WO2025036090A1

WO2025036090A1 - Devices and methods of communication

Info

Publication number: WO2025036090A1
Application number: PCT/CN2024/106570
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lihua Yang; Jie Hu; Jing HAN; Luning Liu; Haiming Wang
Original assignee: Lenovo Beijing Ltd
Current assignee: Lenovo Beijing Ltd
Priority date: 2024-07-19
Filing date: 2024-07-19
Publication date: 2025-02-20
Anticipated expiration: 2027-01-19

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to devices and methods of communication. In one aspect, a first device may receive, from a second device, a configuration indicating a set of resources for a random access procedure between the first device and a third device. The set of resources may be associated with at least one of the following: a type of the random access procedure, a link between the third device and the first device, a service intended for the third device, a service type of the service, an access occasion or access round for the random access procedure, or a set of first devices comprising the first device. Based on the set of resources, the first device may perform the random access procedure. In this way, A-IoT random access may be carried out.

Description

DEVICES AND METHODS OF COMMUNICATION

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more specifically to devices and methods of communication for ambient Internet of things (A-IoT) .

BACKGROUND

A wireless communications system may include one or multiple network communication devices, such as base stations, 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-IoT is an Internet of things (IoT) technology of supporting battery-less devices with no energy storage capability or devices with energy storage that do not need to be replaced or recharged manually. Recently, it is proposed to design a compact protocol stack and corresponding procedures for A-IoT, e.g., paging, random access, data transmission, etc.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to methods, devices, processors and systems that support a communication with an A-IoT device. By considering a random access procedure for an A-IoT device, e.g., under Topology 2 where an A-IoT device communicates bidirectionally with an intermediate node between an A-IoT device and a base station, a communication with an A-IoT device may be enhanced.

In a first aspect, some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein may comprise: receiving, at a first device and from a second device, a configuration indicating a set of resources for a random access procedure between the first device and a third device, the set of resources being associated with at least one of the following: a type of the random access procedure, a link between the third device and the first device, a service intended for the third device, a service type of the service, an access occasion or access round for the random access procedure, or a set of first devices comprising the first device; and performing the random access procedure based on the set of resources.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, the type of the random access procedure may comprise at least one of a 4-step random access procedure, a 2-step random access procedure, or a contention free access procedure. The link may comprise at least one of a first link from the first device to the third device, or a second link from the third device to the first device.

Some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein may further comprise: receiving a first request for the service from a fourth device via the second device; and transmitting a second request for the configuration to the second device.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, the second request may indicate at least one of the following: the first request is intended for the third device; the second request is for requesting the configuration for a combination of a 4-step random access procedure and a 2-step random access procedure; the second request is for requesting the configuration for the 4-step random access procedure; the second request is for requesting the configuration for the 2-step random access procedure; the second request is for requesting the configuration for a contention free access procedure; or the second request is for requesting the configuration for the access occasion or access round.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, the second request may further indicate at least one of the following: information of the service; or information of the random access procedure.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, the information of the service may comprise at least one of the following: a traffic type of the service, a service type of the service, a device type of the service, information of the access round, a set of third devices associated with the first request, or number of third devices in the set of third devices.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, the information of the access round may comprise at least one of the following: number of access rounds required for the random access procedure; or latency requirement of the access round.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, the information of the random access procedure may comprise at least one of the following: number of access occasions; or a parameter associated with the number of access occasions.

Some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein may further comprise: transmitting, to the second device, an indication indicating that the first device serves the third device.

Some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein may further comprise: releasing the configuration based on at least one of the following: a timer for the configuration expires; number of access occasions for the configuration reaches a first number threshold; number of access rounds for the configuration reaches a second number threshold; an indication indicating the release of the configuration is received from the second device; or the first device moves into an area for which the configuration is invalid.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, performing the random access procedure may comprise: determining a resource from the set of resources based on at least one of the following: an indication of the resource from the second device or the fourth device; a service type of the service; a size of a message to be transmitted; or an intention of the message.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, the set of resources may be associated with the set of first devices, and performing the random access procedure may comprise: in accordance with a determination that a first resource in the set of resources is dedicated for the first device, using the first resource for the random access procedure; and in accordance with a determination that the set of resources is common for the set of first devices, determining a second resource in the set of resources for the random access procedure by at least one of the following: randomly selecting the second resource from the set of resources, selecting the second resource based on a latency requirement of the service, selecting the second resource based on number of third devices in a set of third devices served by the first device, selecting the second resource based on a priority of the service, or selecting the second resource based on a sensing-based mechanism.

In some embodiments, the first device may be a terminal device, the second device may be a base station, the third device may be an A-IoT device, and the fourth device may be a core network device.

In a second aspect, some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein may comprise: receiving, at a second device and from a fourth device, a first request for a service intended for a third device; and transmitting, to a first device, a configuration indicating a set of resources for a random access procedure between the first device and the third device, the set of resources being associated with at least one of the following: a type of the random access procedure, a link between the third device and the first device, the service intended for the third device, a service type of the service, an access occasion or access round for the random access procedure, or a set of first devices comprising the first device.

Some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein may further comprise: forwarding the first request to the first device; receiving, from the first device, a second request for the configuration to the second device; and generating the configuration based on the second request.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, transmitting the configuration is based on at least one of the following: an indication indicating that the first device serves the third device is received from the first device; an indication indicating that the first device serves the third device is received from the fourth device; or the first device is selected by the second device for serving the third device.

In a third aspect, some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein may comprise: determining, at a second device, that a failure occurs between a first device and a third device; and triggering a configuration or reconfiguration of a resource for a set of transmissions from the third device to the first device.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, determining that the failure occurs based on at least one of the following: the second device does not receive information related to the third device from the first device during a time window; the second device does not receive the information related to the third device after transmitting a message for requesting the information related to the third device to the first device; the second device receives a negative acknowledgement after transmitting the message for requesting the information related to the third device to the first device; or the second device receives an indication of the failure from the first device.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, the information related to the third device may comprise at least one of the following: an identity of the third device, or upper layer data from the third device.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, the second device may be a base station, and triggering the configuration or reconfiguration may comprise: transmitting, to the first device, a request for first information assistant for the configuration or reconfiguration; receiving the first information from the first device; and configuring or reconfiguring the resource based on the first information.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, the second device may be a base station, and triggering the configuration or reconfiguration may comprise: receiving, from a fourth device, a request for configuring or reconfiguring the resource, the request comprising first information assistant for the configuration or reconfiguration; and configuring or reconfiguring the resource based on the first information.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, the second device may be a core network device, and triggering the configuration or reconfiguration may comprise: transmitting, to a base station, a request for configuring or reconfiguring the resource, the request comprising first information assistant for the configuration or reconfiguration.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, the first information may comprise at least one of the following: number of transmissions in the set of transmissions; or number of access rounds for a transmission in the set of transmissions.

In some embodiments, the first device may be a terminal device, the second device may be a base station or a core network device, the third device may be an A-IoT device, and the fourth device may be a core network device.

In a fourth aspect, some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein may comprise: determining, at a first device, that a failure occurs between the first device and a second device; and performing a first operation related to a third device comprising at least one of the following: continuing to trigger the third device to report information related to the third device to the first device, storing the information related to the third device received from the third device, or transmitting, to the third device, second information indicating an ending of the reporting of the information related to the third device.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, the first operation may further comprise at least one of the following: in accordance with a determination that a recovery of the failure is not completed within a period of time since the storing of the information related to the third device, releasing the information related to the third device; or in accordance with a determination that the failure is recovered, reporting the information related to the second device.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, the second information may comprise at least one of the following: a first indication of the failure, or a second indication for ending the reporting of the information related to the third device.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, the second indication may be valid for one of the following: a period of time, an access occasion, an access round, a service, energy of the third device is not empty, or no indication indicating invalidity of the second indication is received.

Some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein may further comprise: determining that the failure is recovered; and performing a second operation related to the third device comprising at least one of the following: requesting a fourth device to trigger an inventory procedure, transmitting, to the third device, a message for triggering an access from the third device to the first device, or transmitting, to the third device, a request for the information related to the third device.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, the request may comprise at least one of the following: an indication indicating a reporting of the information related to the third device; or a resource configuration for the reporting.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, determining that the failure is recovered is based on at least one of the following: an indication of recovery of the failure is received from the second device or a fourth device; or an indication of update of the first device is received from the fourth device.

In some implementations of the methods, devices and processors described herein, the first device may be a terminal device, the second device may be a base station, the third device may be an A-IoT device, and the fourth device may be a core network device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a signaling chart of an example process that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3A illustrates a signaling chart of another example process that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3B illustrates a signaling chart of another example process that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a device that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a processor that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example method that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of another example method that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of another example method that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of another example method that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

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. The term ‘embodiment’ may be interchangeably used with ‘implementation’ .

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 implementations. 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 implementations only and is not intended to be limiting of example implementations. 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.

For illustration, example device types of an A-IoT device are listed below. It is to be understood that any other suitable device types may also be feasible.

- device 1: ～1 μW peak power consumption, has energy storage, initial sampling frequency offset (SFO) up to 10X ppm, neither DL nor UL amplification in the A-IoT device. The A-IoT device’s UL transmission is backscattered on a carrier wave provided externally.

- device 2a: ≤ a few hundred μW peak power consumption, has energy storage, initial SFO up to 10X ppm, both DL and/or UL amplification in the A-IoT device. The A-IoT device’s UL transmission is backscattered on a carrier wave provided externally.

- device 2b: ≤ a few hundred μW peak power consumption, has energy storage, initial SFO up to 10X ppm, both DL and/or UL amplification in the A-IoT device. The A-IoT device’s UL transmission is generated internally by the A-IoT device.

In the context of the present disclosure, the term ‘a first device’ may refer to an intermediate node communicating with an A-IoT device. For example, the intermediate node may be a communication node between the base station and the A-IoT device. For example, the communication node may be a relay, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, UE, repeater, etc. which is capable of A-IoT associated functionalities. In some embodiments, the first device may be a node providing excitation signal or energy to the A-IoT device. In some embodiments, the first device may be a node transmitting a command to the A-IoT device to implement a selection, inventory or access (e.g., read and write) to the A-IoT device. For convenience, the term ‘a first device’ may be interchangeably used with ‘an intermediate node’ or ‘a communication node’ or ‘a terminal device’ .

In the context of the present disclosure, the term ‘a second device’ may refer to a base station. The term ‘a second device’ may be interchangeably used with ‘a base station’ or ‘a network entity’ .

In the context of the present disclosure, the term ‘a third device’ may refer to a battery-less device with no energy storage capability or a device with energy storage that do not need to be replaced or recharged manually. The term ‘a third device’ may be interchangeably used with ‘an A-IoT device’ or ‘A-IoT UE’ .

In the context of the present disclosure, the term ‘a fourth device’ may refer to a core network (CN) device. In some embodiments, the CN device may be an existing CN function such as location management function (LMF) , access management function (AMF) , etc. In some embodiments, the CN device may be a CN function or a server newly defined for A-IoT. The term ‘a fourth device’ may be interchangeably used with ‘a CN element’ or ‘a CN device’ or ‘a server for A-IoT’ or ‘A-IoT server’ .

In the context of the present disclosure, the term ‘A-IoT’ may be interchangeably used with ‘passive IoT’ . The term ‘R2D transmission’ may refer to a transmission from an intermediate node to an A-IoT device, and the term ‘D2R transmission’ may refer to a transmission from an A-IoT device to an intermediate node. The term ‘random access’ herein may refer to a random access between an A-IoT device and an intermediate node, and may be interchangeably used with ‘A-IoT random access’ or ‘random access procedure’ or ‘A-IoT random access procedure’ or ‘A-IoT random access channel (RACH) procedure’ or ‘RACH procedure’ .

In the context of the present disclosure, the term ‘4-step random access’ may be interchangeably used with ‘A-IoT 4-step random access’ . As an example, the 4-step random access may involve the following messages:

1) A-IoT Msg1: an A-IoT device sends an identity (ID) to an intermediate node. The ID is a random ID generated by the A-IoT device;

2) A-IoT Msg2: the intermediate node echoes the ID received in A-IoT Msg1;

3) A-IoT Msg3: the A-IoT device sends a device ID and/or any other upper layer data, depending on upper layer request. For example, the A-IoT device considers contention resolution as successful, if the Msg2 including the same random ID in Msg1 is received. In this case, the A-IoT device may send the A-IoT Msg 3; and

4) A-IoT Msg4: i.e., subsequent R2D transmission after D2R transmission, which does not need to be always sent in random access. ‘A-IoT Msg4’ may be considered to handle an A-IoT Msg3 transmission failure due to various reasons.

In the context of the present disclosure, the term ‘2-step random access’ may be interchangeably used with ‘A-IoT 2-step random access’ . As an example, the 2-step random access may involve the following messages:

1) A-IoT Msg1: an A-IoT device sends, to an intermediate node, a device ID and/or any other upper layer data, depending on upper layer request; and

2) A-IoT Msg2: the intermediate node echoes some information from the A-IoT Msg1.

Currently, it is unclear how to implement resource configuration for an A-IoT random access procedure. Further, it is unclear how to handle a failure during the A-IoT random access procedure.

In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions of communication with an A-IoT device. In one aspect, a first device may receive, from a second device, a configuration indicating a set of resources for a random access procedure between the first device and a third device. The set of resources may be associated with at least one of the following: a type of the random access procedure, a link between the third device and the first device, a service intended for the third device, a service type of the service, an access occasion or access round for the random access procedure, or a set of first devices comprising the first device. Based on the set of resources, the first device may perform the random access procedure. In this way, A-IoT random access (e.g., in Topology 2) may be carried out.

In another aspect, upon reception of a first request for a service intended for a third device from a fourth device, a second device may transmit, to a first device, a configuration indicating a set of resources for a random access procedure between the first device and the third device. The set of resources may be associated with at least one of the following: a type of the random access procedure, a link between the third device and the first device, a service intended for the third device, a service type of the service, an access occasion or access round for the random access procedure, or a set of first devices comprising the first device. In this way, resource configuration for A-IoT random access (e.g., in Topology 2) may be carried out.

In still another aspect, upon determination that a failure occurs between a first device and a third device, a second device may trigger a configuration or reconfiguration of a resource for a set of transmissions from the third device to the first device. In this way, a failure between an A-IoT device and an intermediate node in A-IoT random access (e.g., under Topology 2) may be identified and handled.

In yet another aspect, upon determination that a failure occurs between a first device and a second device, the first device may perform a first operation related to a third device comprising at least one of the following: continuing to trigger the third device to report information related to the third device to the first device, storing the information related to the third device received from the third device, or transmitting, to the third device, second information indicating an ending of the reporting of the information related to the third device. In this way, a failure between an intermediate node and a base station in A-IoT random access (e.g., under Topology 2) may be identified and handled.

Aspects of the present disclosure are described in the context of a wireless communications system.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100 that supports a paging for an A-IoT device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system 100 may include one or more network entities (also referred to as network equipment (NE) ) . For convenience, network entities 102-1, 102-2 and 102-3 are shown and are collectively referred to as one or more network entities 102 hereinafter. The wireless communications system 100 may further include one or more A-IoT devices 101, one or more UEs 104, a CN 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 A-IoT devices 101 may be dispersed throughout a geographic region of the wireless communications system 100. An A-IoT device 101 may be a battery-less device with no energy storage capability or a device with energy storage that do not need to be replaced or recharged manually. The A-IoT device 101 may comprise an energy harvesting module and a backscattering module. The A-IoT device 101 may receive an energy supply signal or command via the energy harvesting module and backscatter a signal via the backscattering module.

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. 1. 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 IAB node, or another network equipment) , as shown in FIG. 1. 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 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, medium access control (MAC) layer) functionality and signaling, and may each be at least partially controlled by the CU 160.

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, or a 5G core (5GC) , which may include one or more core network devices 103. A core network device 103 may be a control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME) , an access and mobility management functions (AMF) ) or 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.

In some scenarios, the A-IoT device 101 may directly and bidirectionally communicates with the network entity 102. The communication between the A-IoT device 101 and the network entity 102 includes A-IoT data and/or signaling. These scenarios may be called as Topology 1.

In some scenarios, the A-IoT device 101 may communicate bidirectionally with an intermediate node between the A-IoT device 101 and the network entity 102. The intermediate node may be the UE 104, a relay, a IAB node, a repeater, etc. which is capable of A-IoT. The intermediate node may transfer A-IoT data and/or signaling between the A-IoT device 101 and the network entity 102. These scenarios may be called as Topology 2.

For these scenarios (e.g., Topology 2) , it is unclear how to implement resource configuration for an A-IoT random access procedure and also it is unclear how to handle a failure during an A-IoT random access procedure.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions of communication with an A-IoT device so as to enhance an A-IoT random access procedure. It is to be noted that the solutions according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to any suitable topology types, and the present disclosure does not limit this aspect. The solutions will be described in connection with FIGs. 2 to 3B below.

FIG. 2 illustrates a signaling chart of an example process 200 that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. For purpose of discussion, the process 200 will be described in connection with FIG. 1. The process 200 may involve a first device, a second device, a third device and a fourth device. For illustration, the following description will be given by assuming that the first device is the UE 104, the second device is the network entity 102-1, the third device is the A-IoT device 101, and the fourth device is the core network device 103. 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. In this example, the A-IoT device 101 communicates with the network entity 102-1 via the UE 104 and then communicates with the core network device 103 via the UE 104 and the network entity 102-1.

In some embodiments, a message from the core network device 103 or the UE 104 may be transparent to the network entity 102-1. In this case, the network entity 102-1 only performs forwarding function (without decoding, and information can be considered as transparent transmission) .

In some embodiments, a message from the core network device 103 or the UE 104 may be not transparent to the network entity 102-1. In this case, the network entity 102-1 decodes the message from the core network device 103 or the UE 104 and then forwards the message.

As shown in FIG. 2, the network entity 102-1 may transmit 210, to the UE 104, a configuration (for convenience, also referred to as a resource configuration herein) indicating a set of resources (i.e., one or more resources) for a random access procedure between the UE 104 and the A-IoT device 101. With reference to FIG. 2, the core network device 103 may transmit 211, to the network entity 102-1, a request (for convenience, also referred to as a first request or a service request herein) for a service intended for the A-IoT device 101.

As shown in FIG. 2, in some embodiments, the network entity 102-1 may forward 212 the service request to the UE 104. In some embodiments, the network entity 102-1 may transparently forward the service request. In some embodiments, the network entity 102-1 may decode and forward the service request.

As shown in FIG. 2, upon reception of the service request, the UE 104 may transmit 213, to the network entity 102-1, a request (for convenience, also referred to as a second request or a resource request herein) for the resource configuration. As a response to the resource request from the UE 104, the network entity 102-1 may transmit 214 the resource configuration to the UE 104.

In some embodiments, the resource request may indicate that the service request is intended for (i.e., aims to) the A-IoT device 101.

In some embodiments, the resource request may indicate that the resource request is for requesting the resource configuration for a combination of a 4-step random access procedure and a 2-step random access procedure. As an example of the combination of the 4-step random access procedure and the 2-step random access procedure, the A-IoT device 101 may first perform the 4-step random access procedure, and then perform the 2-step random access procedure if the 4-step random access procedure fails. It is to be understood that any other suitable combinations of the 4-step random access procedure and the 2-step random access procedure may also be feasible. In this case, resources for the 4-step random access procedure and the 2-step random access procedure may be configured together.

In some embodiments, the resource request may indicate that the resource request is for requesting the resource configuration for the 4-step random access procedure. In some embodiments, the resource request may indicate that the resource request is for requesting the resource configuration for the 2-step random access procedure. In some embodiments, the resource request may indicate that the resource request is for requesting the resource configuration for a contention free access procedure. In some embodiments, the resource request may indicate that the resource request is for requesting the resource configuration for an access occasion or access round for the random access procedure.

In some embodiments, the resource request may comprise some assistance information for the network entity 102-1 to configure the set of resources. In some embodiments, the resource request may indicate information of the service intended for the A-IoT device 101, e.g., information obtained from the core network device 103 by the UE 104.

In some embodiments, the information of the service may comprise a traffic type of the service, e.g., device-originated-device-terminated triggered (DO-DTT) , device-terminated (DT) , device-originated (DO) , etc. In some embodiments, the information of the service may comprise a service type of the service, e.g., inventory only, command only, both inventory and command, etc. In some embodiments, the information of the service may comprise a device type of the service, e.g., device 1, device 2a, device 2b, etc.

In some embodiments, the information of the service may comprise information of the access round for the random access procedure. In some embodiments, the information of the access round may comprise number of access rounds required for the random access procedure. In some embodiments, the information of the access round may comprise latency requirement of the access round (e.g., each access round) .

In some embodiments, the information of the service may comprise a set of A-IoT devices associated with the service request. The set of A-IoT devices may be a single A-IoT device, or multiple A-IoT devices, or a group of A-IoT devices, or all the A-IoT devices. In some embodiments, the information of the service may comprise number of A-IoT devices in the set of A-IoT devices, e.g., approximate number of A-IoT devices for the service request, or exact number of A-IoT devices for the service request. It is to be noted that any combinations of the above information of the service may also be feasible, and the present disclosure does not limit this aspect.

In some embodiments, the resource request may indicate information of the random access procedure, e.g., information indicated by the UE 104. In some embodiments, the information of the random access procedure may comprise number of access occasions. In some embodiments, the information of the random access procedure may comprise a parameter associated with the number of access occasions. For example, the parameter may be a Q-like value similar with a radio frequency identification (RFID) system. Of course, any other suitable parameters for determination of the number of access occasions may also be used. It is to be noted that any combinations of the above information of the random access procedure may also be feasible.

It is to be understood that the resource request may comprise any combinations of the above information.

In some embodiments where a message from the core network device 103 or the UE 104 is not transparent to the network entity 102-1, upon reception of the service request from the core network device 103, the network entity 102-1 may directly transmit the resource configuration to the UE 104 based on the service request. For example, the network entity 102-1 may decode the service request, and configure the set of resources for the random access procedure based on information of the service indicated by the service request. This information of the service indicated by the service request is the same as that comprised in the resource request as described above, and thus is not repeated here for conciseness.

In some embodiments, the set of resources may be associated with a service intended for the A-IoT device 101. For example, the resource configuration may include an available resource used for the A-IoT device 101.

In some embodiments, the set of resources may be associated with a service type or use case of the service. For example, the resource configuration may include an available resource used for specific service or use case, e.g., for inventory only, command only, both inventory and command, etc.

In some embodiments, the set of resources may be associated with a type of the random access procedure. In some embodiments, the type of the random access procedure may comprise at least one of a 4-step random access procedure, a 2-step random access procedure, or a contention free access procedure. For example, the resource configuration may include an available resource for a 4-step random access procedure. For example, the resource configuration may include an available resource for a 2-step random access procedure. For example, the resource configuration may include an available resource for a contention free access procedure.

In some embodiments, the set of resources may be associated with a link between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104. In some embodiments, the link may comprise at least one of a first link (i.e., R2D link) from the UE 104 to the A-IoT device 101, or a second link (i.e., D2R link) from the A-IoT device 101 to the UE 104. For example, the resource configuration may include an available resource for a R2D link in the random access procedure. For example, the resource configuration may include an available resource for a D2R link in the random access procedure.

In some embodiments, the set of resources may be associated with a set of intermediate nodes comprising the UE 104. For example, the resource configuration may include an available resource for an intermediate node or multiple intermediate nodes in the random access procedure.

In some embodiments, the set of resources may be associated with an access occasion or access round for the random access procedure. For example, the resource configuration may include an available resource for an access occasion or for an access round in the random access procedure.

It is to be noted that the term ‘available resource’ herein may comprise one of the following: a time domain resource, a frequency domain resource, a code domain resource, a bandwidth, or its combination.

In some embodiments, the network entity 102-1 may configure different resources for different purposes. A configured resource may include a shared resource or dedicated resource. Each configured resource may have periodicity or aperiodicity.

In some embodiments, after completing the configuration of the set of resources, the network entity 102-1 may transmit the configuration to the UE 104 via the service request, or an A-IoT paging message, or an initial trigger message, or an access trigger message, etc. Alternatively, the network entity 102-1 may transmit the configuration to the UE 104 via a separate message.

In some embodiments, the UE 104 may transmit, to the network entity 102-1, an indication indicating that the UE 104 serves the A-IoT device 101. In some embodiments, the UE 104 may transmit the indication via a UE capability information message. Of course, any other suitable messages may also be feasible. Based on reception of the indication from the UE 104, the network entity 102-1 may provide the resource configuration to the UE 104.

In some embodiments, the core network device 103 may transmit, to the network entity 102-1, an indication indicating that the UE 104 serves the A-IoT device 101. Based on reception of the indication of the core network device 103, the network entity 102-1 may provide the resource configuration to the UE 104.

In some embodiments, the network entity 102-1 may select the UE 104 for serving the A-IoT device 101. In this case, the network entity 102-1 may provide the resource configuration to the UE 104. In some embodiments, the resource configuration may be combined with a signaling indicating the UE 104 is selected.

In this way, the network entity 102-1 may provide the resource configuration to a determined or selected intermediate node.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 2, the UE 104 may perform 220 the random access procedure based on the set of resources indicated in the resource configuration. For example, the UE 104 may select a resource from the set of resources and use the resource for the random access procedure.

In some embodiments, the UE 104 may receive an indication of the resource from the network entity 102-1 or the core network device 103. Based on the indication of the resource, the UE 104 may determine the resource from the set of resources. For example, based on an explicit indication from the network entity 102-1 or the core network device 103, e.g., if a 4-step random access procedure is indicated from the network entity 102-1 or the core network device 103, then the UE 104 may use a dedicated resource for a 4-step random access procedure.

In some embodiments, the UE 104 may determine the resource from the set of resources based on a service type of the service, e.g., inventory only, command only, both inventory and command, etc. For example, if no indication of the resource is received from the network entity 102-1 or the core network device 103, the UE 104 may select the resource based on the service type of the service intended for the A-IoT device 101.

In some embodiments, the UE 104 may determine the resource from the set of resources based on a size of a message to be transmitted. For example, if no indication of the resource is received from the network entity 102-1 or the core network device 103, the UE 104 may select the resource based on the size of the message to be transmitted.

In some embodiments, the UE 104 may determine the resource from the set of resources based on an intention of the message to be transmitted. For example, if a next message from the UE 104 to the A-IoT device 101 is to trigger the A-IoT device 101 performing a contention-free access procedure, then the UE 104 may select to use a dedicated resource for a contention-free access procedure.

In some embodiments, the set of resources is associated with a set of intermediate nodes. That is, available resources are for multiple intermediate nodes. In this case, if a dedicated resource is configured for each of the multiple intermediate nodes, then each intermediate node may use a corresponding resource configured by the network entity 102-1. In other words, if a first resource in the set of resources is dedicated for the UE 101, the UE 101 may use the first resource for the random access procedure.

If a shared resource pool is configured for the multiple intermediate nodes, the UE 104 may select the second resource from the shared resource pool. In other words, if the set of resources is common for the multiple intermediate nodes, the UE 104 may determine a second resource in the set of resources for the random access procedure. In some embodiments, the UE 104 may randomly select the second resource from the set of resources.

In some embodiments, the UE 104 may select the second resource based on a latency requirement of the service intended for the A-IoT device 101. That is, the UE 104 may select a resource based on latency requirements of different services. For example, for a service of low latency requirement, the UE 104 may select forward or earlier time slots, i.e., slot 1, 2, 3, etc.

In some embodiments, the UE 104 may select the second resource based on number of A-IoT devices in a set of A-IoT devices served by the UE 104. The set of A-IoT devices may be located near the UE 104 or targeted by the UE 104.

In some embodiments, the UE 104 may select the second resource based on a priority of the service intended for the A-IoT device 101. For example, the UE 104 may receive an indication or configuration of the priority of the service from the network entity 102-1 or the core network device 103.

In some embodiments, the UE 104 may select the second resource based on a sensing-based mechanism. In the sensing-based mechanism, the UE 104 may sense whether a resource is idle. If an idle resource is sensed, the UE 104 may determine the resource as the second resource for the random access procedure. For example, the UE 104 may reuse a resource selection mechanism in sidelink communication, e.g., sensing-based resource selection.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 2, in some embodiments, the UE 104 may release 230 the resource configuration upon a condition for releasing the resource configuration is fulfilled.

In some embodiments, if a timer for the resource configuration expires, the UE 104 may release the resource configuration. In some embodiments, the UE 104 may start or restart the timer upon reception of the resource configuration. It is to be noted that the timer may be predefined or configured.

In some embodiments, if number of access occasions for the resource configuration reaches a first number threshold, the UE 104 may release the resource configuration. For example, the UE 104 may release the resource configuration after four access occasions. It is to be noted that the first number threshold may be predefined or configured.

In some embodiments, if number of access rounds for the configuration reaches a second number threshold, the UE 104 may release the resource configuration. For example, the UE 104 may release the resource configuration after four access rounds. It is to be noted that the second number threshold may be predefined or configured.

In some embodiments, if an indication (e.g., explicitly or implicitly) indicating the release or end of the resource configuration is received from the network entity 102-1, the UE 104 may release the resource configuration.

In some embodiments, if the UE 104 moves into an area for which the resource configuration is invalid, the UE 104 may release the resource configuration. In some embodiments, if the UE 104 moves out of coverage of the network entity 102-1, the UE 104 may release the resource configuration. In some embodiments, if the UE 104 moves a predefined area that the resource configuration is invalided, e.g., cell edge of the network entity 102-1, or coverage intersection of multiple base stations, etc., the UE 104 may release the resource configuration.

It is to be noted that the term “predefined” means they are configured in advance instead of they have been specified in the standard.

So far, a solution of a random access procedure between an A-IoT device and an intermediate node are described in connection with the process 200. It is to be understood that operations in the process 200 may be carried out separately or in any combinations.

Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a solution of handling a failure during a random access procedure. The solution will be described in connection with FIGs. 3A and 3B below.

FIGs. 3A illustrates a signaling chart of another example process 300A that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. For purpose of discussion, the process 300A will be described in connection with FIG. 1. The process 300A may involve a first device, a second device, a third device and a fourth device. For illustration, the following description will be given by assuming that the first device is the UE 104, the second device is the network entity 102-1, the third device is the A-IoT device 101, and the fourth device is the core network device 103. It is to be understood that the steps and the order of the steps in FIG. 3A are merely for illustration, and not for limitation. In this example, the A-IoT device 101 communicates with the network entity 102-1 via the UE 104 and then communicates with the core network device 103 via the UE 104 and the network entity 102-1.

In some embodiments, a failure between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104 may occur. With reference to FIG. 3A, the network entity 102-1 may determine or detect 310 occurrence of the failure.

In general, whether a message from the UE 104 is transparent to the network entity 102-1 or not, the UE 104 reports information related to the A-IoT device 101 to the network entity 102-1 once receiving the information related to the A-IoT device 101 from the A-IoT device 101. For this case, except that the A-IoT device 101 or the UE 104 detects occurrence of the failure between the A-IoT device101 and the UE 104 based on some information, the network entity 102-1 or the core network device 103 may also determine or detect the failure between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104 in the case that no A-IoT related data has received from the UE 104, but other configurations or data on a Uu link between the UE 104 and the network entity 102-1 are transmitted normally if any based on some assistance information from the UE 104.

In some embodiments, the information related to the A-IoT device 101 may comprise at least one of the following: an ID (e.g., a random ID or device ID) of the A-IoT device 101, or upper layer data from the A-IoT device 101.

In some embodiments, if the network entity 102-1 does not receive the information related to the A-IoT device 101 (e.g., A-IoT Msg1 or A-IoT Msg3) from the UE 104 during a time window, the network entity 102-1 may determine that the failure between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104 occurs.

In some embodiments, the UE 104 may report a starting time point of the time window to the network entity 102-1. In some embodiments, the network entity 102-1 may start the time window after the network entity 102-1 transmits the resource configuration to the UE 104 and indicates the starting time point of the time window to the core network device 103.

In some embodiments, if the network entity 102-1 does not receive the information related to the A-IoT device 101 (e.g., A-IoT Msg1 or A-IoT Msg3) from the UE 104 after transmitting a message for requesting the information related to the A-IoT device 101 to the UE 104, the network entity 102-1 may determine that the failure between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104 occurs. In some embodiments, if the network entity 102-1 does not receive the information related to the A-IoT device 101 (e.g., A-IoT Msg1 or A-IoT Msg3) from the UE 104 within a period of time after transmitting the message for requesting the information related to the A-IoT device 101 to the UE 104, the network entity 102-1 may determine that the failure between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104 occurs.

In some embodiments, if the network entity 102-1 receives a negative acknowledgement (NACK) from the UE 104 after transmitting the message for requesting the information related to the A-IoT device 101 to the UE 104, the network entity 102-1 may determine that the failure between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104 occurs.

In some embodiments, if the network entity 102-1 receives an indication or cause of the failure between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104 from the UE 104, the network entity 102-1 may determine that the failure between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104 occurs.

Upon determination that the failure between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104 occurs, the network entity 102-1 may trigger a configuration or reconfiguration (also referred to as a resource configuration or reconfiguration herein) of a resource for a set of transmissions (i.e., one or more D2R transmissions) from the A-IoT device 101 to the UE 104.

As shown in FIG. 3A, in some embodiments, the network entity 102-1 may configure or reconfigure 320 the resource for the set of transmissions without information from the UE 104.

With reference to FIG. 3A, in some embodiments, the network entity 102-1 may configure or reconfigure 330 the resource for the set of transmissions with information from the UE 104. As shown in FIG. 3A, the network entity 102-1 may transmit 331, to the UE 104, a request for information (for convenience, also referred to as first information herein) assistant for the resource configuration or reconfiguration. As a response to the request, the UE 104 may transmit 332 the first information to the network entity 102-1. Based on the first information, the network entity 102-1 may configure or reconfigure 333 the resource for the set of transmissions.

In some embodiments, the first information may comprise number of transmissions in the set of transmissions, e.g., preferred number of new transmissions. In some embodiments, the first information may comprise number of access rounds for a transmission in the set of transmissions. In some embodiments, the first information may comprise number of access occasions for a transmission in the set of transmissions. In some embodiments, the first information may comprise a parameter associated with the number of access occasions for the transmission in the set of transmissions. For example, the parameter may be a Q-like value similar with a RFID system. Of course, any other suitable parameters for determination of the number of access occasions may also be used. It is to be noted that any combinations of the above first information may also be feasible.

With reference to FIG. 3A, in some embodiments, the network entity 102-1 may configure or reconfigure 340 the resource for the set of transmissions with information from the core network device 103. As shown in FIG. 3A, the core network device 103 may determine or detect 341 that the failure between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104 occurs.

In some embodiments, if the core network device 103 does not receive the information related to the A-IoT device 101 (e.g., A-IoT Msg1 or A-IoT Msg3) from the UE 104 during a time window, the core network device 103 may determine that the failure between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104 occurs. In some embodiments, the UE 104 may report a starting time point of the time window to the core network device 103. In some embodiments, the core network device 103 may start the time window after the network entity 102-1 indicates the starting time point of the time window to the core network device 103.

In some embodiments, if the core network device 103 does not receive the information related to the A-IoT device 101 (e.g., A-IoT Msg1 or A-IoT Msg3) from the UE 104 after transmitting a message for requesting the information related to the A-IoT device 101 to the UE 104, the core network device 103 may determine that the failure between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104 occurs. In some embodiments, if the core network device 103 does not receive the information related to the A-IoT device 101 (e.g., A-IoT Msg1 or A-IoT Msg3) from the UE 104 within a period of time after transmitting the message for requesting the information related to the A-IoT device 101 to the UE 104, the core network device 103 may determine that the failure between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104 occurs.

In some embodiments, if the core network device 103 receives a NACK from the UE 104 after transmitting the message for requesting the information related to the A-IoT device 101 to the UE 104, the core network device 103 may determine that the failure between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104 occurs.

In some embodiments, if the core network device 103 receives an indication or cause of the failure between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104 from the UE 104, the core network device 103 may determine that the failure between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104 occurs.

With reference to FIG. 3A, upon determination that the failure between the A-IoT device 101 and the UE 104 occurs, the core network device 103 may transmit 342 a request for configuring or reconfiguring the resource for the set of transmissions from the A-IoT device 101 to the UE 104. In some embodiments, the request may comprise the first information assistant for the resource configuration or reconfiguration. More details of the first information are similar as that described above and are not repeated here for conciseness. As a response to the request from the core network device 103, the network entity 102-1 may configure or reconfigure 343 the resource for the set of transmissions based on the first information.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the UE 104 may trigger 350 a random access procedure with the A-IoT device 101 based on the resource configuration or reconfiguration. In some embodiments, the resource configuration or reconfiguration may indicate a D2R transmission resource with a larger repetition number. Then the UE 104 may trigger the A-IoT device 101 to retransmit a message (e.g., A-IoT Msg1 or A-IoT Msg3) with the larger repetition number in the indicated D2R transmission resource configured by the network entity 102-1.

So far, a solution of handling a failure on an interface between an A-IoT device and an intermediate node is described. With the process 300A, a failure on an interface between an intermediate node and an A-IoT device may be detected and a resource configuration or reconfiguration may be triggered.

Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a solution of handling a failure between the UE 104 and the network entity 102-1. For convenience, this solution will be described in connection with FIG. 3B below.

FIGs. 3B illustrates a signaling chart of another example process 300B that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. For purpose of discussion, the process 300B will be described in connection with FIG. 1. The process 300B may involve a first device, a second device, a third device and a fourth device. For illustration, the following description will be given by assuming that the first device is the UE 104, the second device is the network entity 102-1, the third device is the A-IoT device 101, and the fourth device is the core network device 103. It is to be understood that the steps and the order of the steps in FIG. 3B are merely for illustration, and not for limitation. In this example, the A-IoT device 101 communicates with the network entity 102-1 via the UE 104 and then communicates with the core network device 103 via the UE 104 and the network entity 102-1.

With reference to FIG. 3B, the UE 104 may determine or detect 360 that the failure (also referred to a Uu link failure herein) between the UE 104 and the network entity 102-1 occurs. It is to be noted that the determination or detection of occurrence of the failure between the UE 104 and the network entity 102-1 may be carried out in any suitable ways existing or to be developed in future, and the present disclosure does not limit this aspect.

As shown in FIG. 3B, upon determination that the failure between the UE 104 and the network entity 102-1 occurs, the UE 104 may perform 370 an operation (for convenience, also referred to as a first operation herein) related to the A-IoT device 101.

With reference to FIG. 3B, in some embodiments, the UE 104 may continue to trigger 371 the A-IoT device 101 to report the information related to the A-IoT device 101 to the UE 104. In some embodiments, the information related to the A-IoT device 101 may comprise at least one of the following: an ID of the A-IoT device 101, or upper layer data from the A-IoT device 101. More details of the information related to the A-IoT device 101 are similar as that described above and are not repeated here for conciseness.

With reference to FIG. 3B, in some embodiments, the UE 104 may store 372 the information related to the A-IoT device 101 received from the A-IoT device 101. In some embodiments, the UE 104 may report the stored information related to the A-IoT device 101 to the network entity 102-1 upon the Uu link failure is recovered. In some embodiments, if a recovery of the failure between the UE 104 and the network entity 102-1 is not completed within a period of time since the storing of the information related to the A-IoT device 101, the UE 104 may release the information related to the A-IoT device 101.

With reference to FIG. 3B, in some embodiments, the UE 104 may transmit 373, to the A-IoT device 101, information (for convenience, also referred to as second information herein) indicating an ending of the reporting of the information related to the A-IoT device 101. As such, the A-IoT device 101 may no longer report the information related to the A-IoT device 101 to the UE 104. Thus, huge storage burden of the UE 104 may be avoided.

In some embodiments, the second information may comprise an indication (for convenience, also referred to as a first indication herein) of the failure between the UE 104 and the network entity 102-1. In other words, the UE 104 may transmit, to the A-IoT device 101, a failure indication or cause to indicate the Uu link failure occurs.

In some embodiments, the second information may comprise an indication (for convenience, also referred to as a second indication herein) for ending the reporting of the information related to the A-IoT device 101. In some embodiments, the UE 104 may transmit the second indication to A-IoT devices including an A-IoT device who has responded information (e.g., A-IoT Msg1) to the UE 104 and an A-IoT device who has not responded information to the UE 104. In some embodiments, the second indication may be valid during a period of time. In some embodiments, the second indication may be valid during an access occasion. In some embodiments, the second indication may be valid during an access round. In some embodiments, the second indication may be valid for a service or task. In some embodiments, the second indication may be valid when energy of the A-IoT device 101 is not empty. In some embodiments, the second indication may be valid when no indication indicating invalidity of the second indication is received. That is, the second indication may be valid until the A-IoT device 101 receives an explicit indication indicating that the second indication is invalid. It is to be noted that the second information may comprise both the first indication and the second indication, or any other suitable information.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 3B, the UE 104 may determine 380 that the failure between the UE 104 and the network entity 102-1 is recovered. In some embodiments, the UE 104 may determine that the failure is recovered by itself. In some embodiments, the UE 104 may receive, from the network entity 102-1 or the core network device 103, an indication indicating that the failure is recovered. In some embodiments, the UE 104 may receive, from the core network device 103, an indication of update of an intermediate node.

As shown in FIG. 3B, upon determination the failure between the UE 104 and the network entity 102-1 is recovered, the UE 104 may perform 390 a further operation (for convenience, also referred to as a second operation herein) related to the A-IoT device 101.

With reference to FIG. 3B, in some embodiments, the UE 104 may request 391 the core network device 103 to trigger an inventory procedure.

With reference to FIG. 3B, in some embodiments, the UE 104 may transmit 392, to the A-IoT device 101, a message for triggering an access from the A-IoT device 101 to the UE 101. That is, the UE 104 may transmit an access trigger message for a new access occasion or access round to trigger the random access procedure if configured by network.

With reference to FIG. 3B, in some embodiments, the UE 104 may transmit 393, to the A-IoT device 101, a request for the information related to the A-IoT device 101. In some embodiments, the request may comprise an indication indicating a reporting of the information related to the A-IoT device 101. In some embodiments, the request may comprise a resource configuration for the reporting. For example, the UE 104 may transmit the indication of the reporting and corresponding resource configuration to an A-IoT device who has responded information to the UE 104.

With the process 300B, potential behavior of an intermediate node is defined for a failure on an interface between an intermediate node and a base station, and recovery of the failure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a device 400 that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The device 400 may be an example of a first device or a second device or a third device as described herein. The device 400 may support wireless communication with one or more network entities 102, UEs 104, the core network device 103, 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. In some embodiments where the device 400 is implemented as a first device, in one aspect, the processor 402 may be configured to operable to support a means for: receiving, from a second device, a configuration indicating a set of resources for a random access procedure between the first device and a third device, the set of resources being associated with at least one of the following: a type of the random access procedure, a link between the third device and the first device, a service intended for the third device, a service type of the service, an access occasion or access round for the random access procedure, or a set of first devices comprising the first device; and performing the random access procedure based on the set of resources.

In another aspect, the processor 402 may be configured to operable to support a means for: determining that a failure occurs between the first device and a second device; and performing a first operation related to a third device comprising at least one of the following: continuing to trigger the third device to report information related to the third device to the first device, storing the information related to the third device received from the third device, or transmitting, to the third device, second information indicating an ending of the reporting of the information related to the third device.

In some embodiments where the device 400 is implemented as a second device, in one aspect, the processor 402 may be configured to operable to support a means for: receiving, from a fourth device, a first request for a service intended for a third device; and transmitting, to a first device, a configuration indicating a set of resources for a random access procedure between the first device and the third device, the set of resources being associated with at least one of the following: a type of the random access procedure, a link between the third device and the first device, the service intended for the third device, a service type of the service, an access occasion or access round for the random access procedure, or a set of first devices comprising the first device.

In another aspect, the processor 402 may be configured to operable to support a means for: determining that a failure occurs between a first device and a third device; and triggering a configuration or reconfiguration of a resource for a set of transmissions from the third device to the first device.

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 400. 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 communication with an A-IoT device in 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) 506. 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 implementation, 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 506 may be configured to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementation, the one or more ALUs 506 may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., the processor 500) . In some other implementations, the one or more ALUs 506 may reside external to the processor chipset (e.g., the processor 500) . One or more ALUs 506 may perform one or more computations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division on data. For example, one or more ALUs 506 may receive input operands and an operation code, which determines an operation to be executed. One or more ALUs 506 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 506 may support logical operations such as AND, OR, exclusive-OR (XOR) , not-OR (NOR) , and not-AND (NAND) , enabling the one or more ALUs 506 to handle conditional operations, comparisons, and bitwise operations.

The processor 500 may support wireless communication in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some embodiments where the processor 500 is implemented at a first device, in one aspect, the processor 500 may be configured to or operable to support a means for: receiving, from a second device, a configuration indicating a set of resources for a random access procedure between the first device and a third device, the set of resources being associated with at least one of the following: a type of the random access procedure, a link between the third device and the first device, a service intended for the third device, a service type of the service, an access occasion or access round for the random access procedure, or a set of first devices comprising the first device; and performing the random access procedure based on the set of resources.

In another aspect, the processor 500 may be configured to operable to support a means for: determining that a failure occurs between the first device and a second device; and performing a first operation related to a third device comprising at least one of the following: continuing to trigger the third device to report information related to the third device to the first device, storing the information related to the third device received from the third device, or transmitting, to the third device, second information indicating an ending of the reporting of the information related to the third device.

In some embodiments where the processor 500 is implemented at a second device, in one aspect, the processor 500 may be configured to or operable to support a means for: receiving, from a fourth device, a first request for a service intended for a third device; and transmitting, to a first device, a configuration indicating a set of resources for a random access procedure between the first device and the third device, the set of resources being associated with at least one of the following: a type of the random access procedure, a link between the third device and the first device, the service intended for the third device, a service type of the service, an access occasion or access round for the random access procedure, or a set of first devices comprising the first device.

In another aspect, the processor 500 may be configured to operable to support a means for: determining that a failure occurs between a first device and a third device; and triggering a configuration or reconfiguration of a resource for a set of transmissions from the third device to the first device.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method 600 that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in 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 (e.g., the UE 104) 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 block 610, the method 600 may comprise receiving, at a first device and from a second device, a configuration indicating a set of resources for a random access procedure between the first device and a third device. 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 device as described with reference to FIG. 1.

In some embodiments, the set of resources may be associated with at least one of the following: a type of the random access procedure, a link between the third device and the first device, a service intended for the third device, a service type of the service, an access occasion or access round for the random access procedure, or a set of first devices comprising the first device.

In some embodiments, the type of the random access procedure may comprise at least one of a 4-step random access procedure, a 2-step random access procedure, or a contention free access procedure. The link may comprise at least one of a first link from the first device to the third device, or a second link from the third device to the first device.

In some embodiments, the method 600 may further comprise: receiving a first request for the service from a fourth device via the second device; and transmitting a second request for the configuration to the second device.

In some embodiments, the second request may indicate at least one of the following: the first request is intended for the third device; the second request is for requesting the configuration for a combination of a 4-step random access procedure and a 2-step random access procedure; the second request is for requesting the configuration for the 4-step random access procedure; the second request is for requesting the configuration for the 2-step random access procedure; the second request is for requesting the configuration for a contention free access procedure; or the second request is for requesting the configuration for the access occasion or access round.

In some embodiments, the second request may further indicate at least one of the following: information of the service; or information of the random access procedure.

In some embodiments, the information of the service may comprise at least one of the following: a traffic type of the service, a service type of the service, a device type of the service, information of the access round, a set of third devices associated with the first request, or number of third devices in the set of third devices.

In some embodiments, the information of the access round may comprise at least one of the following: number of access rounds required for the random access procedure; or latency requirement of the access round.

In some embodiments, the information of the random access procedure may comprise at least one of the following: number of access occasions; or a parameter associated with the number of access occasions.

In some embodiments, the method 600 may further comprise: releasing the configuration based on at least one of the following: a timer for the configuration expires; number of access occasions for the configuration reaches a first number threshold; number of access rounds for the configuration reaches a second number threshold; an indication indicating the release of the configuration is received from the second device; or the first device moves into an area for which the configuration is invalid.

At block 620, the method 600 may comprise performing the random access procedure based on the set of resources. 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 device as described with reference to FIG. 1.

In some embodiments, performing the random access procedure may comprise: determining a resource from the set of resources based on at least one of the following: an indication of the resource from the second device or the fourth device; a service type of the service; a size of a message to be transmitted; or an intention of the message.

In some embodiments where the set of resources is associated with the set of first devices, performing the random access procedure may comprise: in accordance with a determination that a first resource in the set of resources is dedicated for the first device, using the first resource for the random access procedure; and in accordance with a determination that the set of resources is common for the set of first devices, determining a second resource in the set of resources for the random access procedure by at least one of the following: randomly selecting the second resource from the set of resources, selecting the second resource based on a latency requirement of the service, selecting the second resource based on number of third devices in a set of third devices served by the first device, selecting the second resource based on a priority of the service, or selecting the second resource based on a sensing-based mechanism.

In some embodiments, the method 600 may further comprise: transmitting, to the second device, an indication indicating that the first device serves the third device.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of another method 700 that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in 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 (e.g., network entity 102-1) 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 block 710, the method 700 may comprise receiving, at a second device and from a fourth device, a first request for a service intended for a third device. 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 device as described with reference to FIG. 1.

In some embodiments, the set of resources may be associated with at least one of the following: a type of the random access procedure, a link between the third device and the first device, the service intended for the third device, a service type of the service, an access occasion or access round for the random access procedure, or a set of first devices comprising the first device.

In some embodiments, the method 700 may further comprise: forwarding the first request to the first device; receiving, from the first device, a second request for the configuration to the second device; and generating the configuration based on the second request.

At block 720, the method 700 may comprise transmitting, to a first device, a configuration indicating a set of resources for a random access procedure between the first device and the third device. 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 device as described with reference to FIG. 1.

In some embodiments, transmitting the configuration is based on at least one of the following: an indication indicating that the first device serves the third device is received from the first device; an indication indicating that the first device serves the third device is received from the fourth device; or the first device is selected by the second device for serving the third device.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of another method 800 that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 800 may be implemented by a device or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 800 may be performed by a second device (e.g., network entity 102-1 or core network device 103) 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 block 810, the method 800 may comprise determining, at a second device, that a failure occurs between a first device and a third device. The operations of 810 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 810 may be performed by a device as described with reference to FIG. 1.

In some embodiments, determining that the failure occurs based on at least one of the following: the second device does not receive information related to the third device from the first device during a time window; the second device does not receive the information related to the third device after transmitting a message for requesting the information related to the third device to the first device; the second device receives a negative acknowledgement after transmitting the message for requesting the information related to the third device to the first device; or the second device receives an indication of the failure from the first device.

In some embodiments, the information related to the third device may comprise at least one of the following: an identity of the third device, or upper layer data from the third device.

At block 820, the method 800 may comprise triggering a configuration or reconfiguration of a resource for a set of transmissions from the third device to the first device. The operations of 820 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 820 may be performed by a device as described with reference to FIG. 1.

In some embodiments where the second device is a base station, triggering the configuration or reconfiguration may comprise: transmitting, to the first device, a request for first information assistant for the configuration or reconfiguration; receiving the first information from the first device; and configuring or reconfiguring the resource based on the first information.

In some embodiments where the second device is a base station, triggering the configuration or reconfiguration may comprise: receiving, from a fourth device, a request for configuring or reconfiguring the resource, the request comprising first information assistant for the configuration or reconfiguration; and configuring or reconfiguring the resource based on the first information.

In some embodiments where the second device may be a core network device, triggering the configuration or reconfiguration may comprise: transmitting, to a base station, a request for configuring or reconfiguring the resource, the request comprising first information assistant for the configuration or reconfiguration.

In some embodiments, the first information may comprise at least one of the following: number of transmissions in the set of transmissions; or number of access rounds for a transmission in the set of transmissions.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of another method 900 that supports a communication with an A-IoT device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 900 may be implemented by a device or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 900 may be performed by a first device (e.g., the UE 104) 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 block 910, the method 900 may comprise determining, at a first device, that a failure occurs between the first device and a second device. The operations of 910 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 910 may be performed by a device as described with reference to FIG. 1.

At block 920, the method 900 may comprise performing a first operation related to a third device. The operations of 920 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 920 may be performed by a device as described with reference to FIG. 1.

In some embodiments, the first operation may comprise at least one of the following: continuing to trigger the third device to report information related to the third device to the first device, storing the information related to the third device received from the third device, or transmitting, to the third device, second information indicating an ending of the reporting of the information related to the third device.

In some embodiments, the first operation may further comprise at least one of the following: in accordance with a determination that a recovery of the failure is not completed within a period of time since the storing of the information related to the third device, releasing the information related to the third device; or in accordance with a determination that the failure is recovered, reporting the information related to the second device.

In some embodiments, the second information may comprise at least one of the following: a first indication of the failure, or a second indication for ending the reporting of the information related to the third device.

In some embodiments, the second indication may be valid for one of the following: a period of time, an access occasion, an access round, a service, energy of the third device is not empty, or no indication indicating invalidity of the second indication is received.

In some embodiments, the method 900 may further comprise: determining that the failure is recovered; and performing a second operation related to the third device comprising at least one of the following: requesting a fourth device to trigger an inventory procedure, transmitting, to the third device, a message for triggering an access from the third device to the first device, or transmitting, to the third device, a request for the information related to the third device.

In some embodiments, the request may comprise at least one of the following: an indication indicating a reporting of the information related to the third device; or a resource configuration for the reporting.

In some embodiments, determining that the failure is recovered is based on at least one of the following: an indication of recovery of the failure is received from the second device or a fourth device; or an indication of update of the first device is received from the fourth device.

It is to be understood that the operations of the methods 600 to 900 correspond to that described in connection with FIGs. 2 to 3B, and thus other details are not repeated here for conciseness.

It should be noted that the methods described herein describes 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:

a processor; and

a transceiver coupled to the processor,

wherein the processor is configured to:

receive, from a second device, a configuration indicating a set of resources for a random access procedure between the first device and a third device, the set of resources being associated with at least one of the following:

a type of the random access procedure,

a link between the third device and the first device,

a service intended for the third device,

a service type of the service,

an access occasion or access round for the random access procedure, or

a set of first devices comprising the first device; and

perform the random access procedure based on the set of resources.
The first device of claim 1, wherein the type of the random access procedure comprises at least one of a 4-step random access procedure, a 2-step random access procedure, or a contention free access procedure, and

wherein the link comprises at least one of a first link from the first device to the third device, or a second link from the third device to the first device.
The first device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a first request for the service from a fourth device via the second device; and

transmit a second request for the configuration to the second device.
The first device of claim 3, wherein the second request indicates at least one of the following:

the first request is intended for the third device;

the second request is for requesting the configuration for a combination of a 4-step random access procedure and a 2-step random access procedure;

the second request is for requesting the configuration for the 4-step random access procedure;

the second request is for requesting the configuration for the 2-step random access procedure;

the second request is for requesting the configuration for a contention free access procedure;

the second request is for requesting the configuration for the access occasion or access round;

information of the service; or

information of the random access procedure.
The first device of claim 4, wherein the information of the service comprises at least one of the following: a traffic type of the service, a service type of the service, a device type of the service, information of the access round, a set of third devices associated with the first request, or number of third devices in the set of third devices, or

wherein the information of the access round comprises at least one of the following: number of access rounds required for the random access procedure, or latency requirement of the access round, or

wherein the information of the random access procedure comprises at least one of the following: number of access occasions, or a parameter associated with the number of access occasions.
The first device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

release the configuration based on at least one of the following:

a timer for the configuration expires;

number of access occasions for the configuration reaches a first number threshold;

number of access rounds for the configuration reaches a second number threshold;

an indication indicating the release of the configuration is received from the second device; or

the first device moves into an area for which the configuration is invalid.
The first device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to perform the random access procedure by:

determining a resource from the set of resources based on at least one of the following:

an indication of the resource from the second device or the fourth device;

a service type of the service;

a size of a message to be transmitted; or

an intention of the message.
The first device of claim 1, wherein the set of resources is associated with the set of first devices, and wherein the processor is configured to perform the random access procedure by:

in accordance with a determination that a first resource in the set of resources is dedicated for the first device, using the first resource for the random access procedure; and

in accordance with a determination that the set of resources is common for the set of first devices, determining a second resource in the set of resources for the random access procedure by at least one of the following:

randomly selecting the second resource from the set of resources,

selecting the second resource based on a latency requirement of the service,

selecting the second resource based on number of third devices in a set of third devices served by the first device,

selecting the second resource based on a priority of the service, or

selecting the second resource based on a sensing-based mechanism.
A second device, comprising:

a processor; and

a transceiver coupled to the processor,

wherein the processor is configured to:

receive, from a fourth device, a first request for a service intended for a third device; and

transmit, to a first device, a configuration indicating a set of resources for a random access procedure between the first device and the third device, the set of resources being associated with at least one of the following:

a type of the random access procedure,

a link between the third device and the first device,

the service intended for the third device,

a service type of the service,

an access occasion or access round for the random access procedure, or

a set of first devices comprising the first device.
The second device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

forward the first request to the first device;

receive, from the first device, a second request for the configuration to the second device; and

generate the configuration based on the second request.
The second device of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the configuration based on at least one of the following:

an indication indicating that the first device serves the third device is received from the first device;

an indication indicating that the first device serves the third device is received from the fourth device; or

the first device is selected by the second device for serving the third device.
A second device, comprising:

a processor; and

a transceiver coupled to the processor,

wherein the processor is configured to:

determine that a failure occurs between a first device and a third device; and

trigger a configuration or reconfiguration of a resource for a set of transmissions from the third device to the first device.
The second device of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to determine that the failure occurs based on at least one of the following:

the second device does not receive information related to the third device from the first device during a time window;

the second device does not receive the information related to the third device after transmitting a message for requesting the information related to the third device to the first device;

the second device receives a negative acknowledgement after transmitting the message for requesting the information related to the third device to the first device; or

the second device receives an indication of the failure from the first device,

wherein the information related to the third device comprises at least one of the following: an identity of the third device, or upper layer data from the third device.
The second device of claim 12, wherein the second device is a base station, and wherein the processor is configured to trigger the configuration or reconfiguration by:

transmitting, to the first device, a request for first information assistant for the configuration or reconfiguration;

receiving the first information from the first device; and

configuring or reconfiguring the resource based on the first information,

wherein the first information comprises at least one of the following: number of transmissions in the set of transmissions, or number of access rounds for a transmission in the set of transmissions.
The second device of claim 12, wherein the second device is a base station, and wherein the processor is configured to trigger the configuration or reconfiguration by:

receiving, from a fourth device, a request for configuring or reconfiguring the resource, the request comprising first information assistant for the configuration or reconfiguration; and

configuring or reconfiguring the resource based on the first information,

wherein the first information comprises at least one of the following: number of transmissions in the set of transmissions, or number of access rounds for a transmission in the set of transmissions.
The second device of claim 12, wherein the second device is a core network device, and wherein the processor is configured to trigger the configuration or reconfiguration by:

transmitting, to a base station, a request for configuring or reconfiguring the resource, the request comprising first information assistant for the configuration or reconfiguration,

wherein the first information comprises at least one of the following: number of transmissions in the set of transmissions, or number of access rounds for a transmission in the set of transmissions.
A first device, comprising:

a processor; and

a transceiver coupled to the processor,

wherein the processor is configured to:

determine that a failure occurs between the first device and a second device; and

perform a first operation related to a third device comprising at least one of the following:

continuing to trigger the third device to report information related to the third device to the first device,

storing the information related to the third device received from the third device, or

transmitting, to the third device, second information indicating an ending of the reporting of the information related to the third device.
The first device of claim 17, wherein the first operation further comprises at least one of the following:

in accordance with a determination that a recovery of the failure is not completed within a period of time since the storing of the information related to the third device, releasing the information related to the third device; or

in accordance with a determination that the failure is recovered, reporting the information related to the second device.
The first device of claim 17, wherein the second information comprises at least one of the following: a first indication of the failure, or a second indication for ending the reporting of the information related to the third device, or

wherein the second indication is valid for one of the following: a period of time, an access occasion, an access round, a service, energy of the third device is not empty, or no indication indicating invalidity of the second indication is received.
The first device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine that the failure is recovered based on at least one of the following:

an indication of recovery of the failure is received from the second device or a fourth device, or

an indication of update of the first device is received from the fourth device; and

perform a second operation related to the third device comprising at least one of the following:

requesting a fourth device to trigger an inventory procedure,

transmitting, to the third device, a message for triggering an access from the third device to the first device, or

transmitting, to the third device, a request for the information related to the third device,

wherein the request comprises at least one of the following: an indication indicating a reporting of the information related to the third device, or a resource configuration for the reporting.