WO2024250732A1

WO2024250732A1 - Command for ambient iot system

Info

Publication number: WO2024250732A1
Application number: PCT/CN2024/076783
Authority: WO
Inventors: Xin Guo; Haipeng Lei; Zhennian SUN
Original assignee: Lenovo Beijing Ltd
Current assignee: Lenovo Beijing Ltd
Priority date: 2024-02-07
Filing date: 2024-02-07
Publication date: 2024-12-12
Anticipated expiration: 2026-08-07

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to a command for an ambient internet of things (A-IoT) system. In an aspect, a first device (for example, a base station (BS) determines one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands. Moreover, the first device transmits, to a second device (for example, an A-IoT device), one or more of the first configuration, or the second configuration. The second device monitors at least one command of the one or more commands based on one or more of the first configuration or the second configuration. In this way, it is possible to improve the flexibility and efficiency of the command-triggered parameter reporting from the second device.

Description

COMMAND FOR AMBIENT IOT SYSTEM

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more specifically to a command for an ambient internet of things (A-IoT) system.

BACKGROUND

A wireless communications system may include one or multiple network communication devices, such as base stations (BSs) , which may be otherwise known as an eNodeB (eNB) , a next-generation NodeB (gNB) , or other suitable terminology. Each network communication devices, such as a base station may support wireless communications for one or multiple user communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (UE) , or other suitable terminology. The wireless communications system may support wireless communications with one or multiple user communication devices by utilizing resources of the wireless communication system (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or the like) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers) . Additionally, the wireless communications system may support wireless communications across various radio access technologies including third generation (3G) radio access technology, fourth generation (4G) radio access technology, fifth generation (5G) radio access technology, among other suitable radio access technologies beyond 5G (e.g., sixth generation (6G) ) .

A wireless communication system may include an A-IoT device, which has a lower capability in terms of complexity and power consumption. Multiple topologies, for example, topologies 1 to 4, are supported for the A-IoT device. In topology 1, the A-IoT device directly and bidirectionally communicates with a BS. In topology 2, the A-IoT device communicates bidirectionally with an intermediate node between the A-IoT device and a BS. In topology 3, the A-IoT device communicates uidirectionally with a BS, and communicates uidirectionally with an assisting node. In topology 4, the A-IoT device communicates bidirectionally with a UE. However, transmission enhancements in this wireless communication system, especially, enhancements on a command for the A-IoT device considering one or more of the above multiple topologies, are still needed.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to methods, apparatuses, and systems that support a command for an A-IoT system. With the apparatuses and methods, it is possible to improve the flexibility and efficiency of the command-triggered parameter reporting from the second device (such as the A-IoT device) .

In some implementations, there is provided a first device. The first device comprises at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the first device to: determine one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands; and transmit, to a second device, one or more of the first configuration, or the second configuration.

In some implementations, there is provided a method performed by the first device. The method comprises: determining one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands; and transmitting, to a second device, one or more of the first configuration, or the second configuration.

In some implementations, there is provided a processor for wireless communication. The processor comprises at least one controller coupled with at least one memory and configured to cause the processor to: determine one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands; and transmit, to a second device, one or more of the first configuration, or the second configuration.

In some implementations of the method and the first device described herein, the one or more commands may comprise a plurality of commands, the plurality of commands may comprise a first command and a second command, and an Euclidean distance between a first sequence of the first command and a second sequence of the second command is above a threshold integer. In some implementations of the method and the first device described herein, the first sequence may be orthogonal to the second sequence.

In some implementations of the method and the first device described herein, a sequence of a command of the one or more commands may comprise one or more bits set to a value of one or more specific values.

In some implementations of the method and the first device described herein, a command of the one or more commands may be associated with one of the one or more transmission windows, and one or more parameters associated with the command and to be reported by the second device may be determined based on the command. Some implementations of the method and the first device described herein may further include determining a resource allocation for a subsequent transmission based on the one or more parameters.

In some implementations of the method and the first device described herein, the one or more transmission windows may comprise a plurality of windows, a command of the one or more commands may be associated with multiple transmission windows of the plurality of transmission windows, and one or more parameters associated with the command and to be reported by the second device may be determined based on the command and a transmission window of the multiple transmission windows within which the command is transmitted. Some implementations of the method and the first device described herein may further include determining a resource allocation for a subsequent transmission based on the one or more parameters.

In some implementations of the method and the first device described herein, a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows may be associated with a service, and the service is associated with a set of commands of the one or more commands.

In some implementations of the method and the first device described herein, a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows may comprise one or more first time units (TU) within a second TU, the second TU comprising a plurality of first TUs. In some implementations of the method and the first device described herein, the second TU may be periodic. Some implementations of the method and the first device described herein may further include transmitting, to the second device, a command of the one or more commands starting from a first TU within the transmission window.

In some implementations of the method and the first device described herein, the first configuration may comprise one or more of: an identifier for identifying the one or more commands; one or more sequences of the one or more commands; one or more parameters to be reported and associated with a command of the one or more commands; an identifier of a common transmission window associated with the one or more commands, or an identifier of a respective one of the one or more transmission windows associated with a respective one of the one or more commands; a common indicator indicating whether each of the one or more commands is associated with a plurality of transmission windows, or a respective indicator indicating whether a respective one of the one or more commands is associated with a plurality of transmission windows; an identifier of a common service associated with the one or more commands, or an identifier of a respective service associated with a respective one of the one or more commands; or a common transmission configuration for one or more parameters to be reported and associated with the one or more commands, or a respective transmission configuration for one or more parameters to be reported and associated with a respective one of the one or more commands.

In some implementations of the method and the first device described herein, the second configuration may comprise one or more of: a periodicity of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows; a time offset of a starting point of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows relative to a starting bound of a period; a length of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows; an identifier of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows; or an identifier of a service associated with a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows.

Some implementations of the method and the first device described herein may further include transmitting, to the second device, a command of the one or more commands within a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows associated with the command.

Some implementations of the method and the first device described herein may further include transmitting, to a third device, an indication to transmit a command of the one or more commands to the second device within a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows associated with the command. In some implementations of the method and the first device described herein, the third device may comprise one of a relay, an integrated access backhaul (IAB) node, a user equipment (UE) , or a repeater.

In some implementations of the method and the first device described herein, the first device may comprise a base station (BS) , and the second device comprises an internet of things (IoT) device.

In some implementations, there is provided a second device. The second device comprises at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the second device to: receive, from a first device, one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands; and monitor at least one command of the one or more commands based on one or more of the first configuration or the second configuration.

In some implementations, there is provided a method performed by the second device. The method comprises: receiving, from a first device, one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands; and monitoring at least one command of the one or more commands based on one or more of the first configuration or the second configuration.

In some implementations, there is provided a processor for wireless communication. The processor comprises at least one controller coupled with at least one memory and configured to cause the processor to: receive, from a first device, one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands; and monitor at least one command of the one or more commands based on one or more of the first configuration or the second configuration.

In some implementations of the method and the second device described herein, the one or more commands may comprise a plurality of commands, the plurality of commands may comprise a first command and a second command, and an Euclidean distance between a first sequence of the first command and a second sequence of the second command may be above a threshold integer. In some implementations of the method and the second device described herein, the first sequence may be orthogonal to the second sequence.

In some implementations of the method and the second device described herein, a sequence of a command of the one or more commands may comprise one or more bits set to a value of one or more specific values.

Some implementations of the method and the second device described herein may further include obtaining a decoded command based on a result of the monitoring, the decoded command being one of the one or more commands. In the case where the decoded command is associated with one of the one or more transmission windows, some implementations of the method and the second device described herein may further include reporting one or more parameters based on the decoded command. In the case where the one or more transmission windows comprise a plurality of windows, the decoded command is associated with multiple transmission windows of the plurality of transmission windows, some implementations of the method and the second device described herein may further include reporting one or more parameters based on the decoded command and a transmission window of the multiple transmission windows within which the decoded command is received. Some implementations of the method and the second device described herein may further include determining whether the decoded command is associated with one or multiple transmission windows based on an indicator indicating whether the decoded command is associated with a plurality of transmission windows, the indicator being comprised in the decoded command or the first configuration. In some implementations of the method and the second device described herein, the decoded command may be received from the second device or a third device. In some implementations of the method and the second device described herein, the third device comprises one of a relay, an integrated access backhaul (IAB) node, a user equipment (UE) , or a repeater.

In some implementations of the method and the second device described herein, a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows may be associated with a service, and the service is associated with the at least one command. In some implementations of the method and the second device described herein, monitoring the at least one command may comprise: based on intending to receive the at least one command associated with the service, determining a transmission window from the one or more transmission windows based on the service; and monitoring the at least one command within the determined transmission window. In some implementations of the method and the second device described herein, monitoring the at least one command may comprise based on intending to receive the at least one command, determining a transmission window from the one or more transmission windows based on the at least one command; and monitoring the at least one command within the determined transmission window.

In some implementations of the method and the second device described herein, a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows may comprise one or more first time (TU) units within a second TU, the second TU comprising a plurality of first TUs. In some implementations of the method and the second device described herein, the second TU may be periodic.

In some implementations of the method and the second device described herein, the first configuration may comprise one or more of: an identifier for identifying the one or more commands; one or more sequences of the one or more commands; one or more parameters to be reported and associated with a command of the one or more commands; an identifier of a common transmission window associated with the one or more commands, or an identifier of a respective one of the one or more transmission windows associated with a respective one of the one or more commands; a common indicator indicating whether each of the one or more commands is associated with a plurality of transmission windows, or a respective indicator indicating whether a respective one of the one or more commands is associated with a plurality of transmission windows; an identifier of a common service associated with the one or more commands, or an identifier of a respective service associated with a respective one of the one or more commands; or a common transmission configuration for one or more parameters to be reported and associated with the one or more commands, or a respective transmission configuration for one or more parameters to be reported and associated with a respective one of the one or more commands.

In some implementations of the method and the second device described herein, the second configuration may comprise one or more of: a periodicity of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows; a time offset of a starting point of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows relative to a starting bound of a period; a length of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows; an identifier of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows; or an identifier of a service associated with a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows.

In some implementations of the method and the second device described herein, the first device may comprise a base station (BS) , and the second device comprises an internet of things (IoT) device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates an example of a wireless communications system that supports carrier wave node determination in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B illustrates an example of topology 1 associated with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1C illustrates an example of topology 2 associated with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1D illustrates an example of topology 3 associated with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1E illustrates an example of topology 4 associated with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example process flow in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3A illustrates an example time-domain resource structure in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3B illustrates an example transmission window configuration in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a device that supports a command for an A-IoT systemin accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a processor that supports a command for an A-IoT systemin accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; and

FIGS. 6 through 7 illustrate flowcharts of methods that support a command for an A-IoT systemin accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.

In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment, ” “an example embodiment, ” “an embodiment, ” “some embodiments, ” and the like indicate that the embodiment (s) described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment (s) . Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

It shall be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” or the like may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element could also be termed as a second element, and similarly, a second element could also be termed as a first element, without departing from the scope of embodiments. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a” , “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” , “comprising” , “has” , “having” , “includes” and/or “including” , when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and/or combinations thereof.

As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as, 5G new radio (NR) , LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) , Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) , High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) , Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) , and so on. Further, the communications between a UE and a network device in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including but not limited to, the first generation (1G) , the second generation (2G) , 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G) , the 4G, 4.5G, the 5G communication protocols, and/or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will also be future type communication technologies and systems in which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned systems.

As used herein, the term “network device” generally refers to a node in a communication network via which a UE can access the communication network and receive services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP) , for example, a node B (NodeB or NB) , a radio access network (RAN) node, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) , a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB) , a Remote Radio Unit (RRU) , a radio header (RH) , an infrastructure device for a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, a transmission and reception point (TRP) , a reception point (RP) , a remote radio head (RRH) , a relay, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node such as a femto a base station (BS) , a pico BS, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology. The network device may further refer to a network function (NF) in the core network, for example, a service management function (SMF) , an access and mobility management function (AMF) , a policy control function (PCF) , a user plane function (UPF) or devices with same function in future network architectures, and so forth.

As used herein, the term “UE” generally refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communications. By way of example rather than a limitation, a UE may also be referred to as a communication device, a terminal device, an end user device, a subscriber station (SS) , an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) , a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS) , or an access terminal (AT) . The UE may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet, a wearable UE, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture UE such as a digital camera, a gaming UE, a music storage and playback appliance, a vehicle-mounted wireless UE, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE) , laptop-mounted equipment (LME) , a USB dongle, a smart device, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE) , an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD) , a vehicle, a drone, a medical device (for example, a remote surgery device) , an industrial device (for example, a robot and/or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and/or an automated processing chain contexts) , a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and/or industrial wireless networks, and the like. In the following description, the terms: “UE, ” “communication device, ” “terminal, ” and “UE, ” may be used interchangeably.

As used herein, the term “A-IoT device” refers to a device without batteries or with limited energy storage capabilities. For the A-IoT device, energy is provided by harvesting radio waves, light, motion, heat, or any other suitable source. A-IoT device can also be called zero-power terminals, near-zero power terminals, passive IoT device, ambient backscatter communication (AmBC) device, tag, etc. Compared with low-power and wide-coverage services, such as narrow band (NB) IoT, enhance machine type communication (eMTC) , A-IoT has lower complexity and lower power consumption, and is suitable for more application scenarios.

Principles and implementations of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the figures.

FIG. 1A illustrates an example of a wireless communications system (or referred to as a communication network) 100 that supports carrier wave node determination in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system 100 may include one or more network entities 102 (also referred to as network equipment) , one or more UEs 104, a core network 106, and a packet data network 108. The wireless communications system 100 may support various radio access technologies. In some implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a 4G network, such as an LTE network or an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network. In some other implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a 5G network, such as an NR network. In other implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a combination of a 4G network and a 5G network, or other suitable radio access technology including Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi) , IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) , IEEE 802.20. The wireless communications system 100 may support radio access technologies beyond 5G. Additionally, the wireless communications system 100 may support technologies, such as time division multiple access (TDMA) , frequency division multiple access (FDMA) , or code division multiple access (CDMA) , etc.

The one or more network entities 102 may be dispersed throughout a geographic region to form the wireless communications system 100. One or more of the network entities 102 described herein may be or include or may be referred to as a network node, a base station, a network element, a radio access network (RAN) , a base transceiver station, an access point, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB) , a next-generation NodeB (gNB) , or other suitable terminology. A network entity 102 and a UE 104 may communicate via a communication link 110, which may be a wireless or wired connection. For example, a network entity 102 and a UE 104 may perform wireless communication (e.g., receive signaling, transmit signaling) over a Uu interface.

A network entity 102 may provide a geographic coverage area 112 for which the network entity 102 may support services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. ) for one or more UEs 104 within the geographic coverage area 112. For example, a network entity 102 and a UE 104 may support wireless communication of signals related to services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. ) according to one or multiple radio access technologies. In some implementations, a network entity 102 may be moveable, for example, a satellite associated with a non-terrestrial network. In some implementations, different geographic coverage areas 112 associated with the same or different radio access technologies may overlap, but the different geographic coverage areas 112 may be associated with different network entities 102. Information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

The one or more UEs 104 may be dispersed throughout a geographic region of the wireless communications system 100. A UE 104 may include or may be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a remote unit, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology. In some implementations, the UE 104 may be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE 104 may be referred to as an Internet-of-Things (IoT) device, an Internet-of-Everything (IoE) device, or machine-type communication (MTC) device, among other examples. In some implementations, a UE 104 may be stationary in the wireless communications system 100. In some other implementations, a UE 104 may be mobile in the wireless communications system 100.

The one or more UEs 104 may be devices in different forms or having different capabilities. Some examples of UEs 104 are illustrated in FIG. 1A. A UE 104 may be capable of communicating with various types of devices, such as the network entities 102, other UEs 104, or network equipment (e.g., the core network 106, the packet data network 108, a relay device, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, or another network equipment) , as shown in FIG. 1A. Additionally, or alternatively, a UE 104 may support communication with other network entities 102 or UEs 104, which may act as relays in the wireless communications system 100.

A UE 104 may also be able to support wireless communication directly with other UEs 104 over a communication link 114. For example, a UE 104 may support wireless communication directly with another UE 104 over a device-to-device (D2D) communication link. In some implementations, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) deployments, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) deployments, or cellular-V2X deployments, the communication link 114 may be referred to as a sidelink. For example, a UE 104 may support wireless communication directly with another UE 104 over a PC5 interface.

A network entity 102 may support communications with the core network 106, or with another network entity 102, or both. For example, a network entity 102 may interface with the core network 106 through one or more backhaul links 116 (e.g., via an S1, N2, N2, or another network interface) . The network entities 102 may communicate with each other over the backhaul links 116 (e.g., via an X2, Xn, or another network interface) . In some implementations, the network entities 102 may communicate with each other directly (e.g., between the network entities 102) . In some other implementations, the network entities 102 may communicate with each other or indirectly (e.g., via the core network 106) . In some implementations, one or more network entities 102 may include subcomponents, such as an access network entity, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC) . An ANC may communicate with the one or more UEs 104 through one or more other access network transmission entities, which may be referred to as a radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmission-reception points (TRPs) .

In some implementations, a network entity 102 may be configured in a disaggregated architecture, which may be configured to utilize a protocol stack physically or logically distributed among two or more network entities 102, such as an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open RAN (O-RAN) (e.g., a network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance) , or a virtualized RAN (vRAN) (e.g., a cloud RAN (C-RAN) ) . For example, a network entity 102 may include one or more of a central unit (CU) , a distributed unit (DU) , a radio unit (RU) , a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) (e.g., a Near-Real Time RIC (Near-RT RIC) , a Non-Real Time RIC (Non-RT RIC) ) , a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) system, or any combination thereof.

An RU may also be referred to as a radio head, a smart radio head, a remote radio head (RRH) , a remote radio unit (RRU) , or a transmission reception point (TRP) . One or more components of the network entities 102 in a disaggregated RAN architecture may be co-located, or one or more components of the network entities 102 may be located in distributed locations (e.g., separate physical locations) . In some implementations, one or more network entities 102 of a disaggregated RAN architecture may be implemented as virtual units (e.g., a virtual CU (VCU) , a virtual DU (VDU) , a virtual RU (VRU) ) .

Split of functionality between a CU, a DU, and an RU may be flexible and may support different functionalities depending upon which functions (e.g., network layer functions, protocol layer functions, baseband functions, radio frequency functions, and any combinations thereof) are performed at a CU, a DU, or an RU. For example, a functional split of a protocol stack may be employed between a CU and a DU such that the CU may support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the DU may support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. In some implementations, the CU may host upper protocol layer (e.g., a layer 3 (L3) , a layer 2 (L2) ) functionality and signaling (e.g., radio resource control (RRC) , service data adaption protocol (SDAP) , Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) ) . The CU may be connected to one or more DUs or RUs, and the one or more DUs or RUs may host lower protocol layers, such as a layer 1 (L1) (e.g., physical (PHY) layer) or an L2 (e.g., radio link control (RLC) layer, MAC layer) functionality and signaling, and may each be at least partially controlled by the CU.

Additionally, or alternatively, a functional split of the protocol stack may be employed between a DU and an RU such that the DU may support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the RU may support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. The DU may support one or multiple different cells (e.g., via one or more RUs) . In some implementations, a functional split between a CU and a DU, or between a DU and an RU may be within a protocol layer (e.g., some functions for a protocol layer may be performed by one of a CU, a DU, or an RU, while other functions of the protocol layer are performed by a different one of the CU, the DU, or the RU) .

A CU may be functionally split further into CU control plane (CU-CP) and CU user plane (CU-UP) functions. A CU may be connected to one or more DUs via a midhaul communication link (e.g., F1, F1-c, F1-u) , and a DU may be connected to one or more RUs via a fronthaul communication link (e.g., open fronthaul (FH) interface) . In some implementations, a midhaul communication link or a fronthaul communication link may be implemented in accordance with an interface (e.g., a channel) between layers of a protocol stack supported by respective network entities 102 that are in communication via such communication links.

The core network 106 may support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 106 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) , or a 5G core (5GC) , which may include a control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME) , an access and mobility management functions (AMF) ) and a user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW) , a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW) , or a user plane function (UPF) ) . In some implementations, the control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management (e.g., data bearers, signal bearers, etc. ) for the one or more UEs 104 served by the one or more network entities 102 associated with the core network 106.

The core network 106 may communicate with the packet data network 108 over one or more backhaul links 116 (e.g., via an S1, N2, N2, or another network interface) . The packet data network 108 may include an application server 118. In some implementations, one or more UEs 104 may communicate with the application server 118. A UE 104 may establish a session (e.g., a protocol data unit (PDU) session, or the like) with the core network 106 via a network entity 102. The core network 106 may route traffic (e.g., control information, data, and the like) between the UE 104 and the application server 118 using the established session (e.g., the established PDU session) . The PDU session may be an example of a logical connection between the UE 104 and the core network 106 (e.g., one or more network functions of the core network 106) .

In the wireless communications system 100, the network entities 102 and the UEs 104 may use resources of the wireless communications system 100 (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or the like) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers) ) to perform various operations (e.g., wireless communications) . In some implementations, the network entities 102 and the UEs 104 may support different resource structures. For example, the network entities 102 and the UEs 104 may support different frame structures. In some implementations, such as in 4G, the network entities 102 and the UEs 104 may support a single frame structure. In some other implementations, such as in 5G and among other suitable radio access technologies, the network entities 102 and the UEs 104 may support various frame structures (i.e., multiple frame structures) . The network entities 102 and the UEs 104 may support various frame structures based on one or more numerologies.

One or more numerologies may be supported in the wireless communications system 100, and a numerology may include a subcarrier spacing and a cyclic prefix. A first numerology (e.g., μ=0) may be associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. In some implementations, the first numerology (e.g., μ=0) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may utilize one slot per subframe. A second numerology (e.g., μ=1) may be associated with a second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A third numerology (e.g., μ=2) may be associated with a third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. A fourth numerology (e.g., μ=3) may be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A fifth numerology (e.g., μ=4) may be associated with a fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix.

A time interval of a resource (e.g., a communication resource) may be organized according to frames (also referred to as radio frames) . Each frame may have a duration, for example, a 10 millisecond (ms) duration. In some implementations, each frame may include multiple subframes. For example, each frame may include 10 subframes, and each subframe may have a duration, for example, a 1 ms duration. In some implementations, each frame may have the same duration. In some implementations, each subframe of a frame may have the same duration.

Additionally or alternatively, a time interval of a resource (e.g., a communication resource) may be organized according to slots. For example, a subframe may include a number (e.g., quantity) of slots. The number of slots in each subframe may also depend on the one or more numerologies supported in the wireless communications system 100. For instance, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth numerologies (i.e., μ=0, μ=1, μ=2, μ=3, μ=4) associated with respective subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz may utilize a single slot per subframe, two slots per subframe, four slots per subframe, eight slots per subframe, and 16 slots per subframe, respectively. Each slot may include a number (e.g., quantity) of symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols) . In some implementations, the number (e.g., quantity) of slots for a subframe may depend on a numerology. For a normal cyclic prefix, a slot may include 14 symbols. For an extended cyclic prefix (e.g., applicable for 60 kHz subcarrier spacing) , a slot may include 12 symbols. The relationship between the number of symbols per slot, the number of slots per subframe, and the number of slots per frame for a normal cyclic prefix and an extended cyclic prefix may depend on a numerology. It should be understood that reference to a first numerology (e.g., μ=0) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may be used interchangeably between subframes and slots.

In the wireless communications system 100, an electromagnetic (EM) spectrum may be split, based on frequency or wavelength, into various classes, frequency bands, frequency channels, etc. By way of example, the wireless communications system 100 may support one or multiple operating frequency bands, such as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz –7.125 GHz) , FR2 (24.25 GHz –52.6 GHz) , FR3 (7.125 GHz –24.25 GHz) , FR4 (52.6 GHz –114.25 GHz) , FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz –71 GHz) , and FR5 (114.25 GHz –300 GHz) . In some implementations, the network entities 102 and the UEs 104 may perform wireless communications over one or more of the operating frequency bands. In some implementations, FR1 may be used by the network entities 102 and the UEs 104, among other equipment or devices for cellular communications traffic (e.g., control information, data) . In some implementations, FR2 may be used by the network entities 102 and the UEs 104, among other equipment or devices for short-range, high data rate capabilities.

FR1 may be associated with one or multiple numerologies (e.g., at least three numerologies) . For example, FR1 may be associated with a first numerology (e.g., μ=0) , which includes 15 kHz subcarrier spacing; a second numerology (e.g., μ=1) , which includes 30 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a third numerology (e.g., μ=2) , which includes 60 kHz subcarrier spacing. FR2 may be associated with one or multiple numerologies (e.g., at least 2 numerologies) . For example, FR2 may be associated with a third numerology (e.g., μ=2) , which includes 60 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a fourth numerology (e.g., μ=3) , which includes 120 kHz subcarrier spacing.

Reference is made to FIGS. 1B to 1E to give example illustrations of the above topologies 1 to 4. Reference is first made to FIG. 1B, which illustrates an example of topology 1 associated with aspects of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1B, in topology 1, an A-IoT device 121 communicates with a BS 122 directly and bi-directionally. The communication between the BS 122 and the A-IoT device 121 includes A-IoT data and/or signalling. This topology includes a possibility of a transmission from the BS 122 to the A-IoT device 121 and a different possibility of a transmission from the A-IoT device 121 to the BS 122.

FIG. 1C illustrates an example of topology 2 associated with aspects of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1C, in topology 2, an A-IoT device 131 communicates bidirectionally with an intermediate node 132 between the A-IoT device 131 and base station 133. In this topology, the intermediate node 132 may be a relay node, an IAB node, a UE, a repeater, etc., which is capable of A-IoT. The intermediate node 132 transfers A-IoT data and/or signalling between the BS 133 and the A-IoT device 131.

Topology 3 may comprise two topology types, i.e., a topology 3A and a topology 3B. FIG. 1D illustrates an example of topology 3 with a topology type of 3B associated with aspects of the present disclosure. In topology 3B, an A-IoT device 141 receives data/signalling from a BS 142 and transmits data/signalling to an assisting node 143. In this topology, the assisting node 143 may be a relay, IAB, UE, repeater, etc. which is capable of A-IoT. For topology 3A, the example illustration of FIG. 1D also applies, only with the difference that it has the opposite direction of the ambient IoT data/signaling. In topology 3A, an A-IoT device 141 transmits data/signalling to a BS 142, and receives data/signalling from an assisting node 143.

FIG. 1E illustrates an example of topology 4 associated with aspects of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1E, in topology 4, an A-IoT device 151 communicates bidirectionally with a UE 152. The communication between the UE 152 and the A-IoT device 151 includes A-IoT data and/or signalling.

In release 19 (Rel-19) , a new study item (SID) on A-IoT was approved. In typical A-IoT use cases, such as automated warehouse inventory, medical instruments inventory management and positioning, and airport terminal/shipping port inventory scenarios, a common operation requires a frequent information report from a large amount of ambient IoT devices. Along with the transfer, storage, and inventory of goods/objects, a large amount of information will be generated. In other words, this information generally has the characteristics of frequent data read operations and large data volumes. In addition, ambient IoT is required to provide complexity and power consumption orders-of-magnitude lower than existing 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) low power wide area (LPWA) technologies such as narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) and long-term evolution-machine type communication (LTE-MTC) .

To accommodate the large number of goods/objects and satisfy low complexity/power requirements, there is a need to provide a simplified command for triggering information reporting, for example, in groupcast/broadcast scenarios, for an ambient IoT system.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for a command for an A-IoT system. In one aspect of the solution of the present disclosure, a first device (for example, a BS) determines one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands. Moreover, the first device transmits, to a second device (for example, an IoT device, such as an A-IoT device) , one or more of the first configuration, or the second configuration. The second device monitors at least one command of the one or more commands based on one or more of the first configuration or the second configuration.

By allowing providing the command configuration and the associated transmission window configuration to the second device, this solution can facilitate the parameter reporting of the second device. In this way, it is possible to improve the flexibility and efficiency of the command-triggered parameter reporting from the second device.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example process flow 200 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The process 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1B to 1D. The process 200 may involve a first device 201 and a second device 202. For example, the first device 201 may comprise the BS 122 as shown in FIG. 1B, or the BS 133 as shown in FIG. 1C, or the BS 142 as shown in FIG. 1D. For example, the second device 202 may comprise the A-IoT device121 as shown in FIG. 1B, or the A-IoT device 131 as shown in FIG. 1C, or the A-IoT device 141 as shown in FIG. 1D. For example, the process 200 may further involve a third device (not shown) . The third device may comprise the intermediate node 132 as shown in FIG. 1C or the assisting node 143 as shown in FIG. 1D with the topology type of 3A. It is to be understood that the steps and the order of the steps in FIG. 2 are merely for illustration, and not for limitation. It is to be understood that the process 200 may further include additional blocks not shown and/or omit some shown blocks, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first device 201 determines (205) one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands. A transmission window of the one or more transmission windows associated with a command of the one or more commands may be used to transmit the command. The transmission window may also be referred to as a candidate transmission window (CTW) .

In some embodiments, the second device 202 may report to the first device 201 its individual information, such as a device identifier, or a device type. The individual information reporting may be performed during the initial access of the second device 202 to the first device 201. In some cases for topology 1 or topology 3B, the individual information may be transmitted to the first device 201 directly. In some cases for topology 2 or topology 3A, the individual information may be transmitted to the first device 201 via the third device (which acts as an intermediate node) . The received individual information may be used by the first device 201 for the determination of the first configuration and/or the second configuration.

For example, a command may comprise a query command that triggers a specific behavior of the second device 202, for example, information reporting from the second device 202 such as reporting of a set of parameters. The reported information may then be utilized by the first device 201. For example, the reported information may be used to determine a resource allocation for a subsequent transmission (for example, succeeding information exchange within the ambient IoT system) based on the one or more parameters. Alternatively or additionally, the reported information may be used to assist synchronization or for any other purpose, the scope of the present disclosure will not be limited in this regard.

In some embodiments, to satisfy the low complexity and low power consumption required in the A-IoT system, a simple way to design a command may need to be considered. For example, a sequence-based command design may be introduced. The sequence may be expressed as multiple binary bits. As an example, the sequence may comprise both information bit (s) and cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bit (s) , where the information bit (s) may indicate the command, and the CRC bit (s) may provide error-detecting.

Moreover, some other characteristics of the sequence pattern design for the command may be considered, which aim at overcoming burst error. For example, the sequence of the command may satisfy a specific condition.

An example implementation of the specific condition may be defined by a constraint that an Euclidean distance between any two sequences (for example, a first sequence of a first command and a second sequence of a second command) is above a threshold integer. The threshold integer may be pre-defined or determined by the first device 201. The Euclidean distance between two sequences may be defined by the number of different bits between the two sequences. For example, the determined sequences may comprise orthogonal sequences, where any two sequences of the determined sequences differ from each other in every bit (for example, the first sequence of the first command is orthogonal to the second command of the second sequence) . These orthogonal sequences may correspond to the case that the Euclidean distance between any pair of sequences equals the length of the sequence. The orthogonal sequences are beneficial as they could provide self-correcting as much as possible for a given sequence length.

Another example implementation of the specific condition may be defined by one or more specific (or in other words, exact, or fixed) bits within each sequence to a value of one or more specific (or in other words, fixed) values. The one or more specific values may be pre-defined or determined by the first device 201. As an example, the number of specific bits (s) (for example, denoted by M bits) , the exact location of the M bits (for example, the starting M bits, the last M bits, or some M bits within each sequence) , or the specific value (s) (for example, all-zero, all ones, 0101, …, 1010, etc. ) may be set considering the sequence length and the channel condition for the place where the ambient IoT system is deployed.

An association between a command and a candidate transmission window may be determined in a variety of ways. In other words, the behavior required by (or in other words, associated with) the command may be different based on different association relationships.

As an example, different commands may be configured with different transmission windows. In this case, a command may be associated with one transmission window, and one or more parameters associated with the command and to be reported by the second device 202 may be determined based on the command. In other words, the meaning of the command (i.e., the behavior required by the command) may be determined only by the command itself.

As another example, a command may be common and configured with a plurality of transmission windows (i.e., different transmission windows) . In this case, a command may be associated with multiple transmission windows, and one or more parameters associated with the command and to be reported by the second device 202 may be determined based on the command and the transmission window where the command is transmitted. In other words, the meaning of the command (i.e., the behavior required by the command) may be determined by both the command and the corresponding transmission window within which the command is transmitted. In this way, it is allowed to decrease the number of commands or the length of the command. Moreover, an indicator (for example, referred to as Indicator_cc) may be used to indicate whether a command is common for a plurality of (i.e., different) transmission windows. For example, the indicator may indicate a common command with the value of ‘1’ and a non-common command with the value of ‘0’ . This indicator may be comprised in the first configuration as described below. Alternatively or additionally, this indicator may be carried in the command.

As a further example, a transmission window may be associated with a service, and the service may be associated with a set of commands. For example, the service may comprise a position report, a logistics enquiry, and so on. In this case, each transmission window may be associated with a dedicated service identifier (ID) , which in turn may be associated with a set of commands. As a result, the association between the transmission window and the set of commands may be established. The service ID may be comprised in the first configuration to indicate the association between the service and the set of commands as described below, and/or in the second configuration to indicate the association between the service and the transmission window. Alternatively or additionally, the service ID may be carried in the set of commands to indicate the association between the service and the command.

In view of the above, in some implementations, the first configuration of one or more commands may comprise one or more of the following:

- an ID for identifying the one or more commands;

- one or more sequences of the one or more commands;

- one or more parameters to be reported and associated with a command of the one or more commands;

- an ID of a common transmission window associated with the one or more commands, or an ID of a respective one of the one or more transmission windows associated with a respective one of the one or more commands;

- a common indicator (for example, Indicator_cc) indicating whether each of the one or more commands is associated with a plurality of transmission windows, or a respective indicator (for example, Indicator_cc) indicating whether a respective one of the one or more commands is associated with a plurality of transmission windows;

- an ID of a common service associated with the one or more commands, or an ID of a respective service associated with a respective one of the one or more commands; or

- a common transmission configuration (such as a modulation-and-coding scheme, a transport block (TB) size, and so on) for one or more parameters to be reported and associated with the one or more commands, or a respective transmission configuration for one or more parameters to be reported and associated with a respective one of the one or more commands. This parameter allows a decrease of information required for a transmission configuration of parameter reporting.

For example, the configuration of command (s) may be done in the form of a table. Each entry of the table may correspond to the configuration information of one of the command (s) . In this case, each entry may include one or more of the following information elements: a sequence of the command, and one or more to-be-reported parameters required by the command. The configuration may comprise an ID (referred to as, ID_QCS) of the table to identify the command (s) . Moreover, the configuration may comprise additional information, for example, an ID (also referred to as, ID_CTW) of a candidate transmission window associated with one or more commands; an indicator (for example, referred to as Indicator_cc) to indicate whether one or more commands are common for multiple candidate transmission windows; a service ID associated with one or more commands; or a transmission configuration for reporting for one or more commands. Such additional information may be per command (i.e., in this case, each entry may comprise field (s) indicating such additional information) or per table (i.e., in this case, each table may comprise common field (s) indicating such additional information) .

Alternatively or additionally, some of the above parameters may be comprised in the command, rather than comprising such information in the configuration. For example, the transmission window (s) associated with the command, the indicator to indicate whether the command is common for multiple candidate transmission windows, or the service ID associated with the command may be carried in the command, as described above.

In some embodiments, the time-domain resources for transmitting the commands may be organized in periodic, where each hyper time unit (hyper-TU) may be repeated periodically in the time domain. Each hyper-TU (also referred to as a second TU) may include a plurality of TUs (also referred to as first TUs) . As an example, the first TU may be similar to a frame in an NR system. The total number of the plurality of TUs within the hyper-TU may be determined based on (and thus associated with) the transmission period of the system information. Each TU may comprise a plurality of sub-TUs. As an example, the sub-TU may be similar to a sub-frame in an NR system. An example time-domain resource structure is illustrated in FIG. 3A. As shown in FIG. 3A, each hyper-TU includes N1 TUs. The value of N1 may be determined based on the transmission period of the system information. Each TU is further divided into N2 sub-TUs.

For example, considering that the progresses are performed periodically, the transmission window (for example, in units of first TUs) for the commands may be set periodically within a second TU. In this case, the transmission window may comprise one or more first TUs within the second TU. An associated command may be transmitted starting from any first TU within the transmission window. FIG. 3B illustrates an example transmission window configuration in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3B, a first candidate transmission window with the ID_CTW, 1 and a second candidate transmission window with the ID_CTW, 2 are configured. Each of the first and second transmission windows may occupy multiple first TUs.

On this basis, the second configuration of one or more transmission windows may comprise one or more of:

- a periodicity (also referred to as T_periodicity) of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows;

- a time offset (also referred to as T_offset) of a starting point of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows relative to a starting bound of a period;

- a length (also referred to as T_duraiton) of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows;

- an ID (also referred to as ID_CTW) a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows; or

- an ID of a service associated with a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows.

For example, the configuration of transmission window (s) may be done by a table. Each entry of the table may correspond to the setting of each of the transmission window (s) . In this case, each entry may include one or more of the following information elements: ID_CTW to indicate the transmission window; T_periodicity to indicate the length of the period of the hyper TU; T_offset to indicate the time offset of the starting point of the transmission window relative to the starting bound of each period; T_duraiton to indicate the length of the transmission window; or a service ID to indicate which service may be transmitted within the transmission window. Alternatively or additionally, some of the above information (for example, T_periodicity or the service ID) may be configured per table. In this way, by indicating the configuration of transmission window (s) to the second device 202 to enable the second device 202 to monitor the command (s) on limited resources, it is possible to decrease the power consumption required for receiving the command (s) by the second device 202.

After determining one or more of the first configuration or the second configuration as described above, the first device 201 transmits (210) , to a second device, one or more of the first configuration, or the second configuration. Accordingly, the second device may obtain the first configuration and/or the second configuration. In some cases for topology 1 or topology 3B, the first configuration and/or the second configuration may be transmitted directly from the first device 201 to the second device 202. In some cases for topology 2 or topology 3A, the first configuration and/or the second configuration may be transmitted from the first device 201 to the third device (which acts as an intermediate node) , and then transmitted from the third device to the second device 202.

After configuring the second device 201 with the first configuration and/or the second configuration, a command of the one or more commands may be transmitted to the second device 202 within a transmission window associated with the command. In the cases for topology 1 or topology 3B, the first device 201 may transmit the command to the second device 202 directly. In the cases for topology 2 or topology 3A, the command may be transmitted from the third device to the second device 202, since the third device already has the above first configuration and/or second configuration, and thus may determine the command at the third device rather than generating the command at the first device 201 to avoid unnecessary signal overhead. Moreover, the first device 201 may transmit, to the third device, an indication to transmit the command to the second device 202, and thus the third device may transmit the command as instructed by the first device 201 accordingly. In some implementations, the command may be transmitted starting from any TU of the one or more first TUs within the transmission window associated with the command, for example, directly to the second device 202, or towards the second device 202 via the third device.

On the basis of the obtained first configuration and/or second configuration, the second device 202 monitors (215) at least one command of the one or more commands. For example, the second device 202 may intend to receive one or more specific commands or one or more commands associated with a specific service (for example, associated with a specific service ID) , and the second device 202 may then perform monitoring within the associated transmission window (s) . As an example, the transmission window (s) associated with the command (s) or the service associated with the command (s) may be determined as configured in the first configuration. Alternatively or additionally, associated transmission window (s) associated with the command (s) or the service associated with the command (s) may be carried and thus indicated in the command (s) . In this case, if the command (s) includes the transmission window ID (i.e., ID_CTW) , the second device 202 may monitor the transmission window indicated by the ID_CTW. If the command (s) includes a service ID, the second device 202 may monitor the transmission window associated with the service ID.

In some embodiments, on the receiving side of the command, the second device 202 may obtain a decoded command based on a result of the monitoring. The decoding of the command may be done by performing error-detection and self-correcting according to CRC and the specific condition as defined above. For example, the received sequence may be one of the sequence (s) of configured command (s) . As another example, the received sequence may not be one of the sequence (s) of configured command (s) , and in this case, the second device 202 may identify a sequence that has the smallest Euclidean distance relative to the received sequence. Then, the decoded command may be determined as the identified sequence.

In some embodiments, if the decoded command is associated with one of the one or more configured transmission windows, the second device 202 may determine the behavior required by the decoded command only based on the decoded command. Then, the second device 202 may report one or more parameters based on the decoded command. If the decoded command is associated with multiple transmission windows when a plurality of transmission windows are configured, the second device 202 may determine the behavior required by the decoded command the decoded command and a transmission window of the multiple transmission windows within which the decoded command is received. Then, the second device 202 may report one or more parameters based on the decoded command and the transmission window within which the decoded command is received. Moreover, if the first configuration includes the transmission configuration of reporting, the second device 202 may report the one or more more parameters according to the transmission configuration.

In some embodiments, whether a command is associated with one or multiple transmission windows may be pre-defined. As another example implementation, whether a command is associated with one or multiple transmission windows may be indicated based on Indicator_cc if configured, and in this case, the second device 202 may determine whether the decoded command is associated with one or multiple transmission windows based on Indicator_cc. Indicator_cc may be obtained from the decoded command or from the first configuration (for example, from a field used for Indicator_cc in the entry of the command in the first configuration, or from a common field used for Indicator_cc in the first configuration ) . As an example implementation, if Indicator_cc in the entry of the command indicates that the command is non-common for different transmission windows, the second device 202 may determine the meaning of the command based on the entry. Otherwise, if Indicator_cc in the entry of the command indicates that the command is common for multiple transmission windows, the second device 202 may determine the meaning of the command based on the entry including both the command and the the transmission window within which the command is received.

According to some embodiments with reference to FIGS. 2 to 3B, it is possible to improve the flexibility and efficiency of the command-triggered parameter reporting from the second device.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a device 400 that supports a command for an A-IoT systemin accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The device 400 may be an example of a first device 201, or a second device 202 as described herein. The device 400 may support wireless communication with one or more network entities 102, UEs 104, or any combination thereof. The device 400 may include components for bi-directional communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a processor 402, a memory 404, a transceiver 406, and, optionally, an I/O controller 408. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., buses) .

The processor 402, the memory 404, the transceiver 406, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of the present disclosure as described herein. For example, the processor 402, the memory 404, the transceiver 406, or various combinations or components thereof may support a method for performing one or more of the operations described herein.

In some implementations, the processor 402, the memory 404, the transceiver 406, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communications management circuitry) . The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some implementations, the processor 402 and the memory 404 coupled with the processor 402 may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., executing, by the processor 402, instructions stored in the memory 404) .

For example, the processor 402 may support wireless communication at the device 400 in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The processor 402 may be configured to operable to support a means for determining one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands; and a means for transmitting, to a second device, one or more of the first configuration, or the second configuration. The processor 402 may be configured to operable to support a means for receiving, from a first device, one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands; and a means for monitoring at least one command of the one or more commands based on one or more of the first configuration or the second configuration.

The processor 402 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof) . In some implementations, the processor 402 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other implementations, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 402. The processor 402 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 404) to cause the device 400 to perform various functions of the present disclosure.

The memory 404 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM) . The memory 404 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions that, when executed by the processor 402 cause the device 400 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. In some implementations, the code may not be directly executable by the processor 402 but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. In some implementations, the memory 404 may include, among other things, a basic I/O system (BIOS) which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.

The I/O controller 408 may manage input and output signals for the device 400. The I/O controller 408 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the device M02. In some implementations, the I/O controller 408 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral. In some implementations, the I/O controller 408 may utilize an operating system such as or another known operating system. In some implementations, the I/O controller 408 may be implemented as part of a processor, such as the processor 406. In some implementations, a user may interact with the device 400 via the I/O controller 408 or via hardware components controlled by the I/O controller 408.

In some implementations, the device 400 may include a single antenna 410. However, in some other implementations, the device 400 may have more than one antenna 410 (i.e., multiple antennas) , including multiple antenna panels or antenna arrays, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The transceiver 406 may communicate bi-directionally, via the one or more antennas 410, wired, or wireless links as described herein. For example, the transceiver 406 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 406 may also include a modem to modulate the packets, to provide the modulated packets to one or more antennas 410 for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the one or more antennas 410. The transceiver 406 may include one or more transmit chains, one or more receive chains, or a combination thereof.

A transmit chain may be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) . The transmit chain may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques such as amplitude modulation (AM) , frequency modulation (FM) , or digital modulation schemes like phase-shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) . The transmit chain may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over the wireless medium. The transmit chain may also include one or more antennas 410 for transmitting the amplified signal into the air or wireless medium.

A receive chain may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) over a wireless medium. For example, the receive chain may include one or more antennas 410 for receive the signal over the air or wireless medium. The receive chain may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA) ) configured to amplify the received signal. The receive chain may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the receive signal and obtain the transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during transmission of the signal. The receive chain may include at least one decoder for decoding the processing the demodulated signal to receive the transmitted data.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a processor 500 that supports a command for an A-IoT systemin accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The processor 500 may be an example of a processor configured to perform various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor 500 may include a controller 502 configured to perform various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor 500 may optionally include at least one memory 504, such as L1/L2/L3 cache. Additionally, or alternatively, the processor 500 may optionally include one or more arithmetic-logic units (ALUs) 500. One or more of these components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., buses) .

The processor 500 may be a processor chipset and include a protocol stack (e.g., a software stack) executed by the processor chipset to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, reading) in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor chipset may include one or more cores, one or more caches (e.g., memory local to or included in the processor chipset (e.g., the processor 500) or other memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) , read-only memory (ROM) , dynamic RAM (DRAM) , synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM) , static RAM (SRAM) , ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM) , magnetic RAM (MRAM) , resistive RAM (RRAM) , flash memory, phase change memory (PCM) , and others) .

The controller 502 may be configured to manage and coordinate various operations (e.g., signaling, receiving, obtaining, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, reading) of the processor 500 to cause the processor 500 to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. For example, the controller 502 may operate as a control unit of the processor 500, generating control signals that manage the operation of various components of the processor 500. These control signals include enabling or disabling functional units, selecting data paths, initiating memory access, and coordinating timing of operations.

The controller 502 may be configured to fetch (e.g., obtain, retrieve, receive) instructions from the memory 504 and determine subsequent instruction (s) to be executed to cause the processor 500 to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The controller 502 may be configured to track memory address of instructions associated with the memory 504. The controller 502 may be configured to decode instructions to determine the operation to be performed and the operands involved. For example, the controller 502 may be configured to interpret the instruction and determine control signals to be output to other components of the processor 500 to cause the processor 500 to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. Additionally, or alternatively, the controller 502 may be configured to manage flow of data within the processor 500. The controller 502 may be configured to control transfer of data between registers, arithmetic logic units (ALUs) , and other functional units of the processor 500.

The memory 504 may include one or more caches (e.g., memory local to or included in the processor 500 or other memory, such RAM, ROM, DRAM, SDRAM, SRAM, MRAM, flash memory, etc. In some implementations, the memory 504 may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., local to the processor 500) . In some other implementations, the memory 504 may reside external to the processor chipset (e.g., remote to the processor 500) .

The memory 504 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions that, when executed by the processor 500, cause the processor 500 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. The controller 502 and/or the processor 500 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 504 to cause the processor 500 to perform various functions. For example, the processor 500 and/or the controller 502 may be coupled with or to the memory 504, and the processor 500, the controller 502, and the memory 504 may be configured to perform various functions described herein. In some examples, the processor 500 may include multiple processors and the memory 504 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled with one or more of the multiple memories, which may, individually or collectively, be configured to perform various functions herein.

The one or more ALUs 500 may be configured to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, the one or more ALUs 500 may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., the processor 500) . In some other implementations, the one or more ALUs 500 may reside external to the processor chipset (e.g., the processor 500) . One or more ALUs 500 may perform one or more computations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division on data. For example, one or more ALUs 500 may receive input operands and an operation code, which determines an operation to be executed. One or more ALUs 500 be configured with a variety of logical and arithmetic circuits, including adders, subtractors, shifters, and logic gates, to process and manipulate the data according to the operation. Additionally, or alternatively, the one or more ALUs 500 may support logical operations such as AND, OR, exclusive-OR (XOR) , not-OR (NOR) , and not-AND (NAND) , enabling the one or more ALUs 500 to handle conditional operations, comparisons, and bitwise operations.

The processor 500 may support wireless communication in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The processor 500 may be configured to or operable to support a means for a means for determining one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands; and a means for transmitting, to a second device, one or more of the first configuration, or the second configuration. The processor 500 may be configured to or operable to support a means for receiving, from a first device, one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands; and a means for monitoring at least one command of the one or more commands based on one or more of the first configuration or the second configuration.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method 600 that supports a command for an A-IoT systemin accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 600 may be implemented by a device or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 600 may be performed by a first device 201 as described herein. In some implementations, the device may execute a set of instructions to control the function elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the device may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

At 610, the method may include determining one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands. The operations of 610 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 610 may be performed by a first device 201 as described with reference to FIG. 2.

At 620, the method may include transmitting, to a second device, one or more of the first configuration, or the second configuration. The operations of 620 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 620 may be performed by a first device 201 as described with reference to FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method 700 that supports a command for an A-IoT systemin accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 700 may be implemented by a device or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 700 may be performed by a second device 202 as described herein. In some implementations, the device may execute a set of instructions to control the function elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the device may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

At 710, the method may include receiving, from a first device, one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands. The operations of 710 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 710 may be performed by a second device 202 as described with reference to FIG. 2.

At 720, the method may include monitoring at least one command of the one or more commands based on one or more of the first configuration or the second configuration. The operations of 720 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 720 may be performed by a second device 202 as described with reference to FIG. 2.

It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible. Further, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

The various illustrative blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations.

Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example, non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) , flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor.

As used herein, including in the claims, an article “a” before an element is unrestricted and understood to refer to “at least one” of those elements or “one or more” of those elements. The terms “a, ” “at least one, ” “one or more, ” and “at least one of one or more” may be interchangeable. As used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of” or “one or more of” or “one or both of” ) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C) . Also, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step that is described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall be construed in the same manner as the phrase “based at least in part on. Further, as used herein, including in the claims, a “set” may include one or more elements.

The description herein is provided to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

A first device comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the first device to:

determine one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands; and

transmit, to a second device, one or more of the first configuration, or the second configuration.
The first device of claim 1, wherein the one or more commands comprise a plurality of commands, the plurality of commands comprise a first command and a second command, and an Euclidean distance between a first sequence of the first command and a second sequence of the second command is above a threshold integer.
The first device of claim 1, wherein a sequence of a command of the one or more commands comprises one or more bits set to a value of one or more specific values.
The first device of claim 1, wherein a command of the one or more commands is associated with one of the one or more transmission windows, and one or more parameters associated with the command and to be reported by the second device are determined based on the command.
The first device of claim 1, wherein the one or more transmission windows comprise a plurality of windows, a command of the one or more commands is associated with multiple transmission windows of the plurality of transmission windows, and one or more parameters associated with the command and to be reported by the second device are determined based on the command and a transmission window of the multiple transmission windows within which the command is transmitted.
The first device of claim 1, wherein a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows is associated with a service, and the service is associated with a set of commands of the one or more commands.
The first device of claim 1, wherein a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows comprises one or more first time units (TU) within a second TU, the second TU comprising a plurality of first TUs.
The first device of claim 1, wherein the first configuration comprises one or more of:

an identifier for identifying the one or more commands;

one or more sequences of the one or more commands;

one or more parameters to be reported and associated with a command of the one or more commands;

an identifier of a common transmission window associated with the one or more commands, or an identifier of a respective one of the one or more transmission windows associated with a respective one of the one or more commands;

a common indicator indicating whether each of the one or more commands is associated with a plurality of transmission windows, or a respective indicator indicating whether a respective one of the one or more commands is associated with a plurality of transmission windows;

an identifier of a common service associated with the one or more commands, or an identifier of a respective service associated with a respective one of the one or more commands; or

a common transmission configuration for one or more parameters to be reported and associated with the one or more commands, or a respective transmission configuration for one or more parameters to be reported and associated with a respective one of the one or more commands.
The first device of claim 1, wherein the second configuration comprises one or more of:

a periodicity of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows;

a time offset of a starting point of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows relative to a starting bound of a period;

a length of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows;

an identifier of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows; or

an identifier of a service associated with a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows.
The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the first device to:

transmit, to the second device, a command of the one or more commands within a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows associated with the command.
The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the first device to:

transmit, to a third device, an indication to transmit a command of the one or more commands to the second device within a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows associated with the command.
A second device comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the second device to:

receive, from a first device, one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands; and

monitor at least one command of the one or more commands based on one or more of the first configuration or the second configuration.
The second device of claim 12, wherein the one or more commands comprise a plurality of commands, the plurality of commands comprise a first command and a second command, and an Euclidean distance between a first sequence of the first command and a second sequence of the second command is above a threshold integer.
The second device of claim 12, wherein a sequence of a command of the one or more commands comprises one or more bits set to a value of one or more specific values.
The second device of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the second device to:

obtain a decoded command based on a result of the monitoring, the decoded command being one of the one or more commands.
The second device of claim 12, wherein a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows is associated with a service, and the service is associated with the at least one command.
The second device of claim 12, wherein the first configuration comprises one or more of:

an identifier for identifying the one or more commands;

one or more sequences of the one or more commands;

one or more parameters to be reported and associated with a command of the one or more commands;

an identifier of a common transmission window associated with the one or more commands, or an identifier of a respective one of the one or more transmission windows associated with a respective one of the one or more commands;

a common indicator indicating whether each of the one or more commands is associated with a plurality of transmission windows, or a respective indicator indicating whether a respective one of the one or more commands is associated with a plurality of transmission windows;

an identifier of a common service associated with the one or more commands, or an identifier of a respective service associated with a respective one of the one or more commands; or

a common transmission configuration for one or more parameters to be reported and associated with the one or more commands, or a respective transmission configuration for one or more parameters to be reported and associated with a respective one of the one or more commands.
The second device of claim 12, wherein the second configuration comprises one or more of:

a periodicity of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows;

a time offset of a starting point of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows relative to a starting bound of a period;

a length of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows;

an identifier of a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows; or

an identifier of a service associated with a transmission window of the one or more transmission windows.
A processor for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one controller coupled with at least one memory and configured to cause the processor to:

determine one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands; and

transmit, to a second device, one or more of the first configuration, or the second configuration.
A processor for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one controller coupled with at least one memory and configured to cause the processor to:

receive, from a first device, one or more of a first configuration of one or more commands, or a second configuration of one or more transmission windows associated with the one or more commands; and

monitor at least one command of the one or more commands based on one or more of the first configuration or the second configuration.