as shown in 1)-5) below. Hereinafter, the A-IoT device is also referred to as the device, and the A-IoT reader is also referred to as the reader. Note that hereinafter, the "4-step A-IoT random access procedure" may be interchangeable with the "3-step A-IoT random access procedure".

[0048] 1) Via A-IoT Msg1, the device transmits an ID to the reader. For example, the ID may be randomly generated or generated based on the device ID. 2) Via A-IoT Msg2, the reader may send back the ID received in Msg1 to the device. Further, other information may be included in Msg2. 3) Via A-IoT Msg3, the device transmits the device ID and / or other upper layer data to the reader. 4) If the device includes the same ID as the random ID included in Msg1 in Msg2, the device may recognize that the contention resolution has succeeded. The size of the random ID may be sufficient for the purpose of contention resolution. 5) Msg4 does not necessarily have to be transmitted. Msg4 may be used when the transmission of Msg3 fails.

[0049] The 2-step A-IoT random access procedure may be defined as shown in 1) and 2) below.

[0050] 1) Via A-IoT Msg1, the device transmits the device ID and / or other upper layer data to the reader. 2) Via A-IoT Msg2, the reader may send back the information included in Msg1.

[0051] Also, contention-free access may be introduced into the A-IoT random access procedure.

[0052] Figure 8 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example (1) of a random access procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 shows an example of applying 3-step random access (RA) to an A-IoT random access procedure. As shown in Figure 8, the A-IoT reader may be a BS or an intermediate node UE. When an intermediate node is used, communication between the intermediate node and the CN may be performed via the BS.

[0053] Step 1: The CN sends a new NG-AP message to the A-IoT reader. This NG-AP message may specify the target device ID or device group ID, whether location information is required, etc.

[0054] Step 2: The A-IoT reader sends an A-IoT paging message to the A-IoT device. This A-IoT paging message may include the target device ID or device group ID, whether location information is required, etc.

[0055] Step 3: The A-IoT device sends Msg1 for 3-step random access to the A-IoT reader. Msg1 may include a random ID. The A-IoT device may randomly select any resource and send Msg1. The resource may be, for example, a time slot or may be identified in the frequency domain.

[0056] Step 4: The A-IoT reader sends Msg2 for 3-step random access to the A-IoT device. Msg2 may include the random ID that was included in Msg1.

[0057] Step 5: The A-IoT device sends Msg3 for 3-step random access to the A-IoT reader. Msg3 may include the device ID or other information.

[0058] Step 6: The A-IoT reader sends Msg3 for 3-step random access to the CN. Msg3 may include a device ID or other information.

[0059] Step 6': The A-IoT reader may send a message to the A-IoT device indicating whether the random access failed or succeeded.

[0060] As shown in Figure 8, steps 3 through 6 correspond to three-step random access.

[0061] Figure 9 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example (2) of a random access procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9 is an example of applying 2-step contention-based random access (CBRA) to an A-IoT random access procedure. As shown in Figure 9, the A-IoT reader may be a BS or an intermediate node UE. When an intermediate node is used, communication between the intermediate node and the CN may be performed via the BS.

[0062] Step 1: The CN sends a new NG-AP message to the A-IoT reader. This NG-AP message may specify the target device ID or device group ID, whether location information is required, etc.

[0063] Step 2: The A-IoT reader sends an A-IoT paging message to the A-IoT device. This A-IoT paging message may include the target device ID or device group ID, whether location information is required, etc.

[0064] Step 3: The A-IoT device sends Msg1 for two-step contention-based random access to the A-IoT reader. Msg1 may include the device ID or other information. The A-IoT device may randomly select any resource and send Msg1. The resource may be, for example, a time slot or may be identified in the frequency domain.

[0065] Step 4: The A-IoT reader sends Msg1 for two-step contention-based random access to the CN. Msg1 may include a device ID or other information.

[0066] Step 4': The A-IoT reader sends Msg2 for two-step contention-based random access to the A-IoT device. Msg2 may be a reply to the content of the received Msg1.

[0067] As shown in Figure 9, steps 3 and 4 correspond to two-step contention-based random access.

[0068] Figure 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example (3) of a random access procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 10 is an example of applying 2-step contention-free random access (CFRA) to an A-IoT random access procedure. As shown in Figure 10, the A-IoT reader may be a BS or an intermediate node UE. When an intermediate node is used, communication between the intermediate node and the CN may be performed via the BS.

[0069] Step 1: The CN sends a new NG-AP message to the A-IoT reader. This NG-AP message may specify the target device ID or device group ID, whether location information is required, etc.

[0070] Step 2: The A-IoT reader sends an A-IoT paging message to the A-IoT device. This A-IoT paging message may include the target device ID or device group ID, whether location information is required, etc.

[0071] Step 3: The A-IoT device sends Msg1 for two-step contention-free random access to the A-IoT reader. Msg1 may include the device ID or other information. The A-IoT device may send Msg1 using a pre-configured resource. The resource may be, for example, a time slot or may be specified in the frequency domain.

[0072] Step 4: The A-IoT reader sends Msg1 for two-step contention-free random access to the CN. Msg1 may include a device ID or other information.

[0073] Step 4': The A-IoT reader sends Msg2 for two-step contention-free random access to the A-IoT device. Msg2 may be a reply to the content of the received Msg1.

[0074] As shown in Figure 10, steps 3 and 4 correspond to two-step contention-free random access. Two-step contention-free random access may also be called contention-free access.

[0075] Figure 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of communication (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 11 is an example of applying 3-step random access (RA) to an A-IoT random access procedure. As shown in Figure 11, the A-IoT reader may be a BS or an intermediate node UE. When an intermediate node is used, communication between the intermediate node and the CN may be performed via the BS.

[0076] In ambient IoT systems, devices always perform random access when exchanging messages with the network. This applies to 3-step random access, as well as 2-step CBRA and contention-free access.

[0077] Step 1: The CN sends a new NG-AP message to the A-IoT reader. This NG-AP message may specify the target device ID or device group ID, whether location information is required, etc.

[0078] Step 2: The A-IoT reader sends an A-IoT paging message to the A-IoT device. This A-IoT paging message may include the target device ID or device group ID, whether location information is required, etc.

[0079] Step 3: The A-IoT device sends Msg1 for 3-step random access to the A-IoT reader. Msg1 may include a random ID. The A-IoT device may randomly select any resource and send Msg1. The resource may be, for example, a time slot or may be identified in the frequency domain.

[0080] Step 4: The A-IoT reader sends Msg2 for 3-step random access to the A-IoT device. Msg2 may include the random ID that was included in Msg1.

[0081] Step 5: The A-IoT device sends Msg3 for 3-step random access to the A-IoT reader. Msg3 may include the device ID or other information.

[0082] Step 6: The A-IoT reader sends Msg3 for 3-step random access to the CN. Msg3 may include a device ID or other information.

[0083] Step 6': The A-IoT reader may send a message to the A-IoT device indicating whether the random access failed or succeeded.

[0084] Step X: After A-IoT random access is complete, a higher-layer message may be sent from the CN to the A-IoT device. The CN sends an instruction to the A-IoT reader to send the higher-layer message addressed to the A-IoT device.

[0085] Step X+1: The A-IoT reader forwards the upper layer message to the A-IoT device.

[0086] Step X+2: The A-IoT device replies to the CN according to the content of the higher-layer message received from the CN. For example, if the A-IoT device receives a read command, it replies with the information it has read.

[0087] Step X+3: The A-IoT reader forwards the upper layer message to the CN.

[0088] Steps X through X+3 may be executed after the completion of 3 steps of random access, after the completion of 2 steps of CBRA, or after the execution of contention-free access.

[0089] For example, if a D2R message (or the preceding R2D message) is not received due to a temporary deterioration of the wireless environment, and the A-IoT reader is unable to receive the D2R message (A-IoT Msg3 or a D2R message following A-IoT Msg3, step 5 or step X+1 in Figure 11), the A-IoT reader may send an instruction to the A-IoT device to repeat the random access procedure, or the A-IoT reader may resend the most recent R2D message to cause the A-IoT device to resend the D2R message. The above operation is referred to as operation A.

[0090] Figure 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example (2) of communication according to an embodiment of the present invention. A random access procedure may be performed before step X. As shown in Figure 12, operation A is an operation in which the A-IoT device receives R2D data by a higher layer message in step X+1 and then expects to send D2R data back in step X+2.

[0091] For example, when an A-IoT device receives a read command, it needs to send the information it wants to read to the CN via a higher-layer message. Figure 12 shows an example of an A-IoT device sending data back to the CN in STEPX+2.

[0092] Figure 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating (3) an example of communication according to an embodiment of the present invention. A random access procedure may be performed before step X. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 13, depending on the design of the procedure in the upper layer, it may not be necessary for the A-IoT device to send a D2R message after receiving an R2D message.

[0093] For example, when an A-IoT device receives a write command, the desired operation is completed once the A-IoT device executes the write command, so a reply may not be necessary. In addition, depending on the higher-layer procedure, such as a command to deactivate the A-IoT device, a reply from the A-IoT device may not be necessary. Figure 13 shows an example where the A-IoT device does not execute STEP X+2. In step X+2, the A-IoT reader should not expect a reply from the A-IoT device.

[0094] As stated above, the A-IoT reader should not expect to receive a D2R message in this case, and therefore should not resend the preceding R2D message even if it fails to receive a D2R message.

[0095] However, because the A-IoT reader cannot read the content of higher-layer messages, it may not recognize that the preceding R2D message is a "message that does not expect a reply from the A-IoT device," and may expect to receive a D2R message, potentially unnecessarily resending the preceding R2D message.

[0096] Therefore, when the CN instructs the A-IoT reader to send an R2D message, it may also notify the A-IoT reader of information indicating whether or not the A-IoT device receiving the R2D message will send a D2R upper layer message after receiving the R2D message.

[0097] Information indicating whether the A-IoT device sends a D2R upper layer message after receiving an R2D message may be sent from the CN to the A-IoT reader in step X, or from the CN to the A-IoT reader in step 1.

[0098] Figure 14 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example (4) of communication according to an embodiment of the present invention. A random access procedure may be performed before step X. As shown in Figure 14, when the CN instructs the A-IoT reader to send an R2D message in step X, it may also notify the A-IoT device that will receive the R2D message that it expects to send a D2R upper layer message after receiving it. In step X+2, the A-IoT reader may attempt to receive a D2R message from the A-IoT device. If the A-IoT reader fails to receive a D2R message from the A-IoT device in step X+2, it may retransmit the R2D message in step X+1.

[0099] Figure 15 is a sequence illustrating an example (5) of communication according to an embodiment of the present invention. A random access procedure may be performed before step X. As shown in Figure 15, when the CN instructs the A-IoT reader to send an R2D message in step X, it may also notify the A-IoT device that receives the R2D message that it is assumed not to send a D2R upper layer message after receiving it. In step X+2, the A-IoT reader does not expect to receive a D2R message from the A-IoT device and therefore does not need to wait for reception and does not need to retransmit the R2D message in step X+1.

[0100] As described above, when an ambient IoT reader sends an upper-layer message as an R2D message that does not require a D2R data response after being received by an ambient IoT device, it can avoid assuming the reception of a non-existent D2R message or unnecessarily retransmitting R2D data.

[0101] In other words, it can suppress unnecessary operations in ambient IoT (Internet of Things) readers.

[0102] (Device Configuration) Next, an example of the functional configuration of the base station 10 and terminal 20 that perform the processes and operations described above will be explained. The base station 10 and terminal 20 include the functions to carry out the above-described embodiment. However, the base station 10 and terminal 20 may each be equipped with only some of the functions in the embodiment.

[0103] <Base Station 10> Figure 16 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a base station 10 in an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 16, the base station 10 has a transmitting unit 110, a receiving unit 120, a setting unit 130, and a control unit 140. The functional configuration shown in Figure 16 is merely an example. Any functional classification and functional unit names are acceptable as long as they can perform the operations according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0104] The transmitting unit 110 includes the function of generating a signal to be transmitted to the terminal 20 and transmitting the signal wirelessly. The transmitting unit 110 also transmits inter-network node messages to other network nodes. The receiving unit 120 includes the function of receiving various signals transmitted from the terminal 20 and obtaining information from the received signals, for example, higher layer information. The transmitting unit 110 also has the function of transmitting NR-PSS, NR-SSS, NR-PBCH, DL / UL control signals, etc. to the terminal 20. The receiving unit 120 also receives inter-network node messages from other network nodes.

[0105] The setting unit 130 stores pre-configured setting information and various setting information to be transmitted to the terminal 20. The content of the setting information includes, for example, information related to communication with ambient IoT devices.

[0106] The control unit 140 performs control to realize the functions described in the embodiment. Furthermore, as described in the embodiment, the control unit 140 performs control related to communication with ambient IoT devices. The signal transmission function unit of the control unit 140 may be included in the transmission unit 110, and the signal reception function unit of the control unit 140 may be included in the reception unit 120.

[0107] <Terminal 20> Figure 17 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of terminal 20 in an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 17, terminal 20 has a transmitting unit 210, a receiving unit 220, a setting unit 230, and a control unit 240. The functional configuration shown in Figure 17 is merely an example. Any functional classification and functional unit names are acceptable as long as they can perform the operations according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0108] The transmitting unit 210 creates a transmission signal from the transmission data and transmits the transmission signal wirelessly. The receiving unit 220 wirelessly receives various signals and acquires signals from higher layers from the received physical layer signals. The receiving unit 220 also has the function of receiving NR-PSS, NR-SSS, NR-PBCH, DL / UL / SL control signals, etc. transmitted from the base station 10. For example, the transmitting unit 210 transmits PSCCH (Physical Sidelink Control Channel), PSSCH (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel), PSDCH (Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel), PSBCH (Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel), etc. to other terminals 20 as D2D communication, and the receiving unit 220 receives PSCCH, PSSCH, PSDCH or PSBCH, etc. from other terminals 20.

[0109] The setting unit 230 stores various setting information received from the base station 10 by the receiving unit 220. The setting unit 230 also stores pre-configured setting information. The content of the setting information includes, for example, information related to communication with ambient IoT devices.

[0110] The control unit 240 performs control to realize the functions described in the embodiment. Furthermore, as described in the embodiment, the control unit 240 performs control related to communication with ambient IoT devices. The signal transmission function in the control unit 240 may be included in the transmission unit 210, and the signal reception function in the control unit 240 may be included in the reception unit 220.

[0111] (Hardware Configuration) The block diagrams (Figures 16 and 17) used in the description of the above embodiments show 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 or wireless connections). A functional block may be realized by combining the one device or the multiple devices with software.

[0112] 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.

[0113] For example, the base station 10, terminal 20, etc. in one embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that processes the wireless communication method of the present disclosure. Figure 18 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the base station 10 and terminal 20 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The above-mentioned base station 10 and terminal 20 may be physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a storage device 1002, an auxiliary storage device 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a bus 1007, etc.

[0114] In the following explanation, the term "device" can be replaced with "circuit," "device," "unit," etc. The hardware configuration of the base station 10 and terminal 20 may include one or more of the devices shown in the figure, or it may be configured without some of the devices.

[0115] Each function in the base station 10 and terminal 20 is realized by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and storage device 1002, which allows the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication by the communication device 1004, and control at least one of data reading and writing in the storage device 1002 and auxiliary storage device 1003.

[0116] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer, for example, by running an operating system. The processor 1001 may consist of a central processing unit (CPU) that includes interfaces with peripheral devices, control devices, arithmetic units, registers, etc. For example, the control unit 140, control unit 240, etc., described above may be implemented by the processor 1001.

[0117] Furthermore, the processor 1001 reads programs (program code), software modules, or data from at least one of the auxiliary storage device 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the storage device 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 140 of the base station 10 shown in Figure 16 may be implemented by a control program stored in the storage device 1002 and operated by the processor 1001. Also, for example, the control unit 240 of the terminal 20 shown in Figure 17 may be implemented by a control program stored in the storage device 1002 and operated by the processor 1001. Although the above-described processes have been explained as being executed by one processor 1001, 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.

[0118] The storage device 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 storage device 1002 may also be called a register, cache, main memory, etc. The storage device 1002 can store executable programs (program code), software modules, etc., for implementing a communication method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0119] The auxiliary storage device 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 disk, a digital multipurpose disk, a Blu-ray® disk), a smart card, flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy® disk, a magnetic strip, etc. The above-mentioned storage medium may also be a database, server, or other suitable medium that includes at least one of the storage device 1002 and the auxiliary storage device 1003.

[0120] 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, for example, 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 transmitting and receiving antenna, amplifier section, transmitting and receiving section, transmission path interface, etc., may be implemented by the communication device 1004. The transmitting and receiving section may be implemented in a physically or logically separated manner, with a transmitting section and a receiving section.

[0121] 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).

[0122] Furthermore, each device, such as the processor 1001 and the storage device 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.

[0123] Furthermore, the base station 10 and terminal 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.

[0124] Figure 19 shows an example of the configuration of vehicle 2001. As shown in Figure 19, 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.

[0125] 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.

[0126] 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).

[0127] Signals from various sensors 2021 to 2029 include current signals from current sensor 2021 for sensing motor current, front or rear wheel rotation speed signals acquired by rotation speed sensor 2022, front or 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.

[0128] The Information Service 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 Service 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. The Information Service Unit 2012 may include input devices that accept input from the outside (e.g., keyboard, mouse, microphone, switch, button, sensor, touch panel, etc.) and output devices that perform output to the outside (e.g., display, speaker, LED lamp, touch panel, etc.).

[0129] 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.

[0130] 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.

[0131] 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.

[0132] The communication module 2013 may transmit at least one of the following to an external device via wireless communication: signals from the various sensors 2021-2028 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 2021-2028, 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.

[0133] 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, 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). The communication module 2013 also stores the various information received from the external device 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 2021-2029, etc., provided in the vehicle 2001.

[0134] (Summary of Embodiments) As described above, according to embodiments of the present invention, a communication device is provided which includes a transmitting unit that transmits a paging message to an ambient IoT (Internet of Things) device, and a receiving unit that receives a response to the paging message from the ambient IoT device, wherein the receiving unit receives from the core network an instruction to transmit a higher layer message addressed to the ambient IoT device and information indicating whether or not the ambient IoT device will perform the transmission after receiving the higher layer message, and the transmitting unit transmits the higher layer message to the ambient IoT device and has a control unit that determines whether or not to receive a response to the higher layer message from the ambient IoT device based on the information indicating whether or not the ambient IoT device will perform the transmission.

[0135] With the above configuration, when an ambient IoT reader sends an upper-layer message as an R2D message that does not require a D2R data reply after being received by an ambient IoT device, it can avoid assuming the reception of a non-existent D2R message or unnecessarily retransmitting R2D data. In other words, it can suppress unnecessary operations in the ambient IoT (Internet of Things) reader.

[0136] The control unit does not need to receive a response from the ambient IoT device to the upper layer message if the information indicating whether the ambient IoT device will perform a transmission indicates that the ambient IoT device will not perform a transmission. With this configuration, when the ambient IoT reader sends an upper layer message as an R2D message that does not require a D2R data reply after being received by the ambient IoT device, it can avoid assuming the reception of a non-existent D2R message or unnecessarily retransmitting R2D data.

[0137] The control unit does not need to resend the upper layer message to the ambient IoT device if the information indicating whether the ambient IoT device will perform a transmission indicates that the ambient IoT device will not perform a transmission. With this configuration, when the ambient IoT reader sends an upper layer message as an R2D message that does not require a D2R data reply after being received by the ambient IoT device, it can avoid assuming the reception of a non-existent D2R message or unnecessarily resending R2D data.

[0138] The control unit may receive a response from the ambient IoT device to the upper layer message if the information indicating whether the ambient IoT device performs a transmission indicates that the ambient IoT device performs a transmission. With this configuration, when the ambient IoT reader sends an upper layer message as an R2D message that does not require a D2R data reply after being received by the ambient IoT device, it can avoid assuming the reception of a non-existent D2R message or unnecessarily retransmitting R2D data.

[0139] The control unit may resend the upper layer message to the ambient IoT device if the information indicating whether the ambient IoT device performs a transmission indicates that the ambient IoT device performs a transmission, and if it has not received a response to the upper layer message from the ambient IoT device. With this configuration, when the ambient IoT reader sends an upper layer message as an R2D message that does not require a D2R data reply after being received by the ambient IoT device, it can avoid assuming the reception of a non-existent D2R message or unnecessarily resending R2D data.

[0140] Furthermore, according to embodiments of the present invention, a communication method is provided in which a communication device performs the following steps: sending a paging message to an ambient IoT (Internet of Things) device; receiving a response to the paging message from the ambient IoT device; receiving from a core network an instruction to send a higher layer message to the ambient IoT device and information indicating whether or not the ambient IoT device will perform the transmission after receiving the higher layer message; sending the higher layer message to the ambient IoT device; and determining whether or not to receive a response to the higher layer message from the ambient IoT device based on the information indicating whether or not the ambient IoT device will perform the transmission.

[0141] With the above configuration, when an ambient IoT reader sends an upper-layer message as an R2D message that does not require a D2R data reply after being received by an ambient IoT device, it can avoid assuming the reception of a non-existent D2R message or unnecessarily retransmitting R2D data. In other words, it can suppress unnecessary operations in the ambient IoT (Internet of Things) reader.

[0142] (Supplement to Embodiments) Embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the disclosed invention is not limited to such embodiments, and those skilled in the art will understand various modifications, alterations, alternatives, substitutions, etc. Specific numerical examples have been used to facilitate understanding of the invention, but unless otherwise specified, these numerical values ​​are merely examples, and any appropriate values ​​may be used. The division of items in the above description is not essential to the present invention, 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). The boundaries of functional units or processing units in the functional block diagram do not necessarily correspond to the boundaries of physical parts. The operation of multiple functional units may be physically performed by one part, or the operation of one functional unit may be physically performed by multiple parts. The processing procedures described in the embodiments may be rearranged as long as they do not contradict each other. For the convenience of explaining the processing, the base station 10 and terminal 20 have been described using functional block diagrams, but such devices may be realized in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. The software operated by the processor of the base station 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention and the software operated by the processor of the terminal 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be stored in any suitable storage medium such as random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), EPROM, EEPROM, register, hard disk (HDD), removable disk, CD-ROM, database, server, or other appropriate storage medium.

[0143] Furthermore, notification of information is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be carried out by other means. 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. Also, RRC signaling may be called RRC messages, and may be, for example, RRC Connection Setup messages, RRC Connection Reconfiguration messages, etc.

[0144] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure refers to 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).

[0145] The processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc., of each aspect / embodiment described herein may be reordered, provided they are consistent with each other. For example, the methods described herein present various step elements in an exemplary order and are not limited to that specific order.

[0146] In this specification, specific operations performed by the base station 10 may, in some cases, be performed by its upper node. In a network consisting of one or more network nodes having a base station 10, it is clear that various operations performed for communication with the terminal 20 can be performed by the base station 10 and at least one of the other network nodes (for example, an MME or S-GW, but not limited to these). Although the above example illustrates the case where there is one other network node besides the base station 10, the other network node may be a combination of multiple other network nodes (for example, an MME and an S-GW).

[0147] The information or signals described in this disclosure may be output from a higher layer (or lower layer) to a lower layer (or higher layer). They may also be input and output via multiple network nodes.

[0148] Input and output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or appended to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be transmitted to other devices.

[0149] The determination in this disclosure 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).

[0150] 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, and so on, whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or by any other name.

[0151] 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.

[0152] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of the various different techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that 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.

[0153] 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.

[0154] The terms “system” and “network” as used in this disclosure are interchangeable.

[0155] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc., described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a given value, or other corresponding information. For example, wireless resources may be indicated by an index.

[0156] 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.

[0157] In this disclosure, terms such as "Base Station (BS)", "wireless base station", "base station equipment", "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.

[0158] 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.

[0159] 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.

[0160] In this disclosure, terms such as "Mobile Station (MS)," "user terminal," "User Equipment (UE)," and "terminal" may be used interchangeably.

[0161] 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.

[0162] At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be called a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, etc. At least one of the base station and the mobile station may also 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 the case when 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.

[0163] Furthermore, the term "base station" in this disclosure may be interpreted as "user terminal." For example, the various aspects / embodiments of this disclosure may be applied to a configuration in which communication between a base station and a user terminal is replaced with communication between multiple terminals 20 (which may be called, for example, D2D (Device-to-Device), V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything), etc.). In this case, the terminals 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.

[0164] Similarly, the term "user terminal" in this disclosure may be replaced with "base station." In this case, the base station may be configured to have the same functions as the user terminal described above.

[0165] 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, searching, or inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), or ascertaining. “Determining” may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), inputting, outputting, or accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory). Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having been "judged" or "decided" after resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having been "judged" or "decided" after some action. Also, "judgment (decision)" can be reinterpreted as "assuming," "expecting," or "considering."

[0166] The terms “connected,” “coupled,” or any variation 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 reinterpreted 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.

[0167] The reference signal can also be abbreviated as RS (Reference Signal), and may be called a pilot depending on the applicable standard.

[0168] 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."

[0169] 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 the first and second elements do not imply that only two elements may be employed, or that the first element must precede the second element in any way.

[0170] In the configuration of each of the above devices, "means" may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0171] 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 mean exclusive OR.

[0172] A wireless frame may consist of one or more frames in the time domain. Each of these 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.

[0173] Numerical logic may be communication parameters applied to at least one of the transmission and reception of a signal or channel. Numerical logic 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.

[0174] 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 neurologic.

[0175] 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.

[0176] 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.

[0177] 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.

[0178] 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 terminal 20 to allocate wireless resources (such as the frequency bandwidth and transmission power available to each terminal 20) in TTI units. However, the definition of TTI is not limited to this.

[0179] 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.

[0180] 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.

[0181] 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.

[0182] 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.

[0183] A resource block (RB) is a resource allocation unit in the time domain and frequency domain, and may contain one or more consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. 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.

[0184] 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.

[0185] 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.

[0186] 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.

[0187] A Bandwidth Part (BWP), also known as a partial bandwidth, may represent a subset of consecutive common resource blocks (RBs) for a particular 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.

[0188] 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.

[0189] 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".

[0190] 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.

[0191] In this disclosure, if articles are added through translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include the fact that the noun following these articles is plural.

[0192] 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."

[0193] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used individually, in combination, or switched between as needed during implementation. Furthermore, notification of specific information (e.g., notification that "X is") is not limited to explicit notification, but may also be implicit (e.g., by not providing such notification).

[0194] 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.

[0195] This international patent application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-181362, filed on 16 October 2024, and the entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-181362 are incorporated herein by reference.

[0196] 10 Base station 110 Transmitting unit 120 Receiving unit 130 Setting unit 140 Control unit 20 Terminal 210 Transmitting unit 220 Receiving unit 230 Setting unit 240 Control unit 30 Core network 1001 Processor 1002 Storage device 1003 Auxiliary storage device 1004 Communication device 1005 Input device 1006 Output device 2001 Vehicle 2002 Drive unit 2003 Steering unit 2004 Accelerator pedal 2005 Brake pedal 2006 Shift lever 2007 Front wheel 2008 Rear wheel 2009 Axle 2010 Electronic control unit 2012 Information service unit 2013 Communication module 2021 Current sensor 2022 Rotation speed sensor 2023 Air pressure sensor 2024 Vehicle speed sensor 2025 Acceleration sensor 2026 Brake pedal sensor 2027 Shift lever sensor 2028 Object detection sensor 2029 Accelerator pedal sensor 2030 Driver assistance system unit 2031 Microprocessor 2032 Memory (ROM, RAM) 2033 Communication port (I / O port)

Claims

1. A communication device comprising: a transmitting unit that transmits paging messages to an ambient IoT (Internet of Things) device; a receiving unit that receives a response to the paging message from the ambient IoT device, wherein the receiving unit receives from the core network an instruction to transmit a higher layer message to the ambient IoT device and information indicating whether or not the ambient IoT device will perform the transmission after receiving the higher layer message; the transmitting unit transmits the higher layer message to the ambient IoT device; and a control unit that determines whether or not to receive a response to the higher layer message from the ambient IoT device based on the information indicating whether or not the ambient IoT device will perform the transmission.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit does not receive a response from the ambient IoT device to the upper layer message if the information indicating whether or not the ambient IoT device performs a transmission indicates that the ambient IoT device does not perform a transmission.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit does not resend the upper layer message to the ambient IoT device if the information indicating whether or not the ambient IoT device performs a transmission indicates that the ambient IoT device does not perform a transmission.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit receives a response from the ambient IoT device to the upper layer message when the information indicating whether or not the ambient IoT device performs a transmission indicates that the ambient IoT device performs a transmission.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit resends the upper layer message to the ambient IoT device if the information indicating whether or not the ambient IoT device performs a transmission indicates that the ambient IoT device performs a transmission, and if it has not received a response to the upper layer message from the ambient IoT device.

6. A communication method in which a communication device performs the following steps: sending a paging message to an ambient IoT (Internet of Things) device; receiving a response to the paging message from the ambient IoT device; receiving from the core network an instruction to send a higher layer message to the ambient IoT device and information indicating whether or not the ambient IoT device will perform the transmission after receiving the higher layer message; sending the higher layer message to the ambient IoT device; and determining whether or not to receive a response to the higher layer message from the ambient IoT device based on the information indicating whether or not the ambient IoT device will perform the transmission.

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