Communication apparatus and communication method for ambient internet of things (a-IOT)-based inventory management

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to a first communication apparatus comprising: a transceiver, which in operation, transmits a query to one or more second communication apparatuses for determining a condition associated with each second communication apparatus of the one or more second communication apparatuses; and circuitry, which in operation, determines the condition associated with each second communication apparatus based on a message received from the one or more second communication apparatuses in response to the query, the message being indicative of the condition associated with each second communication apparatus.

Description

DESCRIPTIONTITLE OF INVENTION: COMMUNICATION APPARATUS AND COMMUNICATION METHOD FOR AMBIENT INTERNET OF THINGS (A-IOT)-BASED INVENTORY MANAGEMENTTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to communication apparatuses and communication methods, and more particularly, communication apparatuses and communication methods for Ambient Internet of Things (A-loT)-based inventory management.BACKGROUND

[0002] Ambient internet of things (A-loT) has been identified as one of the working areas for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 19 (Rel-19), as described in study item description (SID) RP-234058. In particular, agreements were made in RAN1#118bis to study some options for Msg 2 transmission in response to multiple Msg 1 transmissions, which is initiated by a reader-to-device (R2D) transmission triggering random access.

[0003] However, A-loT devices lack an established radio resource control (RRC) connection and have limited battery capacity. At present, there is no specified device behaviour or procedure detailing how inventory management may be conducted at the radio layer. Without proper device behaviours and procedures, several issues may arise. For example, a reader may not be able to identify missing or faulty devices in time. Additionally, there may be a waste of time and frequency resources if too many query-and-report operations are conducted for all devices.

[0004] Accordingly, there exists a need to provide a novel communication apparatus and communication method for A-loT-based inventory management that can address the above issues.

[0005] Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the disclosure.SUMMARY

[0006] Non-limiting and exemplary embodiments facilitate providing access points and communication methods for transmission opportunity allocation.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a first communication apparatus comprising: a transceiver, which in operation, transmits a query to one or more second communication apparatuses for determining a condition associated with each second communication apparatus of the one or more second communication apparatuses; and circuitry, which in operation, determines the condition associated with each second communication apparatus based on a message received from the one or more second communication apparatuses in response to the query, the message being indicative of the condition associated with each second communication apparatus.

[0008] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a second communication apparatus comprising: circuitry, which in operation, assesses a condition associated with the second communication apparatus; and a transceiver, which in operation, transmits a message indicative of the condition to a first communication apparatus in response to receiving a query, from the first communication apparatus, for determining the condition associated with the second communication apparatus.

[0009] In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a communication method implemented by a first communication apparatus comprising: transmitting a query to one or more second communication apparatuses for determining a condition associated with each second communication apparatus of the one or more second communication apparatuses; and determining the condition associated with each second communication apparatus based on a message received from the one or more second communication apparatuses in response to the query, the message being indicative of the condition associated with each second communication apparatus.

[0010] In a fourth aspect, the present disclosure provides a communication method implemented by a second communication apparatus comprising: assessing a condition associated with the second communication apparatus; and transmitting a message indicative of the condition to a first communication apparatus, in response to receiving a query, from the first communication apparatus, for determining the condition associated with the second communication apparatus.

[0011] Additional benefits and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the specification and drawings. The benefits and / or advantages may be individually obtained by the various embodiments and features of the specification and drawings, which need not all be provided in order to obtain one or more of such benefits and / or advantages.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views and which together with the detailed description below are incorporated in and form part of the specification, serve to illustrate various embodiments and to explain various principles and advantages in accordance with present embodiments.

[0013] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary architecture for a 3GPP new radio (NR) system to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0014] Figure 2A shows a schematic diagram illustrating a connectivity topology in which an A-loT device communicates with a base station.

[0015] Figure 2B shows a schematic diagram illustrating a connectivity topology in which an A-loT device communicates with an intermediate node between the device and a base station.

[0016] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a communication apparatus according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 4 shows a flow chart illustrating a communication method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 5 shows a flow chart illustrating another communication method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 6 shows a flowchart illustrating an overview of a query and response procedure implemented by a reader and a device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 7 shows a sequence diagram illustrating a first query and response procedure implemented by a reader and a device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 8 shows a flow chart illustrating the first query and response procedure implemented by a reader and one or more devices according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram illustrating examples of responses from multiple devices according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 10 shows a sequence diagram illustrating a second query and response procedure implemented by a reader and one or more devices according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 11 shows a flow chart illustrating the second query and response procedure implemented by a reader and one or more devices according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram illustrating examples of responses from multiple devices according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 13 shows a sequence diagram illustrating a third query and response procedure implemented by a reader and one or more devices according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 14 shows a flow chart illustrating the third query and response procedure implemented by a reader and one or more devices according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 15 shows a schematic diagram illustrating examples of group-based responses from multiple devices according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 16A shows a schematic diagram illustrating examples of responses from multiple devices in same time-frequency resource according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 16B shows a schematic diagram illustrating examples of responses from multiple devices in different time-frequency resources according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 17 shows a schematic diagram illustrating examples of responses from multiple devices according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 18 shows a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary functional split options in 5G open-radio access network (O-RAN) to which various embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0033] A person skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been depicted to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the illustrations, block diagrams or flowcharts may be exaggerated in respect to other elements to help an accurate understanding of the present embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings. Like reference numerals and characters in the drawings refer to like elements or equivalents.

[0035] 3GPP has been working at the next release for the 5th generation cellular technology, simply called 5G, including the development of a new radio access technology (NR) operating in frequencies ranging up to 100 GHz. The first version of the 5G standard was completed at the end of 2017, which allows proceeding to 5G NR standard-compliant trials and commercial deployments of smartphones.

[0036] The second version of the 5G standard was completed in June 2020, which further expand the reach of 5G to new services, spectrum and deployment such as unlicensed spectrum (NR-U), non-public network (NPN), time sensitive networking (TSN) and cellular-V2X.5G NR system architecture and protocol stacks

[0037] 5G NR system architecture assumes an NG-RAN (Next Generation - Radio Access Network) that comprises gNBs (next generation Node B, which is the base station in NG-RAN), providing the NG-radio access user plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocol terminations towards the UE (user equipment). The gNBs are interconnected with each other by means of the Xn interface. The gNBs are also connected by means of the Next Generation (NG) interface to the NGC (Next Generation Core), more specifically to the AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) (e.g., a particular core entity performing the AMF) by means of the NG-C interface and to the UPF (User Plane Function) (e.g., a particular core entity performing the UPF) by means of the NG-U interface. The NG-RAN architecture is illustrated in Figure 1 (see e.g., 3GPP TS 38.300 v15.6.0, section 4).

[0038] The user plane protocol stack for NR (see e.g., 3GPP TS 38.300, section 4.4.1) comprises the PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol, see section 6.4 of 3GPP TS 38.300), RLC (Radio Link Control, see section 6.3 of 3GPP TS 38.300) and MAC (Medium Access Control, see section 6.2 of 3GPP TS 38.300) sublayers, which are terminated in the gNB on the network side. Additionally, a new access stratum (AS) sublayer (SDAP, Service Data Adaptation Protocol) is introduced above PDCP (see e.g., sub-clause 6.5 of 3GPP TS 38.300). A control plane protocol stack is also defined for NR (see for instance 3GPP TS 38.300, section 4.4.2). An overview of the Layer 2 functions is given in sub-clause 6 of 3GPP TS 38.300. The functions of the PDCP, RLC and MAC sublayers are listed respectively in sections 6.4, 6.3, and 6.2 of 3GPP TS 38.300. The functions of the RRC layer are listed in sub-clause 7 of 3GPP TS 38.300.

[0039] For instance, the Medium-Access-Control layer handles logical-channel multiplexing, and scheduling and scheduling-related functions, including handling of different numerologies.

[0040] The physical layer (PHY) is for example responsible for coding, PHY hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processing, modulation, multi-antenna processing, and mapping of the signal to the appropriate physical time-frequency resources. It also handles mapping of transport channels to physical channels. The physical layer provides services to the MAC layer in the form of transport channels. A physical channel corresponds to the set of time-frequency resources used for transmission of a particular transport channel, and each transport channel is mapped to a corresponding physical channel. For instance, the physical channels are PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel), PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel) and PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) for uplink, PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) and PBCH (Physical BroadcastChannel) for downlink, PRDCH (Physical Reader-to- Device Channel) and PDRCH (Physical Device-to-Reader Channel) for A-loT, and PSSCH (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel), PSCCH (Physical Sidelink Control Channel) and Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) for sidelink (SL).

[0041] For cross division duplex (XDD) operation, the frequency domain (or frequency resource or frequency bandwidth) is divided into a plurality of frequency domains (also referred to as, for example, sub-bands, RB sets, sub-bandwidths, or sub-BWPs (Bandwidth parts)). The terminal performs transmission and reception in a direction (for example, a downlink or uplink direction) in units of sub-bands that are the divided domains. For subband nonoverlapping full duplex (SBFD) symbols, the terminal may perform transmission / reception in one direction of uplink and downlink directions, and may not perform transmission / reception in the other direction. The base station, on the other hand, may be capable of performing both uplink and downlink transmissions / receptions simultaneously. SBFD symbols may have a fewer frequency domain usable for downlink compared to symbols for which only downlink transmission / reception is performed. Further, SBFD symbols may have a fewer frequency domain usable for uplink compared to symbol for which only uplink transmission / reception is performed.

[0042] Further, for SBFD symbols, the terminal may perform uplink and downlink transmissions / receptions simultaneously. At this time, the frequency domain transmitted by the terminal and the frequency domain received by the terminal may not be adjacent and a frequency interval (also referred to as a frequency gap) may be provided therebetween.

[0043] Further, sidelink transmission / reception may also be included as a transmission / reception direction in units of sub-bands which are the divided domains.

[0044] Use cases / deployment scenarios for NR could include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), massive machine type communication (mMTC), which have diverse requirements in terms of data rates, latency, and coverage. For example, eMBB is expected to support peak data rates (20 Gbps for downlink and 10Gbps for uplink) and user-experienced data rates in the order of three times what is offered by IMT-Advanced. On the other hand, in case of URLLC, the tighter requirements are put on ultra-low latency (0.5 ms for UL and DL each for user plane latency) and high reliability (e.g., 99.999%). Finally, mMTC may preferably require high connection density (e.g., 1,000,000 devices / km2in an urban environment), large coverage in harsh environments, and extremely long-life battery for low-cost devices (e.g., 15 years).

[0045] Therefore, the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) numerology (e.g., subcarrier spacing, OFDM symbol duration, cyclic prefix (CP) duration, number of symbols per scheduling interval) that is suitable for one use case might not work well for another. For example, low-latency services may preferably require a shorter symbol duration (and thus larger subcarrier spacing) and / or fewer symbols per scheduling interval (also known as transmission time interval (TTI)) than an mMTC service. Furthermore, deployment scenarios with large channel delay spreads may preferably require a longer CP duration than scenarios with short delay spreads. The subcarrier spacing should be optimized accordingly to retain the similar CP overhead. NR may support more than one value of subcarrier spacing. Correspondingly, subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz ..., etc. are being considered at the moment. The symbol duration Tu and the subcarrier spacing Af are directly related through the formula Af = 1 / TU. In a similar manner as in LTE systems, the term "resource element" can be used to denote a minimum resource unit being composed of one subcarrier for the length of one OFDM / SC-FDMA symbol.

[0046] In the new radio system 5G-NR for each numerology and carrier a resource grid of subcarriers and OFDM symbols is defined respectively for uplink and downlink. Each element in the resource grid is called a resource element and is identified based on the frequency index in the frequency domain and the symbol position in the time domain (see 3GPP TS 38.211 V16.3.0).

[0047] As mentioned above, A-loT has been identified as one of the working areas for 3GPP Rel-19, as described in SID RP-234058. In particular, agreements from RAN1#118bis highlights two potential options for Msg 2 transmission in response to multiple Msg 1 transmissions:• Option 1: A PRDCH for Msg 2 transmission corresponds to a A-loT Msg 1 received from one device.• Option 2: A PRDCH for Msg 2 transmission corresponds to multiple A-loT Msg 1 received from different devices.

[0048] The following paragraphs describe certain exemplifying embodiments that address challenges in inventory management for A-loT devices. These embodiments involve queries and responses between an A-loT device and a reader.

[0049] An A-loT device typically includes a modem part for radio communications and an application part that facilitates its intended application. The term "availability" as used hereinmay refer to a condition of the modem part, specifically whether the A-loT device is able to perform radio transmission or reception, while the term "health" as used herein may refer to a condition (e.g., operational status) of the application part. For instance, an unavailable device may be unable to perform radio transmission or reception, whereas an available device may be able to perform such communications. A healthy device may have a functioning application part, while an unhealthy device may require maintenance for its application part.

[0050] The term "inventory identifier (ID)" may refer to a unique ID or a group ID. A unique ID may identify a specific device or its inventory status (e.g., whether maintenance is required or whether the device is radio-available). A group ID may identify a group of devices based on their type (e.g., gas meters or water meters) or their shared inventory status (e.g., whether no maintenance, urgent maintenance, or non-urgent maintenance is required). Inventory IDs may be transmitted by either the reader or the devices.

[0051] Figures 2A and 2B respectively show a schematic diagram of a connectivity topology, Topology 1 indicated by 200 and Topology 2 indicated by 210. As an example, the device may be an loT device, and the reader may be a base station as shown in Topology 1, or an intermediate node as shown in Topology 2.

[0052] In Topology 1 shown in Figure 2A, an A-loT device directly and bidirectionally communicates with a base station (BS). The communication between the BS and the A-loT device includes A-loT data and / or signalling. This topology includes the possibility that the BS transmitting to the A-loT device is a different from the BS receiving from the A-loT device. In Topology 2 show in Figure 2B, an A-loT device communicates bidirectionally with an intermediate node between the A-loT device and a BS. In this topology, the intermediate node can be a relay, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, UE, repeater, etc., which is capable of A-loT. The intermediate node transfers A-loT data and / or signalling between the BS and the A-loT device.

[0053] However, current standards do not specify device behaviours or procedures for inventory management at the radio layer. As a result, readers may fail to identify missing or faulty devices in a timely manner. Additionally, excessive query-and-response operations for all devices may waste valuable time and frequency resources.

[0054] There is thus a need to address one or more of the above challenges and develop new communication apparatuses and communication methods for A-loT-based inventory management.

[0055] In the present disclosure, the term "A-loT device" may be used interchangeable with the terms "device", "UE", or "user equipment", while the term "reader" may be used interchangeable with the terms "base station", "intermediate node", "gNB", or "gNodeB".

[0056] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a communication apparatus 300 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The communication apparatus may be implemented as an A-loT device or a reader for the A-loT device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The communication apparatus 300 may include circuitry 314, at least one radio transmitter 302, at least one radio receiver 304, and at least one antenna 312 (for the sake of simplicity, only one antenna is depicted in Figure 3 for illustration purposes). The circuitry 314 may include at least one controller 306 for use in software and / or hardware aided execution of tasks that the at least one controller 306 is designed to perform, including control of communications with one or more other communication apparatuses in a multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) wireless network. The circuitry 314 may further include at least one transmission signal generator 308 and at least one receive signal processor 310. The at least one controller 306 may control the at least one transmission signal generator 308 for generating signals (e.g., an reader-to-device (R2D) signal, a device-to-reader (D2R) signal, an uplink signal, a downlink signal, or a sidelink signal) to be sent through the at least one radio transmitter 302 to one or more other communication apparatuses and the at least one receive signal processor 310 for processing signals (e g., an R2D signal, a D2R signal, an uplink signal, a downlink signal, or a sidelink signal) received through the at least one radio receiver 304 from the one or more other communication apparatuses under the control of the at least one controller 306. The at least one transmission signal generator 308 and the at least one receive signal processor 310 may be stand-alone modules of the communication apparatus 300 that communicate with the at least one controller 306 for the above-mentioned functions, as shown in Figure 3. Alternatively, the at least one transmission signal generator 308 and the at least one receive signal processor 310 may be included in the at least one controller 306. In various embodiments, when in operation, the at least one radio transmitter 302, at least one radio receiver 304, and at least one antenna 312 may be controlled by the at least one controller 306.

[0057] The at least one radio transmitter 302 and the at least one radio receiver 304 may be included in a stand-alone module of the communication apparatus 300 to perform functions of both sending and receiving signals to and from another communication apparatus respectively. Such module may be referred to as a transceiver 302, 304 in various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0058] It is appreciable to those skilled in the art that the arrangement of these functional modules is flexible and may vary depending on the practical needs and / or requirements. The data processing, storage and other relevant control apparatus can be provided on an appropriate circuit board and / or in chipsets.

[0059] The communication apparatus 300, when in operation, provides functions required for A-loT-based inventory management. In one example, the communication apparatus 300 may be a reader for an A-loT device (e.g., a first communication apparatus). Figure 4 shows a flow chart illustrating a method 400 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in the exemplified method 400 for A-loT-based inventory management in Figure 4, the communication apparatus 300, when in operation, is configured to perform the following steps:• Step 402: the transceiver 302, 304 may transmit a query to one or more second communication apparatuses for determining a condition associated with each second communication apparatus of the one or more second communication apparatuses; and • Step 404: the circuitry 314 (or the at least one controller 306 of the circuitry 314) may determine the condition associated with each second communication apparatus based on a message received from the one or more second communication apparatuses in response to the query, the message being indicative of the condition associated with each second communication apparatus.

[0060] Additionally or alternatively, the circuitry 314 (or the at least one controller 306 of the circuitry 314) may determine the condition associated with each second communication apparatus based on whether a message is received from each second communication apparatuses in response to the query.

[0061] Additionally or alternatively, the circuitry 314 (or the at least one controller 306 of the circuitry 314) may determine the condition associated with each second communication apparatus based on an absence of a message from the one or more second communication apparatuses in response to the query.

[0062] Additionally or alternatively, the circuitry 314 (or the at least one controller 306 of the circuitry 314) may generate a notification to a user of the first communication apparatus for manual inspection of the one or more second communication apparatuses based on the determined condition associated with each second communication apparatus.

[0063] Additionally or alternatively, the one or more second communication apparatuses that respond to the query may form a group identified by a group identifier. The transceiver 302, 304 may receive a message from the one or more second communication apparatus in the group in response to the query, the message from the one or more second communication apparatus in the group including the group identifier.

[0064] Additionally or alternatively, the transceiver 302, 304 may transmit a request to the group for a unique identifier corresponding to each second communication apparatus in the group, the request including the group identifier. The circuitry 314 (or the at least one controller 306 of the circuitry 314) may identify the one or more second communication apparatus in the group based on the unique identifier received from the one or more second communication apparatus in the group in response to the request.

[0065] Additionally or alternatively, the message from the one or more second communication apparatus in the group may be transmitted on a same frequency or different frequencies. The message from the one or more second communication apparatus in the group may be transmitted at a same time or different times.

[0066] Additionally or alternatively, the message from the one or more second communication apparatus may include at least one of: a unique identifier corresponding to each second communication apparatus, a group identifier corresponding to a type or group of second communication apparatuses, an identifier or an indication of the condition associated with each second communication apparatus, and an acknowledgement (ACK) or negativeacknowledgement (NACK) response to the condition queried by the first communication apparatus.

[0067] Additionally or alternatively, the condition associated with each second communication apparatus may include at least one of: an ability of each second communication apparatus to perform transmission and / or reception; a requirement of each second communication apparatus for maintenance; a battery level of each second communication apparatus; an operational status of each second communication apparatus; and a condition of an entity monitored by each second communication apparatus.

[0068] Additionally or alternatively, the transceiver 302, 304 may transmit the query to the one or more second communication apparatuses at a predetermined periodicity.

[0069] Additionally or alternatively, the transceiver 302, 304 may transmit different queries to the one or more second apparatuses for determining different conditions associated with each second communication apparatus. The different queries may comprise different numbers of bits.

[0070] In another example, the communication apparatus 300 may be an A-loT device (e.g., a second communication apparatus). Figure 5 shows another exemplary flow chart illustrating a method 500 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in the exemplified method 500 for A-loT-based inventory management in Figure 5, the communication apparatus 300, when in operation, is configured to perform the following steps:• Step 502: the circuitry 314 (or the at least one controller 306 of the circuitry 314) may assess a condition associated with the second communication apparatus; and• Step 504: the transceiver 302, 304 may transmit a message indicative of the condition to a first communication apparatus in response to receiving a query, from the first communication apparatus, for determining the condition associated with the second communication apparatus.

[0071] According to the present disclosure, different types of query-and-response procedures 600 are designed between a reader and devices (step 602) as shown in Figure 6, to address the issue of the lack of an established connection for A-loT.

[0072] The reader may initiate different types of queries (e.g., Msg 0) for different inventory management procedures to obtain corresponding responses (e.g., Msg 1) from the devices (step 604). For example:• A query regarding "availability" to identify the devices that are radio unavailable (i.e., unable to perform transmission or reception).• A query regarding "health" to identify the devices that require maintenance even though they are able to perform transmission and reception (e.g., having low battery).

[0073] In response to these queries, the devices may transmit corresponding inventory IDs (e.g., unique IDs or group IDs) or an acknowledgement (ACK) or negative-acknowledgement (NACK) to the reader (step 606).

[0074] Additional types of queries and corresponding responses may also be utilised. For instance, queries may determine a battery level of a device, an operational status of a device(e.g., whether a device is partially malfunctioning but not yet in need of maintenance), a condition of an entity monitored by a device (e.g., whether plants, fish, or livestock are in optimal condition for harvest, whether a person’s health condition is satisfactory, or whether certain individuals or entities are engaged in illegal activities).

[0075] The various query-and-response procedures can be (pre-)configured or (pre-)specified and may include single or mixed combinations of query types.

[0076] Advantageously, the adoption of such query-and-response procedures enables efficient inventory management for A-loT devices.

[0077] In various embodiments, a first communication apparatus (e.g., a reader) may transmit a query (e.g., Msg 0) to one or more second communication apparatuses (e.g., an A-loT device) for determining a condition (e.g., "availability", "health") associated with each second communication apparatus of the one or more second communication apparatuses. The first communication apparatus may then determine the condition associated with each second communication apparatus based on a message (e.g., Msg 1) received from the one or more second communication apparatuses in response to the query, the message being indicative of the condition associated with each second communication apparatus.

[0078] Correspondingly, a second communication apparatus (e.g., an A-loT device) may assess a condition (e.g., "availability", "health") associated with the second communication apparatus, and then transmit a message (e.g., Msg 1) indicative of the condition to a first communication apparatus (e.g., a reader) in response to receiving a query (e.g., Msg 0), from the first communication apparatus, for determining the condition associated with the second communication apparatus.

[0079] With reference to Figures 7 to 9, various embodiments for A-loT-based inventory management involving a query on "availability" are described. In these embodiments, each device is configured with at least one unique ID, which is utilised for responding to the query.

[0080] The procedure includes the following steps with the sequence diagram 700 depicted in Figure 7 and the corresponding flow chart 800 in Figure 8.Step 1: The reader (e.g., reader 902) transmits an "availability" query in Msg 0 using broadcast or groupcast R2D communication. If groupcast is used, the query includes a specific group ID (step 802).• Step 2: Upon receiving "availability" query, available devices (e.g., devices 904, 908 with ability to perform transmission and reception) may respond to the reader with their unique IDs (indicating "available") in Msg 1 using unicast D2R communications, as illustrated in Figure 9 (step 804). Devices that fail to respond (e.g., device 906) may be deemed unavailable (step 806). Examples of available devices may include those with full or low batteries that are able to perform transmission and reception, whereas an example of an unavailable device may be one with a faulty battery and is unable to perform transmission or reception.• Step 3: Further manual inspection (e.g., repair, battery replacement, etc.) is carried out for the identified unavailable devices (e.g., devices that do not respond) to address issues such as devices being lost, moved out of range, or broken (step 808).

[0081] Advantageously, this query-and-response procedure enables individualised checks on device availability, enhancing the efficiency of inventory management.

[0082] With reference to Figures 10 to 12, various embodiments for A-loT-based inventory management involving a query on "health" (individual-based) are described. In these embodiments, each device is configured with at least one unique ID, which is utilised for responding to the query.

[0083] The procedure includes the following steps, with the sequence diagram 1000 depicted in Figure 10 and the corresponding flow chart 1100 in Figure 11.• Step 1: The reader (e.g., reader 1202) transmits a "health" (individual-based) query in Msg 0 using broadcast or groupcast R2D communication. If groupcast is used, the query includes a specific group ID (step 1102).• Step 2: Upon receiving the "health" (individual-based) query, unhealthy devices (e.g., devices 1204, 1208 with low battery) may respond to the reader by transmitting their unique IDs (indicating "unhealthy") in Msg 1 using unicast D2R communications in their respective time-frequency resources, as illustrated in Figure 12 (step 1104). While devices that do not respond (e.g., device 1206) may be deemed to be healthy (step 1106). Alternatively, in some implementations, healthy devices (e.g., devices with full batteries) may respond by transmitting their unique IDs in Msg 7, whereas unhealthy devices do not transmit any response.• Step 3: Further manual inspection (e g., repair, battery recharge / replacement, etc.) is carried out for the identified unhealthy devices to address issues such as devices having low-battery or malfunctioning (step 1108).

[0084] Advantageously, this query-and-response procedure allows the identification of unhealthy devices using their individual IDs with fewer steps, making it particularly suitable for small-scale deployments.

[0085] With reference to Figures 13 to 17, various embodiments for A-loT-based inventory management involving a query on "health" (group-based) are described. In these embodiments, each device is configured with at least one unique ID and one group ID, which are used in responding to the query.

[0086] The procedure includes the following steps, with the sequence diagram 1300 depicted in Figure 13 and the corresponding flow chart 1400 in Figure 14.• Step 1: The reader (e.g., reader 1502) transmits a "health" (group-based) query in Msg 0 using broadcast or groupcast R2D communication. If groupcast is used, the query includes a specific group ID (step 1402).• Step 2: Upon receiving the "health" (group-based) query, unhealthy devices (e.g., devices 1506) may respond to the reader by transmitting the same group ID corresponding to "unhealthy" status in Msg 1 using unicast D2R communications, as illustrated in Figure 15 (step 1404). The transmission of the D2R communications carrying the same group ID may occur within the same time-frequency resources or different time-frequency resources, as depicted in Figures 16A and 16B, respectively. If no response is received by the reader, no further action is required (step 1406). • Step 3: The reader (e.g., reader 1702) transmits another query in Msg 2, requesting the unique IDs of the unhealthy devices (e.g., devices 1704, 1706, 1708) using broadcast or groupcast R2D communication (step 1408).• Step 4: The unhealthy devices may respond to the reader by transmitting their unique IDs in Msg3us'mg unicast D2R communications as illustrated in Figure 17 (step 1410).• Step 5: Further manual inspection is carried out for the identified unhealthy devices to address issues such as low-battery, or malfunctioning (step 1412).

[0087] Advantageously, this procedure minimises resource usage by allowing multiple devices to overlap their responses in the same time-frequency resource for Msg 1, which is particularly suitable for large-scale deployments with reliable devices.

[0088] In various implementations, the query transmitted by the reader may be in the physical layer (Layer 1, L1) or higher layers, and may comprise one or more bits.

[0089] Similarly, the inventory IDs may also be in L1 (physical layer) or higher layers, and may comprise one or more bits. These inventory IDs may be (pre-)configured or (pre-)specified by technical specifications, standardisation bodies, device vendors, regulators, and are known to the reader prior to transmissions.

[0090] The devices may be configured with multiple inventory IDs for inventory status, and may respond with the same or different inventory IDs for different inventory queries.

[0091] In various implementations, the inventory status (e g., "health") may be further categorised into multiple levels, with each level being indicated by different inventory IDs. These inventory IDs may be (pre-)configured or dynamically defined and transmitted by Msg 0. For example, ID_1 may indicate "no maintenance required"; ID_2 may indicate "nonemergency maintenance required", and I D_3 may indicate "emergency maintenance required".

[0092] The queries on conditions such as "availability" and "health" may be transmitted in the same series of messages, or in independent series of messages. For instance, independent series of messages may include one set of Msg 0 and Msg 1 to check "availability", and another set of Msg 0 and Msg 1 to check "health". On the other hand, the same series of messages may include Msg 0 and Msg 1 to query "availability", followed by Msg 2 and Msg 3 to query "health".

[0093] The queries may be initiated in an on-demand manner or periodically, with the same or different periodicities for different queries. For example, the "availability" queries may be conducted monthly, while the "health" queries may be conducted daily.

[0094] A device may also transmit device-originated automatic (DO-A) messages without requiring a Msg 0 query from the reader. These transmissions may occur periodically or triggered by specific conditions, such as theft alert, a position change detected by a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) or a gyroscope.

[0095] Additionally, the IDs may be used by the reader to issue commands to specific devices or groups of devices. For example, a reader may request a specific device or a group of devices to perform certain action.

[0096] The determination of the time-frequency resources used by devices for communication (e.g., response to queries, D2R communications) may be scheduled by the reader semi-statically or dynamically, (pre-)configured, determined by the device, or by implementation.

[0097] For responses (e.g., Msg 1) transmitted by devices to the reader, the number of transmission bits may be different for different queries, devices, or purposes. For example, Msg 1 with a group ID may use more or fewer bits than Msg 1 with a unique ID, and Msg 1 transmitted by healthy devices may use more or fewer bits than Msg 1 transmitted by unhealthy devices.

[0098] In the following paragraphs, certain exemplifying embodiments are explained with reference to terms related to 5G core network and the present disclosure, namely:QoS control

[0099] The 5G QoS (Quality of Service) model is based on QoS flows and supports both QoS flows that require guaranteed flow bit rate (GBR QoS flows) and QoS flows that do not require guaranteed flow bit rate (non-GBR QoS Flows). At NAS level, the QoS flow is thus the finest granularity of QoS differentiation in a PDU session. A QoS flow is identified within a PDU session by a QoS flow ID (QFI) carried in an encapsulation header over NG-U interface.

[0100] For each UE, 5GC establishes one or more PDU Sessions. For each UE, the NG-RAN establishes at least one Data Radio Bearers (DRB) together with the PDU Session, and additional DRB(s) for QoS flow(s) of that PDU session can be subsequently configured (it is up to NG-RAN when to do so). The NG-RAN maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions to different DRBs. NAS level packet filters in the UE and in the 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS Flows, whereas AS-level mapping rules in the UE and in the NG-RAN associate UL and DL QoS Flows with DRBs.Open- RAN

[0101] The base station described in each exemplary embodiment (for example, a 5G NR base station called gNB) may be formed of three functional modules: Centralized Unit (CU), Distributed Unit (DU), and Radio Unit (RU).

[0102] CU may also be referred as, for example, a centralized node, an aggregated node, a centralized station, an aggregated station, or a central unit. DU may also be referred as, for example, O-DU (O-RAN Distributed Unit), a distributed node, a distributed station, or a distributed unit. RU may also be referred as, for example, O-RU (O-RAN Radio Unit), a radio apparatus, a radio node, a radio station, an antenna unit, or a radio unit.

[0103] Several split options are defined for the functional split configuration (or functional split point) between CU, DU, and RU. The term “functional split point” may also be referred to as "split", "option", or "split option".

[0104] Examples of the “split option” include the following split options 1 to 8. The functionality of the base station described in each exemplary embodiment may be split into functions as CU, DU, and RU by one of the following split options 1 to 8. For example, each of CU, DU, and RU may be subjected to functional splitting or functional splitting only between CU and DU or only between DU and RU is possible.(1) Split Option 1: between RRC (radio resource control) and PDCP(2) Split Option 2: between PDCP and RLC (High-RLC)(3) Split Option 3: between High-RLC and Low-RLC(4) Split Option 4: between RLC (Low-RLC) and MAC (High-MAC)(5) Split Option 5: between High-MAC and Low-MAC(6) Split Option 6: between MAC (Low-MAC) and PHY (High-PHY)(7) Split Option 7: between High-PHY and Low-PHY(8) Split Option 8: between PHY (Low-PHY) and RF

[0105] The functional split point between CU and O-DU may be Split Option 2. The link between CU and O-DU is referred to as midhaul and the F1 interface is defined by the 3GPP. Further, the link between O-DU and O-RU is referred to as fronthaul and its functional split point may be Split Option 7-2x adopted as the O-RAN fronthaul specifications.

[0106] Figure 18 illustrates an example in which the base station functionality of the gNB is subjected to functional splitting into CU, O-DU, O-RU by Split Option 2 and Split Option 7-2x.

[0107] CU may include, for example, an RRC (radio resource control) function, an SDAP (service data adaptation protocol) function, and a PDCP (packet data convergence protocol) function.

[0108] O-DU may include, for example, an RLC (radio link control) function, a MAC function, and a higher physical layer (HIGH-PHY) function. Further, the HIGH-PHY function may include an encoding function, a scrambling function, a modulation function, a layer mapping function, a precoding function, and an RE (resource element) mapping function for downlink (DL) transmission. The HIGH-PHY function may also include a decoding function, a descramblingfunction, a demodulation function, a layer demapping function, and an RE (resource element) demapping function for uplink (UL) reception.

[0109] O-RU may include, for example, a LOW-PHY function and an RF function. Further, the LOW-PHY function may include a beamforming function, IFFT (Inverse First Fourier Transform) + CP (Cyclic Prefix) addition functions, and a D / A (Digital to Analog) conversion function for downlink transmission. Further, the LOW-PHY function may include an A / D (Analog to Digital) conversion function, CP removal + FFT (First Fourier Transform) functions, and a beamforming function for uplink reception.

[0110] Note that, in a case where O-DU does not include the precoding function, O-RU may include the precoding function.

[0111] O-RU may include an LBT (listen before Talk)-related function.

[0112] eCPRI (Evolved Common Public Radio Interface) is defined as a communication scheme between O-DU and O-RU in Split Option 7-2x.

[0113] In Split Option 7-2x, a sampling sequence of the in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) components of an OFDM signal in the frequency domain as well as information used for beamforming in the antenna, a time synchronization signal, and the like are transmitted and received by eCPRI.

[0114] Information transmitted by signals (PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, MAC CE, RRC, and the like) described in each exemplary embodiment may be transmitted by using the User Plane (U-Plan) or Control Plane (C-Plane) of eCPRI between O-DU and O-RU.

[0115] In a case where a function described in each exemplary embodiment is executed in O-RU by function splitting, O-DU may control O-RU by transmitting information for controlling the function by means of a control signal (for example, eCPRI) between O-DU and O-RU.

[0116] In a case where a function described in each exemplary embodiment is executed by function splitting in O-DU, O-RU may receive a result of the execution of the function in O-DU by means of a control signal (for example, eCPRI) and may control O-RU based on the received result.

[0117] CU, O-DU, and O-RU may be deployed in physically different apparatuses, the respective functions of which are connected by optical fibers or the like, or some or all of the functions may be deployed in a physically identical apparatus.

[0118] CU and O-DU may be logical entities implemented as software operating on a server, such as a cloud, as a virtual Radio Access Network (vRAN). Further, some or all of the functions of CU and O-DU may be provided as services of a Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) function.

[0119] The transceiver may not be a radio transceiver and may be, for example, a network transceiver, an optical transceiver, or the like. The radio resource allocated by O-DU may be a resource for radio communication between O-RU and the UE.SBFD

[0120] Operations on uplink, downlink, and sidelink symbols in one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to symbols (for example, SBFD (Subband nonoverlapping full duplex) symbols, Subband full duplex) on which an SBFD operation or control is performed. For SBFD symbols, the frequency domain (or frequency resource or frequency bandwidth) is divided into a plurality of frequency domains (also referred to as, for example, sub-bands, RB sets, sub-bandwidths, orsub-BWPs (Bandwidth parts)). The terminal performs transmission and reception in a direction (for example, a downlink or uplink direction) in units of sub-bands that are the divided domains. For SBFD symbols, the terminal may perform transmission / reception in one direction of uplink and downlink directions, and may not perform transmission / reception in the other direction. The base station, on the other hand, may be capable of performing both uplink and downlink transmissions / receptions simultaneously. SBFD symbols may have a fewer frequency domain usable for downlink compared to symbols for which only downlink transmission / reception is performed. Further, SBFD symbols may have a fewer frequency domain usable for uplink compared to symbol for which only uplink transmission / reception is performed.

[0121] Further, for SBFD symbols, the terminal may perform uplink and downlink transmissions / receptions simultaneously. At this time, the frequency domain transmitted by the terminal and the frequency domain received by the terminal may not be adjacent and a frequency interval (also referred to as a frequency gap) may be provided therebetween.

[0122] Further, sidelink transmission / reception may also be included as a transmission / reception direction in units of sub-bands which are the divided domains.XDD: Cross Division Duplex

[0123] Operations on uplink, downlink, and sidelink symbols in one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to symbols (for example, Full duplex symbols) on which a Full duplex operation or control is performed. For Full duplex symbols, both the terminal and the base station are capable of performing uplink and downlink transmissions / receptions simultaneously. For Full duplex symbols, the terminal and the base station may operate to perform transmission / reception simultaneously in available frequency domains (or frequency resources or frequency bandwidths) or may operate to perform transmission / reception simultaneously in one or some of frequency domains (that is, may operate to perform transmission or reception in the other frequency domains). At this time, the frequency domain transmitted by the base station or the terminal and the frequency domain received by the base station or the terminal may not be adjacent and a frequency interval (also referred to as a frequency gap) may be provided therebetween. Further, for example, for the purpose of reduction in interference or the like, one of the terminal and the base station may operate to perform transmission / reception simultaneously (that is, the other may operate to perform transmission or reception).

[0124] Further, the Full duplex operation may be applied to an operation in which the terminal is capable of performing sidelink transmission / reception simultaneously. Further, the Full duplex operation may be applied to an operation in which the terminal is capable of performing sidelink transmission / reception and uplink or downlink transmission / reception simultaneously.Control Signals

[0125] In the present disclosure, the downlink control signal (information) related to the present disclosure may be a signal (information) transmitted through PDCCH of the physical layer or may be a signal (information) transmitted through a MAC Control Element (CE) of the higher layer or the RRC. The downlink control signal may be a pre-defined signal (information).

[0126] The uplink control signal (information) related to the present disclosure may be a signal (information) transmitted through PUCCH of the physical layer or may be a signal (information) transmitted through a MAC CE of the higher layer or the RRC. Further, the uplink control signal may be a pre-defined signal (information). The uplink control signal may be replaced withuplink control information (UCI), the 1st stage sidelink control information (SCI) or the 2nd stage SCI.Base Station

[0127] In the present disclosure, the base station may be a Transmission Reception Point (TRP), a clusterhead, an access point, a Remote Radio Head (RRH), an eNodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), a Base Station (BS), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a base unit or a gateway, for example. Further, in sidelink communication, a terminal may be adopted instead of a base station. The base station may be a relay apparatus that relays communication between a higher node and a terminal. The base station may be a roadside unit as well.Uplink / Downlink / Sidelink

[0128] The present disclosure may be applied to any of uplink, downlink and sidelink.

[0129] The present disclosure may be applied to, for example, uplink channels, such as PUSCH, PUCCH, and PRACH, downlink channels, such as PDSCH, PDCCH, and PBCH, and side link channels, such as Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), and Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

[0130] PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PUCCH are examples of a downlink control channel, a downlink data channel, an uplink data channel, and an uplink control channel, respectively. PSCCH and PSSCH are examples of a sidelink control channel and a sidelink data channel, respectively. PBCH and PSBCH are examples of broadcast channels, respectively, and PRACH is an example of a random access channel.Data Channels / Control Channels

[0131] The present disclosure may be applied to any of data channels and control channels. The channels in the present disclosure may be replaced with data channels including PDSCH, PUSCH and PSSCH and / or control channels including PDCCH, PUCCH, PBCH, PSCCH, and PSBCH.Reference Signals

[0132] In the present disclosure, the reference signals are signals known to both a base station and a mobile station and each reference signal may be referred to as a Reference Signal (RS) or sometimes a pilot signal. The reference signal may be any of a DMRS, a Channel State Information - Reference Signal (CSI-RS), a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), a Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), a Cell-specific Reference Signal (CRS), and a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS).Time Intervals

[0133] In the present disclosure, time resource units are not limited to one or a combination of slots and symbols, and may be time resource units, such as frames, superframes, subframes, slots, time slots, subslots, minislots, or time resource units, such as symbols, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) symbols, or other time resource units. The number of symbols included in one slot is not limited to any number of symbols exemplified in the embodiment(s) described above, and may be other numbers of symbols.Frequency Bands

[0134] The present disclosure may be applied to any of a licensed band and an unlicensed band.Communication

[0135] The present disclosure may be applied to any of communication between a base station and a terminal (Uu-link communication), communication between a terminal and a terminal (Sidelink communication), Vehicle to Everything (V2X) communication, and communication between an Ambient loT Reader and an Ambient loT Device. The channels in the present disclosure may be replaced with PSCCH, PSSCH, Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH), PSBCH, PRDCH (Physical Reader-to-Device Channel), PDRCH (Physical Device-to-Reader Channel), PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PBCH. For example, control information of the present disclosure may be replaced with any of DCI, UCI, SCI (Sidelink Control Information), R2D Control Information and D2R Control Information.

[0136] In addition, the present disclosure may be applied to any of a terrestrial network or a network other than a terrestrial network (NTN: Non-Terrestrial Network) using a satellite or a High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS). In addition, the present disclosure may be applied toa network having a large cell size, and a terrestrial network with a large delay compared with a symbol length or a slot length, such as an ultra-wideband transmission network.Antenna Ports

[0137] An antenna port refers to a logical antenna (antenna group) formed of one or more physical antenna(s). That is, the antenna port does not necessarily refer to one physical antenna and sometimes refers to an array antenna formed of multiple antennas or the like. For example, it is not defined how many physical antennas form the antenna port, and instead, the antenna port is defined as the minimum unit through which a terminal is allowed to transmit a reference signal. The antenna port may also be defined as the minimum unit for multiplication of a precoding vector weighting.Ambient loT (A-loT)

[0138] The terminal and the base station in one exemplary embodiment of the preset disclosure may be replaced with any of an Ambient loT Device or an Ambient loT Reader. The Ambient loT Device may be a wireless communication device having a backscattering function or having a transmission / reception bandwidth of several resource blocks or less. Further, the Ambient loT Reader may be a wireless communication device having a communication function with an Ambient loT Device. The Ambient loT Device may also be referred to as an Ambient loT terminal, an loT terminal, an LPWA terminal, or a Tag.

[0139] The present disclosure can be realised by software, hardware, or software in cooperation with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of each embodiment described above can be partly or entirely realised by an LSI such as an integrated circuit, and each process described in each embodiment may be controlled partly or entirely by the same LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI may be individually formed as chips, or one chip may be formed so as to include a part or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may include a data input and output coupled thereto. The LSI here may be referred to as an IC, a system on a chip (SoC), a system LSI, a super LSI, or an ultra LSI depending on a difference in the degree of integration. However, the technique of implementing an integrated circuit is not limited to the LSI and may be realised by using a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor, or a special-purpose processor. In addition, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) that can be programmed after the manufacture of the LSI or a reconfigurable processor in which the connections and the settings of circuit cells disposed inside the LSI can be reconfigured may be used. The present disclosure can be realised as digital processing or analogue processing.If future integrated circuit technology replaces LSIs as a result of the advancement of semiconductor technology or other derivative technology, the functional blocks could be integrated using the future integrated circuit technology. Biotechnology can also be applied.

[0140] The present disclosure can be realised by any kind of apparatus, device or system having a function of communication, which is referred to as a communication apparatus.

[0141] The communication apparatus may comprise a transceiver and processing / control circuitry. The transceiver may comprise and / or function as a receiver and a transmitter. The transceiver, as the transmitter and receiver, may include an RF (radio frequency) module including amplifiers, RF modulators / demodulators and the like, and one or more antennas.

[0142] Some non-limiting examples of such a communication apparatus include a phone (e.g., cellular (cell) phone, smart phone), a tablet, a personal computer (PC) (e.g., laptop, desktop, netbook), a camera (e.g., digital still / video camera), a digital player (digital audio / video player), a wearable device (e.g., wearable camera, smart watch, tracking device), a game console, a digital book reader, a telehealth / telemedicine (remote health and medicine) device, and a vehicle providing communication functionality (e.g., automotive, airplane, ship), and various combinations thereof.

[0143] The communication apparatus is not limited to be portable or movable, and may also include any kind of apparatus, device or system being non-portable or stationary, such as a smart home device (e.g., an appliance, lighting, smart meter, control panel), a vending machine, and any other "things" in a network of an "Internet of Things (loT)".

[0144] The communication may include exchanging data through, for example, a cellular system, a wireless LAN system, a satellite system, etc., and various combinations thereof.

[0145] The communication apparatus may comprise a device such as a controller or a sensor which is coupled to a communication device performing a function of communication described in the present disclosure. For example, the communication apparatus may comprise a controller or a sensor that generates control signals or data signals which are used by a communication device performing a communication function of the communication apparatus.

[0146] The communication apparatus also may include an infrastructure facility, such as a base station, an access point, and any other apparatus, device or system that communicates with or controls apparatuses such as those in the above non-limiting examples.

[0147] It will be understood that while some properties of the various embodiments have been described with reference to a device, corresponding properties also apply to the methods of various embodiments, and vice versa.

[0148] In the following paragraphs, certain exemplifying embodiments are explained with reference to terms related to 5G core network and the present disclosure regarding communication apparatuses and communication methods for A-loT-based inventory management, namely:Example 1. A first communication apparatus comprising:a transceiver, which in operation, transmits a query to one or more second communication apparatuses for determining a condition associated with each second communication apparatus of the one or more second communication apparatuses; and circuitry, which in operation, determines the condition associated with each second communication apparatus based on a message received from the one or more second communication apparatuses in response to the query, the message being indicative of the condition associated with each second communication apparatus.Example 2. The first communication apparatus of example 1, wherein the circuitry determines the condition associated with each second communication apparatus based on whether a message is received from each second communication apparatuses in response to the query.Example 3. The first communication apparatus of example 1 or 2, wherein the circuitry determines the condition associated with each second communication apparatus based on an absence of a message from the one or more second communication apparatuses in response to the query.Example 4. The first communication apparatus of any one of examples 1 to 3, wherein the circuitry generates a notification to a user of the first communication apparatus for manual inspection of the one or more second communication apparatuses based on the determined condition associated with each second communication apparatus.Example 5. The first communication apparatus of any one of examples 1 to 4, wherein the one or more second communication apparatuses that respond to the query form a group identified by a group identifier, and wherein the transceiver receives a message from the one or more second communication apparatus in the group in response to the query, the messagefrom the one or more second communication apparatus in the group including the group identifier.Example 6. The first communication apparatus of example 5, wherein:the transceiver transmits a request to the group for a unique identifier corresponding to each second communication apparatus in the group, the request including the group identifier; andthe circuitry identifies the one or more second communication apparatus in the group based on the unique identifier received from the one or more second communication apparatus in the group in response to the request.Example 7. The first communication apparatus of example 5 or 6, wherein the message from the one or more second communication apparatus in the group is transmitted on a same frequency or different frequencies.Example 8. The first communication apparatus of any one of examples 5 to 7, wherein the message from the one or more second communication apparatus in the group is transmitted at a same time or different times.Example 9. The first communication apparatus of any one of examples 1 to 8, wherein the message from the one or more second communication apparatus includes at least one of: a unique identifier corresponding to each second communication apparatus, a group identifier corresponding to a type or group of second communication apparatuses, an identifier or an indication of the condition associated with each second communication apparatus, and an acknowledgement (ACK) or negative-acknowledgement (NACK) response to the condition queried by the first communication apparatus.Example 10. The first communication apparatus of any one of examples 1 to 9, wherein the condition associated with each second communication apparatus includes at least one of:an ability of each second communication apparatus to perform transmission and / or reception;a requirement of each second communication apparatus for maintenance;a battery level of each second communication apparatus;an operational status of each second communication apparatus; anda condition of an entity monitored by each second communication apparatus.Example 11. The first communication apparatus of any one of examples 1 to 10, wherein the transceiver transmits the query to the one or more second communication apparatuses at a predetermined periodicity.Example 12. The first communication apparatus of any one of examples 1 to 11, wherein the transmitter transmits different queries to the one or more second apparatuses for determining different conditions associated with each second communication apparatus.Example 13. The first communication apparatus of any one of examples 1 to 12, wherein different queries comprise different numbers of bits.Example 14. A second communication apparatus comprising:circuitry, which in operation, assesses a condition associated with the second communication apparatus; anda transceiver, which in operation, transmits a message indicative of the condition to a first communication apparatus in response to receiving a query, from the first communication apparatus, for determining the condition associated with the second communication apparatus.Example 15. The second communication apparatus of example 14, wherein the second communication apparatus is part of a group of second communication apparatuses identified by a group identifier, the message including the group identifier.Example 16. The second communication apparatus of example 15, wherein the transceiver transmits a unique identifier of the second communication apparatus to the first communication apparatus in response to receiving a request, from the first communication apparatus, for the unique identifier.Example 17. The second communication apparatus of any one of examples 14 to 16, wherein the transceiver transmits the message to the first communication apparatuses at a predetermined periodicity.Example 18. The second communication apparatus of any one of examples 14 to 17, wherein the transceiver transmits the message to the first communication apparatus when a predefined condition is met by the one or more second communication apparatuses.Example 19. The second communication apparatus of any one of examples 14 to 18, wherein the message includes at least one of: a unique identifier corresponding to the secondcommunication apparatus, a group identifier corresponding to a type or group of second communication apparatuses, an identifier or an indication of the condition associated with the second communication apparatus, and an acknowledgement (ACK) or negativeacknowledgement (NACK) response to the condition queried by the first communication apparatus.Example 20. The second communication apparatus of any one of examples 14 to 19, wherein the condition associated with the second communication apparatus includes at least one of:an ability of the second communication apparatus to perform transmission and / or reception;a requirement of the second communication apparatus for maintenance;a battery level of the second communication apparatus;an operational status of the second communication apparatus; anda condition of an entity monitored by the second communication apparatus.Example 21. A communication method implemented by a first communication apparatus comprising:transmitting a query to one or more second communication apparatuses for determining a condition associated with each second communication apparatus of the one or more second communication apparatuses; anddetermining the condition associated with each second communication apparatus based on a message received from the one or more second communication apparatuses in response to the query, the message being indicative of the condition associated with each second communication apparatus.Example 22. A communication method implemented by a second communication apparatus comprising:assessing a condition associated with the second communication apparatus; and transmitting a message indicative of the condition to a first communication apparatus, in response to receiving a query, from the first communication apparatus, for determining the condition associated with the second communication apparatus.

[0149] While exemplary embodiments have been presented in the foregoing detailed description of the present embodiments, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should further be appreciated that the exemplary embodiments are examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, operation, or configuration ofthis disclosure in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing exemplary embodiments, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of steps and method of operation described in the exemplary embodiments and modules and structures of devices described in the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the subject matter as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A first communication apparatus comprising:a transceiver, which in operation, transmits a query to one or more second communication apparatuses for determining a condition associated with each second communication apparatus of the one or more second communication apparatuses; and circuitry, which in operation, determines the condition associated with each second communication apparatus based on a message received from the one or more second communication apparatuses in response to the query, the message being indicative of the condition associated with each second communication apparatus.

2. The first communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry determines the condition associated with each second communication apparatus based on whether a message is received from each second communication apparatuses in response to the query.

3. The first communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry determines the condition associated with each second communication apparatus based on an absence of a message from the one or more second communication apparatuses in response to the query.

4. The first communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry generates a notification to a user of the first communication apparatus for manual inspection of the one or more second communication apparatuses based on the determined condition associated with each second communication apparatus.

5. The first communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more second communication apparatuses that respond to the query form a group identified by a group identifier, and wherein the transceiver receives a message from the one or more second communication apparatus in the group in response to the query, the message from the one or more second communication apparatus in the group including the group identifier.

6. The first communication apparatus of claim 5, wherein:the transceiver transmits a request to the group for a unique identifier corresponding to each second communication apparatus in the group, the request including the group identifier; andthe circuitry identifies the one or more second communication apparatus in the group based on the unique identifier received from the one or more second communication apparatus in the group in response to the request.

7. The first communication apparatus of claim 5, wherein the message from the one or more second communication apparatus in the group is transmitted on a same frequency or different frequencies.

8. The first communication apparatus of claim 5, wherein the message from the one or more second communication apparatus in the group is transmitted at a same time or different times.

9. The first communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message from the one or more second communication apparatus includes at least one of: a unique identifier corresponding to each second communication apparatus, a group identifier corresponding to a type or group of second communication apparatuses, an identifier or an indication of the condition associated with each second communication apparatus, and an acknowledgement (ACK) or negative-acknowledgement (NACK) response to the condition queried by the first communication apparatus.

10. The first communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the condition associated with each second communication apparatus includes at least one of:an ability of each second communication apparatus to perform transmission and / or reception;a requirement of each second communication apparatus for maintenance;a battery level of each second communication apparatus;an operational status of each second communication apparatus; anda condition of an entity monitored by each second communication apparatus.

11. The first communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transceiver transmits the query to the one or more second communication apparatuses at a predetermined periodicity.

12. The first communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmitter transmits different queries to the one or more second apparatuses for determining different conditions associated with each second communication apparatus.

13. The first communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein different queries comprise different numbers of bits.

14. A second communication apparatus comprising:circuitry, which in operation, assesses a condition associated with the second communication apparatus; anda transceiver, which in operation, transmits a message indicative of the condition to a first communication apparatus in response to receiving a query, from the first communication apparatus, for determining the condition associated with the second communication apparatus.

15. The second communication apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second communication apparatus is part of a group of second communication apparatuses identified by a group identifier, the message including the group identifier.

16. The second communication apparatus of claim 15, wherein the transceiver transmits a unique identifier of the second communication apparatus to the first communication apparatus in response to receiving a request, from the first communication apparatus, for the unique identifier.

17. The second communication apparatus of claim 14, wherein the transceiver transmits the message to the first communication apparatuses at a predetermined periodicity.

18. The second communication apparatus of claim 14, wherein the transceiver transmits the message to the first communication apparatus when a predefined condition is met by the one or more second communication apparatuses.

19. A communication method implemented by a first communication apparatus comprising:transmitting a query to one or more second communication apparatuses for determining a condition associated with each second communication apparatus of the one or more second communication apparatuses; anddetermining the condition associated with each second communication apparatus based on a message received from the one or more second communication apparatuses in response to the query, the message being indicative of the condition associated with each second communication apparatus.

20. A communication method implemented by a second communication apparatus comprising:assessing a condition associated with the second communication apparatus; andtransmitting a message indicative of the condition to a first communication apparatus, in response to receiving a query, from the first communication apparatus, for determining the condition associated with the second communication apparatus.

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