Network device, wireless communication system, and wireless communication method

Abstract

This network device comprises: a communication unit for carrying out communication of messages with a communication device that carries out communication using a lower layer; and a control unit for controlling the communication of the messages, wherein the messages include identification information for routing uplink traffic received from the communication device to a core network.

Description

Network device, wireless communication system, and wireless communication method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a network device, a wireless communication system, and a wireless communication method that support Ambient IoT.

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP: registered trademark) is standardizing the 5th generation mobile communication system (also called 5G, New Radio (NR), or Next Generation (NG)). Furthermore, 3GPP is also proceeding with the standardization of the next generation, called Beyond 5G, 5G Evolution, or 6G.

[0003] In 3GPP Release-19, in order to support IoT (Internet of Things), technologies related to communication devices (hereinafter, A-IoT devices) having a simpler configuration than the configuration of UEs (Ambient IoT) are being studied (for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

[0004] 3GPP TR38.848 V18.0.0, September 2023

[0005] As a result of intensive studies, the inventors have found a need to clarify how to exchange identification information for routing UL traffic transmitted from an A-IoT device to a CN node between the A-IoT device and the Reader in Ambient IoT.

[0006] Therefore, the present disclosure has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a network device, a wireless communication system, and a wireless communication method that can appropriately route UL traffic transmitted from an A-IoT device to a CN node.

[0007] The disclosed aspect is a network device comprising a communication device that performs communication using lower layers, a communication unit that performs message communication, and a control unit that controls the message communication, wherein the message includes identification information for routing uplink traffic received from the communication device to the core network.

[0008] The disclosed aspect is a wireless communication system comprising a communication device that performs communication using lower layers and a network device, wherein the network device includes a communication unit that performs message communication with the communication device, and the message includes identification information for routing uplink traffic received from the communication device to a core network.

[0009] The disclosed aspect is a wireless communication method comprising: step A, which performs communication of a message with a communication device that performs communication using a lower layer; and step B, which controls the communication of the message, wherein the message includes identification information for routing uplink traffic received from the communication device to a core network.

[0010] Figure 1 is an overall schematic diagram of the wireless communication system 10. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the frequency range used in the cellular network. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of wireless frames, subframes, and slots used in the cellular network. Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of the UE200. Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of the network device 50. Figure 6 is a functional block diagram of the network device 60. Figure 7 is a diagram for explaining Ambient IoT. Figure 8 is a diagram for explaining Ambient IoT. Figure 9 is a diagram for explaining Ambient IoT. Figure 10 is a diagram for explaining operation example 1. Figure 11 is a diagram for explaining operation example 2. Figure 12 is a diagram for explaining operation example 2. Figure 13 is a diagram for explaining operation example 2. Figure 14 is a diagram for explaining operation example 2. Figure 15 is a diagram for explaining operation example 2. Figure 16 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of network device 50 and network device 60.

[0011] The embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that identical or similar reference numerals are used to denote the same functions and components, and their descriptions will be omitted as appropriate.

[0012] (1) Overall schematic diagram 1 of the wireless communication system is an overall schematic diagram of the wireless communication system 10 according to the embodiment. The wireless communication system 10 has a terminal 200 (hereinafter referred to as UE (User Equipment) 200), a first network 10A and a second network 10B.

[0013] The first network 10A includes a radio access network 20A and a core network 30A. The radio access network 20A includes a base station 100A that performs wireless communication with the UE200. However, the first network 10A may not have the radio access network 20A but may have the base station 100A. The first network 10A may not have the core network 30A. The base station 100A may consist of a DU (Distributed Unit) and a CU (Central Unit). The DU may perform processing at the MAC layer or lower. The CU may perform processing at the PDCP layer or higher.

[0014] The first network 10A may be a network conforming to new technology (6G). 6G may be referred to as Beyond 5G or 5G Evolution. The first network 10A may be a network conforming to existing technology (5G). 5G may be referred to as 5G New Radio (NR).

[0015] The second network 10B includes a radio access network 20B and a core network 30B. The radio access network 20B includes a base station 100B that performs wireless communication with the UE 200. However, the second network 10B may not have the radio access network 20B but may have the base station 100B. The second network 10B may not have the core network 30B. The base station 100B may be composed of a DU and a CU.

[0016] The second network 10B may be a network that conforms to existing technology (5G). 5G may also be called 5G New Radio (NR). The second network 10B may be a network that conforms to new technology (6G). 6G may also be called Beyond 5G or 5G Evolution.

[0017] Here, the first network 10A and the second network 10B only need to have different wireless access methods. For example, the wireless access method may be a cellular network wireless access method such as 5G, Beyond 5G, 5G Evolution, or 6G.

[0018] In the following, base stations 100A and 100B may be collectively referred to as base station 100 or gNB100. Core networks 30A and 30B may be collectively referred to as core network 30.

[0019] Firstly, the cellular network may support multiple frequency ranges (FRs) as shown in Figure 2. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the cellular network supports FR1, FR2-1, and FR2-2. The frequency bands for each FR are as follows:

[0020] FR1: 410 MHz to 7.125 GHz FR2-1: 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz FR2-2: Over 52.6 GHz to 71 GHz In FR1, 15, 30, or 60 kHz Sub-Carrier Spacing (SCS) may be used, and a bandwidth (BW) of 5 to 100 MHz may be used. FR2 is a higher frequency than FR1, and 60 kHz or 120 kHz (240 kHz may be included) SCS may be used, and a bandwidth (BW) of 50 to 400 MHz may be used.

[0021] Note that SCS may also be interpreted as numerology. Numerology is defined in 3GPP TS38.300 and corresponds to a single subcarrier interval in the frequency domain.

[0022] Furthermore, cellular networks may support higher frequency bands than those used by FR2. Specifically, cellular networks may support frequency bands exceeding 52.6 GHz up to 71 GHz or 114.25 GHz.

[0023] Secondly, the cellular network may correspond to the wireless frames, subframes, and slots shown in Figure 3.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, one slot consists of 14 symbols, and the larger (wider) the SCS, the shorter the symbol duration (and slot duration). In addition to 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, 120kHz, and 240kHz, 480kHz, 960kHz, etc., may also be used for the SCS.

[0025] Furthermore, the number of symbols constituting one slot does not necessarily have to be 14 (for example, 28 symbols, 56 symbols). In addition, the number of slots per subframe may differ depending on the SCS.

[0026] The time direction (t) shown in Figure 3 may also be called the time domain, symbol period, or symbol time. The frequency direction may also be called the frequency domain, resource block, subcarrier, or bandwidth part (BWP).

[0027] (2) Functional block configuration of the wireless communication system The functional block configuration of the wireless communication system 10 will be described below.

[0028] First, we will describe the functional block configuration of the UE200.

[0029] Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of the UE200. As shown in Figure 4, the UE200 comprises a wireless signal transmission / reception unit 210, an amplifier unit 220, a modulation / demodulation unit 230, a control signal / reference signal processing unit 240, an encoding / decoding unit 250, a data transmission / reception unit 260, and a control unit 270.

[0030] The wireless signal transceiver unit 210 transmits and receives wireless signals in accordance with 5G or 6G. The wireless signal transceiver unit 210 supports Massive MIMO, CA using multiple CCs bundled together, and DC which communicates simultaneously between the UE and each of the two NG-RAN Nodes.

[0031] The amplifier section 220 consists of components such as a PA (Power Amplifier) ​​and an LNA (Low Noise Amplifier). The amplifier section 220 amplifies the signal output from the modulation / demodulation section 230 to a predetermined power level. The amplifier section 220 also amplifies the RF signal output from the wireless signal transmission / reception section 210.

[0032] The modulation / demodulation unit 230 performs data modulation / demodulation, transmit power setting, and resource block allocation for each predetermined communication destination (gNB100 or other gNB). The modulation / demodulation unit 230 may apply Cyclic Prefix-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (CP-OFDM) / Discrete Fourier Transform - Spread (DFT-S-OFDM). Furthermore, DFT-S-OFDM may be used not only for the uplink (UL) but also for the downlink (DL).

[0033] The control signal / reference signal processing unit 240 performs processing related to various control signals transmitted and received by the UE200, and processing related to various reference signals transmitted and received by the UE200.

[0034] Specifically, the control signal / reference signal processing unit 240 receives various control signals transmitted from the gNB100 via a predetermined control channel, such as control signals for the radio resource control layer (RRC). The control signal / reference signal processing unit 240 also transmits various control signals to the gNB100 via a predetermined control channel.

[0035] The control signal / reference signal processing unit 240 performs processing using reference signals (RS) such as the Demodulation Reference Signal (DM-RS) and the Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PT-RS).

[0036] DM-RS is a terminal-specific reference signal (pilot signal) between the base station and the terminal used to estimate the fading channel used for data demodulation. PT-RS is a terminal-specific reference signal intended to estimate phase noise, which is a problem in the high-frequency band.

[0037] In addition to DM-RS and PT-RS, the reference signals may also include Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), and Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) for location information.

[0038] Furthermore, channels include control channels and data channels. Control channels include PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel), RACH (Random Access Channel), Downlink Control Information (DCI) including Random Access Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RA-RNTI), and Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), among others.

[0039] Furthermore, data channels include PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel) and PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), among others. "Data" refers to data transmitted through a data channel. A data channel may also be interpreted as a shared channel.

[0040] Here, the control signal / reference signal processing unit 240 may receive downlink control information (DCI). The DCI includes fields that store existing fields such as DCI Formats, Carrier indicator (CI), BWP indicator, FDRA (Frequency Domain Resource Assignment), TDRA (Time Domain Resource Assignment), MCS (Modulation and Coding Scheme), HPN (HARQ Process Number), NDI (New Data Indicator), and RV (Redundancy Version).

[0041] The value stored in the DCI Format field is an information element that specifies the DCI format. The value stored in the CI field is an information element that specifies the CC to which the DCI applies. The value stored in the BWP indicator field is an information element that specifies the BWP to which the DCI applies. The BWP that can be specified by the BWP indicator is set by an information element (BandwidthPart-Config) included in the RRC message. The value stored in the FDRA field is an information element that specifies the frequency domain resource to which the DCI applies. The frequency domain resource is identified by the value stored in the FDRA field and an information element (RA Type) included in the RRC message. The value stored in the TDRA field is an information element that specifies the time domain resource to which the DCI applies. The time domain resource is identified by the value stored in the TDRA field and an information element (pdsch-TimeDomainAllocationList, push-TimeDomainAllocationList) included in the RRC message. The time domain resource may also be identified by the value stored in the TDRA field and the default table. The value stored in the MCS field is an information element that specifies the MCS to which the DCI applies. The MCS is identified by the value stored in the MCS field and the MCS table. The MCS table may be specified by the RRC message or identified by RNTI scrambling. The value stored in the HPN field is an information element that specifies the HARQ Process to which DCI is applied. The value stored in NDI is an information element that determines whether the data to which DCI is applied is initial transmission data. The value stored in the RV field is an information element that specifies the redundancy of the data to which DCI is applied.

[0042] The encoding / decoding unit 250 performs data splitting / concatenation and channel coding / decoding for each predetermined communication destination (gNB100 or other gNB).

[0043] Specifically, the encoding / decoding unit 250 divides the data output from the data transmission / reception unit 260 into a predetermined size and performs channel coding on the divided data. Further, the encoding / decoding unit 250 decodes the data output from the modulation / demodulation unit 230 and concatenates the decoded data.

[0044] The data transmission / reception unit 260 performs transmission and reception of Protocol Data Unit (PDU) and Service Data Unit (SDU). Specifically, the data transmission / reception unit 260 performs assembly / disassembly of PDU / SDU in a plurality of layers (such as a media access control layer (MAC), a radio link control layer (RLC), and a packet data convergence protocol layer (PDCP)). Further, the data transmission / reception unit 260 performs error correction and retransmission control of data based on Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ).

[0045] The control unit 270 controls each functional block constituting the UE 200.

[0046] In an embodiment, a case where the UE 200 is a communication device (hereinafter, an A-IoT device) having a simpler configuration than a general UE may be assumed. The A-IoT device has lower layers such as a PHY layer and a MAC layer, and may not have upper layers such as an RLC layer, a PDCP layer, and an RRC layer.

[0047] Second, the functional block configuration of the network device 50 will be described. [[ID=I3]] ]>

[0048] The network device 50 is a device that communicates with a communication device (A-IoT device) having a simpler configuration than the configuration of a general UE in Ambient IoT described later. The network device 50 may be read as a base station, may be read as an A-IoT RAN, or may be read as a Common reader function possessed by the base station in Topology 1 described later. The network device 50 may be referred to as a Reader.

[0049] As shown in Figure 5, the network device 50 includes a receiving unit 51, a transmitting unit 52, and a control unit 53.

[0050] The receiving unit 51 may receive various messages from the A-IoT CN. The receiving unit 51 may also receive uplink signals from the A-IoT device.

[0051] The transmitting unit 52 may send various messages to the A-IoT CN. The transmitting unit 52 may also send downlink signals to the A-IoT device.

[0052] The control unit 53 controls each block that makes up the network device 50.

[0053] In this embodiment, the receiving unit 51 and the transmitting unit 52 may constitute a communication unit that performs message communication with a communication device (A-IoT device) that performs communication using lower layers. The control unit 53 may constitute a control unit that controls message communication.

[0054] Thirdly, the functional block configuration of the network device 60 will be described.

[0055] Network device 60 is a device that communicates with a communication device (A-IoT device) which has a simpler configuration than a typical UE configuration in the Ambient IoT described later. In Topology 2 described later, network device 60 may be read as A-IoT enabled UE, or as the Common reader function of the A-IoT enabled UE. Network device 50 may be called Reader.

[0056] As shown in Figure 6, the network device 60 includes a receiving unit 61, a transmitting unit 62, and a control unit 63.

[0057] The receiving unit 61 may receive various messages from the A-IoT CN. The receiving unit 61 may also receive uplink signals from the A-IoT device.

[0058] The transmitting unit 62 may send various messages to the A-IoT CN. The transmitting unit 62 may also send downlink signals to the A-IoT device.

[0059] The control unit 63 controls each block that makes up the network device 60.

[0060] In this embodiment, the receiving unit 61 and the transmitting unit 62 may constitute a communication unit that performs message communication with a communication device (A-IoT device) that performs communication using lower layers. The control unit 63 may constitute a control unit that controls message communication.

[0061] (3) Ambient IoT Firstly, A-IoT devices may be classified into types such as Device A, Device B, Device C, etc.

[0062] Device A may be a device that does not have storage for accumulating energy (e.g., power) and performs backscattering transmission without performing its own signal generation / amplification.

[0063] Device B may be a device that has storage for accumulating energy (e.g., power) and performs backscattering transmission without generating its own signals. For example, the energy stored in the storage may be used to amplify the reflected signal.

[0064] Device C may not have storage for storing energy (e.g., power) and may be a device that generates its own signals.

[0065] An A-IoT device may be a device as defined in 3GPP TR38.848 V18.0.0. An A-IoT device has a simpler configuration than a typical UE configuration. The characteristics of an A-IoT device may be defined by the following elements:

[0066] - The output and complexity of the A-IoT device are simpler than those of a typical UE. - The coverage of the A-IoT device is achieved with a simpler configuration than that of a typical UE. - The data rate of the A-IoT device is achieved with a simpler protocol stack than that of a typical UE. - The maximum message size of the A-IoT device is achieved with a simpler protocol stack than that of a typical UE. - The delay of the A-IoT device is set to meet the target delay using a different access method and signaling procedure than that of a typical UE. - The positioning method for the A-IoT device is a method applicable to the topology described later in order to meet the required accuracy.

[0067] - Regarding the connection density of A-IoT devices, multiple efficient access methods different from those of typical UEs will be introduced. - Regarding the movement speed of A-IoT devices, a different physical layer configuration will be introduced from that of typical UEs.

[0068] Secondly, the topology shown in Figure 7 may be considered as the topology of the A-IoT device.

[0069] In Topology 1, the A-IoT device may perform UL transmission and DL reception with the base station (BS in Figure 7).

[0070] In Topology 2, the A-IoT device may perform UL transmission and DL reception with the base station (BS in Figure 7) via an Intermediate node. The Intermediate node may be an IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) node or a general UE. The Intermediate node may also be a DU. The general UE may be a UE defined separately from the A-IoT device. The general UE may have a more complex configuration than the A-IoT device. In Topology 2, the BS may be referred to as an A-IoT enabled gNB, and the general UE (Intermediate node) may be referred to as an A-IoT enabled UE.

[0071] In Topology 3, the A-IoT device may perform DL reception with the base station (BS in Figure 7) and UL transmission with the base station (BS in Figure 7) via the Assisting node. The Intermediate node may be an IAB node or a general UE. The Intermediate node may also be a DU.

[0072] Topology 4 may perform general UE and UL transmission and DL reception. Topology 4 may also assume D2D communication between a general UE and an A-IoT device.

[0073] Note that the term "UE" (Unified End User) is used to distinguish it from A-IoT devices, and may also be referred to as an existing UE or a standard UE.

[0074] Thirdly, the interface and protocol stack will be described.

[0075] As shown in Figure 8, Topology 1 may include nodes such as an A-IoT device, an A-IoT RAN, and an A-IoT CN. The A-IoT RAN can be considered as the BS shown in Figure 7, and the A-IoT CN can be considered as a higher-level node of the BS shown in Figure 7. The A-IoT RAN may have a function to read information from the A-IoT device (Common reader function) and a function to communicate with the A-IoT CN (A-IoT RAN node function).

[0076] The interface between the A-IoT device and the A-IoT RAN may be referred to as the A-IoT radio interface. The interface between the A-IoT RAN and the A-IoT CN may be referred to as the XX interface. The XX interface may be an existing interface (NG Interface) between the RAN and CN for a general UE. More specifically, the XX interface may function, for example, as an interface between a base station (e.g., gNB) and equipment for the C-plane on the CN (e.g., AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function)), or between a base station (e.g., gNB) and equipment for the U-plane on the CN (e.g., UPF ((User Plane Function))), similar to an existing NG Interface. The XX interface may also be used for procedures related to PDU sessions for the A-IoT device (e.g., establishment, maintenance, release), and for forwarding NAS signaling between the A-IoT device and equipment for the C-plane on the CN.

[0077] The A-IoT device and Common reader function may have an A-IoT Radio Protocol layer. The A-IoT Radio Protocol layer is an example of a lower layer and can be considered equivalent to the PHY layer and MAC layer. The A-IoT RAN node function and A-IoT CN may have layers such as L1, L2, IP, SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol), and XXAP (XX Application). XXAP may also be referred to as NGAP.

[0078] As shown in Figure 9, in Topology 2, nodes such as an A-IoT device, an A-IoT enabled UE, an A-IoT enabled gNB, and an A-IoT CN may be assumed. The A-IoT enabled UE may be considered as the Intermediate node shown in Figure 7, the A-IoT enabled gNB may be considered as the BS shown in Figure 7, and the A-IoT CN may be considered as a higher-level node of the BS shown in Figure 7. The A-IoT enabled UE has a function to read information from the A-IoT device (Common reader function), and the A-IoT enabled gNB may have a function to communicate with the A-IoT CN (A-IoT RAN node function).

[0079] The interface between the A-IoT device and the A-IoT enabled UE may be referred to as the A-IoT radio interface. The interface between the A-IoT enabled UE and the A-IoT enabled gNB may reuse the NR Uu interface, similar to the interface between UE200 and gNB100. The interface between the A-IoT enabled gNB and the A-IoT CN may be referred to as the XX interface. The XX interface may be an existing interface (NG Interface) between the RAN and CN for a typical UE.

[0080] The protocol stacks for the A-IoT device, A-IoT enabled UE, and A-IoT enabled gNB are the same as those for the A-IoT device, Common reader function, and A-IoT RAN node function described in Topology 1.

[0081] (4) As a result of diligent study, the inventors of the problem found a need to clarify how identification information for routing UL traffic transmitted from the A-IoT device to the CN node should be exchanged between the A-IoT device and the Reader in Ambient IoT.

[0082] (5) Example of Operation In the example of operation, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the network device 50 or the network device 60 (i.e., Reader) communicates with the A-IoT device. In such a case, the message received from or sent to the A-IoT device includes identification information for routing the uplink traffic (UL traffic) received from the A-IoT device to the core network (A-IoT CN).

[0083] The following options are possible for identification information.

[0084] In Option 1, the identification information may be a Correlation ID used to associate multiple messages or processes. The Correlation ID may be an identification information used to associate messages related to processes such as RRC connection establishment and handover. The Correlation ID may be an identification information that is unique across the entire process or session. The Correlation ID may be an identification information used by a Reader (A-IoT RAN or A-IoT enabled UE) to identify which A-IoT CN node (e.g., AMF or AIOTF (AI Internet of Things Framework)) to forward the UL traffic of an A-IoT device to.

[0085] In Option 2, the identification information may be the identification information used to identify the base station (Partial correlation ID). The Partial correlation ID may also be the identification information used to complement the PCI (Physical Cell ID).

[0086] In Option 3, the identification information may be the identification information used to identify a transaction (Transaction ID). The Transaction ID may be identification information that is unique within a transaction. Two or more transactions may occur in a session. The Transaction ID may be generated by the Reader based on the Correlation ID.

[0087] The following are examples of possible operations.

[0088] (5.1) Operation Example 1 Operation Example 1 will explain Topology 1 as described above.

[0089] The network device 50 (A-IoT RAN / Reader) may receive a Correlation ID from the A-IoT CN and generate a Transaction ID based on the Correlation ID. For example, the A-IoT RAN / Reader may use a portion of the Correlation ID (e.g., rightmost xx bits) as the Transaction ID.

[0090] In Operation Example 1, the identification information for routing UL traffic to the A-IoT CN may be at least one piece of information selected from the Correlation ID, Partial correlation ID, or Transaction ID.

[0091] As shown in Figure 10, in step S10, the Reader (A-IoT RAN) sends a message to call the A-IoT device (hereinafter referred to as a Paging message or Paging-like message). The Paging message may be referred to as Msg0. The Paging message may include information indicating a resource (e.g., a slot) for the A-IoT device to access the Reader (A-IoT RAN). The Paging message may include information indicating multiple resources for accessing the Reader (A-IoT RAN). The Reader (A-IoT RAN) may repeatedly send the Paging message.

[0092] In such cases, the paging message may include the identification information described above.

[0093] In step S11, the A-IoT device sends an access request message to the Reader (A-IoT RAN) requesting access to the Reader (A-IoT RAN). The access request message may be referred to as Msg1. The A-IoT device may perform multiple accesses to the Reader (A-IoT RAN) (repeated sending of Msg1) using multiple resources allocated by the Paging message. Msg1 may be interpreted as a RACH preamble or a RACH-like preamble. Msg1 (RACH preamble) may include a Random ID generated by the A-IoT device. Msg1 (RACH preamble) may be sent via PDRCH. Random access may be slotted-ALOHA random access.

[0094] In step S12, the Reader (A-IoT RAN) sends an access response message to the A-IoT device in response to Msg1 (RACH preamble). The access response message may be referred to as Msg2. Msg2 may be read as RACH response or RACH-like response. Msg2 (RACH response) may include a UL grant for transmitting an uplink data signal. The UL grant may include information indicating multiple resources (e.g., slots) for accessing the Reader (A-IoT RAN). Msg2 (RACH response) may include an echoed random ID. The echoed random ID may be the Random ID included in Msg1.

[0095] In step S13, the A-IoT device sends an uplink message (UL message) to the Reader (A-IoT RAN) in response to Msg2 (RACH response). The UL message may also be referred to as Msg3. The A-IoT device may perform multiple accesses to the Reader (A-IoT RAN) (repeated transmission of Msg3) using multiple resources allocated by Msg2. Msg3 (UL message) may include at least one of the following: the identification information of the A-IoT device (Device ID) and the identification information of the group of A-IoT devices (Group ID). The Device ID may be information that identifies the A-IoT device in the CN or gNB (Temporary Device ID). The Group ID may be information that identifies the group of A-IoT devices in the CN or gNB (Temporary Group ID).

[0096] In step S14, the Reader (A-IoT RAN) sends a contention resolution message to the A-IoT device in response to Msg3 (UL message). The contention resolution message may be referred to as Msg4. Msg4 may be a message to handle the failure of Msg3. Msg4 (Contention resolution) may include at least one of the A-IoT device's identification information (Device ID) and the A-IoT device group's identification information (Group ID).

[0097] In step S15, data is transmitted and received between the A-IoT device and the Reader (A-IoT RAN).

[0098] In such cases, the Reader (A-IoT RAN) may include the above-mentioned identification information (Correlation ID, Partial correlation ID, or Transaction ID) in R2D messages (Msg0, Msg2, Msg4, and subsequent R2D messages). Similarly, the A-IoT device may include the above-mentioned identification information (Correlation ID, Partial correlation ID, or Transaction ID) in D2R messages (Msg1, Msg3, Msg5, and subsequent D2R messages).

[0099] In Operation Example 1, the A-IoT device may store identification information. The A-IoT device may manage the identification information using a timer. The timer may be activated upon receiving the identification information. The A-IoT device may retain the identification information until the timer expires, and discard the identification information when the timer expires.

[0100] In Operation Example 1, the Reader (A-IoT RAN) may store identification information. The A-IoT device may manage the identification information using a timer. The timer may be activated upon receiving the identification information. The Reader (A-IoT RAN) may retain the identification information until the timer expires, and discard the identification information when the timer expires.

[0101] In Operation Example 1, the Reader (A-IoT RAN) may instruct the A-IoT device to discard the identification information.

[0102] In Operation Example 1, the Reader (A-IoT RAN) may transmit identification information to the other A-IoT RAN (the destination A-IoT RAN) when the A-IoT device moves to another A-IoT RAN.

[0103] (5.2) Operation Example 2 Operation Example 2 will explain Topology 2 as described above.

[0104] The network device 60 (A-IoT enabled UE / Reader) may receive a Correlation ID from the A-IoT CN via the A-IoT enabled gNB and generate a Transaction ID based on the Correlation ID. For example, the A-IoT RAN / Reader may use a portion of the Correlation ID (e.g., rightmost xx bits) as the Transaction ID.

[0105] In Operation Example 2, the identification information for routing UL traffic to the A-IoT CN may be at least one piece of information selected from the Correlation ID, Partial correlation ID, or Transaction ID.

[0106] As shown in Figure 11, in step S20, the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) sends a message to call the A-IoT device (hereinafter referred to as a Paging message or Paging-like message). The Paging message may be referred to as Msg0. The Paging message may include information indicating a resource (e.g., a slot) for the A-IoT device to access the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE). The Paging message may include information indicating multiple resources for accessing the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE). The Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) may repeatedly send the Paging message.

[0107] In such cases, the paging message may include the identification information described above.

[0108] In step S21, the A-IoT device sends an access request message to the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) requesting access to the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE). The access request message may be referred to as Msg1. The A-IoT device may perform multiple accesses to the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) (repeated sending of Msg1) using multiple resources allocated by the Paging message. Msg1 may be interpreted as a RACH preamble or a RACH-like preamble. Msg1 (RACH preamble) may include a Random ID generated by the A-IoT device. Msg1 (RACH preamble) may be sent via PDRCH. Random access may be slotted-ALOHA random access.

[0109] In step S22, the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) sends an access response message to the A-IoT device in response to Msg1 (RACH preamble). The access response message may be referred to as Msg2. Msg2 may be read as RACH response or RACH-like response. Msg2 (RACH response) may include a UL grant for sending an uplink data signal. The UL grant may include information indicating multiple resources (e.g., slots) for accessing the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE). Msg2 (RACH response) may include an Echoed random ID. The Echoed random ID may be the Random ID included in Msg1.

[0110] In step S23, the A-IoT device sends an uplink message (UL message) to the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) in response to Msg2 (RACH response). The UL message may also be referred to as Msg3. The A-IoT device may perform multiple accesses to the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) (repeated sending of Msg3) using multiple resources allocated by Msg2. Msg3 (UL message) may include at least one of the following: the identification information of the A-IoT device (Device ID) and the identification information of the group of A-IoT devices (Group ID). The Device ID may be information that identifies the A-IoT device in the CN or gNB (Temporary Device ID). The Group ID may be information that identifies the group of A-IoT devices in the CN or gNB (Temporary Group ID).

[0111] In step S24, the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) sends a collision resolution message to the A-IoT device in response to Msg3 (UL message). The collision resolution message may be referred to as Msg4. Msg4 may be a message to handle the failure of Msg3. Msg4 (Contention resolution) may include at least one of the A-IoT device's identification information (Device ID) and the A-IoT device group's identification information (Group ID).

[0112] In step S25, data is sent and received between the A-IoT device and the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE).

[0113] In such cases, the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) may include the above-mentioned identification information (Correlation ID, Partial correlation ID, or Transaction ID) in R2D messages (Msg0, Msg2, Msg4, and subsequent R2D messages). Similarly, the A-IoT device may include the above-mentioned identification information (Correlation ID, Partial correlation ID, or Transaction ID) in D2R messages (Msg1, Msg3, Msg5, and subsequent D2R messages).

[0114] In Operation Example 2, the A-IoT device may store identification information. The A-IoT device may manage the identification information using a timer. The timer may be activated upon receiving the identification information. The A-IoT device may retain the identification information until the timer expires, and discard the identification information when the timer expires.

[0115] In Operation Example 2, the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) may store identification information. The A-IoT device may manage the identification information using a timer. The timer may be activated upon receiving the identification information. The Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) may retain the identification information until the timer expires, and discard the identification information when the timer expires.

[0116] In Operation Example 2, the A-IoT RAN (A-IoT enabled gNB) may store identification information. The A-IoT device may manage the identification information using a timer. The timer may be activated upon receiving the identification information. The A-IoT RAN (A-IoT enabled gNB) may retain the identification information until the timer expires, and discard the identification information when the timer expires.

[0117] In Operation Example 2, the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) may instruct the A-IoT device to discard the identification information. The A-IoT RAN (A-IoT enabled gNB) may instruct the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) or the A-IoT device to discard the identification information.

[0118] In Operation Example 2, the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) may send identification information to the other A-IoT RAN (the destination A-IoT RAN) when the A-IoT device moves to another A-IoT RAN. The A-IoT RAN (A-IoT enabled gNB) may send identification information to the other A-IoT RAN (the destination A-IoT RAN) when the A-IoT device moves to another A-IoT RAN.

[0119] In example 2, the following options are possible.

[0120] In option 2-1, as shown in Figure 12, in step S30, the A-IoT enabled gNB may send a Correlation ID to the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) by at least one of an RRC message, MAC CE, or PDCCH. The A-IoT enabled gNB may send a Partial correlation ID to the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) by at least one of an RRC message, MAC CE, or PDCCH. The A-IoT enabled gNB may send a Partial correlation ID to the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) by at least one of an RRC message, MAC CE, or PDCCH. The RRC message may include at least one of RRCSetup, RRReconfiguration, RRCResume, or RRCRestablishment.

[0121] In option 2-2, as shown in Figure 13, in step S40, the Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) may send a Correlation ID to the A-IoT enabled gNB via an RRC message. The Reader (A-IoT enabled UE) may also send a Partial correlation ID to the A-IoT enabled gNB via an RRC message. The RRC message may include at least one of RRCSetupComplete, RRReconfigurationComplete, RRCResumeComplete, or RRCRestablishmentComplete.

[0122] Option 2-3 describes the case where the A-IoT enabled UE hands over from the Source A-IoT enabled gNB to the Target A-IoT enabled gNB. As shown in Figure 14, in step S50, the Target A-IoT enabled gNB may send a Handover Request containing identification information (Correlation ID, Partial correlation ID, or Transaction ID) to the Source A-IoT enabled gNB.

[0123] Option 2-4 describes the case in which the A-IoT enabled UE hands over from the Source A-IoT enabled gNB to the Target A-IoT enabled gNB. As shown in Figure 15, in step S60, the A-IoT enabled UE may send an RRCReconfigurationComplete to the Target A-IoT enabled gNB that includes identification information (Correlation ID, Partial correlation ID, or Transaction ID) regarding the A-IoT device under the A-IoT enabled UE.

[0124] Option 2-5 describes the case in which an A-IoT enabled UE detects an RLF and reconnects to another A-IoT enabled gNB. The A-IoT enabled UE may send an RRCReestablishmentComplete containing identification information (Correlation ID, Partial correlation ID, or Transaction ID) about the A-IoT device under its control to the other A-IoT enabled gNB (the A-IoT enabled gNB to which it is reconnecting).

[0125] (6) Operation and Effects In the embodiment, the Reader (A-IoT RAN / A-IoT enabled UE) sends a message to the A-IoT device containing identification information (Correlation ID, Partial correlation ID, or Transaction ID) for routing UL traffic received from the A-IoT device to the A-IoT CN. With this configuration, the exchange of identification information (Correlation ID, Partial correlation ID, or Transaction ID) is clarified, so that UL traffic can be appropriately routed to the A-IoT CN.

[0126] In this embodiment, the Reader (A-IoT RAN / A-IoT enabled UE) generates a Transaction ID based on the Correlation ID. This configuration clarifies how the Transaction ID is generated, allowing transactions related to the A-IoT device to be executed appropriately.

[0127] (7) Other Embodiments Although the contents of the present invention have been described above in accordance with the embodiments, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to these descriptions and that various modifications and improvements are possible.

[0128] The block diagrams (Figures 4 to 6) used in the description of the embodiments above show functional units. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using one device that is physically or logically coupled, or it may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (for example, using wired or wireless connections). A functional block may also be realized by combining software with the one or more of the above devices.

[0129] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, decision, determination, calculation, calculation, processing, derivation, investigation, exploration, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, assumption, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating (mapping), and assigning. For example, a functional block (configuration part) that enables transmission is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. In any case, as mentioned above, the method of implementation is not particularly limited.

[0130] Furthermore, the network devices 50 and 60 (the devices) described above may function as computers that process the wireless communication method of this disclosure. Figure 16 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the device. As shown in Figure 16, the device may be configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, memory 1002, storage 1003, communication device 1004, input device 1005, output device 1006, and bus 1007.

[0131] In the following explanation, the term "device" can be replaced with "circuit," "device," "unit," etc. The hardware configuration of the device may include one or more of the devices shown in the diagram, or it may be configured to omit some of the devices.

[0132] Each functional block of the device (see Figures 4 to 6) is implemented by any hardware element of the computer device, or a combination of such hardware elements.

[0133] Furthermore, each function in the device is realized by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, which allows the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication by the communication device 1004, and control at least one of the reading and writing of data in the memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0134] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer, for example, by running an operating system. The processor 1001 may consist of a central processing unit (CPU) that includes interfaces with peripheral devices, control units, arithmetic units, registers, and so on.

[0135] Furthermore, the processor 1001 reads programs (program code), software modules, data, etc., from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002 and executes various processes accordingly. The program used is one that causes the computer to execute at least a part of the operations described in the above embodiment. Moreover, the above-mentioned various processes may be executed by one processor 1001, or by two or more processors 1001 simultaneously or sequentially. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The program may also be transmitted from a network via a telecommunications line.

[0136] Memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: Read Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), etc. Memory 1002 may also be called a register, cache, main memory, etc. Memory 1002 can store a program (program code), software module, etc., that can execute a method according to one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0137] Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: an optical disc such as a Compact Disc ROM (CD-ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., Compact Disc, Digital Multipurpose Disc, Blu-ray® Disc), a smart card, flash memory (e.g., a card, stick, key drive), a floppy® disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 1003 may also be called an auxiliary storage device. The recording medium described above may also be, for example, a database, server, or other suitable medium including at least one of memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0138] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transceiver / receiver device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also referred to as a network device, network controller, network card, communication module, etc.

[0139] The communication device 1004 may be configured to include, for example, a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, etc., in order to implement at least one of frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD).

[0140] The input device 1005 is an input device that accepts input from an external source (e.g., a keyboard, mouse, microphone, switch, button, sensor, etc.). The output device 1006 is an output device that outputs to an external source (e.g., a display, speaker, LED lamp, etc.). The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be configured as an integrated unit (e.g., a touch panel).

[0141] Furthermore, each device, such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002, is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or different buses may be configured for each device.

[0142] Furthermore, the device may include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks may be implemented by such hardware. For example, processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these hardware components.

[0143] Furthermore, notification of information is not limited to the embodiments / models described herein and may be carried out by other means. For example, notification of information may be carried out by physical layer signaling (e.g., Downlink Control Information (DCI), Uplink Control Information (UCI)), upper layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling, broadcast information (Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB))), other signals, or combinations thereof. RRC signaling may also be called RRC messages, and may be, for example, RRC Connection Setup messages, RRC Connection Reconfiguration messages, etc.

[0144] Each aspect / embodiment described herein may be applied to at least one of the following: Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), Future Radio Access (FRA), New Radio (NR), W-CDMA®, GSM®, CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi®), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX®), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth®, and other appropriate systems, as well as next-generation systems extended based thereon. Furthermore, multiple systems may be applied in combination (for example, a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A with 5G).

[0145] The processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc., of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be reordered, provided they do not contradict each other. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present various step elements using exemplary order and are not limited to the specific order presented.

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

[0147] Information and signals (such as data) can be output from a higher layer (or lower layer) to a lower layer (or higher layer). Input and output may occur via multiple network nodes.

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

[0149] The determination may be made by a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), by a boolean value (true or false), or by a numerical comparison (for example, a comparison with a predetermined value).

[0150] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used individually, in combination, or switched between as needed during implementation. Furthermore, notification of specific information (e.g., notification that "X is") is not limited to explicit notification, but may also be implicit (e.g., by not providing such notification).

[0151] Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, and so on, whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or by any other name.

[0152] Furthermore, software, instructions, information, etc., may be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using at least one of wired technology (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) and wireless technology (such as infrared or microwave), then at least one of these wired and wireless technologies is included in the definition of a transmission medium.

[0153] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of the various different technologies. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0154] In addition, terms used in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings. For example, at least one of the channel and symbol may be a signal (signaling). Also, a signal may be a message. Furthermore, a component carrier (CC) may be called a carrier frequency, cell, frequency carrier, etc.

[0155] The terms “system” and “network” as used in this disclosure are interchangeable.

[0156] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc., described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a given value, or corresponding other information. For example, wireless resources may be indicated by an index.

[0157] The names used for the parameters described above are not restrictive in any way. Furthermore, the formulas and other expressions using these parameters may differ from those expressly disclosed in this disclosure. Since various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements can be identified by any suitable name, the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not restrictive in any way.

[0158] In this disclosure, terms such as "Base Station (BS)," "wireless base station," "fixed station," "NodeB," "eNodeB (eNB)," "gNodeB (gNB)," "access point," "transmission point," "reception point," "transmission / reception point," "cell," "sector," "cell group," "carrier," and "component carrier" may be used interchangeably. Base stations may also be referred to by terms such as macrocell, small cell, femtocell, and picocell.

[0159] A base station can house one or more (e.g., three) cells (also called sectors). When a base station houses multiple cells, the entire coverage area of ​​the base station can be divided into multiple smaller areas, each of which can also be provided with communication services by a base station subsystem (e.g., a small indoor base station (Remote Radio Head: RRH)).

[0160] The terms "cell" or "sector" refer to a portion or all of the coverage area of ​​at least one of the base stations and base station subsystems that provide communication services in this coverage.

[0161] In this disclosure, terms such as "Mobile Station (MS)," "user terminal," "User Equipment (UE)," and "terminal" may be used interchangeably.

[0162] A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or several other appropriate terms.

[0163] At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be called a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, etc. At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be a device mounted on a mobile body, the mobile body itself, etc. The mobile body may be a vehicle (e.g., a car, an airplane, etc.), an unmanned mobile body (e.g., a drone, an autonomous vehicle, etc.), or a robot (manned or unmanned). At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be a device that does not necessarily move during communication operation. For example, at least one of the base station and the mobile station may be an Internet of Things (IoT) device such as a sensor.

[0164] Furthermore, the term "base station" in this disclosure may be interpreted as "mobile station" (user terminal, hereinafter the same). For example, the various aspects / embodiments of this disclosure may be applied to a configuration in which communication between a base station and a mobile station is replaced with communication between multiple mobile stations (which may be called, for example, Device-to-Device (D2D), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, the mobile station may have the functions that a base station has. Also, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" may be interpreted as terms corresponding to terminal-to-terminal communication (for example, "side"). For example, uplink channel, downlink channel, etc. may be interpreted as side channel.

[0165] Similarly, the term "mobile station" in this disclosure may be interpreted as "base station." In this case, the base station may be configured to have the functions that a mobile station has.

[0166] A wireless frame may consist of one or more frames in the time domain. Each of these frames in the time domain may be called a subframe.

[0167] A subframe may further consist of one or more slots in the time domain. A subframe may have a fixed time length (e.g., 1 ms) that is independent of numerology.

[0168] Numerology may be communication parameters applied to at least one of the transmission and reception of a signal or channel. Numerology may include, for example, at least one of the following: subcarrier spacing (SCS), bandwidth, symbol length, cyclic prefix length, transmission time interval (TTI), number of symbols per TTI, radio frame configuration, specific filtering processes performed by the transceiver in the frequency domain, and specific windowing processes performed by the transceiver in the time domain.

[0169] A slot may consist of one or more symbols in the time domain (such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols or Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) symbols). A slot may also be a time unit based on neurology.

[0170] A slot may include multiple mini-slots. Each mini-slot may consist of one or more symbols in the time domain. Mini-slots may also be called sub-slots. Mini-slots may consist of fewer symbols than a slot. A PDSCH (or PUSCH) transmitted in a time unit larger than a mini-slot may be called a PDSCH (or PUSCH) mapping type A. A PDSCH (or PUSCH) transmitted using a mini-slot may be called a PDSCH (or PUSCH) mapping type B.

[0171] Wireless frames, subframes, slots, minislots, and symbols all represent units of time when transmitting a signal. Different names may be used for each of these terms.

[0172] For example, one subframe may be called a transmission time interval (TTI), multiple consecutive subframes may be called a TTI, or one slot or one minislot may be called a TTI. In other words, at least one of a subframe and a TTI may be a subframe (1 ms) in existing LTE, a period shorter than 1 ms (e.g., 1-13 symbols), or a period longer than 1 ms. Note that the unit representing the TTI may be called a slot, minislot, etc., instead of a subframe.

[0173] Here, TTI refers to, for example, the smallest unit of time for scheduling in wireless communication. For example, in an LTE system, the base station schedules each user terminal to allocate wireless resources (such as the frequency bandwidth and transmission power available to each user terminal) in TTI units. However, the definition of TTI is not limited to this.

[0174] TTI may be a transmission time unit for channel-encoded data packets (transport blocks), code blocks, code words, etc., or it may be a processing unit for scheduling, link adaptation, etc. Note that when a TTI is given, the actual time interval (e.g., number of symbols) in which the transport block, code block, code word, etc. are mapped may be shorter than the given TTI.

[0175] Furthermore, if one slot or one mini-slot is referred to as TTI, then one or more TTIs (i.e., one or more slots or one or more mini-slots) may constitute the minimum time unit of scheduling. In addition, the number of slots (number of mini-slots) that constitute the minimum time unit of scheduling may be controlled.

[0176] A TTI with a time length of 1ms may also be called a normal TTI, long TTI, normal subframe, long subframe, slot, etc. A TTI shorter than a normal TTI may also be called a shortened TTI, short TTI, partial or fractional TTI, shortened subframe, short subframe, mini slot, sub slot, slot, etc.

[0177] Furthermore, long TTIs (e.g., normal TTIs, subframes, etc.) may be interpreted as TTIs with a time length exceeding 1 ms, and short TTIs (e.g., shortened TTIs, etc.) may be interpreted as TTIs with a TTI length less than that of a long TTI but 1 ms or more.

[0178] A resource block (RB) is a resource allocation unit in the time domain and frequency domain, and in the frequency domain, it may contain one or more consecutive subcarriers. The number of subcarriers in an RB may be the same regardless of the neurology, for example, 12. The number of subcarriers in an RB may be determined based on the neurology.

[0179] Furthermore, the time domain of RB may contain one or more symbols and may be the length of one slot, one minislot, one subframe, or one TTI. One TTI, one subframe, etc., may each consist of one or more resource blocks.

[0180] One or more RBs may also be called Physical RBs (PRBs), Sub-Carrier Groups (SCGs), Resource Element Groups (REGs), PRB pairs, RB pairs, etc.

[0181] Furthermore, a resource block may consist of one or more resource elements (REs). For example, one RE may be a radio resource area comprising one subcarrier and one symbol.

[0182] A Bandwidth Part (BWP), also known as a partial bandwidth, may represent a subset of consecutive common resource blocks (RBs) for a given neurology in a given carrier. Here, the common RBs may be identified by an index of the RBs relative to the carrier's common reference point. PRBs may be defined and numbered within a given BWP.

[0183] A BWP may include BWPs for UL (UL BWP) and BWPs for DL ​​(DL BWP). One or more BWPs may be configured within a single carrier for a UE.

[0184] At least one of the configured BWPs may be active, and the UE does not need to assume that it will send or receive a given signal / channel outside of the active BWP. In this disclosure, terms such as "cell" and "carrier" may be read as "BWP".

[0185] The structures described above, such as wireless frames, subframes, slots, minislots, and symbols, are merely illustrative. For example, the number of subframes included in a wireless frame, the number of slots per subframe or wireless frame, the number of minislots included in a slot, the number of symbols and RBs included in a slot or minislot, the number of subcarriers included in an RB, and the number of symbols, symbol length, and cyclic prefix (CP) length within a TTI can be varied in various ways.

[0186] The terms “connected,” “coupled,” or any variation thereof, mean any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are “connected” or “coupled” with each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, “connection” may be reinterpreted as “access.” As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be “connected” or “coupled” with each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, and, in some non-limiting and non-exclusive examples, electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency domain, microwave domain, and optical (both visible and invisible) domain.

[0187] The reference signal can also be abbreviated as Reference Signal (RS), and may be called a pilot depending on the applicable standard.

[0188] In this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based solely on" unless otherwise specified. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based solely on" and "based at least on."

[0189] In the configuration of each of the above devices, "means" may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0190] Any reference to elements using the designations “first,” “second,” etc., as used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Accordingly, references to the first and second elements do not imply that only two elements may be employed therein, or that the first element must precede the second element in any way.

[0191] Where the terms “include,” “including,” and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, as is the term “comprising.” Furthermore, the term “or” as used in this disclosure is not intended to mean exclusive OR.

[0192] In this disclosure, if articles are added through translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include the fact that the noun following these articles is plural.

[0193] As used in this disclosure, the terms “determining” and “determining” may encompass a wide variety of actions. “Determining” may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, or inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), or ascertaining. “Determining” may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), inputting, outputting, or accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory). Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having been "judged" or "decided" after resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having been "judged" or "decided" after some action. Also, "judgment (decision)" can be reinterpreted as "assuming," "expecting," or "considering."

[0194] In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combine" may be interpreted similarly to "different."

[0195] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the intent and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the descriptions in the present disclosure are illustrative and not intended to be restrictive in any way.

[0196] (Note) The disclosure described above may also be expressed as follows:

[0197] The first feature is a network device comprising a communication device that performs communication using lower layers, a communication unit that performs message communication, and a control unit that controls the message communication, wherein the message includes identification information for routing uplink traffic received from the communication device to the core network.

[0198] The second feature is that, in the first feature, the identification information is at least one piece of information selected from identification information used to associate multiple messages or processes, identification information used to identify a base station, or identification information used to identify a transaction, and is a network device.

[0199] The third feature is that, in the first or second feature, the control unit is a network device that generates the identification information based on the information received from the core network.

[0200] The fourth feature is a network device in which, in at least one of the first to third features, the information received from the core network is identification information used to associate multiple messages or processes, and the identification information includes identification information used to identify a transaction.

[0201] The fifth feature is a wireless communication system comprising a communication device that performs communication using lower layers and a network device, wherein the network device includes a communication unit that performs message communication with the communication device, and the message includes identification information for routing uplink traffic received from the communication device to the core network.

[0202] The sixth feature is a wireless communication method comprising: step A, which performs communication of a message with a communication device that performs communication using a lower layer; and step B, which controls the communication of the message, wherein the message includes identification information for routing uplink traffic received from the communication device to the core network.

[0203] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-026961, filed on February 21, 2025. All of its contents are included herein.

[0204] 10 Wireless communication system 10A First network 10B Second network 20A, 20B Wireless access network 30A, 30B Core network 50 Network device 51 Receiving unit 52 Transmitting unit 53 Control unit 60 Network device 61 Receiving unit 62 Transmitting unit 63 Control unit 100A, 100B Base station 200 UE 210 Wireless signal transmission / reception unit 220 Amplifier unit 230 Modulation / demodulation unit 240 Control signal / reference signal processing unit 250 Encoding / decoding unit 260 Data transmission / reception unit 270 Control unit 1001 Processor 1002 Memory 1003 Storage 1004 Communication device 1005 Input device 1006 Output device 1007 Bus

Claims

1. A network device comprising: a communication device that performs communication using lower layers; a communication unit that performs message communication; and a control unit that controls the message communication, wherein the message includes identification information for routing uplink traffic received from the communication device to the core network.

2. The network device according to claim 1, wherein the identification information is at least one piece of information selected from identification information used to associate multiple messages or processes, identification information used to identify a base station, or identification information used to identify a transaction.

3. The network device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit generates the identification information based on the information received from the core network.

4. The network device according to claim 3, wherein the information received from the core network is identification information used to associate multiple messages or processes, and the identification information includes identification information used to identify a transaction.

5. A wireless communication system comprising a communication device that performs communication using lower layers, and a network device, wherein the network device includes a communication unit that performs message communication with the communication device, and the message includes identification information for routing uplink traffic received from the communication device to a core network.

6. A wireless communication method comprising: step A, which performs communication of a message with a communication device that performs communication using a lower layer; and step B, which controls the communication of the message, wherein the message includes identification information for routing uplink traffic received from the communication device to a core network.

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