Method for supporting data segmentation of ambient internet of things device, apparatus and communication system

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a method for supporting data segmentation of an ambient Internet of Things device, an apparatus and a communication system. The apparatus is applied to a first terminal device, and comprises: a first communication module, which receives first information sent by a reader, the first information indicating information related to the size of a device-to-reader (D2R) message; and a determination module, which determines, on the basis of the first information and memory information, segmented transmission of the message sent by the first terminal device to the reader, wherein the first communication module communicates with the reader by means of ambient Internet of Things radio, and the reader is arranged on a network device or a second terminal device.

Description

Methods, apparatus and communication systems supporting data segmentation for environmental IoT devices Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of this application relate to the field of communication technology. Background Technology

[0002] From the early days of 2G to 4G, cellular mobile communication systems primarily served mobile phones—mobile terminal devices held by people. With the rapid development of mobile internet and the Internet of Things (IoT), from the later stages of 4G to the present, the evolution of cellular mobile communication technology has considered and supported increasingly diverse IoT application scenarios. Correspondingly, more types of IoT devices have been supported and implemented in actual network deployments and service applications, such as Enhanced Machine-Type Communication (eMTC) devices, Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) devices, and Reduced Capability (RedCap) devices. With the increasing diversity of IoT terminal device types, cellular mobile systems have gained increasingly stronger capabilities in providing services and offering services to vertical industries.

[0003] However, among the massive number of IoT devices, the area of ​​large-scale and lower-cost IoT terminal devices remains a gap in cellular mobile communication systems. To provide more robust, reliable, and complete IoT application solutions, how to support lower-cost IoT terminal devices within the 3GPP cellular mobile system has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0004] In 3GPP cellular mobile systems, low-cost IoT terminal devices are called Ambient IoT devices. Ambient-powered IoT devices are those powered by energy harvesting, without batteries or with limited energy storage capacity (e.g., using capacitors). These devices can be called Ambient IoT (AIoT) devices, passive IoT devices, or simply tags, etc. Devices that communicate directly with AIoT devices are called readers, interrogators, etc.

[0005] The reader can reside in the network device, allowing direct communication between AIoT devices and the 5G network without the need for a terminal device (e.g., a user equipment (UE)) to transmit information between the AIoT device and the 5G network. Alternatively, the reader can reside in the terminal device, enabling indirect network communication for the Ambient IoT, representing communication between the Ambient IoT device and the 5G network, where an Ambient IoT-enabled UE facilitates the transmission of information between the Ambient IoT device and the 5G network.

[0006] It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is only for the purpose of providing a clear and complete explanation of the technical solutions of this application and facilitating understanding by those skilled in the art. It should not be assumed that these technical solutions are known to those skilled in the art simply because they have been described in the background section of this application. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In 3GPP's 5G system, tag-based terminal devices (i.e., AIoT devices) can reuse existing base station deployments and support industry applications based on this type of terminal through existing cellular mobile communication networks, thereby effectively reducing deployment and usage costs. 3GPP's 5G system can provide reliable authentication, network coordination, and accurate and stable terminal device management mechanisms, and can also optimize the network to improve system capacity and spectrum utilization efficiency.

[0008] As a new type of IoT terminal in 5G systems, tag-based terminal devices face significant cost constraints. Their hardware capabilities are noticeably weaker than those of ordinary smartphones and other IoT devices. Traditional communication processes for terminal devices, such as random access and uplink / downlink scheduling, may be too complex for new AIoT devices, and their hardware capabilities may not be sufficient.

[0009] The inventors of this application discovered that for data transmission in the Reader to Device (R2D) and Device to Reader (D2R) directions, there is no minimum limit on the transport block size; the maximum transport block size can support 1000 bits. Over a period of time, the size of the transport block that can be transmitted depends on factors such as target coverage, target data rate, and energy consumption / device availability. When the higher-layer data packet length is long, exceeding the transport block size supported by the AIoT device, data segmentation is required. However, in the prior art, the data segmentation and transmission methods for AIoT devices are not standardized. This prevents AIoT devices from communicating with readers and the network. Therefore, the data segmentation and transmission methods for AIoT devices are a problem that needs to be solved.

[0010] To address at least one of the above-mentioned problems or other similar problems, embodiments of this application provide a method, apparatus, and communication system for supporting data segmentation of IoT devices in an environment.

[0011] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, an apparatus for supporting data segmentation of environmental Internet of Things (IoT) devices is provided, applied to a first terminal device, the apparatus comprising:

[0012] The first communication module receives first information sent by the reader, the first information indicating information related to the size of the device-to-reader (D2R) message;

[0013] The determining module, based on the first information and memory information, determines the segmented transmission of the message sent by the first terminal device to the reader; and

[0014] The first communication module communicates with the reader via environmental IoT radio.

[0015] The reader is located in a network device or a second terminal device.

[0016] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a communication device is provided for use with a reader, the reader being disposed in a network device or a second terminal device, the communication device including a second communication module, the second communication module including a receiver and / or a transmitter, the second communication module being configured to:

[0017] The second communication module sends first information to the first terminal device, the first information indicating information related to the message size from the device to the reader;

[0018] The second communication module receives segmented data determined by the first terminal device based on the first information and memory information; and

[0019] The second communication module communicates with the first terminal device via environmental IoT radio.

[0020] The reader is located in a network device or a second terminal device.

[0021] One of the beneficial effects of this application's embodiments is that when a single Transport Block Size (TBS) cannot satisfy the transmission of the entire D2R message, the AIoT device segments the D2R message for transmission, thereby supporting communication and services between the AIoT device and the network.

[0022] Specific embodiments of this application are disclosed in detail with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, indicating how the principles of this application can be adopted. It should be understood that the embodiments of this application are not limited in scope. Within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, embodiments of this application include many changes, modifications, and equivalents.

[0023] Features described and / or illustrated for one embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments, combined with features in other embodiments, or substituted for features in other embodiments.

[0024] It should be emphasized that the term "including / comprises" as used herein refers to the presence of a feature, whole, step, or component, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, or components. Attached Figure Description

[0025] The elements and features described in one drawing or embodiment of this application may be combined with elements and features shown in one or more other drawings or embodiments. Furthermore, in the drawings, similar reference numerals denote corresponding parts in several drawings and can be used to indicate corresponding parts used in more than one embodiment.

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the first topology scenario of this application;

[0027] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the second topology scenario of this application;

[0028] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the overall access layer process between the first terminal device and the reader;

[0029] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a method for data segmentation of IoT devices in a supporting environment according to an embodiment of the first aspect of this application;

[0030] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a method for data segmentation of IoT devices in a supporting environment according to an embodiment of the second aspect of this application;

[0031] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the third aspect of this application;

[0032] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the fourth aspect of this application;

[0033] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0034] Referring to the accompanying drawings, the foregoing and other features of this application will become apparent from the following description. Specific embodiments of this application are specifically disclosed in the description and drawings, illustrating partial implementations in which the principles of this application may be employed. It should be understood that this application is not limited to the described embodiments; rather, it includes all modifications, variations, and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims.

[0035] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used to distinguish different elements by name, but do not indicate the spatial arrangement or chronological order of these elements, and these elements should not be limited by these terms. The term "and / or" includes any one or more of the terms listed in association and all combinations thereof. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," etc., refer to the presence of the stated features, elements, components, or assemblies, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, or assemblies.

[0036] In the embodiments of this application, the singular forms "a," "the," etc., including the plural forms, should be broadly understood as "a kind" or "a class" rather than limited to the meaning of "an." Furthermore, the term "the" should be understood to include both the singular and plural forms, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise. Additionally, the term "according to" should be understood as "at least partially based on…," and the term "based on" should be understood as "at least partially based on…," unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0037] In the embodiments of this application, the term "communication network" or "wireless communication network" may refer to a network that conforms to any of the following communication standards, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), etc.

[0038] Furthermore, communication between devices in a communication system can be carried out according to communication protocols at any stage, including but not limited to the following communication protocols: 1G (generation), 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G and 5G, New Radio (NR), etc., and / or other currently known or future communication protocols.

[0039] In the embodiments of this application, the term "network device" refers, for example, to a device in a communication system that connects a terminal device to a communication network and provides services to that terminal device. Network devices may include, but are not limited to, the following devices: integrated access and backhaul node (IAB-node), base station (BS), access point (AP), transmission and reception point (TRP), broadcast transmitter, mobile management entity (MME), gateway, server, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), etc.

[0040] The term "base station" can include, but is not limited to, NodeBs (or NBs), evolved NodeBs (or eNodeBs or eNBs), and 5G base stations (gNBs), etc. It can also include Remote Radio Heads (RRHs), Remote Radio Units (RRUs), relays, or low-power nodes (such as femeto, pico, etc.). The term "base station" can encompass some or all of its functions, and each base station can provide communication coverage to a specific geographic area. The term "cell" can refer to a base station and / or its coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0041] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "User Equipment" (UE) or "Terminal Equipment" (TE) refer, for example, to a device that accesses a communication network and receives network services through a network device. A terminal device can be fixed or mobile, and may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), terminal, subscriber station (SS), access terminal (AT), station, etc.

[0042] The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, the following devices: cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless modem, wireless communication device, handheld device, machine-type communication device, laptop computer, cordless phone, smartphone, smartwatch, digital camera, etc.

[0043] For example, in scenarios such as the Internet of Things (IoT), terminal devices can also be machines or devices for monitoring or measurement, such as including but not limited to: machine-type communication (MTC) terminals, vehicle communication terminals, device-to-device (D2D) terminals, machine-to-machine (M2M) terminals, and so on.

[0044] Furthermore, the terms "network side" or "network equipment side" refer to one side of the network, which can be a base station or include one or more network devices as described above. The terms "user side," "terminal side," or "terminal equipment side" refer to the side of the user or terminal, which can be a UE or include one or more terminal devices as described above.

[0045] In the following description, without causing confusion, the terms “uplink control signal” and “uplink control information (UCI)” or “physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)” are used interchangeably, as are the terms “uplink data signal” and “uplink data information” or “physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)”.

[0046] The terms “downlink control signal” and “downlink control information (DCI)” or “physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)” are interchangeable, as are the terms “downlink data signal” and “downlink data information (PDSCH)” or “physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)”.

[0047] Furthermore, sending or receiving a PUSCH can be understood as sending or receiving uplink data carried by the PUSCH; sending or receiving a PUCCH can be understood as sending or receiving uplink information carried by the PUCCH; and sending or receiving a PRACH can be understood as sending or receiving a preamble carried by the PRACH. Uplink signals can include uplink data signals and / or uplink control signals, and can also be referred to as uplink transmission (UL transmission), uplink information, or uplink channel. Sending an uplink transmission on uplink resources can be understood as using those uplink resources to send the uplink transmission. Similarly, downlink data / signals / channels / information can be understood accordingly.

[0048] In the embodiments of this application, higher-layer signaling may be, for example, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling; for example, referred to as an RRC message, including MIB, system information, dedicated RRC messages; or referred to as an RRC information element. Higher-layer signaling may also be, for example, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling; or referred to as a MAC control element. However, this application is not limited to these.

[0049] The following examples illustrate the scenarios of embodiments of this application, but this application is not limited thereto.

[0050] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the first topology scenario of this application.

[0051] As shown in Figure 1, in the first topology scenario, the environmental IoT device 102 directly communicates bidirectionally with the network device (e.g., base station) 101. The communication between the network device 101 and the environmental IoT device 102 includes data and / or signaling related to environmental IoT services. In the topology shown in Figure 1, the network device 101 that sends data and / or signaling to the environmental IoT device 102 is the same as the network device 101 that receives data and / or signaling from the environmental IoT device 102; however, in the topology shown in Figure 1, the network device 101 that sends data and / or signaling to the environmental IoT device 102 and the network device 101 that receives data and / or signaling from the environmental IoT device 102 may also be different.

[0052] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a second topology scenario of this application. As shown in Figure 2, in the second topology scenario, the environmental IoT device 102 communicates bidirectionally with an intermediate node 103, which communicates with both the environmental IoT device 102 and the network device (e.g., base station) 101. In the topology shown in Figure 2, the intermediate node 103 can be a relay node with environmental IoT capabilities, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a user equipment (UE), a repeater, etc. The intermediate node 103 transmits environmental IoT service-related data and / or signaling between the network device 101 and the environmental IoT device 102.

[0053] In the various embodiments of this application, the terms Ambient IoT, AIoT, and Environmental Internet of Things have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.

[0054] In the various embodiments of this application, the terms "high-level data" and "high-level user data" have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.

[0055] First aspect of the embodiments

[0056] For Device to Reader (D2R) data transmission, the physical layer of an AIoT device needs to know the Transport Block Size (TBS) of the Physical Device-to-Reader Channel (PDRCH) to indicate the amount of data that can be transmitted to Layer 2 (MAC layer) and to correctly set parameters such as modulation and channel coding for modulation and coding.

[0057] An embodiment of the first aspect of this application provides a method for supporting data segmentation of AIoT devices in an environment. This method, based on information from a reader indicating the transport block size to the AIoT device, and the AIoT device combining received higher-layer messages, segments D2R messages. The method includes determining whether segmentation is necessary, the segmentation method, the retransmission method, and a method for use in conjunction with memory. Segmented transmission is performed when a single TBS cannot satisfy the transmission of the entire D2R message, thereby supporting communication and services from the AIoT device to the network. This method is applicable in both first and second topology scenarios.

[0058] In various embodiments of this application, D2R (Device to Reader) messages are messages from the device to the reader, also known as uplink data; R2D (Reader to Device) messages are messages from the reader to the device, also known as downlink data.

[0059] The transport block size can also be called the Layer 2 (MAC layer) data size, MAC PDU size, Layer 2 payload size, information bit size, message size, etc. The transport block size of a D2R message can also be called the device-to-reader response message size.

[0060] In various embodiments of this application, the wireless interface between the AIoT device and the access network node of Topology 1 is referred to as the first interface, such as AIoT interface, AIoT Uu, A-Uu, etc. If the intermediate node 103 (such as the second terminal device) has a reader function (as shown in Topology 2 in Figure 2), then the wireless interface between the AIoT-enabled intermediate UE and the AIoT device can also be referred to as the first interface. The reader function refers to the function of communicating with the AIoT device via AIoT radio, which can be implemented as a common functional entity of the network device and the second terminal device, such as called a RAN-reader entity, or it can be an existing functional entity aggregated in the network device or the second terminal device. The first interface in Topology 1 and Topology 2 can use a common design.

[0061] The physical layer of the first interface has the following characteristics: For AIoT devices, since they may be passive devices, data must be transmitted via backscattering. The carrier providing the backscattering is called the first waveform, which can be a blank carrier, a carrier wave, a continuous wave, a sine wave, a backscattered / backscattering wave, or an uplink wave, etc., and this application embodiment is not limited to these. The first waveform is used to provide power to the AIoT device. The first waveform can be emitted by a device communicating with the AIoT, such as the base station in topology 1 shown in Figure 1, or the intermediate UE in topology 2 shown in Figure 2. The first waveform can also be emitted by an independent third-party device.

[0062] For example, an AIoT device transmits a signal by backscattering a first waveform. This first waveform is a waveform sent by a network device or a third-party device. The first terminal device modulates the information it intends to send to the network device onto the first waveform by adjusting its backscatter circuit, and then backscatters the modulated first waveform.

[0063] For example, the first terminal device autonomously generates a second signal and transmits it. The first terminal device autonomously generates a first waveform and modulates the information to be sent to the network device onto the first waveform before transmitting it.

[0064] In the embodiments of this application, both the first signal and the second signal are single-carrier signals. Compared with multi-carrier signals, single-carrier signals have lower modulation (e.g., using OOK, On-Off Keying modulation) and demodulation complexity, and lower requirements for hardware capabilities and accuracy, effectively reducing the complexity and cost of terminal devices.

[0065] In various embodiments of this application, the environmental IoT device 102 of FIG1 or FIG2 can also be referred to as the first terminal device, and the intermediate node 103 of FIG2 can also be referred to as the second terminal device.

[0066] In this embodiment, the network node, such as the AIoT RAN node, corresponding to network device 101 in Figure 1, is a core network element (AIoT CN) that provides AIoT radio and connects to the AIoT network function-supporting core network element via a second interface (e.g., the NG interface). This AIoT core network element, as part of the functional division between the RAN and CN, carries certain AIoT functions. The intermediate UE reader is a UE that provides AIoT radio, corresponding to intermediate node 2 in Figure 2, and is connected to the gNB (which may be a gNB that enhances AIoT functions, corresponding to network device 101 in Figure 2) via the NR Uu interface. The network node (e.g., network device 101) and the intermediate UE can use the common reader function that provides AIoT radio. The reader function resides in the AIoT RAN node (i.e., the reader is located in the network device) or in the UE reader (i.e., the reader is located in the second terminal device).

[0067] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the overall access layer process between the first terminal device and the reader. As shown in Figure 3, step 301 is the AIoT paging process. The reader sends an AIoT paging message, also called the first message, based on higher-layer signaling, such as a service request from the core network. The AIoT paging message indicates the AIoT device that needs to respond. Step 302 is the D2R data transmission process. The D2R data includes the device identifier (ID). The AIoT device indicated in the paging message transmits its device ID using or without the AIoT random access process. Step 303 is the data transmission process. Step 3031 is a possible R2D data transmission process, such as sending a command message; step 3032 is a possible D2R data transmission process, such as responding to a command message.

[0068] In this embodiment, the D2R data in step 302 can be segmented, or the D2R data in step 3032 can be segmented. Step 303 can be repeated, meaning multiple R2D messages may carry multiple commands, thus requiring segmentation for multiple D2R messages. To reduce the complexity of data segmentation for AIoT devices, segmentation can be performed only on the D2R messages in step 303, meaning the D2R message transmitting the device identifier (also called Msg3) in step 302 is not segmented. Because device identifiers are typically of fixed length, the Reader knows the length of the device identifier in advance, making it easy to allocate appropriate D2R transmission resources for Msg3, thereby reducing the complexity caused by potential segmentation.

[0069] Storage methods for AIoT devices include non-volatile memory (NVM) and registers. NVM can be electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) used for permanent storage of device identifiers, etc. Registers are used to temporarily store any information required for operation only when there is available energy in the energy storage.

[0070] In this embodiment, the segmented transmission method differs from the traditional NR terminal device's method of segmenting operations on the Access Stratum (AS) buffer.

[0071] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a method for data segmentation of IoT devices in a supporting environment according to an embodiment of the first aspect of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the method includes:

[0072] Operation 401: The first terminal device receives the first information sent by the reader, the first information indicating information related to the message size from the device to the reader;

[0073] Operation 402: The first terminal device, based on the first information and memory information, determines the segmented transmission of the message sent by the first terminal device to the reader; and

[0074] Operation 403: The first terminal device communicates with the reader via environmental IoT radio.

[0075] The reader is located in a network device or a second terminal device.

[0076] In operation 402, determining the segmented transmission of the message sent by the first terminal device to the reader includes:

[0077] Segmented transmission is performed during the transmission of the device identifier of the first terminal device (step 302), and / or during the response to a command message from the reader (step 3032); or

[0078] No segmented transmission is performed during the process of transmitting the device identifier of the first terminal device (step 302), but segmented transmission is performed during the process of responding to the command message from the reader (step 3032).

[0079] In operation 402, the data to be segmented for segmented transmission is stored in a higher-level storage unit of the first terminal device, such as non-volatile memory (NVM). The first terminal device reads data segments from the storage unit for transmission. The data to be segmented for segmented transmission is not stored in the access layer (AS) cache. This transmission method can be called on-the-fly transmission, or read-while-transmitting. Therefore, segmented transmission requires memory information.

[0080] In operation 402, the first terminal device reads a data segment from the storage unit based on memory information, which includes at least one of the following:

[0081] Memory blocks, also known as memory types, memory numbers, memory regions, or memory banks, are used to indicate different memory areas. For example, a device's memory can be divided into multiple areas to store different types of data, including user areas, device identification storage areas, sensor data storage areas, and reserved areas.

[0082] The starting address (S) indicates the starting address within the memory block (memory region) to be read; it can also be understood as a pointer to the starting location of the memory to be read.

[0083] The length to be read, such as the number of bytes, bits, or the memory address offset K. The memory address offset K refers to the memory data read from the starting address S to address S+K. If each index's address can store 2 bytes of data, then the memory address offset K corresponds to 2K bytes of data. The length to be read can also be replaced with the ending address.

[0084] In operation 402, memory information is either included in a higher-level command, generated by the first terminal device, or pre-configured.

[0085] For example, memory information is included in higher-level commands. Before D2R data transmission, the first terminal device receives higher-level data sent from the core network (CN) via a Reader, triggering the first terminal device to perform D2R data transmission. This higher-level data includes service requests, such as command messages. The D2R data that needs to be transmitted in segments is typically a response message to a "read" command.

[0086] For example, memory information may be generated or pre-configured by the first terminal device. In a sensor data acquisition scenario, for instance, the first terminal device may be pre-configured with memory block identifiers and the addresses where the acquired data is stored, and may report sensor data as needed. The size of the reported data may be indicated by the Reader or determined by the first terminal device.

[0087] For example, some information in the memory information is generated or pre-configured by the first terminal device. For example, the memory block identifier, that is, the device knows which memory area the data to be read is in (for example, the device identifier is in a dedicated device identifier storage area); this information is indicated by the Reader, such as the starting address, data length, etc., and can be carried by the command message.

[0088] In operation 401, how to indicate information related to the message size of the reader to the device via R2D message (i.e., the first information), that is, which signaling is used for indication, can be done in either method 1 or method 2.

[0089] Method 1: Explicit Instruction

[0090] The reader indicates to the first terminal device information related to the device-to-reader (D2R) message size (i.e., first information). The device-to-reader (D2R) message size related information includes the transport block size and / or the message size of the higher layer.

[0091] When the D2R message size information pertains to the physical layer's transport block size (e.g., number of bytes), the physical layer of the first terminal device provides the transport block size to the MAC layer. The MAC entity then constructs a MAC PDU corresponding to the transport block size. The size of the MAC SDU is equal to the transport block size minus the size of the MAC header and / or subheaders. The size of the higher-layer data is obtained based on the MAC SDU size, for example, the amount of data read from the storage unit corresponding to the MAC SDU size. Since reading data from the storage unit is a higher-layer (application layer, AIoT layer) operation, the MAC layer can provide the MAC SDU size (or the size of the higher-layer data) to the higher layers, allowing the higher layers to perform the read operation based on this size information, and then deliver the higher-layer data to the MAC layer. Specifically, the delivery method involves passing the data from the AIoT layer to the NAS (non-access stratum) layer, and then to the MAC layer.

[0092] When the D2R message size information pertains to the higher-layer message size, the MAC layer of the first terminal device generates a MAC SDU equal to that message size based on the higher-layer message size. It then generates a MAC header and / or sub-headers, adds any possible MAC CEs, assembles it into a MAC PDU, and delivers it to the physical layer for transmission. The higher-layer message size can be, for example, the size of a response message to a "read" command, or the size or byte length of the data to be read from memory, plus some higher-layer signaling overhead, such as control fields and headers. The AIoT device obtains the actual transport block size by adding the MAC header and / or sub-header lengths and the size of any possible MAC CEs to the initial information.

[0093] The first information can be explicitly indicated through either Layer 2 (MAC layer) or Layer 1 (Physical layer). When the Reader uses Layer 2 messages for indication, for example, the first information is received by the first terminal device as a field of the Control Element (CE) in the Media Access Control (MAC) layer. When the Reader uses Layer 1 control information for indication, for example, the first information is received by the first terminal device as control information in the Physical Reader-to-Device Channel (PRDCH).

[0094] Method 1's explicit indication is simple and direct, which can reduce the implementation complexity of AIoT devices.

[0095] Method 2: Implicit Indication

[0096] Information related to the device-to-reader (D2R) message size includes the transport block size (TBS). The first terminal device receives the first information by receiving scheduling information from the device-to-reader (D2R). This scheduling information can also be called radio resource information, resource allocation information, etc.

[0097] The Transport Block Size (TBS) is related to resource allocation, modulation order, coding rate, and other factors. Device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information implicitly indicates the TBS by including at least one of the following: time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, modulation order (or modulation mode), code rate, chip length, chip rate, the number of chips M in an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, and the number of repetitions. Depending on the application, the AIoT device determines the TBS based on one or more of the above information.

[0098] For example, the first terminal device obtains the number of information bits by multiplying the number of resource units in the indicated time-frequency resources by the code rate and modulation order, and then obtains the transport block size through quantization. The code rate is, for example, the coding rate of line coding, or it can be implicitly indicated by the line coding mode.

[0099] If M-chips are used, the number of information bits is multiplied by M; if repeated transmission is used, the number of information bits is divided by the number of repetitions. M can be calculated by dividing one OFDM symbol time by the chip length. OFDM symbol time refers to the predefined symbol time in cellular networks, such as New Radio (NR) systems, determined by the subcarrier spacing (SCS) configured in the system, as per existing technology. Therefore, the first terminal device can also obtain the number of information bits by multiplying the number of resource elements in the indicated time-frequency resources by the code rate and modulation order, multiplying by the OFDM symbol time, and dividing by the chip length, and then obtain the transport block size through quantization. The chip rate is the reciprocal of the chip length, and the above calculation method can be replaced accordingly. Chip length can also be called chip duration, referring to the duration of a chip.

[0100] The implicit indication format of Method 2 can reuse resource allocation information (i.e. D2R scheduling information) and reduce signaling overhead.

[0101] The present application will be further described below through Embodiment 1, Embodiment 2 and Embodiment 3.

[0102] Example 1

[0103] In some examples of Operation 402, the first terminal device can determine whether to perform segmented transmission based on the first information and the memory information. For example, if the size of the Service Data Unit (SDU) of the Media Access Control (MAC) corresponding to the first information is smaller than the data size corresponding to the memory information, then segmented transmission is determined to be performed.

[0104] The calculation method for the size of a Business Data Unit (SDU) includes:

[0105] If the first information indicates the size of the higher-layer data, then the size of the higher-layer data is equal to the size of the Service Data Unit (SDU) of the Media Access Control (MAC); or

[0106] If the first information indicates the size of the transport block, then the size of the Service Data Unit (SDU) of the Media Access Control (MAC) is equal to the size of the transport block minus the size of the MAC header and / or subheader and the MAC Control Element (CE).

[0107] Example 1 uses the data size corresponding to memory information obtained from high-level command messages as an example to specifically illustrate the method of data segmentation in operation 402, including any one of the following methods 1, 2 and 3.

[0108] Method 1:

[0109] The first terminal device stores (remembers) memory-related information and the starting address of the next segment of data.

[0110] Memory-related information refers to information calculated directly or indirectly from high-level commands, including one or more of the following: memory block identifier, start address, data length, and end address. The start address of the next segment can also be replaced with the end address (position) of the previous segment.

[0111] If segmented retransmission is supported, the first terminal device also needs to save the starting address of the previous segment or the size of the previous MAC SDU (i.e., the data last read from memory).

[0112] The starting address of the next data segment and / or the starting address of the previous data segment and / or the size of the previous MAC SDU can be stored in the MAC layer. When the MAC layer determines to perform segmented transmission (new transfer or retransmission), it passes the required address / size information (refer to Embodiment 2) to the upper layer. The upper layer then reads the memory based on this information and passes the segmented content to the MAC layer. Alternatively, the aforementioned address / size information can be stored in the upper layer. When the MAC layer determines to perform segmented transmission (new transfer or retransmission), it sends a segmented transmission (new transfer or retransmission) instruction to the upper layer. The upper layer finds the corresponding address information (refer to Embodiment 2) based on the instruction for segmented new transfer or segmented retransmission, then reads the memory and passes the segmented content to the MAC layer.

[0113] Method 2:

[0114] The first terminal device receives the address offset of each segment of data as indicated by the reader.

[0115] The first terminal device can save only the memory information from the command message, such as the starting address or data length, and does not need to save the starting address of the next segment. When the Reader schedules the first terminal device to perform D2R data transmission, it indicates the address offset of a segment, which can also be replaced by a data size offset. For example, if it is the first segment, the address offset / data offset is 0, and the first terminal device reads data from the starting address as the first segment; if it is the second segment, the address offset is the address offset from the initial starting address (the starting address indicated in the higher-level command), corresponding to the starting address of the second segment in memory. Similarly, the data offset is the size of the first segment, and the first terminal device can calculate the starting address of the second segment in memory based on the data offset; and so on.

[0116] If segmented retransmission is supported, the first terminal device does not save the starting address of the previous segment data, but reads the starting address of the previous segment (retransmission) or the next segment (new transmission) through the address offset indicated by the Reader.

[0117] When the MAC layer receives the address offset of the segmented data indicated by the reader and determines that segmented transmission is to be performed, it passes the address offset to the upper layer. The upper layer then performs a read operation on the memory based on the address offset information and passes the segmented content to the MAC layer.

[0118] If cache status reporting (or pending data reporting) is supported, the first terminal device does not need to save the data length or end address information in the higher-level command after sending the cache status report. The Reader allocates appropriate resources for each segment based on the cache status report.

[0119] Method 3:

[0120] The R2D message received by the first terminal device to trigger segmented data transmission of a device-to-reader (D2R) message contains higher-level commands. That is, each R2D message received by the first terminal device to trigger segmented transmission contains higher-level command messages regarding memory information. The R2D message used to trigger segmented data transmission of a device-to-reader (D2R) message can be an R2D message containing D2R scheduling information, allocating resources for subsequent D2R data transmission. For example, this R2D message could be Msg4, an R2D trigger message, a subsequent paging message, an access round trigger message, etc.

[0121] The first terminal device does not need to store memory information; it obtains memory information each time based on commands from higher levels. The first terminal device only needs to store the starting address of the next segment of data.

[0122] Similar to Method 1, the starting address of the next data segment can also be replaced with the ending address (position) of the previous data segment. For example, if segmented retransmission is supported, the first terminal device also needs to save the starting address of the previous data segment or the size of the previous MAC SDU (i.e., the data last read from memory).

[0123] The storage location for the starting address of the next data segment and / or the starting address of the previous data segment and / or the size of the previous MAC SDU can be found in Method 1, which describes how the starting address of the next data segment and / or the starting address of the previous data segment and / or the size of the previous MAC SDU are stored.

[0124] In this embodiment of the application, since the reader does not know the information related to higher-level services, the reader can obtain the first information based on the indication of the second information from the core network (CN), that is, the information related to the size of the D2R message is visible to the reader in the signaling sent by the core network to the reader.

[0125] This second piece of information can be included in a business (e.g., inventory, command, etc.) request message. The second piece of information refers to the size of the response (or feedback, reply) message from one or more AIoT devices; it is the size of high-level user data, such as the device identifier length, the size of data read from memory for a "read" command, etc. "Higher level" refers to layers above the AS layer, such as non-AS layers above the MAC layer, the AIoT layer, or the application layer.

[0126] If the size of the D2R message is sent by the CN and is visible to the Reader, the first terminal device does not need to save the length of the data read or the end address of the memory read; it can directly perform segmented transmission based on the first information. The method on the first terminal device side is basically the same as methods 1, 2, and 3 described above.

[0127] For method 2 above, the Reader side can indicate the address offset of the segmented data based on the size of the D2R message sent by the core network and the size of the segmented data already received.

[0128] In this embodiment of the application, the first terminal device uses indication information in the device-to-reader (D2R) message to indicate segmentation-related information.

[0129] For example, the indication information is set to 2 bits, where the first bit indicates whether the device-to-reader (D2R) message is segmented data; for example, a bit value of 1 indicates segmentation, and a bit value of 0 indicates non-segmentation. The second bit indicates whether, if the D2R message is segmented data, the segmented data is the last segment if the first bit value is 1; for example, a second bit value of 1 indicates the last segmented data, and a second bit value of 0 indicates that there are subsequent segments. If the first bit value is 0, then the second bit is a reserved bit. This 2-bit configuration method is more effective in the event of segmented data loss.

[0130] For example, the indication information is set to 1 bit to indicate whether the device-to-reader (D2R) message is the last segment of data in the device-to-reader (D2R) data. This configuration method applies regardless of whether segmentation is performed. If no segmentation is performed, then the data is also considered the last in the D2R message.

[0131] For example, the indication information is provided through the first report, such as a Buffer Status Reporting (BSR), message size indication, remaining data volume report, or pending data report. The first report contains the size of the available D2R data to be sent in the device, which is the size of the data still to be read from memory. The data size in the first report refers to the data transmitted from the upper layer, specifically the size of the data stored in the NVM to be read in memory, minus the address of the last segment. If the pending data size in the first report is greater than 0, it indicates that the device-to-reader (D2R) message is segmented data, and more segments need to be transmitted. If the first report uses a Buffer Status Report, then the buffer size in the BSR is the pending data size.

[0132] Example 2

[0133] Embodiment 2 of this application describes a segmented retransmission method, including any one of the following options 1, 2 and 3.

[0134] Option 1:

[0135] If the first terminal device does not support segmented retransmission, when the feedback from the reader-to-device (R2D) received by the first terminal device indicates that the segmented transmission of the device-to-reader (D2R) message has failed or succeeded, it is determined whether to reconnect.

[0136] If explicit failure indication is supported, then when the first terminal device receives an explicit R2D failure feedback indication after transmitting a segment of data, it determines that a reconnection is required. In subsequent Reader-controlled reconnection opportunities, the first terminal device performs random access, thereby restarting the transmission of the entire D2R message; that is, if segmented transmission is still required, retransmission needs to start from the first segment.

[0137] If explicit success indication is supported, then if the first terminal device does not receive an explicit R2D success feedback indication after transmitting a segment of data for more than a first time threshold, it determines that a reconnection is required. In subsequent reconnection opportunities controlled by the Reader, the first terminal device performs random access, thereby restarting the transmission of the entire D2R message. That is, if segmented transmission is still required, retransmission needs to start from the first segment.

[0138] Option 2:

[0139] The first terminal device determines whether to retransmit the previous segment of data or transmit the next segment of data based on the reader-to-device (R2D) failure or success feedback.

[0140] If the Reader sends an explicit failure or success feedback indication along with D2R scheduling information, then after receiving the explicit failure or success feedback indication and D2R scheduling information for the first terminal device, it will either retransmit the previous segment of data (retransmission) or transmit the next segment of data (new transmission). For example, if the first terminal device receives explicit success feedback and D2R scheduling information, it will transmit the next segment according to the resources in the scheduling information; if the first terminal device receives explicit failure feedback and D2R scheduling information, it will retransmit the previous segment according to the resources in the scheduling information. The data segmentation method can adopt method 1 of Embodiment 1.

[0141] This segmented transmission method based on explicit feedback indication is a stop-and-wait retransmission method. The first terminal device only proceeds to the next segmented transmission after receiving an explicit feedback indication. The first terminal device can only retransmit the previously transmitted segmented data; that is, it cannot retransmit segments of data preceding the previously transmitted segmented data.

[0142] Option 3:

[0143] The first terminal device determines whether to retransmit the previous data segment or transmit the next data segment based on the segment data offset indication in the Reader-to-Device (R2D) message. The Reader-to-Device (R2D) message contains D2R scheduling information for the first terminal device.

[0144] Segment data offset refers to address offset or data size offset. The segment data offset implicitly indicates whether to retransmit the previous segment or transmit the next segment. The first terminal device can use the segmentation method of Method 2 in Embodiment 1 for data transmission. For each transmission process, the first terminal device directly reads data from memory and sends it immediately; therefore, the first terminal device does not need to determine whether the currently transmitted segment data is a retransmission or a new transmission.

[0145] For options 2 and 3, if the R2D message does not contain D2R scheduling information for the first terminal device, or if the first terminal device sends a segmented data and does not receive an explicit R2D success feedback indication within a first time threshold, the first terminal device determines that it needs to re-access. Option 1 can be used for re-access.

[0146] Example 3

[0147] The Reader can provide transport block size information based on channel conditions or other resource availability through D2R scheduling information.

[0148] If the block size provided by the Reader exceeds the transmission capacity of the first terminal device, or if the energy level of the first terminal device limits the message size it can support, the first terminal device determines to perform segmented transmission. The first terminal device does not need to transmit according to the block size information indicated by the Reader; it can determine the segment size based on its own capabilities and perform data segmented transmission. The data segmentation method can be any of method 1, method 2, or method 3 in Embodiment 1.

[0149] If segmented transmission is required due to limitations in the energy level of the first terminal device, then the energy level report of the first terminal device can be included when sending the segmented data.

[0150] Second aspect of the embodiments

[0151] The method for supporting data segmentation of IoT devices in this application embodiment is applied to a reader, which is set in a network device or a second terminal device. It corresponds to the method in the first aspect embodiment, and the contents that are the same as those in the first aspect embodiment will not be repeated.

[0152] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a method for data segmentation of IoT devices in a supporting environment according to an embodiment of the second aspect of this application. As shown in Figure 5, the method includes:

[0153] Operation 501: The reader sends first information to the first terminal device, the first information indicating information related to the message size from the device to the reader; and

[0154] Operation 502: The reader receives segmented data determined by the first terminal device based on the first information and memory information.

[0155] The reader is located in a network device or a second terminal device.

[0156] In some embodiments, determining the segmented transmission of messages from the first terminal device to the reader includes:

[0157] Segmented transmission is performed during the transmission of the device identifier of the first terminal device, and / or segmented transmission is performed during the response to a command message from the reader; or

[0158] The device identifier of the first terminal device is not transmitted in segments, but is transmitted in segments in response to command messages from the reader.

[0159] In some embodiments, the data to be segmented for segmented transmission is stored in a storage unit at a higher level of the first terminal device, and the first terminal device reads data segments from the storage unit for transmission.

[0160] In some embodiments, the higher-level storage unit includes non-volatile memory (NVM).

[0161] In some embodiments, the first terminal device reads a data segment from the storage unit based on memory information, the memory information including at least one of the following:

[0162] Information about memory blocks, which is used to indicate different memory regions;

[0163] The starting address indicates the starting address within the memory block to be read.

[0164] The length to be read.

[0165] In some embodiments, memory information is either included in a high-level command, generated by a first terminal device, or pre-configured.

[0166] In some embodiments, device-to-reader (D2R) message size related information includes transport block size and / or higher-layer message size, wherein,

[0167] The reader sends the first information as a field of the Control Element (CE) in the Media Access Control (MAC) layer to the first terminal device; or

[0168] The reader sends the first information as control information in the Physical Reader-to-Device Channel (PRDCH) to the first terminal device.

[0169] In some embodiments, the device-to-reader (D2R) message size related information includes the transport block size, and the reader sends the first information by sending device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information to the first terminal device.

[0170] In some embodiments, the device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information includes at least one of time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, modulation order or modulation mode, code rate, chip length, chip rate, number of chips (M) in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, and number of repetitions.

[0171] The first terminal device determines the transport block size (TBS) based on the device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information.

[0172] In some embodiments, the first terminal device determines whether to perform segmented transmission based on first information and memory information, including:

[0173] If the size of the Service Data Unit (SDU) of the Media Access Control (MAC) corresponding to the first information is smaller than the data size corresponding to the memory information, then segmented transmission is determined.

[0174] In some embodiments, if the first information indicates the size of the higher-layer data, then the size of the higher-layer data is equal to the size of the Service Data Unit (SDU) of the Media Access Control (MAC); or

[0175] If the first information indicates the size of the transport block, then the size of the Service Data Unit (SDU) of the Media Access Control (MAC) is equal to the size of the transport block minus the size of the MAC header and / or subheader and the MAC control element (CE).

[0176] In some embodiments, the first terminal device stores memory-related information and the starting address of the next segment of data.

[0177] In some embodiments, the first terminal device also stores the starting address of the previous segment data or the size of the previous Media Access Control (MAC) Service Data Unit (SDU).

[0178] In some embodiments, the first terminal device receives the address offset of each segment of data indicated by the reader.

[0179] In some embodiments, the first terminal device reads the starting address of the previous segment data or the next segment data by the address offset indicated by the reader.

[0180] In some embodiments, the R2D message received by the first terminal device for triggering segmented data transmission of a device-to-reader (D2R) message contains higher-level commands.

[0181] In some embodiments, the first terminal device obtains memory information according to a higher-level command and saves the starting address of the next segment of data.

[0182] In some embodiments, the first terminal device uses indication information in the device-to-reader (D2R) message to indicate segmentation information:

[0183] The indication information is set to 2 bits, where the first bit indicates whether the device-to-reader (D2R) message is segmented data, and the second bit indicates whether, if the device-to-reader (D2R) message is segmented data, the segmented data is the last segmented data; or

[0184] The indication information is set to 1 bit, indicating whether the device-to-reader (D2R) message is the last segment of data in the device-to-reader (D2R) data; or

[0185] The indication information is provided through a first report, wherein if the size of the data to be transmitted in the first report is greater than 0, the device-to-reader (D2R) message is segmented data.

[0186] In some embodiments, when the first terminal device receives a reader-to-device (R2D) feedback indicating that the segmented transmission of the device-to-reader (D2R) message has failed or succeeded, it is determined whether to reconnect.

[0187] In some embodiments, when the first terminal device receives feedback of a reader-to-device (R2D) failure after transmitting a segment of data, it determines to reconnect; or

[0188] If the first terminal device does not receive a successful Reader-to-Device (R2D) response after transmitting a segment of data for more than a first time threshold, it determines to reconnect.

[0189] In some embodiments, the first terminal device determines whether to retransmit the previous segment of data or transmit the next segment of data based on reader-to-device (R2D) failure or success feedback.

[0190] In some embodiments, if the first terminal device receives successful reader-to-device (R2D) feedback and device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information, the first terminal device performs the transmission of the next segment according to the resources in the scheduling information; or

[0191] If the first terminal device receives feedback of reader-to-device (R2D) failure and device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information, the first terminal device will retransmit the previous segment according to the resources in the scheduling information.

[0192] In some embodiments, the first terminal device determines whether to retransmit the previous segment of data or transmit the next segment of data based on the segment data offset indication in the reader-to-device (R2D) message.

[0193] In some embodiments, if the Reader to Device (R2D) message does not contain scheduling information for the Device to Reader (D2R) of the first terminal device, or if the first terminal device does not receive a successful Reader to Device (R2D) response after sending a segmented data for more than a first time threshold, the first terminal device determines to reconnect.

[0194] In some embodiments, the first terminal device determines whether to perform segmented transmission based on the first information and the memory information, including:

[0195] If the block size provided by the reader is greater than the transmission capacity of the first terminal device or the energy level of the first terminal device limits the message size that the first terminal device can support, the first terminal device will determine to perform segmented transmission.

[0196] Third aspect of the embodiments

[0197] This application provides a communication device applied to a first terminal device. This device may be, for example, a terminal device itself, or one or more components or parts configured within the terminal device. It corresponds to the method applied to the first terminal device in the first aspect of the embodiment, and the content identical to that in the first aspect of the embodiment will not be repeated.

[0198] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the third aspect of this application. As shown in Figure 6, the communication device 600 includes a first communication module 601 and a determination module 602. The first communication module 601 includes a receiver and / or a transmitter.

[0199] In some embodiments, the first communication module 601 and the determining module 602 are configured to:

[0200] The first communication module 601 receives first information sent by the reader, the first information indicating information related to the size of the device-to-reader (D2R) message;

[0201] The determining module 602 determines the segmented transmission of the message sent by the first terminal device to the reader based on the first information and memory information; and

[0202] The first communication module 601 communicates with the reader via an environmental IoT radio.

[0203] The reader is located in a network device or a second terminal device.

[0204] In some embodiments, determining the segmented transmission of messages from the first terminal device to the reader includes:

[0205] Segmented transmission is performed during the transmission of the device identifier of the first terminal device, and / or segmented transmission is performed during the response to a command message from the reader; or

[0206] The device identifier of the first terminal device is not transmitted in segments, but is transmitted in segments in response to command messages from the reader.

[0207] In some embodiments, the communication device 600 further includes:

[0208] Storage unit 603 is used to store the data to be segmented for segmented transmission in a higher layer of the first terminal device. The first terminal device reads data segments from storage unit 603 for transmission.

[0209] In some embodiments, the higher-level storage unit 603 includes non-volatile memory (NVM).

[0210] In some embodiments, the determining module 602 reads a data segment from the storage unit 603 based on memory information.

[0211] Memory information includes at least one of the following:

[0212] Information about memory blocks, which is used to indicate different memory regions;

[0213] The starting address indicates the starting address within the memory block to be read.

[0214] The length to be read.

[0215] In some embodiments, memory information is included in a high-level command; or generated by a first terminal device; or pre-configured.

[0216] In some embodiments, device-to-reader (D2R) message size related information includes transport block size and / or higher-layer message size, wherein,

[0217] The first information, as a field of the Control Element (CE) of the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, is received by the first communication module 601; or

[0218] The first information, as control information in the Physical Reader-to-Device Channel (PRDCH), is received by the first communication module 601.

[0219] In some embodiments, information related to the device-to-reader (D2R) message size includes the transport block size.

[0220] The first communication module 601 receives the first information by receiving the scheduling information from the device to the reader (D2R).

[0221] In some embodiments, the device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information includes at least one of time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, modulation order or modulation mode, code rate, chip length, chip rate, number of chips (M) in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, and number of repetitions.

[0222] The first communication module 601 determines the transport block size (TBS) based on the device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information.

[0223] In some embodiments, the determining module 602 determines whether to perform segmented transmission based on the first information and memory information, including:

[0224] If the size of the Service Data Unit (SDU) of the Media Access Control (MAC) corresponding to the first information is smaller than the data size corresponding to the memory information, then segmented transmission is determined.

[0225] In some embodiments, if the first information indicates the size of the higher-layer data, then the size of the higher-layer data is equal to the size of the Service Data Unit (SDU) of the Media Access Control (MAC); or

[0226] If the first information indicates the size of the transport block, then the size of the Service Data Unit (SDU) of the Media Access Control (MAC) is equal to the size of the transport block minus the size of the MAC header and / or subheader and the MAC control element (CE).

[0227] In some embodiments, the first terminal device stores memory-related information and the starting address of the next segment of data.

[0228] In some embodiments, the first terminal device also stores the starting address of the previous segment data or the size of the previous Media Access Control (MAC) Service Data Unit (SDU).

[0229] In some embodiments, the first communication module 601 receives the address offset of each segment of data indicated by the reader.

[0230] In some embodiments, the first communication module 601 reads the starting address of the previous segment data or the next segment data through the address offset indicated by the reader.

[0231] In some embodiments, the R2D message received by the first communication module 601 for triggering segmented data transmission of a device-to-reader (D2R) message contains higher-level commands.

[0232] In some embodiments, the first terminal device obtains memory information according to a higher-level command and saves the starting address of the next segment of data.

[0233] In some embodiments, the first terminal device uses indication information in the device-to-reader (D2R) message to indicate segmentation information:

[0234] The indication information is set to 2 bits, where the first bit indicates whether the device-to-reader (D2R) message is segmented data, and the second bit indicates whether, if the D2R message is segmented data, it is the last segmented data; or

[0235] The indication information is set to 1 bit, indicating whether the device-to-reader (D2R) message is the last segment of data in the device-to-reader (D2R) data; or

[0236] The indication information is provided through a first report, wherein if the size of the data to be transmitted in the first report is greater than 0, the device-to-reader (D2R) message is segmented data.

[0237] In some embodiments, when the first communication module 601 receives a reader-to-device (R2D) feedback indicating that the segmented transmission of the device-to-reader (D2R) message has failed or succeeded, it determines whether to reconnect.

[0238] In some embodiments, when the first communication module 601 receives feedback of a reader-to-device (R2D) failure after transmitting a segment of data, the determining module 602 determines to reconnect; or

[0239] If the first communication module 601 does not receive a successful Reader-to-Device (R2D) feedback after transmitting a segment of data for more than a first time threshold, the determination module 602 determines to reconnect.

[0240] In some embodiments, the determining module 602 determines whether to retransmit the previous segment of data or transmit the next segment of data based on feedback of reader-to-device (R2D) failure or success.

[0241] In some embodiments, if the first communication module 601 receives successful feedback from the reader-to-device (R2D) communication and scheduling information from the device-to-reader (D2R) communication, the first communication module 601 performs the transmission of the next segment according to the resources in the scheduling information; or

[0242] If the first communication module 601 receives feedback of reader-to-device (R2D) failure and device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information, the first communication module 601 will retransmit the previous segment according to the resources in the scheduling information.

[0243] In some embodiments, the determining module 602 determines whether to retransmit the previous segment data or transmit the next segment data based on the segment data offset indication in the reader-to-device (R2D) message.

[0244] In some embodiments, if the Reader to Device (R2D) message does not contain scheduling information for the Device to Reader (D2R) of the first terminal device, or if the first communication module 601 sends a segmented data and does not receive a successful Reader to Device (R2D) response within a first time threshold, the determination module 602 determines to reconnect.

[0245] In some embodiments, the determining module 602 determines whether to perform segmented transmission based on the first information and memory information, including:

[0246] If the block size provided by the reader is greater than the transmission capacity of the first communication module 601 or the energy level of the first communication module 601 limits the message size that the first communication module 601 can support, the determining module 602 determines to perform segmented transmission.

[0247] Fourth aspect of the embodiment

[0248] This application provides a communication device applied to a reader, which is disposed in a network device or a second terminal device. The communication device may be, for example, a terminal device or a network device, or it may be one or more components or parts configured in a terminal device or a network device. It corresponds to the method applied to the reader in the second aspect embodiment, and the content identical to that in the second aspect embodiment will not be repeated.

[0249] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the fourth aspect of this application. As shown in Figure 7, the communication device 700 includes a second communication module 701, which includes a receiver and / or a transmitter. The second communication module 701 is configured to:

[0250] The second communication module 701 sends first information to the first terminal device, the first information indicating information related to the message size from the device to the reader; and

[0251] The second communication module 701 receives the segmented data to be transmitted, determined by the first terminal device based on the first information and memory information.

[0252] The reader is located in a network device or a second terminal device.

[0253] In some embodiments, determining the segmented transmission of messages from the first terminal device to the reader includes:

[0254] Segmented transmission is performed during the transmission of the device identifier of the first terminal device, and / or segmented transmission is performed during the response to a command message from the second communication module 701; or

[0255] The device identifier of the first terminal device is not transmitted in segments, but is transmitted in segments when responding to command messages from the second communication module 701.

[0256] In some embodiments, the data to be segmented for segmented transmission is stored in a storage unit at a higher level of the first terminal device, and the first terminal device reads data segments from the storage unit for transmission.

[0257] In some embodiments, the higher-level storage unit includes non-volatile memory (NVM).

[0258] In some embodiments, the first terminal device reads a data segment from the storage unit based on memory information.

[0259] Memory information includes at least one of the following:

[0260] Information about memory blocks, which is used to indicate different memory regions;

[0261] The starting address indicates the starting address within the memory block to be read.

[0262] The length to be read.

[0263] In some embodiments, memory information is included in a high-level command; or generated by a first terminal device; or pre-configured.

[0264] In some embodiments, device-to-reader (D2R) message size related information includes transport block size and / or higher-layer message size, wherein,

[0265] The second communication module 701 sends the first information as a field of the Control Element (CE) of the Media Access Control (MAC) layer to the first terminal device; or

[0266] The second communication module 701 sends the first information as control information in the Physical Reader-to-Device Channel (PRDCH) to the first terminal device.

[0267] In some embodiments, the device-to-reader (D2R) message size related information includes the transport block size, and the second communication module 701 sends the first information by sending device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information to the first terminal device.

[0268] In some embodiments, the device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information includes at least one of time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, modulation order or modulation mode, code rate, chip length, chip rate, number of chips (M) in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, and number of repetitions.

[0269] The first terminal device determines the transport block size (TBS) based on the device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information.

[0270] In some embodiments, the first terminal device determines whether to perform segmented transmission based on first information and memory information, including:

[0271] If the size of the Service Data Unit (SDU) of the Media Access Control (MAC) corresponding to the first information is smaller than the data size corresponding to the memory information, then segmented transmission is determined.

[0272] In some embodiments, if the first information indicates the size of the higher-layer data, then the size of the higher-layer data is equal to the size of the Service Data Unit (SDU) of the Media Access Control (MAC); or

[0273] If the first information indicates the size of the transport block, then the size of the Service Data Unit (SDU) of the Media Access Control (MAC) is equal to the size of the transport block minus the size of the MAC header and / or subheader and the MAC control element (CE).

[0274] In some embodiments, the first terminal device stores memory-related information and the starting address of the next segment of data.

[0275] In some embodiments, the first terminal device also stores the starting address of the previous segment data or the size of the previous Media Access Control (MAC) Service Data Unit (SDU).

[0276] In some embodiments, the first terminal device receives the address offset of each segment of data indicated by the reader.

[0277] In some embodiments, the first terminal device reads the starting address of the previous segment data or the next segment data through the address offset indicated by the second communication module 701.

[0278] In some embodiments, the R2D message received by the first terminal device for triggering segmented data transmission of a device-to-reader (D2R) message contains higher-level commands.

[0279] In some embodiments, the first terminal device obtains memory information according to a higher-level command and saves the starting address of the next segment of data.

[0280] In some embodiments, the first terminal device uses indication information in the device-to-reader (D2R) message to indicate segmentation information:

[0281] The indication information is set to 2 bits, where the first bit indicates whether the device-to-reader (D2R) message is segmented data, and the second bit indicates whether, if the D2R message is segmented data, it is the last segmented data; or

[0282] The indication information is set to 1 bit, indicating whether the device-to-reader (D2R) message is the last segment of data in the device-to-reader (D2R) data; or

[0283] The indication information is provided through a first report, wherein if the size of the data to be transmitted in the first report is greater than 0, the device-to-reader (D2R) message is segmented data.

[0284] In some embodiments, when the first terminal device receives a reader-to-device (R2D) feedback indicating that the segmented transmission of the device-to-reader (D2R) message has failed or succeeded, it is determined whether to reconnect.

[0285] In some embodiments, when the first terminal device receives feedback of a reader-to-device (R2D) failure after transmitting a segment of data, it determines to reconnect; or

[0286] If the first terminal device does not receive a successful Reader-to-Device (R2D) response after transmitting a segment of data for more than a first time threshold, it determines to reconnect.

[0287] In some embodiments, the first terminal device determines whether to retransmit the previous segment of data or transmit the next segment of data based on reader-to-device (R2D) failure or success feedback.

[0288] In some embodiments, if the first terminal device receives successful reader-to-device (R2D) feedback and device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information, the first terminal device performs the transmission of the next segment according to the resources in the scheduling information; or

[0289] If the first terminal device receives feedback of reader-to-device (R2D) failure and device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information, the first terminal device will retransmit the previous segment according to the resources in the scheduling information.

[0290] In some embodiments, the first terminal device determines whether to retransmit the previous segment of data or transmit the next segment of data based on the segment data offset indication in the reader-to-device (R2D) message.

[0291] In some embodiments, if the Reader to Device (R2D) message does not contain scheduling information for the Device to Reader (D2R) of the first terminal device, or if the first terminal device does not receive a successful Reader to Device (R2D) response after sending a segmented data for more than a first time threshold, the first terminal device determines to reconnect.

[0292] In some embodiments, the first terminal device determines whether to perform segmented transmission based on first information and memory information, including:

[0293] If the size of the transmission block provided by the second communication module 701 is greater than the transmission capacity of the first terminal device or the energy level of the first terminal device limits the message size that the first terminal device can support, the first terminal device determines to perform segmented transmission.

[0294] Fifth aspect of the embodiment

[0295] An embodiment of the fifth aspect of this application provides a communication system that may include a first terminal device (e.g., an environmental IoT device) and a reader. The reader may be located in a network device or a second terminal device.

[0296] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of this application. At least one of the first terminal device, the network device, and the second terminal device may have the configuration of the electronic device shown in Figure 8.

[0297] As shown in Figure 8, the electronic device 800 can correspond to the IoT device 102 or network device 101 in the environment of Figure 1. The electronic device 800 may include a processor 810 and a memory 820; the memory 820 stores data and programs and is coupled to the processor 810. It is worth noting that this figure is exemplary; other types of structures can also be used to supplement or replace this structure to achieve telecommunications functions or other functions.

[0298] For example, the processor 810 can be configured to execute programs to perform the functions of at least one of an environmental IoT device, a first network node device, a core network, and an application server.

[0299] As shown in Figure 8, the electronic device 800 may further include: a communication module 830, an input unit 840, a display 850, and a power supply 860. The functions of these components are similar to those in the prior art and will not be described again here. It is worth noting that the electronic device 800 does not necessarily include all the components shown in Figure 8; these components are not essential. Furthermore, the electronic device 800 may also include components not shown in Figure 8, which can be referred to in the prior art.

[0300] This application also provides a computer program, wherein when the program is executed in at least one of a first terminal device and a reader, the program causes the device to perform a corresponding method to achieve a corresponding function.

[0301] This application embodiment also provides a storage medium storing a computer program, wherein when at least one of a first terminal device and a reader executes the program, the program causes the device to perform a corresponding method to achieve a corresponding function.

[0302] The apparatus and methods described above in this application can be implemented in hardware or in combination with software. This application relates to a computer-readable program that, when executed by a logic component, enables the logic component to implement the apparatus or components described above, or to implement the various methods or steps described above. This application also relates to storage media for storing the above programs, such as hard disks, magnetic disks, optical disks, DVDs, flash memory, etc.

[0303] The methods / apparatus described in conjunction with the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied in hardware, software modules executed by a processor, or a combination of both. For example, one or more and / or combinations of one or more functional block diagrams shown in the figures can correspond to various software modules in a computer program flow, or to various hardware modules. These software modules can correspond to the various steps shown in the figures, respectively. These hardware modules can be implemented, for example, using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) to embed these software modules.

[0304] The software module can reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium can be coupled to the processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium; or the storage medium can be an integral part of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The software module can be stored in the memory of a mobile terminal or in a memory card that can be inserted into the mobile terminal. For example, if the device (such as a mobile terminal) uses a high-capacity MEGA-SIM card or a high-capacity flash memory device, the software module can be stored in the MEGA-SIM card or the high-capacity flash memory device.

[0305] One or more and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings can be implemented as a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, or any suitable combination thereof for performing the functions described herein. One or more and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in communication with a DSP, or any other such configuration.

[0306] The present application has been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, those skilled in the art should understand that these descriptions are exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present application based on its spirit and principles, and these modifications and variations are also within the scope of the present application.

[0307] Regarding the implementation methods including the above embodiments, the following notes are also disclosed:

[0308] 1. A method for supporting data segmentation of environmental IoT devices, applied to a first terminal device, the method comprising:

[0309] The first terminal device receives first information sent by the reader, the first information indicating information related to the size of the device-to-reader (D2R) message;

[0310] Based on the first information and memory information, the first terminal device determines the segmented transmission of the message sent by the first terminal device to the reader; and

[0311] The first terminal device communicates with the reader via environmental IoT radio.

[0312] The reader is located in a network device or a second terminal device.

[0313] 2. The method as described in Appendix 1, wherein determining the segmented transmission of the message from the first terminal device to the reader includes:

[0314] Segmented transmission is performed during the transmission of the device identifier of the first terminal device, and / or segmented transmission is performed during the response to the command message from the reader; or

[0315] The device identifier of the first terminal device is transmitted without segmentation, but segmentation is performed when responding to command messages from the reader.

[0316] 3. The method as described in Appendix 1, wherein the data to be segmented for the segmented transmission is stored in the storage unit at a higher level of the first terminal device, and the first terminal device reads data segments from the storage unit for transmission, wherein...

[0317] The higher-level storage units include non-volatile memory (NVM).

[0318] 4. The method as described in Appendix 1, wherein,

[0319] If the first terminal device does not support segmented retransmission.

[0320] When the first terminal device receives a reader-to-device (R2D) failure feedback after transmitting a segment of data, it determines to reconnect; or

[0321] If the first terminal device does not receive a successful Reader-to-Device (R2D) feedback after transmitting a segment of data for more than a first threshold, it determines to reconnect.

[0322] 5. As described in Appendix 1, wherein,

[0323] The first terminal device determines whether to retransmit the previous data segment or transmit the next data segment based on reader-to-device (R2D) failure or success feedback.

[0324] If the first terminal device receives a successful reader-to-device (R2D) transmission feedback and device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information, the first terminal device will proceed with the transmission of the next segment according to the resources in the scheduling information; or

[0325] If the first terminal device receives feedback of reader-to-device (R2D) failure and scheduling information of the device-to-reader (D2R), the first terminal device will retransmit the previous segment according to the resources in the scheduling information.

[0326] 6. The method as described in Appendix 1, wherein,

[0327] The first terminal device determines whether to perform segmented transmission based on the first information and the memory information, including:

[0328] If the block size provided by the reader is greater than the transmission capacity of the first terminal device or the energy level of the first terminal device limits the message size that the first terminal device can support, the first terminal device determines whether to perform segmented transmission.

[0329] 7. A method for supporting data segmentation of environmental IoT devices, applied to a reader, the method comprising:

[0330] The reader sends first information to the first terminal device, the first information indicating information related to the size of the device-to-reader (D2R) message; and

[0331] The reader receives segmented transmission data determined by the first terminal device based on the first information and memory information.

[0332] The reader is located in a network device or a second terminal device.

[0333] 8. A terminal device comprising a memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program and the processor being configured to execute the computer program to implement the method as described in any one of Appendices 1 to 6.

[0334] 9. An electronic device, which is a network device or a terminal device, comprising a memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program and the processor being configured to execute the computer program to implement the method as described in Appendix 7.

[0335] 10. A computer program product comprising at least a computer program that, when executed by a processor, causes a terminal device to perform the method as described in any one of Appendix 1 to Appendix 6, or, when executed by a processor, causes an electronic device to perform the method as described in Appendix 7.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supporting data segmentation of environmental Internet of Things (IoT) devices, applied to a first terminal device, the apparatus comprising: The first communication module receives first information sent by the reader, the first information indicating information related to the size of the device-to-reader (D2R) message; The determining module, based on the first information and memory information, determines the segmented transmission of the message sent by the first terminal device to the reader; and The first communication module communicates with the reader via environmental IoT radio. The reader is located in a network device or a second terminal device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The device further includes: The storage unit is used for the segmented data to be transmitted, which is stored in the storage unit at a higher level of the first terminal device. The first terminal device reads data segments from the storage unit for transmission.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, The determining module reads the data segment from the storage unit based on the memory information. The memory information includes at least one of the following: Information about memory blocks, which is used to indicate different memory regions; The starting address indicates the starting address within the memory block to be read. The length to be read.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein, The memory information: Included in a high-level command; or Generated by the first terminal device; or Pre-configured.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The device-to-reader (D2R) message size related information includes the transport block size and / or the message size of higher layers. in, The first information is received by the first communication module as a field of the Control Element (CE) of the Media Access Control (MAC) layer; or The first information is received by the first communication module as control information in the Physical Reader-to-Device Channel (PRDCH).

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The device-to-reader (D2R) message size related information includes the transport block size. The first communication module receives the first information by receiving device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein, The device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information includes at least one of the following: time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, modulation order or modulation mode, code rate, chip length, chip rate, number of chips (M) in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, and number of repetitions. The first communication module determines the transport block size (TBS) based on the device-to-reader (D2R) scheduling information.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein, The determining module determines whether to perform segmented transmission based on the first information and the memory information, including: If the size of the Service Data Unit (SDU) of the Media Access Control (MAC) corresponding to the first information is smaller than the data size corresponding to the memory information, then segmented transmission is determined.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, If the first information indicates the size of the higher-level data, then the size of the higher-level data is equal to the size of the Service Data Unit (SDU) of the Media Access Control (MAC); or If the first information indicates the size of the transport block, then the size of the Service Data Unit (SDU) of the Media Access Control (MAC) is equal to the size of the transport block minus the size of the MAC header and / or subheader and the MAC control element (CE).

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The first terminal device stores memory-related information and the starting address of the next segment of data.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, The first terminal device also stores the starting address of the previous segment data or the size of the previous Media Access Control (MAC) Service Data Unit (SDU).

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The first communication module receives the address offset of each segment of data indicated by the reader.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, The first communication module reads the starting address of the previous segment data or the next segment data through the address offset indicated by the reader.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The R2D message received by the first communication module for triggering segmented data transmission of the device-to-reader (D2R) message contains higher-level commands.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, The first terminal device obtains the memory information according to the higher-level command and saves the starting address of the next segment of data.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The first terminal device uses indication information in the device-to-reader (D2R) message to indicate segmentation information: The indication information is set to 2 bits, wherein the first bit indicates whether the device-to-reader (D2R) message is segmented data, and the second bit indicates whether, if the device-to-reader (D2R) message is segmented data, the segmented data is the last segmented data; or The indication information is set to 1 bit, indicating whether the device-to-reader (D2R) message is the last segment of data in the device-to-reader (D2R) data; or The indication information is indicated by a first report, wherein if the size of the data to be transmitted in the first report is greater than 0, it indicates that the device-to-reader (D2R) message is segmented data.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, When the feedback received by the first communication module from the reader-to-device (R2D) indicates that the segmented transmission of the device-to-reader (D2R) message has failed or succeeded, it determines whether to reconnect.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The determining module determines whether to retransmit the previous segment of data or transmit the next segment of data based on the reader-to-device (R2D) failure or success feedback.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The determining module determines whether to retransmit the previous segment of data or transmit the next segment of data based on the segment data offset indication in the Reader to Device (R2D) message.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 or 19, wherein, If the Reader to Device (R2D) message does not contain scheduling information for the Device to Reader (D2R) for the first terminal device, or if the first communication module does not receive a successful Reader to Device (R2D) response after sending a segmented data for more than a first time threshold, the determining module determines to reconnect.

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