Method executed by user equipment, and user equipment

Abstract

Provided in the present invention are a method executed by a user equipment (UE), and a UE. The method comprises: when a UE in an RRC inactive state determining that an RRC connection reestablishment procedure needs to be initiated, the UE sending an RRC connection reestablishment request to a base station, and executing at least one of first operations; and for A-IoT transmission that is not discarded and / or A-IoT resources that are not released, executing processing on the basis of a response message from the base station for the RRC connection resume request, wherein the first operation comprises: stopping or discarding A-IoT transmission that is being executed or is to be executed; considering the running state of a resource validity timer as expired; indicating that a MAC entity stops running the resource validity timer; and releasing the configured A-IoT resources.

Description

Methods executed by user equipment and user equipment Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and more particularly to a method performed by a user equipment and the user equipment itself. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, automation and digitalization across various industries have opened up many new markets, creating a pressing need for new IoT technologies to support devices with lower complexity and / or power consumption (e.g., one or more orders of magnitude lower than existing 3GPP LPWA (low power, wide area) technologies such as eMTC and / or NB-IoT). This could include devices with very limited energy storage capacity and no rechargeable or manually replaceable batteries. Furthermore, new IoT technologies need to support higher connection counts and / or device density (e.g., one or more orders of magnitude higher than existing 3GPP LPWA technologies such as eMTC and / or NB-IoT). To this end, 3GPP launched a study item in Rel-19 called “Study on solutions for Ambient IoT (Internet of Things) in NR” to evaluate the feasibility of this new IoT technology (including corresponding wireless access technologies) known as “Ambient Power-enabled IoT” (or “Ambient IoT”, or simply A-IoT).

[0003] These A-IoT devices can interact directly with base stations, or indirectly with them through intermediate nodes. Such intermediate nodes can be user equipment (UE) or other devices. While performing A-IoT transmissions, these UEs can be in either an RRC inactive state or an RRC idle state. Once the device is triggered to enter the RRC connected state, how to handle the ongoing A-IoT transmission becomes a problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, the present invention provides a method executed by a user equipment and a user equipment thereof.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided performed by a user equipment (UE), the UE being an intermediate node for relay communication between an A-IoT device and a base station. When the UE is in an RRC inactive state, it utilizes A-IoT resources configured by the base station to perform A-IoT transmissions with the A-IoT device. The method includes: when the UE, in the RRC inactive state, determines that an RRC connection recovery process needs to be initiated, sending an RRC connection recovery request to the base station and performing at least one of the first operations; and performing processing based on a response message from the base station to the RRC connection recovery request for A-IoT transmissions that have not been discarded and / or A-IoT resources that have not been released. The first operations include: stopping or discarding ongoing or pending A-IoT transmissions; treating the running state of a resource validity timer as a timeout; instructing a MAC entity to stop running the resource validity timer; and releasing the configured A-IoT resources.

[0006] Optionally, before performing the first operation, the method may further include: determining whether a first serving cell currently undergoing an RRC connection recovery process is the same as a second serving cell providing the A-IoT resources to the UE; and determining which one or more operations in the first operation to perform based on whether the first serving cell and the second serving cell are the same, and performing at least one of the determined operations.

[0007] Optionally, the method may further include: when it is determined that the first serving cell and the second serving cell are the same, at least performing the operation of stopping the ongoing or pending A-IoT transmission; and / or when it is determined that the first serving cell and the second serving cell are different, at least performing the operation of discarding the ongoing or pending A-IoT transmission.

[0008] Optionally, the RRC connection recovery request may include first indication information indicating the existence of an A-IoT transmission that is in progress or pending.

[0009] Optionally, performing processing based on a response message from the base station for the RRC connection recovery request may include: when the response message is an RRC recovery message indicating the recovery of the RRC connection, performing at least one of the second operations, the second operations including: recovering the A-IoT transmission that was not discarded; restoring the A-IoT resource that was not released to a valid resource; and starting or restarting the resource validity timer.

[0010] Optionally, when the RRC recovery message includes a second indication information indicating the resumption of the A-IoT transmission, at least one of the second operations can be performed; when the RRC recovery message does not include the second indication information indicating the resumption of the A-IoT transmission, at least one of the third operations can be performed, the third operation including: discarding the A-IoT transmission that has not been discarded; releasing the A-IoT resource that has not been released and restoring it to a valid resource; treating the running state of the resource validity timer as a timeout; and stopping the resource validity timer.

[0011] Optionally, performing processing based on a response message from the base station for the RRC connection recovery request may include: when the response message is an RRC establishment message indicating the establishment of an RRC connection, performing at least one of a third operation, the third operation including: discarding the A-IoT transmission that was not discarded; releasing the A-IoT resource that was not released and restoring it to a valid resource; treating the running state of the resource validity timer as a timeout; and stopping the resource validity timer.

[0012] Optionally, performing processing based on a response message from the base station regarding the RRC connection recovery request includes: when the response message is an RRC rejection message refusing to recover the RRC connection, performing at least one of the second operations or at least one of the third operations, wherein the second operation includes: discarding the A-IoT transmission that was not discarded; releasing the A-IoT resource that was not released and restoring it to a valid resource; treating the running state of the resource validity timer as timeout; and stopping the resource validity timer. The third operation includes: discarding the A-IoT transmission that was not discarded; releasing the A-IoT resource that was not released and restoring it to a valid resource; treating the running state of the resource validity timer as timeout; and stopping the resource validity timer.

[0013] Optionally, when the RRC rejection message includes third indication information indicating the resumption of the A-IoT transmission, at least one of the second operations is performed; when the RRC rejection message does not include the third indication information, at least one of the third operations is performed.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, a user equipment is also provided, comprising: a processor; and a memory storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, perform the method as described above.

[0015] Invention Effects

[0016] According to the present invention, when a user equipment in the RRC inactive state is triggered to enter the RRC connected state, it can appropriately handle the A-IoT transmission that is being executed or to be executed. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The above and other features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the A-IoT topology 1 supported by A-IoT.

[0019] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the A-IoT topology 2 supported by A-IoT.

[0020] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a user equipment (UE) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the user equipment involved in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that the present invention should not be limited to the specific embodiments described below. Furthermore, for the sake of simplicity, detailed descriptions of well-known technologies not directly related to the present invention have been omitted to prevent confusion in understanding the present invention.

[0023] Before proceeding with the detailed description, the following explanation is provided for several terms mentioned in this invention. Unless otherwise specified, the terms used in this invention shall have the meanings described below.

[0024] UE User Equipment

[0025] RLF Radio Link Failure

[0026] NR New Radio: Next-Generation Wireless Technology

[0027] LTE Long Term Evolution technology

[0028] eLTE Enhanced Long Term Evolution (LTE)

[0029] RRC Radio Resource Control (layer)

[0030] MAC Medium Access Control (layer)

[0031] MAC CE MAC Control Element

[0032] PHY physical layer

[0033] PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel)

[0034] RA Random Access

[0035] MCG Master Cell Group

[0036] RAN Radio Access Network

[0037] RNA RAN-based Notification Area

[0038] In some respects, A-IoT can support DT (Device-terminated) services.

[0039] In some aspects, A-IoT can support DO (Device-originated) services, which can include DO-A (DO autonomous) services and DO-DTT (DO device-terminated triggered) services.

[0040] In some aspects, in a topology supported by A-IoT (e.g., Figure 1, referred to as "A-IoT Topology 1"), an A-IoT device can directly communicate bidirectionally with base stations (e.g., via A-IoT wireless access technology), where...

[0041] • The bidirectional communication may include the transmission of data and / or signaling.

[0042] For the A-IoT device, "uplink transmission" can refer to the transmission from the A-IoT device to the base station, and "downlink transmission" can refer to the transmission from the base station to the UE.

[0043] • For the A-IoT device, the base station performing downlink transmission and the base station performing uplink reception can be the same base station or different base stations.

[0044] In some aspects, in a topology supported by A-IoT (e.g., Figure 2, referred to as "A-IoT Topology 2"), an A-IoT device communicates bidirectionally with intermediate nodes(s) (e.g., via A-IoT wireless access technology), while the intermediate nodes relay data and / or signaling between the base station(s) and the A-IoT device, wherein...

[0045] • The bidirectional communication may include the transmission of data and / or signaling.

[0046] The intermediate node can communicate bidirectionally with the base station via a Uu interface (e.g., an NR Uu interface; or, for example, an LTE Uu interface). In this sense, in some aspects, the intermediate node can be considered a UE (e.g., an NR UE; or, for example, an LTE UE). Accordingly, for the bidirectional communication between the intermediate node and the base station, "uplink transmission" can refer to the transmission from the intermediate node to the base station, and "downlink transmission" can refer to the transmission from the base station to the intermediate node.

[0047] For the A-IoT device, "uplink transmission" can refer to the transmission from the UE to the intermediate node, and "downlink transmission" can refer to the transmission from the intermediate node to the UE.

[0048] • For the A-IoT device, the intermediate node that performs downlink transmission and the intermediate node that performs uplink reception can be the same node or different nodes.

[0049] For convenience, in A-IoT, a node that communicates directly with an A-IoT device via A-IoT wireless access technology (e.g., bidirectional communication) is called an "A-IoT base station" (e.g., simply A-BS). Similarly, an intermediate node (UE) in A-IoT topology 2 is called an "A-IoT UE" (e.g., simply A-UE). Both A-IoT base stations and A-IoT UEs manage devices by reading information from A-IoT devices, and therefore can also be called A-IoT readers.

[0050] In A-IoT, "uplink transmission" can include a transmission performed by an A-IoT device (e.g., a transmission from the A-IoT device to an A-BS / A-UE), and "downlink transmission" can include a transmission performed by an A-BS / A-UE (e.g., a transmission from the A-BS / A-UE to an A-IoT device).

[0051] In A-IoT, the communication interface between the base station and A-IoT devices can be called the A interface or the IoT interface. Similarly, the communication interface between intermediate nodes and A-IoT devices can also be called the A interface or the IoT interface. Alternatively, to distinguish it from the communication interface between the base station and A-IoT devices, the communication interface between intermediate nodes and A-IoT devices can be called the A bis interface or the IoT bis interface. In this article, A-IoT devices or IoT devices can be defined as devices that support the A interface (or IoT interface).

[0052] A-IoT reading

[0053] A-IoT readers can obtain information from A-IoT devices through a reading process. This information includes, but is not limited to, the following:

[0054] - Device identity (device ID)

[0055] - Positioning information

[0056] - Factory serial number

[0057] -Production Date

[0058] - Usage status, etc.

[0059] This reading process can be performed between A-BS and A-IoT devices, or between A-UE and A-IoT devices.

[0060] Here, the data or signaling exchange process between an A-IoT reader and an A-IoT device can be defined as either an A-IoT reading process or an A-IoT transmission process. This A-IoT reading process or A-IoT transmission process can be further subdivided into:

[0061] In the A-IoT access process, the A-IoT device provides identification information to the A-IoT reader, and the A-IoT reader confirms the correctness or reliability of the identification information.

[0062] A-IoT data transmission process: This process can be one-way or two-way transmission. It can be that the A-IoT device sends the stored data information to the A-IoT reader, or the A-IoT reader sends data to the A-IoT device, which receives and saves the data, or it can overwrite previously saved information, etc.

[0063] Other signaling or data interaction processes: such as the synchronization of time information between A-IoT devices and A-IoT readers, the sending of location information from A-IoT devices to A-IoT readers, etc. Such information can be transmitted in the form of signaling or data.

[0064] In this article, unless otherwise specified, the term "A-IoT reading process" can also refer to, but is not limited to, the A-IoT access process, the A-IoT data transmission process, etc. "A-IoT reading" can be used interchangeably with "A-IoT transmission."

[0065] First, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG3. FIG3 is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a user equipment (UE) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The UE performing the process shown in FIG3 is an intermediate node for relay communication between an A-IoT device and a base station. When the UE is in an RRC inactive state, it utilizes A-IoT resources configured by the base station to perform A-IoT transmission with the A-IoT device.

[0066] As shown in Figure 3, in S301, the UE in the RRC inactive state determines whether it needs to start the RRC connection recovery process.

[0067] When it is determined that the RRC connection recovery process needs to be initiated, in S302, the UE sends an RRC connection recovery request to the base station and performs at least one of the first operations. Here, the first operations include: stopping or discarding ongoing or pending A-IoT transmissions; treating the running state of the resource validity timer as timeout; instructing the MAC entity to stop running the resource validity timer; and releasing the configured A-IoT resources.

[0068] Then, in S303, the UE receives a response message from the base station in response to the RRC connection restoration request.

[0069] Upon receiving a response message, in S304, processing is performed based on the received response message for A-IoT transmissions that were not discarded and / or A-IoT resources that were not released. The processing performed based on the response message will be described in detail in the embodiments described later.

[0070] Hereinafter, several embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0071] Step 1: A-UE obtains the resources for A-IoT transmission.

[0072] A specific implementation method could be as follows: The A-UE receives a message from the base station, which contains configuration information of physical resources used for A-IoT transmission. Such resource configuration information may include time / time domain configuration information, and / or frequency / frequency domain configuration information, as well as configuration information to determine whether these resources are valid: for example, time information to determine whether A-IoT resources are valid, or area information to determine whether A-IoT resources are valid, such as cell identifier information that can use the resource, etc.

[0073] The time information used to determine the validity of A-IoT resources can typically be a timer's runtime or a time window's length. This timer or time window is used to determine the validity of the configured A-IoT resource. For example, during the timer's execution or within the time window, the associated A-IoT resource can be considered valid. Taking a timer as an example, after receiving the above configuration information, the A-UE can start a resource validity timer (resource_validity_timer), the runtime of which is equal to the value indicated in the configuration information. During the timer's execution, the configured A-IoT resource can be considered valid; when the timer expires or stops running, the configured A-IoT resource is no longer considered valid. Here, "valid" means that it can be used by the A-UE for A-IoT transmission.

[0074] Preferably, the timer can be started at the moment the configuration information is received, or later. For example, it can be started after receiving the configuration information with an offset time value added. Alternatively, in addition to adding the offset time value, the time factor of A-IoT resource distribution can also be considered. For instance, if A-IoT resources are distributed in frame format, optionally, after the aforementioned specific offset time, the timer can be started at a time aligned with the frame boundary of the A-IoT resources, preferably aligned with the start boundary of the frame. Furthermore, the timer can also be started after the UE transitions from the RRC connected state to the inactive or idle state. The unit of timer duration can be seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, etc., or it can be a multiple of one or more symbols, or the number of A-IoT resource frame lengths.

[0075] The aforementioned message from the base station can be an RRC reconfiguration message or an RRC release message. Preferably, the UE receives the message in RRC connected state, and the UE can enter RRC inactive state after obtaining the aforementioned A-IoT resources. Preferably, the configured A-IoT resources can be A-IoT resources that the A-UE can use in RRC inactive state.

[0076] Step 2: A-UE initiates the RRC connection resume process.

[0077] An A-UE in an inactive RRC state can initiate an RRC connection recovery process to enter an RRC connected state. There are many reasons that can trigger an A-UE to initiate an RRC connection recovery process. For example, timer T380 may time out, requiring the A-UE to initiate the RRC connection recovery process to perform an RNA update; another example is that the A-UE needs to resume a suspended RRC connection in response to paging, thus initiating the RRC connection recovery process; yet another example is that an upper layer of the A-UE, such as the RRC layer, requests the resumption of a suspended RRC connection, etc.

[0078] During the RRC connection recovery process initiated by A-UE, A-UE may perform one or more of the following operations:

[0079] - Stop or discard A-IoT transmissions. Preferably, such A-IoT transmissions are currently existing and running, or they can be pending or about to be executed.

[0080] -Suspend A-IoT transmissions, preferably those that are currently existing and running;

[0081] - Consider the valid A-IoT resource as temporarily invalid;

[0082] - It is assumed that the resource validity timer has timed out;

[0083] - Instructs the MAC entity to stop running the resource validity timer;

[0084] -Release the configured A-IoT resources.

[0085] Preferably, before performing the above operations, A-UE can make the following judgment and then perform the corresponding operations:

[0086] The A-UE determines whether the current serving cell (referred to as cell A), i.e. the cell in which the A-UE is performing the RRC connection recovery procedure, is the same cell as the cell (referred to as cell B) that provides A-IoT resource configuration to the A-UE. In other words, it determines whether cell A and cell B are the same:

[0087] If A-UE determines that cell A and cell B are the same cell, then A-UE can perform one or more of the following operations:

[0088] - Stop or discard A-IoT transmissions. Preferably, such A-IoT transmissions are currently existing and running, or they can be pending or about to be executed.

[0089] -Suspend A-IoT transmissions, preferably those that are currently existing and running;

[0090] - Consider the valid A-IoT resource as temporarily invalid;

[0091] - It is assumed that the resource validity timer has timed out;

[0092] If A-UE determines that cell A and cell B are not the same cell, or that they are different cells, then A-UE can perform one or more of the following operations:

[0093] - Stop or discard A-IoT transmissions. Preferably, such A-IoT transmissions are currently existing and running, or they can be pending or about to be executed.

[0094] - Instructs the MAC entity to stop running the resource validity timer.

[0095] - It is assumed that the resource validity timer has timed out;

[0096] -Release the configured A-IoT resources.

[0097] During the RRC resume procedure initiated by A-UE, A-UE will send an RRC resume request message to the base station.

[0098] Preferably, the A-UE can perform the above operations before sending an RRC resume request message or before submitting the RRC resume request message to the lower layer for transmission.

[0099] In one scenario, the A-UE may also include A-IoT transmission-related information in the RRC resume request message sent to the base station. For example, the A-UE may indicate in this message that it has an ongoing or pending A-IoT transmission (referred to as the first indication information). It should be noted that although one possible operation in the aforementioned process is that the UE stops or pauses the ongoing A-IoT transmission, this does not affect the UE's ability to indicate in the RRC resume request message that it has an ongoing A-IoT transmission. That is, the A-UE can make such an indication if there is an ongoing A-IoT transmission before initiating the RRC resume process.

[0100] Such indication information (first indication information) can be included in the RRC resume request message, for example, in the resume cause value. Taking paging as an example, when A-UE initiates the RRC resume procedure in response to paging, A-UE can set the resume cause to MT-access (referred to as the first value); if A-UE is receiving a paging message or responding to a paging message while also having A-IoT transmissions, then it can set the resume cause to MT-access-A-IoT (referred to as the second value). Although both MT-access and MT-access-A-IoT indicate that A-UE initiated the RRC resume procedure in response to paging, MT-access-A-IoT also indicates that A-UE is having A-IoT transmissions. Through the resume cause value setting, the base station can know whether A-UE has ongoing or pending A-IoT transmissions.

[0101] During the RRC resume procedure initiated by A-UE, A-UE can also receive response messages from the base station to the RRC resume request message sent by A-UE, such as RRC resume message, RRC setup message, and RRC reject message.

[0102] In another scenario, when the response message received by A-UE to the RRC resume request message is an RRC resume message, A-UE may perform one or more of the following operations:

[0103] - Resume the suspended A-IoT transmission.

[0104] - Consider the temporarily invalid A-IoT resource as valid.

[0105] - Start or restart the resource validity timer (resource_validity_timer)

[0106] Preferably, the A-UE can only perform one or more of the aforementioned operations if the RRC resume message contains indication information (hereinafter referred to as the second indication information) instructing the A-UE to resume A-IoT transmission. A specific implementation method may be:

[0107] If the base station learns that A-UE is engaged in ongoing A-IoT transmission through the aforementioned RRC resume request message (e.g., according to the first indication information), then the base station can include indication information (second indication information) in the RRC resume message sent to A-UE, instructing A-UE to resume (or continue) the A-IoT transmission. Based on this indication information, A-UE can perform one or more of the aforementioned operations.

[0108] The indication information (second indication information) included in the RRC resume message can be 1-bit indication information, explicitly indicating the resumption of A-IoT transmission or indicating that A-IoT transmission should be performed; it can also be implicit indication, such as including A-IoT resource configuration information in the RRC resume message to reconfigure A-IoT resources for the A-UE. For example, time or frequency resources can be reconfigured, allowing the UE to perform A-IoT transmission on the newly configured resources. Alternatively, the duration of the resource validity timer (resource_validity_timer) can be reconfigured, so the A-UE applies the newly configured duration value when starting or restarting the resource validity timer. Furthermore, the indication information can also instruct the A-UE to continue using previous A-IoT resources, such as instructing the A-UE not to release or maintain previously configured A-IoT resources. Although such implicit indications do not explicitly state that A-IoT transmission should be performed, by reconfiguring valid resources or indicating that previous information is valid, the A-UE obtains valid resources, thereby enabling the resumption of A-IoT transmission.

[0109] As a supplement, if the RRC resume message does not contain the aforementioned indication information (second indication information), then the A-UE may perform one or more of the following operations:

[0110] - Stop or halt or discard A-IoT transmissions, preferably those that are currently existing and running;

[0111] - Instructs the MAC entity to stop running the resource validity timer.

[0112] - It is assumed that the resource validity timer has timed out;

[0113] -Release the configured A-IoT resources.

[0114] In another scenario, the response message received by the UE to the RRC resume request message may be an RRC setup message, and the A-UE may perform one or more of the following operations:

[0115] - Stop (stop / halt) or discard (discard) A-IoT transmission;

[0116] - Instructs the MAC entity to stop running the resource validity timer.

[0117] - It is assumed that the resource validity timer has timed out;

[0118] -Release the configured A-IoT resources.

[0119] In another scenario, when A-UE receives an RRC reject message as a response to an RRC resume request message, A-UE may perform one or more of the following operations:

[0120] - Resume the suspended A-IoT transmission.

[0121] - Consider the temporarily invalid A-IoT resource as valid.

[0122] - Start or restart the resource validity timer (resource_validity_timer)

[0123] - Stop (stop / halt) or discard (discard) A-IoT transmission;

[0124] - Instructs the MAC entity to stop running the resource validity timer.

[0125] - It is assumed that the resource validity timer has timed out;

[0126] -Release the configured A-IoT resources.

[0127] Preferably, the A-UE can only perform one or more of the aforementioned operations if the RRC reject message contains indication information (hereinafter referred to as the third indication information) instructing the A-UE to resume A-IoT transmission. A specific implementation method may be:

[0128] When the RRC reject message contains indication information (third indication information) instructing the A-UE to resume A-IoT transmission, the A-UE can perform one or more of the following operations:

[0129] - Resume the suspended A-IoT transmission.

[0130] - Consider the temporarily invalid A-IoT resource as valid.

[0131] - Start or restart the resource validity timer (resource_validity_timer).

[0132] The specific instruction method for the third instruction information can adopt the scheme of the second instruction information in the aforementioned RRC resume message.

[0133] If the RRC reject message does not contain the aforementioned indication information (third indication information), then A-UE may perform one or more of the following operations:

[0134] - Stop (stop / halt) or discard (discard) A-IoT transmission;

[0135] - Instructs the MAC entity to stop running the resource validity timer.

[0136] - It is assumed that the resource validity timer has timed out;

[0137] -Release the configured A-IoT resources.

[0138] In another scenario, when A-UE receives an RRC setup message as a response to an RRC resume request message, A-UE may perform one or more of the following operations:

[0139] - Stop (stop / halt) or discard (discard) A-IoT transmission;

[0140] - Instructs the MAC entity to stop running the resource validity timer.

[0141] - It is assumed that the resource validity timer has timed out;

[0142] -Release the configured A-IoT resources.

[0143] The "stop / halt" of A-IoT transmission mentioned above can also include at least one of the following operations:

[0144] - Suspend transmission on the A-IoT interface. For example, if the A-IoT interface is in the process of accessing the device, the A-UE can suspend the process. Specifically, it can stop sending signals to the A-IoT device.

[0145] - Discarding the A-IoT reading process: A-UE can discard configuration information related to A-IoT, such as the frequency or time used for A-IoT transmission, and thus stop interacting with A-IoT devices; it can also discard data already received from A-IoT devices. This could be data received by A-UE from A-IoT devices that is cached on the A-UE side and has not yet been sent to the base station, so A-UE can discard this data.

[0146] - This can be considered the end of the A-IoT interface reading process or the end of the A-IoT device reading process. For example, an ongoing A-IoT access process can be considered to have ended; an ongoing A-IoT data transmission process can also be considered to have ended.

[0147] - Reset the protocol layer associated with interface A. For example, the MAC layer on interface A can be reset to clear cached data.

[0148] Building upon the aforementioned embodiments, another feasible method is that, in step two, if the UE is engaged in ongoing A-IoT transmission and needs to trigger an RRC connection recovery process, the UE can delay the RRC connection recovery process. The UE can initiate the RRC connection recovery process triggered during the A-IoT transmission only after confirming the completion of the A-IoT transmission.

[0149] For example, when the UE's timer T380 times out, the A-UE determines whether there is an ongoing or pending A-IoT transmission. If there is an ongoing or pending A-IoT transmission, the A-UE can set the variable pendingRNA-Update to true.

[0150] When A-IoT transmission is complete, A-UE checks if the value of the variable pendingRNA-Update is true. If the value is true, A-UE initiates the RRC connection recovery process, thereby achieving RNA update (RNAUpdate). Alternatively, if the value of the variable pendingRNA-Update is false, then A-UE does not need to initiate the RRC connection recovery process.

[0151] Once the RRC connection recovery process has started, you can continue to follow the steps outlined above.

[0152] The "A-IoT transmission complete" here can be determined by the A-UE. For example, when the A-UE has completed reading all target A-IoT devices, the A-UE can consider "A-IoT transmission complete"; or when a single transmission for one or more devices is completed, the A-UE can also consider "A-IoT transmission complete". There are no restrictions here.

[0153] [Variation Example]

[0154] Figure 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the user equipment involved in this invention.

[0155] As shown in Figure 4, the user equipment 400 includes at least a processor 401 and a memory 402. The processor 401 may include, for example, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, an embedded processor, etc. The memory 402 may include, for example, volatile memory (such as random access memory, RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), non-volatile memory (such as flash memory), or other memory systems. Program instructions are stored on the memory 402. When executed by the processor 401, these instructions can perform one or more steps of the processing method of the UE disclosed herein.

[0156] A program running on a device according to the invention can be a program that enables a computer to perform the functions of embodiments of the invention by controlling a central processing unit (CPU). The program, or the information processed by the program, can be temporarily stored in volatile memory (such as random access memory, RAM), hard disk drive (HDD), non-volatile memory (such as flash memory), or other memory systems.

[0157] Programs used to implement the functions of the various embodiments of the present invention can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The corresponding functions can be implemented by causing a computer system to read and execute the programs recorded on the recording medium. The term "computer system" here can refer to a computer system embedded in the device, and may include an operating system or hardware (such as peripheral devices). "Computer-readable recording medium" can be a semiconductor recording medium, an optical recording medium, a magnetic recording medium, a short-time dynamic storage program recording medium, or any other computer-readable recording medium.

[0158] Various features or functional modules of the devices used in the above embodiments can be implemented or executed by circuits (e.g., monolithic or multi-chip integrated circuits). Circuits designed to perform the functions described in this specification may include general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination of the above devices. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or any existing processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The above circuits may be digital circuits or analog circuits. In cases where advancements in semiconductor technology have led to new integrated circuit technologies that replace existing integrated circuits, one or more embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented using these new integrated circuit technologies.

[0159] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Although various examples of the embodiments have been described, the present invention is not limited thereto. Fixed or non-mobile electronic devices installed indoors or outdoors can be used as UE devices or communication devices, such as AV devices, kitchen equipment, cleaning equipment, air conditioners, office equipment, vending machines, and other household appliances.

[0160] As described above, embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the specific structure is not limited to the above embodiments, and the present invention also includes any design modifications that do not depart from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, various modifications can be made to the present invention within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included within the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, components with the same effects described in the above embodiments can be substituted for each other.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the UE being an intermediate node for relay communication between an environmental Internet of Things (A-IoT) device and a base station, wherein the UE, when in an RRC inactive state, utilizes A-IoT resources configured by the base station to perform A-IoT transmission with the A-IoT device, the method comprising: When the UE, which is in an RRC inactive state, determines that it needs to initiate an RRC connection recovery process, it sends an RRC connection recovery request to the base station and performs at least one of the first operations; as well as For A-IoT transmissions that were not discarded and / or A-IoT resources that were not released, processing is performed based on the response message from the base station for the RRC connection recovery request. The first operation includes: Stop or discard ongoing or pending A-IoT transmissions; The running status of the resource valid timer is considered to have timed out; Instruct the MAC entity to stop running the resource validity timer; Release the configured A-IoT resources.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Before performing the first operation, the method further includes: Determine whether the first serving cell currently undergoing RRC connection recovery is the same as the second serving cell providing the A-IoT resources to the UE; and Based on whether the first serving cell and the second serving cell are the same, determine which one or more operations in the first operation to perform, and perform at least one of the determined operations.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: When it is determined that the first serving cell and the second serving cell are the same, at least the operation of stopping the ongoing or pending A-IoT transmission is performed; and / or When it is determined that the first serving cell is different from the second serving cell, at least the operation of discarding the A-IoT transmission that is being executed or is yet to be executed is performed.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The RRC connection recovery request includes first indication information indicating the existence of an A-IoT transmission that is in progress or pending.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The processing based on the response message from the base station to the RRC connection restoration request includes: When the response message is an RRC recovery message indicating the restoration of the RRC connection, at least one of the second operations is performed. The second operation includes: Recover the A-IoT transmissions that were not discarded; To restore the unreleased A-IoT resources to valid resources; Start or restart the resource validity timer.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, When the RRC recovery message includes a second indication information indicating the resumption of the A-IoT transmission, at least one of the second operations is performed; When the RRC recovery message does not include a second indication information instructing the A-IoT transmission, at least one of the third operations is performed. The third operation includes: Discard any A-IoT transmissions that were not discarded; Release any unreleased A-IoT resources to restore them to valid resources; The running status of the resource valid timer is considered to have timed out; Stop the timer for the specified resource.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The processing based on the response message from the base station to the RRC connection restoration request includes: When the response message is an RRC establishment message indicating the establishment of an RRC connection, at least one of the third operations is performed. The third operation includes: Discard any A-IoT transmissions that were not discarded; Release any unreleased A-IoT resources to restore them to valid resources; The running status of the resource valid timer is considered to have timed out; Stop the timer for the specified resource.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The processing based on the response message from the base station to the RRC connection restoration request includes: When the response message is an RRC Rejection Message that refuses to restore the RRC connection, at least one of the second operations or at least one of the third operations is performed. The second operation includes: Discard any A-IoT transmissions that were not discarded; Release any unreleased A-IoT resources to restore them to valid resources; The running state of the resource valid timer is considered to have timed out; and Stop the valid timer for the aforementioned resource. The third operation includes: Discard any A-IoT transmissions that were not discarded; Release any unreleased A-IoT resources to restore them to valid resources; The running state of the resource valid timer is considered to have timed out; and Stop the timer for the specified resource.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, When the RRC rejection message includes a third indication message indicating the resumption of the A-IoT transmission, at least one of the second operations is performed; When the RRC rejection message does not include the third indication information, at least one of the third operations is performed.

10. A user equipment, comprising: processor; as well as Memory, which stores instructions The instructions are executed by the processor according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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