Low energy indication for internet of things devices

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to a method, equipment and device for low-energy indication and a computer readable storage medium. The method comprises: transmitting an energy harvesting capability indication of a first device to a second device; receiving, from a second device, a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device, the configuration indicating at least one or more energy level thresholds; and sending the low energy event report to the second device based at least on the configuration.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for low energy indication of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and more particularly for emergency low energy indication of ambient IoT devices. Background Art

[0002] Regarding IoT applications, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has specified narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) / enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) and New Radio (NR) reduced capability (RedCap) by Release 18 to meet the requirements for low-cost and low-power devices for wide-area IoT communications.

[0003] These IoT devices typically consume tens or hundreds of milliwatts of power during transmission and reception, at very low cost. However, to realize the Internet of Everything (IoE), devices with 10x or even 100x lower cost and power consumption are needed, especially for the large number of applications that require battery-free devices. Summary of the invention

[0004] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: send an energy collection capability indication of the first device to a second device; receive a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device from the second device, the configuration at least indicating one or more energy level thresholds; and send the low energy event report to the second device based on at least the configuration.

[0005] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: receive an indication of the energy collection capability of the first device from a first device; send a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device to the first device, the configuration at least indicating one or more energy level thresholds; and receive a low energy event report from the first device.

[0006] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: sending an energy collection capability indication of a first device to a second device; receiving a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device from the second device, the configuration at least indicating one or more energy level thresholds; and sending a low energy event report to the second device based at least on the configuration.

[0007] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving an energy collection capability indication of the first device from a first device; sending a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device to the first device, the configuration at least indicating one or more energy level thresholds; and receiving a low energy event report from the first device.

[0008] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: a component for sending an indication of the energy collection capability of the first device to a second device; a component for receiving a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device from the second device, the configuration at least indicating one or more energy level thresholds; and a component for sending a low energy event report of the second device to the second device based at least on the configuration.

[0009] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes: a component for receiving an indication of energy collection capability of the first device from a first device; a component for sending a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device to the first device, the configuration at least indicating one or more energy level thresholds; and a component for receiving a low energy event report from the first device.

[0010] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, and the instructions are used to cause a device to at least execute the method according to the third aspect.

[0011] In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, and the instructions are used to cause a device to at least execute the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0012] It should be understood that the invention summary is not intended to identify the key features or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present invention will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0014] Figure 1 An example communication environment is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0015] Figure 2 shows a signaling diagram for low energy indication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 3 shows a signaling diagram for low energy indication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 4shows a signaling diagram for low energy indication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 5 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 6 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 7 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0021] Figure 8 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should 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 implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. In addition to the methods described below, the embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways.

[0024] 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 skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0025] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it is considered to be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments (whether or not explicitly described).

[0026] It should be understood that, although the terms "first", "second", etc. in front of nouns etc. may be used in this article 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, and they do not limit the order of the nouns. For example, without departing from the scope of the example embodiments, the first element may be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element may be referred to as the first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0027] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions (wherein a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”) refer to at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0028] As used herein, unless explicitly stated, performing a step “in response to A” does not mean performing the step immediately after “A” occurs, but may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0029] The terms used herein are used only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that when used herein, the terms "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "includes", and / or "including" specify the presence of features, elements, and / or parts, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, parts, and / or combinations thereof.

[0030] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware circuit implementation only (e.g., implementation only in analog and / or digital circuits), and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, and (ii) any portion of a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor) with software, software and memory that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions; and (c) A hardware circuit and / or processor that requires software (eg, firmware) for operation, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, but the software may not be present when not required for operation.

[0031] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to a particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0032] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, for example, New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G) communication protocol and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there are of course future types of communication technologies and systems that can implement the present disclosure. It should not be considered that the scope of the present disclosure is limited to the above-mentioned system.

[0033] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses a network and receives services from it. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a repeater, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low-power node (e.g., a femto, a micro), a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or a non-terrestrial network device (such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, etc.), depending on the terminology and technology applied. In some example embodiments, a radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at an IAB donor node. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves like a UE toward a parent node, and a DU portion of an IAB node behaves like a base station toward a next-hop IAB node.

[0034] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS) or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device such as a digital camera, a game terminal device, a music storage and playback facility, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and an application (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and an application (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or automatic processing chain environment), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) part of an IAB node (eg, a relay node).In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0035] As used herein, the term "resource", "transmission resource", "resource block", "physical resource block" (PRB), "uplink resource" or "downlink resource" may refer to any resource used to perform communication (e.g., communication between a terminal device and a network device), such as a resource in the time domain, a resource in the frequency domain, a resource in the spatial domain, a resource in the code domain, any other combination of time domain, frequency domain, spatial domain and / or code domain resources, etc. In the following, unless explicitly stated, resources in the frequency domain and the time domain will be used as examples of transmission resources for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the example embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains. Example Environment

[0036] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The communication environment 100 includes a first device 110 and a second device 120 that may communicate with each other.

[0037] In the following, for the purpose of explanation, some example embodiments are described as the first device 110 operating as a terminal device and the second device 120 operating as a network device. However, in some example embodiments, the operations described in conjunction with the terminal device may be implemented at a network device or other device, and the operations described in conjunction with the network device may be implemented at a terminal device or other device.

[0038] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of network devices and terminal devices shown in FIG. 1 is given for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation. Communication network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices.

[0039] In some example embodiments, if the first device 110 is a terminal device and the second device 120 is a network device, the link from the second device 120 to the first device 110 is referred to as a downlink (DL), and the link from the first device 110 to the second device 120 is referred to as an uplink (UL). In the DL, the second device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and the first device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, the first device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and the second device 120 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0040] The communication in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), etc., wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, etc., and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. In addition, the communication may use any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technology currently known or developed in the future.

[0041] The number of IoT connections has grown rapidly in recent years and is predicted to be in the tens of billions in the future. As more and more "things" are expected to be interconnected to improve production efficiency and increase living comfort, there is a need to further reduce the size, cost and power consumption of IoT devices.

[0042] Regularly replacing batteries of all IoT devices is impractical due to the huge consumption of materials and manpower. Using energy harvested from the environment to power IoT devices for self-sustainable communications has become a trend, especially in applications with a large number of devices (e.g., identification (ID) tags and sensors).

[0043] There are some problems in various aspects of 3GPP technology or non-3GPP technology.

[0044] For example, the most critical issue of existing 3GPP technologies for target use cases is the ability to collaborate with energy harvesting considering the limited device size. Cellular devices typically consume tens or even hundreds of milliwatts of power for transceiver processing. Taking the NB-IoT module as an example, the typical current consumption for receive processing is about 60mA with a supply voltage above 3.1V, while the current consumption for transmit processing at a transmit power of 0dBm is 70mA. In addition, considering the small size of a few square centimeters for actual devices, the output power provided by typical energy harvesters is mostly less than 1 milliwatt. Since the available power is much less than the consumed power, it is impractical to directly power cellular devices through energy harvesting in most cases.

[0045] One possible solution is to integrate energy harvesting with rechargeable batteries or supercapacitors. However, there are still some issues to be solved.

[0046] First, both rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors may have a shortened lifespan in practical situations. It is difficult to provide a constant charging current or voltage through energy harvesting, and long-term continuous charging is required due to the very small output power from the energy harvester. Both the non-constant charging current and long-term continuous charging are detrimental to battery life. For supercapacitors, their lifespan will be significantly reduced in high temperature environments (e.g., less than 3 years at 50 degrees Celsius).

[0047] Secondly, the device size will increase significantly. Since a small-sized button cell can only provide a few tens of milliamps of current, batteries with much larger sizes (e.g., AA batteries) are usually used to power cellular devices, which can be even larger than the module itself. In order to store energy for a suitable operating duration (e.g., one second), the required capacitance of the supercapacitor is in the hundreds of mill-farads level. The size of such a supercapacitor can be larger than the NB-IoT module.

[0048] Third, both rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors can be more expensive than the module itself. Even if purchased in large quantities, the cost of a suitable battery or supercapacitor can reach one or several dollars, which almost doubles the cost of the device.

[0049] In terms of non-3GPP technologies, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is the most well-known technology that supports battery-free tags (devices). The power consumption of commercial passive RFID tags can be as low as 1 microwatt. The key technologies to achieve this low power consumption are envelope detection for downlink data reception and backscatter communication for uplink data transmission. RFID is designed for short-range communication, with a typical effective range of less than 10 meters. Since the air interface of RFID has remained almost unchanged for several years, the overly simple transmission scheme has become an obstacle to improving its link budget and ability to support scalable networks.

[0050] Due to the extremely low power consumption of backscatter communication, many non-3GPP technologies have begun to work on related research, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ultra-wideband (UWB) and long-range radio (LORA). Various studies have shown that based on or with small modifications to the above air interfaces, power consumption of a few microwatts or tens of microwatts can be supported for passive tags. A significant proportion of research is aimed at long-range communication. Among them, LoRa tags implemented with commercial off-the-shelf components can send their sensing data to a receiver 381 meters away.

[0051] Currently, most of the research focuses on independent detailed technologies for various optimization goals. It is rare to see a comprehensive system design that fully meets the requirements of the target use case. However, the standardization of these technologies is agile and fast, because the industry usually follows certain de facto standards. This means that many products on the market will even follow private standards once they have shown competitiveness in some applications.

[0052] In addition, a passive radio is a device that utilizes energy from a wireless signal sent on a specific carrier and / or bandwidth and charges a simple circuit that, once activated, will emit / reflect a signal encoding at least the ID of the passive radio. The typical system architecture around a passive radio consists of an activator, a passive radio, and a reader. The activator can send an activation signal that targets a passive radio device for waking up. The passive radio can utilize energy and listen for activation signals over a certain frequency range. Once such a signal is detected, the passive radio emits / reflects a signal dedicated to the radio ID. A reader can be a device that listens for and detects passive radio signals. The reader can be collocated with the activator or not.

[0053] The following two main types of equipment research projects have been identified below: Table 1

[0054] The objectives of this research project can be divided into three areas: (i) deployment scenarios; (ii) design goals and (iii) performance evaluation. In terms of deployment scenarios, emphasis is placed on operation in unlicensed spectrum, as follows: Table 2

[0055] It was agreed that the initial equipment classification should be expanded and focus on three types of equipment, namely: Device A: Passive device with no energy storage Device B: Passive device with energy storage Device C: Active device with energy storage

[0056] The design goals for power consumption are: Device A≤10μW ·Device A<Device B<Device C Device C≤1mW

[0057] The equipment complexity design objectives are: Device A: Comparable to UHF RFID Device A≤Device B≤Device C, Device C: Order of magnitude lower than NB-IoT

[0058] The nature of ultra-low power devices presents challenges to current cellular communication design approaches, for which operation is based on several energy-intensive signaling processes. That is, when the operation of these devices depends on energy harvesting, then the amount of energy that the device is expected to have available due to its energy storage will vary over time.

[0059] This creates challenges in some time periods where the device (e.g., Type C device) does not have enough energy to support the full signaling exchange procedures, such as initial access establishment (synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB) scanning and 2-step, 4-step random access), hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), scheduling request (SR), channel state information (CSI) reporting, SSB / CSI reference signal (CSI-RS) monitoring and reporting and / or RRC (re) configuration. At other times, the device will have enough energy storage to support (some or all) of these procedures.

[0060] Currently, the network (NW) does not have any mechanism for determining the current energy state of the device energy storage, so it cannot be taken into account in radio resource management and signaling procedures. This may cause unexpected interruptions in communications when the energy storage is insufficient to handle the signaling procedure, or at least missed opportunities for resource efficiency enhancement when the energy storage allows the NW to expect the procedure.

[0061] Therefore, a mechanism is desired that allows a device to report to the NW that it is experiencing a low energy event.

[0062] According to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, a solution for low energy indication is provided. In the solution, a first device 110 in RRC connected mode sends an energy collection capability indication of the first device 110 to a second device 120, and receives a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device 110 from the second device 120, indicating at least one or more energy level thresholds. Then, the first device sends a low energy event report to the second device 120 based at least on the configuration.

[0063] The solution of the present disclosure allows the NW to adapt the UE configuration (e.g., when operating in RRC idle / inactive and RRC connected, so that the UE (e.g., NW certified A-IoT device Type C) can better handle low energy states) or trigger emergency RF charging.

[0064] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0065] Figure 2 A signaling diagram 200 for low energy indication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to Figure 1The signaling diagram 200 is discussed, for example, by using the first device 110 (eg, UE) and the second device 120 (eg, gNB).

[0066] like Figure 2 As shown, when the first device 110 is in the RRC idle / inactive mode, an RRC connection establishment is performed (205) between the first device 110 and the second device 120. Then, the first device 110 transitions from the RRC idle / inactive mode to the RRC connection.

[0067] Then, the capability of the first device 110 may be exchanged between the first device 110 and the second device 120 .

[0068] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send 210 a request for a capability report of the first device to the first device 110. The first device 110 may then send 215 an indication of the energy harvesting capability of the first device 110 to the second device 120, for example, indicating that the first device 110 is capable of energy harvesting.

[0069] As another example, the indication of the energy harvesting capability of the first device 110 may indicate that the first device 110 is capable of RF energy harvesting. It is also possible that the indication of the energy harvesting capability of the first device 110 may indicate that the power of the first device 110 is primarily derived from energy harvesting with limited battery capabilities.

[0070] Then, the second device 120 may initiate an RRC reconfiguration process. The second device 120 sends (220) the configuration of the low energy event report of the first device 110 to the first device 110, for example, via an RRC reconfiguration message. That is, the second device 120 configures the first device 110 to be able to report a low energy level indication.

[0071] In some embodiments, the configuration may indicate one or more energy level thresholds that may be used by the first device 110 to determine whether the first device 110 is in a low energy state. For example, the configuration may indicate a first energy level threshold and a second energy level threshold. The first energy level threshold may be higher than the second energy level threshold.

[0072] In addition, the configuration may also include a period for the first device 110 to perform low energy event reporting, energy events corresponding to different energy level thresholds, and information associated with the energy state of the first device 110 required by the second device for a specific energy level.

[0073] In addition, the configuration may also indicate a type of resources for the first device to perform a low energy event report corresponding to a specific energy level of the first device 110 .

[0074] It is also possible that the configuration may instruct the first device 110 to use a simple indication (eg, a flag or a one-bit indication) to indicate whether the first device is in a low energy state.

[0075] After sending (225) the RRC reconfiguration complete message to the second device 120, the first device 110 can perform monitoring of device available energy based on the received configuration.

[0076] In this case, if the first device 110 determines that the available energy is below the first energy level threshold but above the second energy level threshold, the first device 110 can determine ( 230 ) that a low energy event has occurred at the first device 110 .

[0077] The first device 110 may then send (235) a low energy event report indicating the low energy event to the second device 120, for example as part of a UE assistance information RRC message (L3).

[0078] In addition to the low energy event, the first device 110 may also determine information associated with the energy state of the first device 110 required by the second device for the low energy event, which may include the amount of time (i.e., timeline) until the low energy state is entered based on the current energy consumption, and the available energy at the first device 110. The determined information may also be sent from the first device 110 to the second device 120 along with the low energy event report.

[0079] In some embodiments, using the configuration period indicated in the received configuration, the first device 110 sends a low energy event report and corresponding information associated with the energy state of the first device 110 to the second device 120. It is also possible that when the first device 110 determines that a low energy event occurs, the first device 110 can immediately report the low energy event report.

[0080] In some embodiments, based on the received configuration, when the first device 110 determines that a low energy event has occurred, the first device 110 may use a dedicated SR resource to obtain a resource authorization for transmitting a report. In some other embodiments, the first device 110 may use a dedicated physical random access channel (PRACH) resource to obtain a resource authorization for transmitting a report. In addition, when the first device 110 determines that a low energy event has occurred, a resource authorization for sending a low energy event report may be obtained by overriding the priority of an SR associated with a control plane exchange or a user plane exchange.

[0081] After receiving the low energy event report, the second device 120 can determine ( 240 ) what the operating level is to transition the first device 110 to handle low energy / lack of energy, eg, a low energy event at the first device 110 .

[0082] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send an RRC release message to the first device 110 to cause the first device 110 to transition to the RRC inactive state. In some cases, the second device 120 may instruct the first device 110 to transition to the RRC inactive state in a small data transfer (SDT) configuration.

[0083] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may also reconfigure the CORESET and the activated search space including PDCCH skipping to the first device 110 .

[0084] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may deactivate HARQ in a bandwidth part (BWP), which allows the first device 110 to deactivate a HARQ buffer and includes deactivation of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources associated with HARQ reporting.

[0085] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may reconfigure the BWP to a smaller BWP as this will result in a significant reduction in power consumption associated with monitoring the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

[0086] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may configure radio link relaxation and beam failure (RLF) detection measurements.

[0087] Last but not least, the second device 120 can configure DL resources to be used by the first device 110 to enable RF charging of the first device 110 (when the first device 110 supports RF charging).

[0088] The second device 120 may then send ( 245 ) to the first device 110 the determined configuration(s) and / or an indication of DL resources where RF charging is to occur.

[0089] Figure 3 A signaling diagram 300 for low energy indication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The signaling diagram 300 is discussed, for example, by using the first device 110 (eg, UE) and the second device 120 (eg, gNB).

[0090] and Figure 2 The process shown is similar, when the first device 110 is in the RRC idle / inactive mode, an RRC connection establishment is performed (305) between the first device 110 and the second device 120. Then, the first device 110 transitions from the RRC idle / inactive mode to the RRC connection.

[0091] Then, the capability of the first device 110 may be exchanged between the first device 110 and the second device 120 .

[0092] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send 310 a request for a capability report of the first device to the first device 110. The first device 110 may then send 315 an indication of energy harvesting capabilities to the second device 120, for example indicating that the first device 110 is capable of energy harvesting.

[0093] As another example, the indication of the energy harvesting capability of the first device 110 may indicate that the first device 110 is capable of RF energy harvesting. It is also possible that the indication of the energy harvesting capability of the first device 110 may indicate that the power of the first device 110 is primarily derived from energy harvesting with limited battery capabilities.

[0094] Then, the second device 120 may initiate an RRC reconfiguration process. The second device 120 sends (320) the configuration of the low energy event report of the first device 110 to the first device 110, for example, via an RRC reconfiguration message. That is, the second device 120 configures the first device 110 to be able to report a low energy level indication.

[0095] In some embodiments, the configuration may indicate one or more energy level thresholds that may be used by the first device 110 to determine whether the first device 110 is in a low energy state. For example, the configuration may indicate a first energy level threshold and a second energy level threshold. The first energy level threshold may be higher than the second energy level threshold.

[0096] In addition, the configuration may also include a period for the first device 110 to perform low energy event reporting, energy events corresponding to different energy level thresholds, and information associated with the energy state of the first device 110 required by the second device for a specific energy level.

[0097] In addition, the configuration may also indicate a type of resources for the first device to perform a low energy event report corresponding to a specific energy level of the first device 110 .

[0098] It is also possible that the configuration may instruct the first device 110 to use a simple indication (eg, a flag or a one-bit indication) to indicate whether the first device is in a low energy state.

[0099] After receiving the configuration, the first device 110 may send ( 325 ) an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the second device 120 .

[0100] In this case, for example, by sending (330) an RRC release message to the first device 110, the second device 120 may convert the first device 110 into RRC inactive with SDT configuration.

[0101] The first device 110 may perform monitoring of the available energy of the device based on the received configuration.

[0102] In this case, if the first device 110 determines that the available energy is below the first energy level threshold but above the second energy level threshold, the first device 110 can determine (335) that a low energy event has occurred at the first device 110.

[0103] The first device 110 may then send (340) a low energy event report indicating the low energy event to the second device 120. For example, the first device 110 may initiate an SDT, wherein an RRC recovery request is appended with a medium access control (MAC) protocol date unit (PDU) including the low energy event report as part of a UE assistance information RRC message (L3). Alternatively, the MAC PDU may instead include a low energy event MAC control element (MAC CE).

[0104] In addition to the low energy event, the first device 110 may also determine information associated with the energy state of the first device 110 required by the second device for the low energy event, which may include an amount of time (i.e., a timeline) until the low energy state is entered based on the current energy consumption and the available energy at the first device 110. The determined information may also be sent from the first device 110 to the second device 120 along with the low energy event report.

[0105] In some embodiments, the first device 110 sends a low energy event report and corresponding information associated with the energy state of the first device 110 to the second device 120 using a configuration period indicated in the received configuration.

[0106] After receiving the low energy event report, the second device 120 can determine ( 345 ) what the operating level is to transition the first device 110 to handle low energy / lack of energy, such as a low energy event at the first device 110 .

[0107] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may transition the first device 110 to an RRC inactive state with an SDT configuration, which includes only a RACH SDT configuration.

[0108] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may transition the first device 110 to an RRC inactive state with an SDT configuration, wherein the configured grant (CG) SDT configuration is relaxed.

[0109] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may transition the first device 110 to an RRC inactive state in which the paging occasion monitoring frequency is relaxed.

[0110] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may configure DL resources to be used by the first device 110 to enable RF charging of the first device 110 (when the first device 110 supports RF charging).

[0111] The second device 120 may then send ( 350 ) to the first device 110 the determined configuration(s) and / or an indication of DL resources where RF charging is to occur.

[0112] Figure 4 A signaling diagram 400 for low energy indication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The signaling diagram 400 is discussed, for example, by using the first device 110 (eg, UE) and the second device 120 (eg, gNB).

[0113] and Figure 2 and Figure 3 The process shown is similar, when the first device 110 is in the RRC idle / inactive mode, an RRC connection establishment is performed (405) between the first device 110 and the second device 120. Then, the first device 110 transitions from the RRC idle / inactive mode to the RRC connection.

[0114] Then, the capability of the first device 110 may be exchanged between the first device 110 and the second device 120 .

[0115] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send (410) a request for a capability report of the first device to the first device 110. The first device 110 may then send (415) an indication of the energy harvesting capability of the first device 110 to the second device 120, for example, indicating that the first device 110 is capable of energy harvesting.

[0116] As another example, the indication of the energy harvesting capability of the first device 110 may indicate that the first device 110 is capable of RF energy harvesting. It is also possible that the indication of the energy harvesting capability of the first device 110 may indicate that the power of the first device 110 is primarily derived from energy harvesting with limited battery capabilities.

[0117] Then, the second device 120 may initiate an RRC reconfiguration process. The second device 120 sends (420) the configuration of the low energy event report of the first device 110 to the first device 110, for example, via an RRC reconfiguration message. That is, the second device 120 configures the first device 110 to be able to report a low energy level indication.

[0118] In some embodiments, the configuration may indicate one or more energy level thresholds that may be used by the first device 110 to determine whether the first device 110 is in a low energy state. For example, the configuration may indicate a first energy level threshold and a second energy level threshold. The first energy level threshold may be higher than the second energy level threshold.

[0119] In addition, the configuration may also include a period for the first device 110 to perform low energy event reporting, energy events corresponding to different energy level thresholds, and information associated with the energy state of the first device 110 required by the second device for a specific energy level.

[0120] In addition, the configuration may also indicate a type of resources for the first device to perform a low energy event report corresponding to a specific energy level of the first device 110 .

[0121] It is also possible that the configuration may instruct the first device 110 to use a simple indication (eg, a flag or a one-bit indication) to indicate whether the first device is in a low energy state.

[0122] After receiving the configuration, the first device 110 may send ( 425 ) an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the second device 120 .

[0123] In this case, the first device 110 may remain in the RRC connection or transition to an RRC inactive state.

[0124] Based on the received configuration, the first device 110 can perform monitoring of the device's available energy. If the first device 110 determines that the available energy is below the second energy level threshold, the first device 110 can determine (430) that an emergency low energy event has occurred at the first device 110.

[0125] Then, the first device 110 may send a low energy event report indicating an urgent low energy event to the second device 120 .

[0126] In addition to the emergency low energy event, the first device 110 may also determine information associated with the energy state of the first device 110 required by the second device for the emergency low energy event, which may include the amount of time (i.e., timeline) until the first device is powered off due to lack of energy based on the current energy consumption. The determined information may also be sent from the first device 110 to the second device 120 along with the low energy event report.

[0127] In some embodiments, the transmission of this emergency low energy event may be performed by transmission of a dedicated PUCCH signal in SR resources reserved for this purpose during the RRC reconfiguration procedure as described above.

[0128] In some embodiments, transmission of the emergency low energy event may be performed by transmission of a MAC CE in PUSCH resources indicated by the second device 120 (eg, following transmission of a dedicated PUCCH signal in SR resources reserved for this purpose during an RRC reconfiguration procedure).

[0129] In some embodiments, the transmission of this emergency low energy event may be performed by transmission of a dedicated non-contention PRACH preamble in a PRACH opportunity reserved for this purpose during the RRC reconfiguration procedure.

[0130] In some embodiments, transmission of the emergency low energy event may be performed by transmission of a MAC CE in a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resource indicated by the second device 120 (e.g., following transmission of a dedicated non-contention PRACH preamble in a PRACH opportunity reserved for this purpose during an RRC reconfiguration process).

[0131] In some embodiments, the transmission of this emergency low energy event may be performed by transmission of a MAC CE in PUSCH resources associated with a (non-)contention PRACH preamble as part of a 2-step RACH procedure.

[0132] As a result of receiving the emergency low energy event indication, the second device can determine (440) DL resources for providing transmissions directed to the first device 110 that will allow it to charge. For example, in terms of time, the determination can be based on the "timeline (i.e., amount of time) until the first device 110 will power down due to lack of energy based on current energy consumption" indicated in the emergency low energy event report.

[0133] The second device 120 may then transmit ( 445 ) an RF DL charging signal to the first device 110 .

[0134] Based on the solution of the present disclosure, an indication of a device with energy collection capability (specifically, RF collection capability) can be included as part of the UE capability information, and the configuration of energy level reporting conditions (i.e., one or more thresholds for low energy reporting and emergency low energy reporting) can be set for the UE to determine its current energy state.

[0135] In addition, the detection and selection of reporting types and actual reports of low energy event indication L3 (UE auxiliary information) or emergency low energy event indication L1 (based on dedicated non-competitive PRACH preamble code or dedicated SR resources) and / or L2 (emergency low energy event MAC CE) are enabled to avoid delays in reporting the low energy state of the UE.

[0136] The NW may determine corresponding actions for the UE to handle the low energy state, for example, by initiating emergency RF charging at the UE side to avoid power off of the UE due to energy exhaustion.

[0137] Figure 5 A flowchart of an example method 500 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, Figure 1 The perspective description method 500 of the first device 110 in FIG.

[0138] At block 510 , the first device 110 sends an indication of the energy harvesting capabilities of the first device to a second device.

[0139] At block 520 , the first device 110 receives a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device from the second device, the configuration indicating at least one or more energy level thresholds.

[0140] At block 530 , the first device 110 sends a low energy event report to the second device based at least on the configuration.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the method 500 further comprises, in response to receiving a request for a capability report of the first apparatus from the second apparatus in the RRC connected mode, sending the energy harvesting capability indication.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the method 500 further comprises receiving a configuration from the second apparatus via dedicated RRC signaling in the RRC connected mode.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the configuration further indicates at least one of: a period for the first device to perform low energy event reporting, an energy event associated with one or more energy level thresholds, information associated with an energy state of the first device required by the second device relative to a specific energy level of the first device, or a type of resource for the first device to perform low energy event reporting relative to a specific energy level of the first device, or an indication of low energy or lack of energy configured for low energy event reporting.

[0144] In some example embodiments, method 500 also includes: comparing a current energy level of the first device with a first energy level threshold and a second energy level threshold indicated in the configuration, wherein the first energy level threshold is higher than the second energy level threshold; if it is determined that the current energy level is lower than the first energy level threshold and higher than the second energy level threshold, determining that a low energy event exists in the first device; and sending a low energy event report indicating the low energy event to the second device.

[0145] In some example embodiments, method 500 further includes: determining information associated with an energy state of the first device based on a configuration, the information including at least one of: an amount of time until a low energy state is entered based on current energy consumption, or available energy at the first device; and sending the determined information associated with the energy state of the first device and a low energy event report to a second device.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the method 500 further includes: determining that an urgent low energy event exists in the first device if the current energy level is determined to be below a second energy level threshold; and sending a low energy event report indicating the urgent low energy event to the second device.

[0147] In some example embodiments, method 500 further includes: determining, based on the configuration, information associated with the energy state of the first device, the information including the amount of time based on current energy consumption until the first device is powered off due to lack of energy; and sending the determined information associated with the energy state of the first device and a low energy event report to the second device.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the method 500 further comprises: if it is determined that the current energy level is below the second energy level threshold, determining that there is no low energy event in the first device.

[0149] In some example embodiments, method 500 further includes: based on the configuration and the energy event occurring at the first device, obtaining resource authorization for sending a low energy event report by at least one of: using a dedicated scheduling request SR resource, using a dedicated random access resource, using a medium access control-control element, or overriding the priority of the SR associated with a control plane exchange or a user plane exchange.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the method 500 further includes sending a low energy event report to the second device via RRC signaling.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the method 500 further comprises, in response to entering the RRC inactive mode, sending a low energy event report to the second device via an RRC resume request by initiating a small data transmission (SDT).

[0152] In some example embodiments, the method 500 further includes receiving, from the second device, an indication for the first device to process the energy event.

[0153] In some example embodiments, the low energy event occurs at the first device and the first device is in RRC connected mode, and wherein the indication that the first device processes the energy event indicates at least one of: deactivation of a hybrid automatic repeat request in a bandwidth portion, or configuration of downlink resources for enabling radio frequency charging of the first device.

[0154] In some example embodiments, a low energy event occurring at a first device is reported to a second device via an SDT, and wherein an indication for the first device to handle the energy event indicates at least one of: the first device transitioning to an RRC inactive mode in which a paging occasion monitoring frequency is relaxed; or configuration of downlink resources for enabling radio frequency charging of the first device.

[0155] In some example embodiments, the emergency energy event occurs at the first device, wherein the indication for the first device to handle the energy event indicates that the first device is permitted to perform emergency RF charging.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the energy harvesting capability indication indicates at least one of: the first device is capable of energy harvesting; the first device is capable of radio frequency energy harvesting; or the first device is powered by energy harvesting with limited battery capabilities.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a terminal device and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

[0158] Figure 6 A flowchart of an example method 600 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, Figure 1 The perspective description method 600 of the second device 120 in FIG.

[0159] At block 610 , the second device 120 receives, from a first device, an indication of energy harvesting capabilities of the first device.

[0160] At block 620 , the second device 120 sends a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device to the first device, the configuration indicating at least one or more energy level thresholds.

[0161] At block 630 , the second device 120 receives a low energy event report from the first device.

[0162] In some example embodiments, the method 600 further comprises, in the RRC connected mode, sending, to the first apparatus, a request for a capability report of the first apparatus.

[0163] In some example embodiments, the method 600 further comprises sending the configuration to the first apparatus via dedicated RRC signaling in the RRC connected mode.

[0164] In some example embodiments, the configuration further indicates at least one of: a period for the first device to perform low energy event reporting, an energy event associated with one or more energy level thresholds, information associated with an energy state of the first device required by the second device relative to a specific energy level of the first device, or a type of resource for the first device to perform low energy event reporting relative to a specific energy level of the first device, or an indication of low energy or lack of energy configured for low energy event reporting.

[0165] In some example embodiments, the configuration further indicates that: an energy level below a first energy level threshold and above a second energy level threshold corresponds to a low energy event; and an energy level below the second energy level threshold corresponds to an emergency low energy event.

[0166] In some example embodiments, the method 600 further includes receiving a low energy event report indicating a low energy event or an urgent low energy event from the first device.

[0167] In some example embodiments, method 600 further includes receiving, from the first device, information associated with an energy state of the first device and a low energy event report indicating a low energy event, wherein the information includes at least one of: an amount of time based on current energy consumption until the low energy state is entered, or available energy at the first device.

[0168] In some example embodiments, the method 600 further includes receiving, from the first device, information associated with an energy status of the first device and a low energy event report indicating an urgent low energy event.

[0169] In some example embodiments, method 600 further includes receiving, from the first device, information associated with an energy state of the first device and a low energy event report indicating a low energy event, wherein the information includes an amount of time until the first device is powered off due to lack of energy based on current energy consumption.

[0170] In some example embodiments, the configuration further instructs the first device to request resource authorization for sending a low energy event report based on an energy event occurring at the first device by at least one of: using a dedicated scheduling request SR resource, using a dedicated random access resource, using a medium access control-control element, or overriding a priority of the SR associated with a control plane exchange or a user plane exchange.

[0171] In some example embodiments, the method 600 further includes receiving a low energy event report from the first device via RRC signaling.

[0172] In some example embodiments, the method 600 further includes: initiating by the first device through a small data transmission (SDT), receiving a low energy event report from the first device via an RRC recovery request.

[0173] In some example embodiments, the method 600 further includes sending, to the first device, an indication for the first device to process the energy event.

[0174] In some example embodiments, method 600 further includes, based on a determination that the low energy event includes an indication that the low energy event occurred at the first device and the first device is in an RRC connected mode, sending to the first device an indication of at least one of: deactivation of a hybrid automatic repeat request in a bandwidth portion, or configuration of downlink resources for enabling RF charging of the first device.

[0175] In some example embodiments, method 600 further includes, based on a determination that a low energy event report indicating a low energy event is received via the SDT, sending to the first device an indication of at least one of: the first device transitioning to an RRC inactive mode in which a paging occasion monitoring frequency is relaxed; or configuration of downlink resources for enabling radio frequency charging of the first device.

[0176] In some example embodiments, the method 600 further includes, based on the determination that the low energy event report indicates that the emergency energy event occurred at the first device, sending an indication to the first device to allow the first device to perform emergency radio frequency charging.

[0177] In some example embodiments, the energy harvesting capability indication indicates at least one of: the first device is capable of energy harvesting; the first device is capable of radio frequency energy harvesting; or the first device is powered by energy harvesting with limited battery capabilities.

[0178] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a terminal device and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

[0179] In some example embodiments, a first device (eg, Figure 1 The first device 110 in the method 500 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of the method 500. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the first device 110.

[0180] In some example embodiments, a first device includes: a component for sending an indication of an energy collection capability of the first device to a second device; a component for receiving a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device from the second device, the configuration indicating at least one or more energy level thresholds; and a component for sending a low energy event report to the second device based at least on the configuration.

[0181] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for sending the energy harvesting capability indication in response to receiving a request for a capability report of the first apparatus from the second apparatus in the RRC connected mode.

[0182] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for receiving a configuration from the second apparatus via dedicated RRC signaling in the RRC connected mode.

[0183] In some example embodiments, the configuration further indicates at least one of: a period for the first device to perform low energy event reporting, an energy event associated with one or more energy level thresholds, information associated with an energy state of the first device required by the second device relative to a specific energy level of the first device, or a type of resource for the first device to perform low energy event reporting relative to a specific energy level of the first device, or an indication of low energy or lack of energy configured for low energy event reporting.

[0184] In some example embodiments, the first device also includes: a component for comparing a current energy level of the first device with a first energy level threshold and a second energy level threshold indicated in the configuration, wherein the first energy level threshold is higher than the second energy level threshold; a component for determining that a low energy event exists in the first device if it is determined that the current energy level is lower than the first energy level threshold and higher than the second energy level threshold; and a component for sending a low energy event report indicating the low energy event to the second device.

[0185] In some example embodiments, the first device also includes: a component for determining information associated with an energy state of the first device based on a configuration, the information including at least one of: an amount of time until a low energy state is entered based on current energy consumption, or available energy at the first device; and a component for sending the determined information associated with the energy state of the first device and a low energy event report to a second device.

[0186] In some example embodiments, the first device further comprises: a component for determining that an urgent low energy event exists in the first device if it is determined that the current energy level is below a second energy level threshold; and a component for sending a low energy event report indicating the urgent low energy event to the second device.

[0187] In some example embodiments, the first device also includes: a component for determining, based on a configuration, information associated with an energy state of the first device, the information including an amount of time based on a current energy consumption until the first device is powered off due to lack of energy; and a component for sending the determined information associated with the energy state of the first device and a low energy event report to a second device.

[0188] In some example embodiments, the first device further comprises means for determining that a low energy event does not exist in the first device if it is determined that the current energy level is below the second energy level threshold.

[0189] In some example embodiments, the first device also includes: a component for obtaining resource authorization for sending a low energy event report based on the configuration and the energy event occurring at the first device by at least one of: using a dedicated scheduling request SR resource, using a dedicated random access resource, using a medium access control-control element, or overriding the priority of the SR associated with a control plane exchange or a user plane exchange.

[0190] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for sending a low energy event report to the second apparatus via RRC signaling.

[0191] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for sending a low energy event report to the second apparatus via an RRC resume request by initiating a small data transmission (SDT) in response to entering the RRC inactive mode.

[0192] In some example embodiments, the first device further comprises means for receiving, from the second device, an indication for the first device to process the energy event.

[0193] In some example embodiments, the low energy event occurs at the first device and the first device is in RRC connected mode, and wherein the indication that the first device processes the energy event indicates at least one of: deactivation of a hybrid automatic repeat request in a bandwidth portion, or configuration of downlink resources for enabling radio frequency charging of the first device.

[0194] In some example embodiments, a low energy event occurring at a first device is reported to a second device via an SDT, and wherein an indication for the first device to handle the energy event indicates at least one of: the first device transitioning to an RRC inactive mode in which a paging occasion monitoring frequency is relaxed; or configuration of downlink resources for enabling radio frequency charging of the first device.

[0195] In some example embodiments, the emergency energy event occurs at the first device, wherein the indication for the first device to handle the energy event indicates that the first device is permitted to perform emergency RF charging.

[0196] In some example embodiments, the energy harvesting capability indication indicates at least one of: the first device is capable of energy harvesting; the first device is capable of radio frequency energy harvesting; or the first device is powered by energy harvesting with limited battery capabilities.

[0197] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a terminal device and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

[0198] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for performing the method 500 or other operations in some example embodiments of the first apparatus 110. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the execution of the first apparatus.

[0199] In some example embodiments, a second device (eg, Figure 1 The second device 120 in the method 600 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of the method 600. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The second device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the second device 120.

[0200] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 includes: a component for receiving an indication of an energy collection capability of the first device from the first device; a component for sending a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device to the first device, the configuration indicating at least one or more energy level thresholds; and a component for receiving a low energy event report from the first device.

[0201] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for sending, in the RRC connected mode, to the first apparatus a request for a capability report of the first apparatus.

[0202] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for sending the configuration to the first apparatus via dedicated RRC signaling in the RRC connected mode.

[0203] In some example embodiments, the configuration further indicates at least one of: a period for the first device to perform low energy event reporting, an energy event associated with one or more energy level thresholds, information associated with an energy state of the first device required by the second device relative to a specific energy level of the first device, or a type of resource for the first device to perform low energy event reporting relative to a specific energy level of the first device, or an indication of low energy or lack of energy configured for low energy event reporting.

[0204] In some example embodiments, the configuration further indicates that: an energy level below a first energy level threshold and above a second energy level threshold corresponds to a low energy event; and an energy level below the second energy level threshold corresponds to an emergency low energy event.

[0205] In some example embodiments, the second device further comprises means for receiving a low energy event report indicating a low energy event or an urgent low energy event from the first device.

[0206] In some example embodiments, the second device further comprises: a component for receiving, from the first device, information associated with an energy state of the first device and a low energy event report indicating a low energy event, wherein the information comprises at least one of: an amount of time based on current energy consumption until a low energy state is entered, or available energy at the first device.

[0207] In some example embodiments, the second device further comprises means for receiving, from the first device, information associated with an energy status of the first device and a low energy event report indicating an urgent low energy event.

[0208] In some example embodiments, the second device further comprises: means for receiving, from the first device, information associated with an energy state of the first device and a low energy event report indicating a low energy event, wherein the information comprises an amount of time based on current energy consumption until the first device is powered off due to lack of energy.

[0209] In some example embodiments, the configuration further instructs the first device to request resource authorization for sending a low energy event report based on an energy event occurring at the first device by at least one of: using a dedicated scheduling request SR resource, using a dedicated random access resource, using a medium access control-control element, or overriding a priority of the SR associated with a control plane exchange or a user plane exchange.

[0210] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for receiving a low energy event report from the first apparatus via RRC signaling.

[0211] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for receiving a low energy event report from the first apparatus via an RRC recovery request initiated by the first apparatus through a small data transmission (SDT).

[0212] In some example embodiments, the second device further comprises means for sending, to the first device, an indication for the first device to process the energy event.

[0213] In some example embodiments, the second device further comprises: means for sending to the first device an indication of at least one of: deactivation of a hybrid automatic repeat request in a bandwidth portion, or configuration of downlink resources for enabling radio frequency charging of the first device, based on a determination that the low energy event comprises an indication that the low energy event occurred at the first device and the first device is in an RRC connected mode.

[0214] In some example embodiments, the second device further includes: a component for sending an indication of at least one of the following to the first device based on a determination that a low energy event report indicating a low energy event is received via the SDT: the first device transitioning to an RRC inactive mode in which a paging occasion monitoring frequency is relaxed; or configuration of downlink resources for enabling RF charging of the first device.

[0215] In some example embodiments, the second device further comprises means for sending an indication to the first device allowing the first device to perform emergency radio frequency charging based on a determination that the low energy event report indicates that an emergency energy event occurred at the first device.

[0216] In some example embodiments, the energy harvesting capability indication indicates at least one of: the first device is capable of energy harvesting; the first device is capable of radio frequency energy harvesting; or the first device is powered by energy harvesting with limited battery capabilities.

[0217] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a terminal device and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

[0218] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for performing the method 600 or other operations in some example embodiments of the second apparatus 120. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the execution of the second apparatus.

[0219] Figure 7 700 is a simplified block diagram of a device 700 suitable for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 700 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 The first device 110 or the second device 120 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the device 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 coupled to the processor 710, and one or more communication modules 740 coupled to the processor 710.

[0220] The communication module 740 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 740 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary to communicate with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 740 may include at least one antenna.

[0221] Processor 710 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network, and may include one or more of the following: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. Device 700 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0222] The memory 720 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 724, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), optical disk, laser disk, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 722 and other volatile memories that do not persist during a power outage.

[0223] The computer program 730 includes computer executable instructions executed by the associated processor 710. The instructions of the program 730 may include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 730 may be stored in a memory (e.g., ROM 724). The processor 710 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 730 into the RAM 722.

[0224] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 730 so that the device 700 may execute the Figures 2 to 6 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0225] In some example embodiments, the program 730 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 700 (such as in the memory 720) or in other storage devices accessible by the device 700. The device 700 may load the program 730 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 722 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. The term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), not a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0226] Figure 8 An example of a computer readable medium 800 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 800 has a program 730 stored thereon.

[0227] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, and other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0228] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (such as, non-volatile computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as those computer executable instructions executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor included in a program module to perform any method as described above. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed in various embodiments. The machine executable instructions for the program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in local and remote storage media.

[0229] The program code for performing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device so that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, causes the realization of the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0230] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0231] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices or equipment, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer readable storage media will include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage component, a magnetic storage component, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0232] In addition, although the operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring the operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or performing all the described operations, to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but should be interpreted as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Unless explicitly stated, certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, unless explicitly stated, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0233] Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

[0234] Some examples of the present disclosure are provided below.

[0235] Example 1. A first device comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: send an indication of the energy collection capability of the first device to a second device; receive a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device from the second device, the configuration at least indicating one or more energy level thresholds; and send the low energy event report to the second device based at least on the configuration.

[0236] Example 2. The first apparatus of Example 1, wherein the first apparatus is caused to send the energy harvesting capability indication in response to receiving a request for a capability report of the first apparatus from the second apparatus in a radio resource control, RRC, mode.

[0237] Example 3. The first apparatus of Example 1 or 2, wherein the first apparatus is caused to receive the configuration from the second apparatus via dedicated RRC signaling in a radio resource control, RRC, mode.

[0238] Example 4. A first device according to any one of Examples 1 to 3, wherein the configuration further indicates at least one of: a period for the first device to perform the low energy event report, an energy event associated with the one or more energy level thresholds, information associated with the energy state of the first device required by the second device relative to a specific energy level of the first device, or a type of resource for the first device to perform the low energy event report relative to the specific energy level of the first device, or an indication of low energy or lack of energy configured for the low energy event report.

[0239] Example 5. A first device according to any one of Examples 1 to 4, wherein the first device is configured to: compare a current energy level of the first device with a first energy level threshold and a second energy level threshold indicated in the configuration, wherein the first energy level threshold is higher than the second energy level threshold; determine that a low energy event exists in the first device if it is determined that the current energy level is lower than the first energy level threshold and higher than the second energy level threshold; and send the low energy event report indicating the low energy event to the second device.

[0240] Example 6. The first apparatus of Example 5, wherein the first apparatus is caused to:

[0241] Determining information associated with an energy state of the first device based on the configuration, the information comprising at least one of: an amount of time until a low energy state is entered based on current energy consumption, or available energy at the first device; and sending the determined information associated with the energy state of the first device and the low energy event report to the second device.

[0242] Example 7. A first device according to Example 5, wherein the first device is configured to: determine that an emergency low energy event exists in the first device if it is determined that the current energy level is lower than the second energy level threshold; and send the low energy event report indicating the emergency low energy event to the second device.

[0243] Example 8. A first device according to Example 7, wherein the first device is configured to: determine, based on the configuration, information associated with an energy state of the first device, the information including the amount of time based on current energy consumption until the first device is powered off due to lack of energy; and send the determined information associated with the energy state of the first device and the low energy event report to the second device.

[0244] Example 9. The first device of Example 5, wherein the first device is caused to: determine that there is no low energy event in the first device if it is determined that the current energy level is lower than the second energy level threshold.

[0245] Example 10. A first device according to any one of Examples 5 to 9, wherein the first device is configured to: based on the configuration and an energy event occurring at the first device, obtain resource authorization for sending the low energy event report by at least one of: using a dedicated scheduling request SR resource, using a dedicated random access resource, using a medium access control-control element, or overriding the priority of the SR associated with a control plane exchange or a user plane exchange.

[0246] Example 11. A first device according to any one of Examples 5 to 10, wherein the first device is caused to: send the low energy event report to the second device via RRC signaling.

[0247] Example 12. A first device according to any one of Examples 5 to 10, wherein the first device is configured to: in response to entering an RRC inactive mode, send the low energy event report to the second device via an RRC recovery request by initiating a small data transmission SDT.

[0248] Example 13. A first device according to any one of Examples 1 to 12, wherein the first device is caused to: receive an indication from the second device for the first device to process the energy event.

[0249] Example 14. A first device according to Example 13, wherein a low energy event occurs at the first device and the first device is in RRC connected mode, and wherein the indication of the first device processing the energy event represents at least one of: deactivation of a hybrid automatic repeat request in a bandwidth portion, or configuration of downlink resources for enabling RF charging of the first device.

[0250] Example 15. A first device according to Example 13, wherein a low energy event occurring at the first device is reported to the second device via SDT, and wherein the indication for the first device to handle the energy event represents at least one of the following: the first device transitions to an RRC inactive mode in which a paging occasion monitoring frequency is relaxed; or configuration of downlink resources for enabling RF charging of the first device.

[0251] Example 16. The first device of Example 13, wherein an emergency energy event occurs at the first device, wherein the indication for the first device to handle the energy event indicates that the first device is allowed to perform emergency RF charging.

[0252] Example 17. The first device of any one of Examples 1 to 16, wherein the energy harvesting capability indication indicates at least one of the following: the first device is capable of energy harvesting;

[0253] The first device is capable of radio frequency energy harvesting; or the power of the first device comes from energy harvesting with limited battery capacity.

[0254] Example 18. A first apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 17, wherein the first apparatus comprises a terminal device and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

[0255] Example 19. A second device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: receive an indication of energy collection capabilities of the first device from a first device; send a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device to the first device, the configuration indicating at least one or more energy level thresholds; and receive a low energy event report from the first device.

[0256] Example 20. The second apparatus of Example 19, wherein the second apparatus is caused to: send a request for a capability report of the first apparatus to the first apparatus in a radio resource control (RRC) mode.

[0257] Example 21. The second apparatus of Example 19 or 20, wherein the second apparatus is caused to: send the configuration to the first apparatus via dedicated RRC signaling in a radio resource control, RRC, mode.

[0258] Example 22. A second device according to any one of Examples 19 to 21, wherein the configuration further indicates at least one of: a period for the first device to perform the low energy event reporting, an energy event associated with the one or more energy level thresholds, information associated with the energy state of the first device required by the second device relative to a specific energy level of the first device, or a type of resource for the first device to perform the low energy event reporting relative to the specific energy level of the first device, or an indication of low energy or lack of energy configured for the low energy event reporting.

[0259] Example 23. A second device according to Example 22, wherein the configuration further indicates that: an energy level below a first energy level threshold and above a second energy level threshold corresponds to a low energy event; and an energy level below the second energy level threshold corresponds to an emergency low energy event.

[0260] Example 24. The second device of Example 23, wherein the second device is caused to: receive the low energy event report indicating the low energy event or the emergency low energy event from the first device.

[0261] Example 25. A second device according to Example 24, wherein the second device is configured to: receive information associated with an energy state of the first device and a low energy event report indicating the low energy event from the first device, wherein the information includes at least one of: the amount of time based on current energy consumption until a low energy state is entered, or the available energy at the first device.

[0262] Example 26. A second device according to Example 23, wherein the second device is caused to: receive information associated with an energy state of the first device and a low energy event report indicating the emergency low energy event from the first device.

[0263] Example 27. A second device according to Example 26, wherein the second device is configured to: receive information associated with the energy state of the first device and the low energy event report indicating the low energy event from the first device, wherein the information includes the amount of time based on current energy consumption until the first device is powered off due to lack of energy.

[0264] Example 28. A second device according to any one of Examples 22 to 27, wherein the configuration further instructs the first device to request resource authorization for sending the low energy event report based on an energy event occurring at the first device by at least one of: using a dedicated scheduling request SR resource, using a dedicated random access resource, using a medium access control-control element, or overriding the priority of the SR associated with a control plane exchange or a user plane exchange.

[0265] Example 29. The second apparatus of Example 28, wherein the second apparatus is caused to: receive the low energy event report from the first apparatus via RRC signaling.

[0266] Example 30. The second apparatus of Example 28, wherein the second apparatus is caused to: receive the low energy event report from the first apparatus via an RRC recovery request through a small data transmission (SDT) initiated by the first apparatus.

[0267] Example 31. A second device according to any one of Examples 22 to 31, wherein the second device is caused to: send an indication to the first device for the first device to process the energy event.

[0268] Example 32. A second device according to Example 31, wherein the second device is caused to: based on the low energy event including a determination indicating that the low energy event occurs at the first device and the first device is in RRC connected mode, send to the first device an indication of at least one of the following: deactivation of a hybrid automatic repeat request in a bandwidth portion, or configuration of downlink resources for enabling RF charging of the first device.

[0269] Example 33. A second device according to Example 31, wherein the second device is caused to: based on a determination that the low energy event report indicating the low energy event is received via the SDT, send an indication of at least one of the following to the first device: the first device transitions to an RRC inactive mode in which the paging occasion monitoring frequency is relaxed; or configuration of downlink resources for enabling RF charging of the first device.

[0270] Example 34. A second device according to Example 31, wherein the second device is caused to: based on a determination that the low energy event report indicates that an emergency energy event occurred at the first device, send an indication to the first device allowing the first device to perform emergency RF charging.

[0271] Example 35. A second device according to any one of Examples 19 to 34, wherein the energy collection capability indication represents at least one of the following: the first device is capable of energy collection; the first device is capable of radio frequency energy harvesting; or the power of the first device is derived from energy collection with limited battery capability.

[0272] Example 36. The second apparatus of any one of Examples 19-35, wherein the first apparatus comprises a terminal device and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

[0273] Example 37. A method, comprising: sending an indication of the energy collection capability of the first device to a second device; receiving a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device from the second device, the configuration report at least indicating one or more energy level thresholds; and sending the low energy event report to the second device based at least on the configuration.

[0274] Example 38. A method comprising: receiving an indication of energy collection capabilities of a first device from the first device; sending a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device to the first device, the configuration indicating at least one or more energy level thresholds; and receiving a low energy event report from the first device.

[0275] 39. A first device, comprising: a component for sending an indication of the energy collection capability of the first device to a second device; a component for receiving a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device from the second device, the configuration at least indicating one or more energy level thresholds; and a component for sending the low energy event report of the second device to the second device based at least on the configuration.

[0276] 40. A second device, comprising: a component for receiving an indication of an energy collection capability of a first device from a first device; a component for sending a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device to the first device, the configuration at least indicating one or more energy level thresholds; and a component for receiving a low energy event report from the first device.

[0277] Example 41. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions being used to cause an apparatus to perform at least the method according to Example 37 or the method according to Example 38.

Claims

1. A first device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: sending an indication of energy harvesting capabilities of the first device to a second device; receiving, from the second device, a configuration of a low energy event report of the first device, the configuration indicating at least one or more energy level thresholds; as well as The low energy event report is sent to the second device based at least on the configuration.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the configuration further indicates at least one of the following: a period for the first device to perform the low energy event report, an energy event associated with said one or more energy level thresholds, information associated with an energy state of the first device required by the second device relative to a particular energy level of the first device, or a type of resource used by the first device to perform the low energy event reporting relative to the specific energy level of the first device, or An indication of low energy or lack of energy configured for the low energy event report.

3. The first device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first device is configured to: comparing a current energy level of the first device to a first energy level threshold and a second energy level threshold indicated in the configuration, wherein the first energy level threshold is higher than the second energy level threshold; If it is determined that the current energy level is below the first energy level threshold and above the second energy level threshold, determining that a low energy event exists in the first device; as well as The low energy event report indicating the low energy event is sent to the second device.

4. The first device according to claim 3, wherein the first device is configured to: Determining information associated with an energy state of the first device based on the configuration, the information comprising at least one of the following: The amount of time until a low energy state is reached based on current energy consumption, or the energy available at the first device; and The determined information associated with the energy state of the first device and the low energy event report are sent to the second device.

5. The first device according to claim 3, wherein the first device is caused to: If it is determined that the current energy level is below the second energy level threshold, determining that an urgent low energy event exists in the first device; and The low energy event report indicating the urgent low energy event is sent to the second device.

6. The first device according to claim 5, wherein the first device is caused to: determining, based on the configuration, information associated with an energy state of the first device, the information comprising an amount of time until the first device is powered off due to lack of energy based on current energy consumption; and The determined information associated with the energy state of the first device and the low energy event report are sent to the second device.

7. The first device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first device is configured to: Based on the configuration and an energy event occurring at the first device, obtaining resource authorization for sending the low energy event report by at least one of: Use dedicated scheduling to request SR resources, Using dedicated random access resources, Use the Media Access Control-Control element, or Overrides the priority of the SR associated with a control plane switch or a user plane switch.

8. The first device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first device is configured to: An indication is received from the second device for the first device to process the energy event.

9. The first device of claim 8, wherein a low energy event occurs at the first device and the first device is in RRC connected mode, and wherein the indication that the first device processes the energy event represents at least one of the following: Deactivation of Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request in the bandwidth section, or Configuration of downlink resources for enabling radio frequency charging of the first apparatus.

10. The first device of claim 8, wherein a low energy event occurring at the first device is reported to the second device via an SDT, and wherein the indication for the first device to handle the energy event represents at least one of the following: the first device transitions to an RRC inactive mode in which a paging occasion monitoring frequency is relaxed; or Configuration of downlink resources for enabling radio frequency charging of the first apparatus.

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