Access control procedure for user equipment (UE) configured for energy harvesting

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and devices for wireless communication that support access control procedures for UEs configured for energy harvesting. In a first aspect, a method of wireless communication includes receiving energy harvesting information from a network, the energy harvesting information indicating one or more energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE to access the network. The method also includes accessing the network based on the energy harvesting information and the energy harvesting classification of the UE. Other aspects and features are also claimed and described.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication systems and, more particularly, to access control procedures for user equipment (UE) configured for energy harvesting. Some features may enable and provide improved communications, including reduced control overhead, efficient resource utilization, improved network access, or combinations thereof. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasting, etc. These wireless networks may be multiple access networks capable of supporting multiple users by sharing available network resources. Such networks may be multiple access networks that support communication of multiple users by sharing available network resources.

[0003] A wireless communication network may include several components. These components may include wireless communication devices such as a base station (or Node B) that may support communication of several user equipments (UEs). A UE may communicate with the base station via a downlink and an uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the base station to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the base station.

[0004] The base station may send data and control information to the UE on the downlink or receive data and control information from the UE on the uplink. On the downlink, the transmission from the base station may encounter interference due to transmissions from neighboring base stations or other radio frequency (RF) transmitters. On the uplink, the transmission from the UE may encounter interference from other UEs communicating with neighboring base stations or from uplink transmissions from other radio RF transmitters. Such interference may degrade the performance on both the downlink and the uplink.

[0005] Due to the continuous growth in the demand for mobile broadband access, with more UEs accessing remote wireless communication networks and more short-range wireless systems deployed in the community, the likelihood of interference and congested networks is also growing. Research and development continue to advance wireless technologies to not only meet the growing demand for mobile broadband access but also enhance and improve the user experience of mobile communications.

[0006] Energy harvesting (EH) UEs are configured to harvest energy to charge a battery or power one or more components of the EH UE, such as communication circuitry. For example, an EH UE may harvest energy from an energy source in the surrounding environment. As an illustrative non-limiting example, the energy source may include solar energy, vibrational energy, or thermal energy.

[0007] Due to EH operations, communication between an EH UE and a network (e.g., a base station) may be intermittent. In the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected mode, the network is notified of the EH capabilities (and power state) of the EH UE, and the network is able to schedule the operations of the EH UE for energy harvesting. However, when the EH UE is in the idle mode, the network may not know the EH capabilities of the EH UE because no connection has been established between the EH UE and the network to coordinate their operations. Thus, the operations of an EH UE in the idle mode rely on predefined procedures to acquire information about the network or access the network. However, due to limited power storage, some EH UEs may not be able to receive large messages of the predefined procedures, such as transmission blocks. Thus, such EH UEs may have difficulty acquiring network information while in the idle mode or accessing the network from the idle mode to transition to the RRC connected mode. Additionally, EH UEs may have different EH capabilities that may coexist in the same cell, and the network must be able to support UEs with different EH capabilities. Supporting multiple or all EH capabilities in a single cell increases the complexity of the network and increases the overhead traffic between the network and the EH UEs. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Some aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below to provide a basic understanding of the technologies discussed. This Summary is not an exhaustive overview of all contemplated features of the present disclosure, and is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects of the present disclosure nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. The sole purpose of this Summary is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the present disclosure in a generalized form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[0009] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for wireless communication is performed by a User Equipment (UE). The method includes receiving, from a network, energy harvesting information that indicates one or more energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE to access the network. The method further includes accessing the network based on the energy harvesting information and the UE's energy harvesting classification.

[0010] In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus includes at least one processor and a memory coupled to the at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to receive, from a network, energy harvesting information that indicates one or more energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE to access the network. The at least one processor is further configured to access the network based on the energy harvesting information and the UE's energy harvesting classification.

[0011] In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, a device includes means for receiving energy harvesting information from a network, the energy harvesting information indicating one or more energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE to access the network. The device further includes means for accessing the network based on the energy harvesting information and the UE's energy harvesting classification.

[0012] In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations. The operations include receiving energy harvesting information from a network, the energy harvesting information indicating one or more energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE to access the network. The operations further include accessing the network based on the energy harvesting information and the UE's energy harvesting classification.

[0013] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for wireless communication is performed by a base station. The method includes generating energy harvesting information indicating one or more energy harvesting classifications among a plurality of energy harvesting classifications. The one or more energy harvesting classifications may be authorized to access the network. The method further includes transmitting the energy harvesting information.

[0014] In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, a device includes at least one processor and a memory coupled to the at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to generate energy harvesting information indicating one or more energy harvesting classifications among a plurality of energy harvesting classifications. The one or more energy harvesting classifications may be authorized to access the network. The at least one processor is further configured to transmit the energy harvesting information.

[0015] In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, a device includes means for generating energy harvesting information indicating one or more energy harvesting classifications among a plurality of energy harvesting classifications. The one or more energy harvesting classifications may be authorized to access the network. The device further includes means for transmitting the energy harvesting information.

[0016] In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations. The operations include generating energy harvesting information indicating one or more energy harvesting classifications among a plurality of energy harvesting classifications. The one or more energy harvesting classifications may be authorized to access the network. The operations further include transmitting the energy harvesting information.

[0017] The features and technical advantages of examples in accordance with the present disclosure have been outlined above rather broadly in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter. The disclosed concepts and specific examples may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, both as to their organization and method of operation, as well as associated advantages, will be better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Each of the drawings provided in the figures is for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not to be construed as a definition of the limits of the claims.

[0018] While aspects and specific implementations are described herein by way of illustration of some examples, those skilled in the art will understand that additional specific implementations and use cases may arise in many different arrangements and scenarios. The innovations described herein can be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, packaging arrangements. For example, aspects and / or uses can be embodied via integrated chips and other devices based on non-module components (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail / purchase devices, medical devices, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled devices, etc.). Although some examples may or may not specifically be directed to a use case or application, a wide variety of applicability of the described innovations may arise. The scope of specific implementations can range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations and further to the scope of aggregated, distributed, or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices or systems incorporating one or more aspects of the described innovations. In some practical environments, devices incorporating the described aspects and features may also necessarily include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the claimed and described aspects. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily includes multiple components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, radio frequency (RF) chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.). The innovations described herein are intended to be practiced in a variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, end-user devices, etc. having different sizes, shapes, and configurations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present disclosure can be realized by reference to the following drawings. In the drawings, like components or features may have the same reference numeral. Additionally, various components of the same type can be distinguished by following the reference numeral with a dash and a second numeral used to differentiate among like components. If only the first reference numeral is used in the specification, the description applies to any one of the like components having the same first reference numeral regardless of the second reference numeral.

[0020] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating details of an example wireless communication system in accordance with one or more aspects.

[0021] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating examples of a base station and a user equipment (UE) in accordance with one or more aspects.

[0022] Figure 3 shows a diagram illustrating an example decomposed base station architecture in accordance with one or more aspects.

[0023] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication system supporting an access control process for a UE configured for energy harvesting in accordance with one or more aspects.

[0024] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example process supporting an access control process for a UE configured for energy harvesting in accordance with one or more aspects.

[0025] Figure 6 is a block diagram of an example UE supporting an access control process for a UE configured for energy harvesting in accordance with one or more aspects.

[0026] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example process supporting an access control process for a UE configured for energy harvesting in accordance with one or more aspects.

[0027] Figure 8 is a block diagram of an example base station supporting an access control process for a UE configured for energy harvesting in accordance with one or more aspects.

[0028] Like reference numerals and names in different figures represent like elements. Detailed Description

[0029] The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. On the contrary, the detailed description includes specific details for providing a thorough understanding of the subject matter of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these specific details are not required in every instance and that in some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form for clarity of presentation.

[0030] The present disclosure provides a system, apparatus, method, and computer-readable medium that support an access control process for a UE configured for energy harvesting. For example, the present disclosure describes one or more energy harvesting classifications (also referred to as "one or more energy harvesting classes" or "one or more classes"). The one or more energy harvesting classifications may be defined by a standard or configured by a network (such as a core network, a base station, a service provider, or a combination thereof). Each energy harvesting classification among the one or more energy harvesting classifications may define a minimum energy harvesting capability, such as a minimum energy harvesting capability for accessing the network. In a particular implementation, the minimum energy harvesting capability may refer to, indicate, maintain an active communication duration of the UE with the network, acquire a master information block (MIB) / remaining system information (RMSI) block or a combination thereof within a period of time (e.g., within a system information (SI) modification cycle), or be associated therewith. A cell (e.g., a base station) or a network may announce which energy harvesting classifications may or may not access the cell (e.g., the entire cell, one or more frequency bands of the cell, or one or more sub-bands of the cell) or the network. Additionally or alternatively, a cell (e.g., a base station) or a network may announce additional parameters (other than the energy harvesting classification) associated with accessing the cell or the network. For example, the parameter may include or indicate an access control parameter of the energy harvesting classification, an access category associated with the energy harvesting classification, one or more energy harvesting classifications prohibited from accessing the network, one or more cells having the one or more prohibited energy harvesting classifications, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, a parameter received from a first base station may indicate whether another base station of the network supports energy harvesting, authorizes the UE to access one or more energy harvesting classifications of the network via the other base station, or a combination thereof.

[0031] Certain specific implementations of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages or benefits. In some aspects, the present disclosure provides techniques for supporting an access control process for a UE configured for energy harvesting. The techniques described herein enable a UE (such as an energy harvesting UE) to acquire network information while in an idle mode or access the network from an idle mode to transition to an RRC connected mode. Additionally, the one or more energy harvesting classifications enable the network or the base station to control access to the network or to a cell while reducing overhead communication, thereby reducing the complexity of the network.

[0032] The present disclosure generally relates to providing or participating in authorized shared access between two or more wireless devices in one or more wireless communication systems (also referred to as wireless communication networks). In various embodiments, the techniques and apparatus may be used in wireless communication networks such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) networks, Fifth Generation (5G) or New Radio (NR) networks (sometimes referred to as "5G NR" networks, systems or devices), and other communication networks. As described herein, the terms "network" and "system" may be used interchangeably.

[0033] CDMA networks may implement radio technologies such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA) and Low Chip Rate (LCR). CDMA2000 covers the IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards.

[0034] For example, TDMA networks may implement radio technologies such as the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defines the standards for the GSM EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) Radio Access Network (RAN) (also referred to as GERAN). GERAN is the radio component of the network of GSM / EDGE together with the connecting base stations (such as the Ater and Abis interfaces) and the base station controller (the A interface, etc.). The radio access network represents the component of the GSM network through which telephone calls and packet data are routed from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and the Internet to the subscriber handset (also referred to as the user terminal or user equipment (UE)) and from the subscriber handset to the PSTN and the Internet. The network of a mobile phone operator may include one or more GERANs, which may be coupled to the UTRAN in the case of a UMTS / GSM network. Additionally, the operator network may also include one or more LTE networks, or one or more other networks. Various different network types may use different Radio Access Technologies (RATs) and RANs.

[0035] OFDMA networks may implement radio technologies such as evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA, and GSM are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Specifically, Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is a UMTS version that uses E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS, and LTE are described in documents provided by an organization named the "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP), and cdma2000 is described in documents from an organization named the "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). These radio technologies and standards are known or under development. For example, 3GPP is a cooperation among telecommunication association groups aimed at defining globally applicable third-generation (3G) mobile phone specifications. 3GPP LTE is a 3GPP plan aimed at improving the UMTS mobile phone standard. 3GPP may define specifications for next-generation mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices. Certain aspects of the present disclosure may be described with reference to LTE, 4G, or 5G NR technologies; however, the description is not intended to be limited to a specific technology or application, and one or more aspects described with reference to one technology may be understood to apply to another technology. Additionally, one or more aspects of the present disclosure may relate to shared access to the radio spectrum between networks using different radio access technologies or radio air interfaces.

[0036] 5G networks are expected to have diverse deployments, diverse spectrums, and diverse services and devices that can be achieved using an OFDM-based unified air interface. To achieve these goals, in addition to developing new radio technologies for 5G NR networks, further enhancements to LTE and LTE-A are also considered. 5G NR will be able to scale to provide coverage (1) to massive Internet of Things (IoT) with ultra-high density (e.g., about 1M nodes / km 2 ), ultra-low complexity (e.g., about 10s bits / sec), ultra-low power consumption (e.g., about 10+ year battery life), and deep coverage with the ability to reach challenging locations; (2) including mission-critical control with strong security to protect sensitive personal, financial, or classified information, ultra-high reliability (e.g., about 99.9999% reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., about 1 millisecond (ms)), and users with a wide range of mobility or lack of mobility; and (3) providing enhanced mobile broadband including extremely high capacity (e.g., about 10 Tbps / km 2 ), extremely high data rates (e.g., multi-Gbps rates, 100+ Mbps user experience rate), and deep awareness coverage with advanced discovery and optimization.

[0037] Devices, networks, and systems can be configured to communicate via one or more portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as Frequency Range Designation FR1 (410 MHz - 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz - 52.6 GHz). The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, in various documents and articles, FR1 is typically (interchangeably) referred to as the "sub-6 GHz" band. A similar naming issue sometimes occurs for FR2, where in documents and articles, FR2 is typically (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" (mmWave) band, although it is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz - 300 GHz) identified by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as the "mmWave" band.

[0038] Taking the above aspects into consideration, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if the term "sub-6 GHz" etc. is used in this document, it can generally represent frequencies that can be less than 6 GHz, can be within FR1, or can include mid-band frequencies. Additionally, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if the term "mmWave" etc. is used in this document, it can broadly represent frequencies that can include mid-band frequencies, can be within FR2, or can be within the EHF band.

[0039] 5G NR devices, networks, and systems can be implemented to use waveform features based on optimized OFDM. These features can include scalable parameter sets and transmission time intervals (TTIs); a common flexible framework that effectively multiplexes services and features using dynamic, low-latency time-division duplex (TDD) designs or frequency-division duplex (FDD) designs; and advanced wireless technologies such as massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), robust mmWave transmission, advanced channel decoding, and device-centric mobility. The scalability of parameter sets in 5G NR and the scaling of subcarrier spacing can efficiently address the operation of various services across different spectrums and different deployments. For example, in various outdoor and macro-coverage deployments with less than 3 GHz FDD or TDD implementations, the subcarrier spacing may occur at 15 kHz, such as for bandwidths exceeding 1 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 20 MHz, etc. For other various outdoor and small-cell coverage deployments with TDD greater than 3 GHz, the subcarrier spacing may occur at 30 kHz for an 80 MHz / 100 MHz bandwidth. For other various indoor broadband implementations using TDD in the unlicensed portion of the 5 GHz band, the subcarrier spacing may occur at 60 kHz for a 160 MHz bandwidth. Finally, for various deployments with transmission via mmWave components under TDD at 28 GHz, the subcarrier spacing can occur at 120 kHz for a 500 MHz bandwidth.

[0040] The scalable parameter sets of 5G NR contribute to scalable TTIs for diverse latency and quality of service (QoS) requirements. For example, shorter TTIs can be used for low latency and high reliability, while longer TTIs can be used for higher spectral efficiency. The efficient multiplexing of long and short TTIs allows transmissions to start at symbol boundaries. 5G NR also anticipates self-contained integrated subframe designs, where uplink or downlink scheduling information, data, and acknowledgments are in the same subframe. Self-contained integrated subframes support communication in unlicensed or contention-based shared spectrums, and adaptive uplink or downlink can be flexibly configured on a per-cell basis to dynamically switch between uplink and downlink to meet current traffic demands.

[0041] For clarity, certain aspects of the apparatus and techniques may be described below with reference to example 5G NR implementations or in a 5G-centric manner, and 5G terminology may be used as an illustrative example in parts of the description below; however, the description is not intended to be limited to 5G applications.

[0042] In addition, it should be understood that in operation, a wireless communication network adapted according to the concepts herein can operate using any combination of licensed or unlicensed spectrum depending on load and availability. Thus, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the systems, apparatuses, and methods described herein can be applied to other communication systems and applications in addition to the specific examples provided.

[0043] While aspects and specific implementations are described in this application by way of illustration of some examples, those skilled in the art will understand that additional specific implementations and use cases may arise in many different arrangements and scenarios. The innovations described herein can be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, packaging arrangements. For example, a specific implementation or use can be implemented via an integrated chip implementation or other non-module component-based devices (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail or point-of-purchase devices, medical devices, AI-enabled devices, etc.). While some examples may or may not specifically be directed to a use case or application, a wide variety of applicability of the described innovations can occur. The scope of specific implementations can range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations and further to aggregated, distributed, or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices or systems that incorporate one or more of the described aspects. In some practical environments, devices that incorporate the described aspects and features may also necessarily include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the aspects claimed and described. It is intended that the innovations described herein be implemented in a wide variety of specific implementations of different sizes, shapes, and configurations, including both large and small devices, chip-level components, multi-component systems (e.g., radio frequency (RF) chains, communication interfaces, processors), distributed arrangements, end-user devices, etc.

[0044] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating details of an example wireless communication system according to one or more aspects. The wireless communication system can include a wireless network 100. The wireless network 100 can include, for example, a 5G wireless network. As recognized by those skilled in the art, Figure 1 the components that appear in are likely to have related corresponding components in other network arrangements, including, for example, cellular-style network arrangements as well as non-cellular-style network arrangements (e.g., device-to-device or peer-to-peer or ad-hoc network arrangements, etc.).

[0045] Figure 1The illustrated wireless network 100 includes a plurality of base stations 105 and other network entities. A base station can be a station that communicates with a UE and can also be referred to as an evolved Node B (eNB), a next-generation eNB (gNB), an access point, etc. Each base station 105 can provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" can refer to the specific geographic coverage area of a base station or the base station subsystem serving that coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used. In a particular implementation of the wireless network 100 herein, the base stations 105 can be associated with the same operator or different operators (e.g., the wireless network 100 can include multiple operator wireless networks). Additionally, in a particular implementation of the wireless network 100 herein, the base stations 105 can use one or more frequencies in the same frequency as an adjacent cell (e.g., one or more frequency bands in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination thereof) to provide wireless communication. In some examples, a separate base station 105 or UE 115 can be operated by more than one network operating entity. In some other examples, each base station 105 and UE 115 can be operated by a single network operating entity.

[0046] A base station can provide communication coverage for a macro cell or a small cell (e.g., a pico cell or a femto cell) or other types of cells. A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., with a radius of several kilometers) and can allow unrestricted access by UEs having a service subscription with the network provider. A small cell (such as a pico cell) generally covers a relatively small geographic area and can allow unrestricted access by UEs having a service subscription with the network provider. A small cell (such as a femto cell) generally also covers a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and can provide restricted access by UEs associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs of users in a home, etc.) in addition to unrestricted access. A base station for a macro cell can be referred to as a macro base station. A base station for a small cell can be referred to as a small cell base station, a pico base station, a femto base station, or a home base station. In Figure 1 the example shown, base stations 105d and 105e are conventional macro base stations, while base stations 105a - 105c are macro base stations implemented using one of 3-dimensional (3D), full-dimensional (FD), or massive MIMO. Base stations 105a - 105c utilize their higher-dimensional MIMO capabilities to employ 3D beamforming, which includes both elevation beamforming and azimuth beamforming, to increase coverage and capacity. Base station 105f is a small cell base station, which can be a home node or a portable access point. A base station can support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells.

[0047] Wireless network 100 may support synchronous operations or asynchronous operations. For synchronous operations, the base stations may have similar frame timings, and transmissions from different base stations may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operations, the base stations may have different frame timings, and transmissions from different base stations may not be aligned in time. In some cases, the network may be enabled or configured to handle dynamic switching between synchronous and asynchronous operations.

[0048] UEs 115 are scattered throughout wireless network 100, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. It should be understood that although in the standards and specifications promulgated by 3GPP, mobile devices are commonly referred to as UEs, such devices may additionally or otherwise be referred to by those skilled in the art as mobile stations (MSs), subscriber stations, mobile units, subscriber units, radio units, remote units, mobile devices, wireless devices, wireless communication devices, remote devices, mobile subscriber stations, access terminals (ATs), mobile terminals, wireless terminals, remote terminals, cellular phones, terminals, user agents, mobile clients, clients, gaming devices, augmented reality devices, vehicle components, vehicle devices, or vehicle modules, or some other suitable term. In this document, a "mobile" device or UE does not necessarily have the ability to move and may be stationary. Some non-limiting examples of mobile devices, such as specific implementations that may include one or more of UEs 115, include mobile phones, cellular (cell) phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, laptop computers, personal computers (PCs), notebooks, netbooks, smartbooks, tablet computers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Mobile devices may additionally be IoT or "Internet of Everything" (IoE) devices, such as cars or other transportation vehicles, satellite radios, global positioning system (GPS) devices, global navigation satellite system (GNSS) devices, logistics controllers, drones, multi-rotor helicopters, quad-rotor helicopters, smart energy or security devices, solar panels or solar cell arrays, city lighting, water supply, or other infrastructure; industrial automation and enterprise equipment; consumer and wearable devices, such as glasses, wearable cameras, smart watches, health or fitness trackers, mammalian implantable devices, gesture tracking devices, medical devices, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, gaming consoles, etc.; and digital home or smart home devices, such as home audio, video, and multimedia devices, appliances, sensors, vending machines, smart lighting, home security systems, smart meters, etc. In one aspect, a UE may be a device that includes a universal integrated circuit card (UICC). In another aspect, a UE may be a device that does not include a UICC. In some aspects, a UE that does not include a UICC may also be referred to as an IoE device. Figure 1The UEs 115a - 115d illustrated in the example are examples of mobile smart phone - type devices accessing the wireless network 100. The UEs can also be machines specifically configured for connected communications, including machine - type communication (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), narrow - band IoT (NB - IoT), etc. Figure 1 The UEs 115e - 115k illustrated in the example are examples of various machines configured for communication that access the wireless network 100.

[0049] A mobile device (such as the UE 115) may be capable of communicating with any type of base station, whether macro - base station, pico - base station, femto - base station, relay, etc. In Figure 1 the figure, the communication link (represented as a lightning bolt) indicates a wireless transmission between the UE and the serving base station (which is the base station designated to serve the UE on the downlink or uplink), a desired transmission between base stations, and a backhaul transmission between base stations. The UE can operate as a base station or other network node in some scenarios. The backhaul communication between the base stations of the wireless network 100 can be carried out using a wired communication link or a wireless communication link.

[0050] In operation, at the wireless network 100, the base stations 105a - 105c use 3D beamforming and cooperative spatial techniques, such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP) or multi - connectivity, to serve the UEs 115a and 115b. The macro - base station 105d performs backhaul communication with the base stations 105a - 105c and the small cell (base station 105f). The macro - base station 105d also transmits multicast services subscribed to and received by the UEs 115c and 115d. Such multicast services may include mobile TV or streaming video, or may include other services for providing community information, such as weather emergencies or alerts, such as Amber alerts or Gray alerts.

[0051] The wireless network 100 in a specific implementation supports mission-critical communications with ultra-reliable and redundant links for mission-critical devices such as this UE 115e acting as a drone. The redundant communication links with the UE 115e include links from macro base stations 105d and 105e and small cell base station 105f. Other machine type devices such as UE 115f (thermometer), UE 115g (smart meter), and UE 115h (wearable device) can communicate directly with base stations such as small cell base station 105f and macro base station 105e via the wireless network 100, or communicate in a multi-hop configuration by relaying their information to the network through another user equipment, such as UE 115f communicating temperature measurement information to smart meter UE 115g and then reporting it to the network via small cell base station 105f. The wireless network 100 can also provide additional network efficiency through dynamic, low-latency TDD communication or low-latency FDD communication (such as in a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) mesh network between UEs 115i - 115k communicating with macro base station 105e).

[0052] Base stations 105 can communicate with the core network 130 and with each other. For example, base stations 105 can interface with the core network 130 via a backhaul link 132 (e.g., via S1, N2, N3, or other interfaces). Base stations 105 can communicate with each other directly (e.g., directly between base stations 105) or indirectly (e.g., via the core network 130) via a backhaul link (e.g., via X2, Xn, or other interfaces).

[0053] The core network 130 can provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 can be an evolved packet core (EPC), which can include at least one mobility management entity (MME), at least one serving gateway (S-GW), and at least one packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW). The MME can manage non-access stratum (e.g., control plane) functions such as the mobility, authentication, and bearer management of UEs 115 served by base stations 105 associated with the EPC. User IP packets can be relayed through the S-GW, which itself can be connected to the P-GW. The P-GW can provide IP address allocation and other functions. The P-GW can be connected to the network operator's IP services. The operator IP services can include access to the Internet, intranet, IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), or packet switched (PS) streaming services.

[0054] In some specific implementations, the core network 130 includes or is coupled to a Location Management Function (LMF), which is an entity in the 5G core network (5GC) that supports various functionalities such as managing support for different location services for one or more UEs. For example, the LMF may include one or more servers, such as multiple distributed servers. The base station 105 may forward location messages to the LMF and communicate with the LMF via the NR Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa). The LMF is configured to control the positioning parameters of the UE 115, and the LMF may provide information to the base station 105 and the UE 115 such that actions can be taken at the UE 115. In some specific implementations, the UE 115 and the base station 105 are configured to communicate with the LMF via the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0055] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the base station 105 and the UE 115 according to one or more aspects. The base station 105 and the UE 115 can be Figure 1 any base station among the base stations and one UE among the UEs in. For a restricted association scenario (as mentioned above), the base station 105 can be Figure 1 the small cell base station 105f in, and the UE 115 can be the UE 115c or 115d operating in the service area of the small cell base station 105f, which will be included in the list of accessible UEs of the small cell base station 105f for accessing the small cell base station 105f. The base station 105 can also be some other type of base station. As Figure 2 shown, the base station 105 can be equipped with antennas 234a to 234t, and the UE 115 can be equipped with antennas 252a to 252r for facilitating wireless communication.

[0056] At base station 105, transmit processor 220 may receive data from data source 212 and control information from controller 240, such as a processor. The control information may be for a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH), a physical hybrid ARQ (automatic repeat request) indicator channel (PHICH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH), an MTC physical downlink control channel (MPDCCH), etc. The data may be for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), etc. Additionally, transmit processor 220 may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) the data and control information respectively to obtain data symbols and control symbols. Transmit processor 220 may also generate, for example, reference symbols for a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), as well as cell-specific reference signals. Transmit (TX) MIMO processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, control symbols, or reference symbols (if applicable), and may provide an output symbol stream to modulators (MOD) 232a through 232t. For example, the spatial processing performed on the data symbols, control symbols, or reference symbols may include precoding. Each modulator 232 may process the corresponding output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Additionally or alternatively, each modulator 232 may process the output sample stream (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion, amplification, filtering, and upconversion on it) to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signals from modulators 232a through 232t may be transmitted via antennas 234a through 234t respectively.

[0057] At UE 115, antennas 252a through 252r may receive the downlink signals from base station 105, and may provide the received signals to demodulators (DEMOD) 254a through 254r respectively. Each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) the corresponding received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 254 may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. MIMO detector 256 may obtain the received symbols from demodulators 254a through 254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols when needed, and provide the detected symbols. Receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide the decoded data for UE 115 to data sink 260, and provide the decoded control information to controller 280, such as a processor.

[0058] On the uplink, at the UE 115, the transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from the data source 262 (e.g., for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)) and control information from the controller 280 (e.g., for the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH)). Additionally, the transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals. Symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be precoded by the TX MIMO processor 266 when applicable, further processed by the modulators 254a through 254r (e.g., for SC-FDM, etc.), and transmitted to the base station 105. At the base station 105, the uplink signals from the UE 115 may be received by the antenna 234, processed by the demodulator 232, detected by the MIMO detector 236 when applicable, and further processed by the receive processor 238 to obtain the decoded data and control information transmitted by the UE 115. The receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to the data sink 239 and the decoded control information to the controller 240.

[0059] The controllers 240 and 280 may direct operations at the base station 105 and the UE 115, respectively. The controller 240 or other processors and modules at the base station 105, or the controller 280 or other processors and modules at the UE 115, may execute or direct the execution of various procedures for the techniques described herein, such as executing or directing Figure 5 and Figure 7 illustrated execution or other procedures for the techniques described herein. The memories 242 and 282 may store data and program codes for the base station 105 and the UE 115, respectively. The scheduler 244 may schedule the UE for data transmission on the downlink or uplink.

[0060] In some cases, UE 115 and base station 105 may operate in a shared radio frequency spectrum band, which may include licensed or unlicensed (e.g., contention-based) spectrum. In the unlicensed frequency portion of the shared radio frequency spectrum band, UE 115 or base station 105 may traditionally perform a medium sensing process to compete for access to the spectrum. For example, UE 115 or base station 105 may perform a listen-before-talk or listen-before-transmit (LBT) process (such as clear channel assessment (CCA)) before communication to determine whether the shared channel is available. In some embodiments, CCA may include an energy detection process to determine whether there is any other active transmission. For example, a device may infer that a change in the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of a power meter indicates that the channel is occupied. Specifically, signal power concentrated in a certain bandwidth and exceeding a predetermined noise floor may indicate another wireless transmitter. CCA may also include the detection of a specific sequence indicating the use of the channel. For example, another device may transmit a specific preamble before transmitting a data sequence. In some cases, the LBT process may include a wireless node adjusting its own backoff window based on the amount of energy detected on the channel or the acknowledgment / negative acknowledgment (ACK / NACK) feedback for its own transmitted packets (as an indication of a collision).

[0061] Figure 3 A diagram illustrating an exemplary decomposed base station 300 architecture is shown. The decomposed base station 300 architecture may include one or more central units (CUs) 310, which may communicate directly with the core network 320 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 320 through one or more decomposed base station units (such as a near real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 325 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 315 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 305, or both). The CU 310 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 330 via a respective midhaul link (such as an F1 interface). The DU 330 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 340 via a respective fronthaul link. The RU 340 may communicate with the corresponding UE 115 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some embodiments, the UE 115 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 340.

[0062] Each of the units (i.e., CU 310, DU 330, RU 340, and the near-RT RIC 325, non-RT RIC 315, and SMO framework 305) may include one or more interfaces or be coupled to one or more interfaces that are configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively referred to as signals) via a wired transmission medium or a wireless transmission medium. Each of the units or the associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the communication interfaces of these units may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via the transmission medium. For example, the units may include a wired interface that is configured to receive or transmit signals to one or more of the other units via a wired transmission medium. Additionally, the units may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) that is configured to receive or transmit signals, or both, to one or more of the other units over a wireless transmission medium.

[0063] In some aspects, the CU 310 may host one or more higher-layer control functions. Such control functions may include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function may be implemented using an interface that is configured to convey signals to other control functions hosted by the CU 310. The CU 310 may be configured to handle user-plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit - User Plane (CU-UP)), control-plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit - Control Plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, the CU 310 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP units may communicate bi-directionally with the CU-CP units via an interface (such as an E1 interface). As needed, the CU 310 may be implemented to communicate with the DU 330 for network control and signaling.

[0064] The DU 330 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 340. In some aspects, the DU 330 may host one or more of the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.) at least partially depending on a functional split (such as those defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)). In some aspects, the DU 330 may further host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 330 or with control functions hosted by the CU 310.

[0065] Lower layer functionality may be implemented by one or more RUs 340. In some deployments, the RUs 340 controlled by the DU 330 may correspond to logical nodes that host RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions (such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.) or both at least partially based on a functional split (such as a lower layer functional split). In such an architecture, the RU 340 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communication with one or more UEs 115. In some embodiments, the real-time and non-real-time aspects of the control plane and user plane communication with the RU 340 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 330. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the implementation of the DU 330 and the CU 310 in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as a vRAN architecture).

[0066] The SMO framework 305 can be configured to support the RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized network elements and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 305 can be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, and these dedicated physical resources can be managed via operation and maintenance interfaces (such as the O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 305 can be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as the Open Cloud (O-Cloud) 390) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as the O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements can include, but are not limited to, CU 310, DU 330, RU 340, and the Near RT RIC 325. In some specific implementations, the SMO framework 305 can communicate with the hardware aspects of the 4G RAN (such as the Open eNB (O-eNB) 311) via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some specific implementations, the SMO framework 305 can communicate directly with one or more RUs 340 via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 305 can also include a Non-RT RIC 315 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 305.

[0067] The Non-RT RIC 315 can be configured to include logical functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updates, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the Near RT RIC 325. The Non-RT RIC 315 can be coupled to or communicate with the Near RT RIC 325 (such as via the A1 interface). The Near RT RIC 325 can be configured to include logical functions that enable near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources through an interface (such as via the E2 interface) via data collection and actions, and this interface connects one or more CUs 310, one or more DUs 330, or both, and the O-eNB to the Near RT RIC 325.

[0068] In some specific implementations, to generate the AI / ML models to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 325, the non-RT RIC 315 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information can be utilized by the near-RT RIC 325 and can be received from non-network data sources or from network functions at the SMO framework 305 or the non-RT RIC 315. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 315 or the near-RT RIC 325 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 315 may monitor long-term trends and patterns of performance and employ an AI / ML model to perform corrective actions via the SMO framework 305 (such as reconfiguration via O1) or via creating RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0069] As described herein, a node (which may be referred to as a node, network node, network entity, or wireless node) may include the following, may be the following, or may be included in the following (e.g., as a component of the following): a base station (e.g., any base station described herein), a transmit receive point (TRP), a UE (e.g., any UE described herein), a network controller, a device, an apparatus, a computing system, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a distributed unit (DU), a central unit (CU), a remote unit (RU), a core network, an LFM, and / or another processing entity configured to perform any of the techniques described herein. For example, a network node may be a UE. As another example, a network node may be a base station or a network entity. As yet another example, a first network node may be configured to communicate with a second network node or a third network node. In one aspect of this example, the first network node may be a UE, the second network node may be a base station, and the third network node may be a UE. In another aspect of this example, the first network node may be a UE, the second network node may be a base station, and the third network node may be a base station. In other aspects of this example, the first network node, the second network node, and the third network node may be different from these examples. Similarly, references to UEs, base stations, devices, apparatuses, computing systems, etc. may include the disclosure of UEs, base stations, devices, apparatuses, computing systems, etc. as network nodes. For example, the disclosure that a UE is configured to receive information from a base station also discloses that a first network node is configured to receive information from a second network node. Consistent with this disclosure, once a particular example is expanded in accordance with this disclosure (e.g., the disclosure that a UE is configured to receive information from a base station also discloses that a first network node is configured to receive information from a second network node), the broader example of the narrower example may be interpreted in reverse, but in a broad, open-ended manner. In the above example where the disclosure that a UE is configured to receive information from a base station also discloses that a first network node is configured to receive information from a second network node, the first network node may refer to a first UE, a first base station, a first device, a first apparatus, a first computing system, a first one or more components, a first processing entity, etc. configured to receive information; and the second network node may refer to a second UE, a second base station, a second device, a second apparatus, a second computing system, a second one or more components, a second processing entity, etc.

[0070] As described herein, different terms may be used in various aspects to describe the conveyance of information (e.g., any information, signal, etc.). The disclosure of one communication term includes the disclosure of other communication terms. For example, a first network node may be described as being configured to send information to a second network node. In this example and consistent with the present disclosure, the disclosure that the first network node is configured to send information to the second network node includes the disclosure that the first network node is configured to provide, transmit, output, convey, or send information to the second network node. Similarly, in this example and consistent with the present disclosure, the disclosure that the first network node is configured to send information to the second network node includes the disclosure that the second network node is configured to receive, obtain, or decode the information provided, transmitted, output, conveyed, or sent by the first network node.

[0071] Figure 4 is a block diagram of an example wireless communication system 400 that supports an access control procedure for a UE configured for energy harvesting according to one or more aspects. In some examples, wireless communication system 400 may implement aspects of wireless network 100. Wireless communication system 400 includes UE 115 (e.g., an energy harvesting device), base station 105, and base station 415. Although one UE 115 and two base stations 105, 415 are illustrated, in some other implementations, wireless communication system 400 may generally include multiple UEs 115 and may include one base station or more than one base station. Additionally or alternatively, wireless communication system 400 may include one or more network entities, such as base station 105, base station 415, a core network, an LMF, or a combination thereof.

[0072] UE 115 may include various components (such as structural components, hardware components) for performing one or more functions described herein. For example, these components may include one or more processors 402 (collectively referred to hereinafter as "processor 402"), one or more memory devices 404 (collectively referred to hereinafter as "memory 404"), one or more transmitters 416 (collectively referred to hereinafter as "transmitter 416"), one or more receivers 418 (collectively referred to hereinafter as "receiver 418"), and an energy harvester 421. In some implementations, UE 115 may include an interface (e.g., a communication interface) that includes transmitter 416, receiver 418, or a combination thereof. Processor 402 may be configured to execute instructions 405 stored in memory 404 to perform the operations described herein. In some implementations, processor 402 includes or corresponds to one or more of receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, and controller 280, and memory 404 includes or corresponds to memory 282.

[0073] The memory 404 includes or is configured to store the energy harvesting information 406. The energy harvesting information 406 may include or indicate an energy harvesting capability 408, an energy harvesting classification 410, and energy harvesting parameters 412.

[0074] The energy harvesting capability 408 includes or indicates the energy harvesting capability of the UE 115. For example, the energy harvesting capability of the UE 115 may include or correspond to an energy storage device type, an energy storage capacity, an energy storage state, an energy consumption rate, an energy harvesting rate, an energy harvesting type, a system information acquisition rate, a number of transmit (Tx) circuits with full charge, a number of Tx circuits, a number of receive (Rx) circuits with full charge, a number of Rx circuits, an average duration to acquire full charge, or a combination thereof. In some particular implementations, the energy harvesting capability 408 may include or indicate the energy harvesting classification of the UE 115.

[0075] In some particular implementations, the UE 115 may be configured to report the energy harvesting information 406 to a network (e.g., the core network 130 or the base station 105). For example, the UE 115 may include the energy harvesting information 406 in a UE capability message.

[0076] The energy harvesting classification 410 may include or indicate one or more energy harvesting classifications. In some particular implementations, the energy harvesting classification 410 includes or indicates a plurality of energy harvesting classifications. Each of the one or more energy harvesting classifications (or the plurality of energy harvesting classifications) indicates a minimum energy harvesting capability. For example, the minimum energy harvesting capability may include or indicate an energy storage capacity, an energy storage state, an energy consumption rate, an energy harvesting rate, an energy harvesting type, a system information acquisition rate, a number of transmit (Tx) circuits with full charge, a number of receive (Rx) circuits with full charge, an average duration to acquire full charge, or a combination thereof.

[0077] The one or more energy harvesting classifications may enable consistent configuration of idle mode procedures across the network. For example, the network may indicate at least one energy harvesting classification that authorizes the UE to access the network (e.g., access a cell in the same PLMN). Additionally or alternatively, the network or an individual base station may indicate or advertise support for additional energy harvesting classifications, such as an energy harvesting classification associated with an energy harvesting capability having a maximum number of Tx / Rx with full charge and an average duration required to obtain full charge.

[0078] In some specific implementations, the one or more energy harvesting classifications may enable the network to ensure that any UE that is configured for energy harvesting and can acquire the Master Information Block (MIB) / Remaining System Information (RMSI) block within at most one SI modification cycle can access the network. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more energy harvesting classifications may enable the network to control the access of UEs that are configured for energy harvesting but cannot acquire at least the MIB / RMSI within at most one SI modification cycle.

[0079] The one or more energy harvesting classifications or the plurality of energy harvesting classifications may be predefined, provided, or defined by the network, or a combination thereof. For example, the one or more energy harvesting classifications or the plurality of energy harvesting classifications may be predefined by a standard. As another example, the one or more energy harvesting classifications or the plurality of energy harvesting classifications may be provided or defined by the network (such as the wireless communication system 400 or the base station 105) or the core network 130, or a combination thereof. For example, the network may be configured to include or indicate one or more energy harvesting classifications. By way of illustration, the base station 105 may broadcast system information that includes or indicates at least one energy harvesting classification. In some specific implementations, a first energy harvesting classification is defined by a standard (and is known to the UE 115), and a second energy harvesting classification (in addition to the first energy harvesting classification) is broadcast by the network.

[0080] By way of illustration, in addition to the one or more energy harvesting classifications defined by a standard, the network or the base station 105 may also define and / or broadcast energy harvesting classifications. The network or the base station 105 may define or broadcast additional energy harvesting classifications based on, for example, the cell load (of the base station 105). For example, when the cell load is high, the network or the base station 105 may want to define additional energy harvesting classifications (in addition to the one or more energy harvesting classifications defined by a standard) so that the network or the base station 105 can increase the control of the access of energy harvesting UEs to the network.

[0081] Each energy harvesting classification may be defined based on the minimum capabilities of the energy harvesting classification. For example, at least one energy harvesting classification may refer to or be based on the duration for which a UE (having at least one energy harvesting classification) can maintain active communication with the network - for example, the maximum amount of time for which a UE (having at least one energy harvesting classification) can perform communication operations between two consecutive energy harvesting operations of the UE. Additionally or alternatively, each energy harvesting classification may be associated with the ability to acquire a master information block (MIB) / remaining system information (RMSI) block over a period of time (such as within one system information (SI) modification period). By way of illustration, a first energy harvesting classification may indicate that the UE is capable of acquiring system information within one SI modification period, a second energy harvesting classification may indicate that the UE is capable of acquiring system information within at most 2 SI modification periods, and a third energy harvesting classification may indicate that the UE is capable of acquiring system information within at most n SI modification periods, where n is a positive integer.

[0082] The energy harvesting parameter 412 may include or indicate one or more parameters associated with an access network (such as a cell corresponding to base station 105). The energy harvesting parameter 412 may be received by the UE 115 from the network (such as base station 105, another base station, core network 130, a network entity, or a combination thereof). The energy harvesting parameter 412 may include or indicate an energy harvesting classification, such as the minimum energy harvesting capabilities for an access network, a cell corresponding to base station 105 (e.g., one or more frequency bands or one or more sub - frequency bands), a cell corresponding to base station 415 (e.g., one or more frequency bands or one or more sub - frequency bands), or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the energy harvesting parameter 412 may include or indicate the minimum energy harvesting capabilities, a first set of energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE to access the network, a second set of energy harvesting classifications that do not authorize the UE to access the network, whether one or more energy harvesting devices are authorized to access the network, or a combination thereof. In some particular implementations, for each energy harvesting classification among a plurality of energy harvesting classifications associated with the energy harvesting classification 410, the energy harvesting parameter 412 may include or indicate whether the energy harvesting classification authorizes the UE 115 to access the network.

[0083] In some specific implementations, the energy harvesting parameter 412 may include or indicate access control parameters, access categories, barred information, or a combination thereof. For example, the energy harvesting parameter 412 may include or indicate access control parameters for each energy harvesting category in one or more energy harvesting categories (such as the energy harvesting category of the UE). As another example, the energy harvesting parameter 412 may include or indicate access categories for each energy harvesting category in one or more energy harvesting categories (such as the energy harvesting category of the UE). As yet another example, the energy harvesting parameter 412 may include or indicate one or more energy harvesting categories barred from accessing the network, one or more cells (or base stations) having the one or more barred energy harvesting categories, or a combination thereof. By way of illustration, the energy harvesting parameter 412 may indicate that each base station in base station 105 or each of base stations 415 supports energy harvesting UEs, authorizes one or more energy harvesting categories for the UE to access the network via each of base station 105 or base stations 415, or a combination thereof.

[0084] The transmitter 416 is configured to send reference signals, control information, and data to one or more other devices, and the receiver 418 is configured to receive reference signals, synchronization signals, control information, and data from one or more other devices. For example, the transmitter 416 may send signaling, control information, and data to the base station 105, and the receiver 418 may receive signaling, control information, and data from the base station. In some specific implementations, the transmitter 416 and the receiver 418 may be integrated in one or more transceivers. Additionally or alternatively, the transmitter 416 or the receiver 418 may include or correspond to one or more components of the UE 115 described Figure 2 above.

[0085] In some specific implementations, the UE 115 may include one or more antenna arrays. The one or more antenna arrays may be coupled to the transmitter 416, the receiver 418, or the communication interface. The antenna array may include a plurality of antenna elements configured to perform wireless communication with other devices (such as with the base station 105). In some specific implementations, the antenna array may be configured to perform wireless communication using different beams (also referred to as antenna beams). The beams may include TX beams and RX beams. For illustration, the antenna array may include a plurality of independent sets (or subsets) of antenna elements (or a plurality of independent antenna arrays), and each set of antenna elements of the antenna array may be configured to communicate using a different corresponding beam, and the corresponding beam may have a corresponding direction different from other beams. For example, the first set of antenna elements of the antenna array may be configured to communicate via a first beam having a first direction, and the second set of antenna elements of the antenna array may be configured to communicate via a second beam having a second direction. In other specific implementations, the antenna array may be configured to communicate via more than two beams. Alternatively, one or more sets of antenna elements of the antenna array may be configured to concurrently generate a plurality of beams, for example, using a plurality of RF chains of the UE 115. Each individual set (or subset) of antenna elements may include a plurality of antenna elements, such as two antenna elements, four antenna elements, ten antenna elements, twenty antenna elements, or any other number greater than two. Although described as an antenna array, in other specific implementations, the antenna array may include or correspond to a plurality of antenna panels, and each antenna panel may be configured to communicate using a different corresponding beam.

[0086] The energy harvester 421 may include hardware (e.g., circuitry), software, or a combination thereof configured to harvest energy from an energy source of the UE 115. For example, as an illustrative non-limiting example, the energy source may include solar energy, vibrational energy, or thermal energy. The energy harvester 421 may be coupled to the processor 402, the memory 404, the transmitter 416, the receiver 418, a power source of the UE 115, or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, the harvested energy may be used to charge a power source (such as a battery or a capacitor). The power source may be coupled to the processor 402, the memory 404, the transmitter 416, the receiver 418, the energy harvester 421, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the harvested energy may be configured to power one or more components of the UE 115. It should be noted that in some specific implementations, the UE 115 may not include a battery.

[0087] The UE 105 may include one or more components as described herein with reference to the UE 115. In some specific implementations, the UE 105 is a 5G-capable UE, a 6G-capable UE, or a combination thereof.

[0088] Base station 105 may include various components (such as structural components, hardware components) for performing one or more functions described herein. For example, these components may include one or more processors 452 (collectively referred to hereinafter as "processor 452"), one or more memory devices 454 (collectively referred to hereinafter as "memory 454"), one or more transmitters 456 (collectively referred to hereinafter as "transmitter 456"), and one or more receivers 458 (collectively referred to hereinafter as "receiver 458"). In some specific embodiments, base station 105 may include an interface (e.g., a communication interface) that includes transmitter 456, receiver 458, or a combination thereof. Processor 452 may be configured to execute instructions 460 stored in memory 454 to perform the operations described herein. In some specific embodiments, processor 452 includes or corresponds to one or more of receiving processor 238, transmitting processor 220, and controller 240, and memory 454 includes or corresponds to memory 242.

[0089] Memory 354 includes energy harvesting information 464 or is configured to store the energy harvesting information. Energy harvesting information 464 includes energy harvesting classification 466, access information 468, and network information 469. Energy harvesting classification 466 may include or correspond to energy harvesting classification 410. Access information 468 may include or correspond to energy harvesting parameter 412. In some specific embodiments, access information 468 may include or indicate access control parameters for the energy harvesting classification of UE 115, an access category associated with the energy harvesting classification of UE 115, one or more energy harvesting classifications prohibited from accessing the network, one or more cells having the one or more prohibited energy harvesting classifications, or a combination thereof. Network information 469 may include whether another base station of the network (such as base station 415) supports energy harvesting, one or more energy harvesting classifications authorizing the UE to access the network via the other base station, or a combination thereof.

[0090] Transmitter 456 is configured to send reference signals, synchronization signals, control information, and data to one or more other devices, and receiver 458 is configured to receive reference signals, control information, and data from one or more other devices. For example, transmitter 456 may send signaling, control information, and data to UE 115, and receiver 458 may receive signaling, control information, and data from the UE. In some specific embodiments, transmitter 456 and receiver 458 may be integrated in one or more transceivers. Additionally or alternatively, transmitter 456 or receiver 458 may include or correspond to reference Figure 2 one or more components of base station 105 described above.

[0091] In some specific implementations, base station 105 may include one or more antenna arrays. The antenna array may include multiple antenna elements configured to perform wireless communication with other devices (such as with UE 115). In some specific implementations, the antenna array may be configured to perform wireless communication using different beams (also referred to as antenna beams). The beams may include TX beams and RX beams. For illustration, the antenna array may include multiple independent sets (or subsets) of antenna elements (or multiple independent antenna arrays), and each set of antenna elements of the antenna array may be configured to communicate using a different corresponding beam, which may have a corresponding direction different from other beams. For example, the first set of antenna elements of the antenna array may be configured to communicate via a first beam having a first direction, and the second set of antenna elements of the antenna array may be configured to communicate via a second beam having a second direction. In other specific implementations, the antenna array may be configured to communicate via more than two beams. Alternatively, one or more sets of antenna elements of the antenna array may be configured to concurrently generate multiple beams, for example, using multiple RF chains of base station 105. Each individual set (or subset) of antenna elements may include multiple antenna elements, such as two antenna elements, four antenna elements, ten antenna elements, twenty antenna elements, or any other number of antenna elements greater than two. Although described as an antenna array, in other specific implementations, the antenna array may include or correspond to multiple antenna panels, and each antenna panel may be configured to communicate using a different corresponding beam.

[0092] Base station 415 may include one or more components as described herein with reference to base station 105. Additionally, base station 415 may be configured to perform one or more operations as described herein with reference to base station 105.

[0093] Although described as including base station 105 and base station 415, wireless communication system 400 may alternatively or additionally include one or more network entities. The network entities may include base station 105, a modem, a router (e.g., a wireless router), core network 130, LMF, or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, the network entities may be configured to perform one or more operations as described herein with reference to base station 105. Additionally or alternatively, the network entities may be configured to communicate with base station 105.

[0094] In some specific implementations, wireless communication system 400 implements a 5G NR network. For example, wireless communication system 400 may include multiple 5G-capable UEs 115 and multiple 5G-capable base stations 105, such as UEs and base stations configured to operate according to 5G NR network protocols defined, for example, by 3GPP. In some other specific implementations, wireless communication system 400 implements a 6G network.

[0095] During operation of the wireless communication system 400, the base station 105 transmits energy harvesting information 470. In some embodiments, the energy harvesting information 470 may be included in the system information transmitted by the base station 105. The energy harvesting information 470 may include or indicate energy harvesting information 464, energy harvesting classification 466, access information 468, network information 469, or a combination thereof. For example, the energy harvesting information 470 may include or indicate a first energy harvesting classification among multiple energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE 115 to access the network, a second energy harvesting classification among multiple energy harvesting classifications that are not authorized to access the network, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the energy harvesting information may include or indicate one or more energy harvesting parameters 412, access information 468, network information 469, or a combination thereof.

[0096] The UE 115 receives the energy harvesting information 470. In some embodiments, the UE 115 may receive the energy harvesting information 470 while the UE 115 is in the idle mode. The UE 115 may determine, based on the energy harvesting information 470, one or more energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE to access the network (such as the cell corresponding to the base station 105). Additionally or alternatively, the UE 115 may determine, based on the energy harvesting information 470, whether the energy harvesting classification of the UE 115 authorizes the UE to access the network.

[0097] In some embodiments, the UE 115 may access the network (e.g., the cell corresponding to the base station 105) and send a message 472 to the base station 105. For example, the UE 115 may access the network based on the energy harvesting information 470 and the energy harvesting classification of the UE 115.

[0098] In some embodiments, the base station 105 and the base station 415 may exchange network information 474. The network information 474 may include or correspond to the network information 469.

[0099] In some embodiments, one or more energy harvesting classifications (such as one or more energy harvesting classifications included in or indicated by the energy harvesting classification 410 or 466) may be utilized in one or more operations or processes. For example, the one or more energy harvesting classifications may be used as part of or in conjunction with access control or denial of access.

[0100] In some embodiments, the one or more energy harvesting classifications may be used for cell barring. By way of illustration, the one or more energy harvesting classifications may be used for implicit cell barring, explicit cell barring, or binary barring. Cell barring may include or correspond to an energy harvesting parameter 412, access information 468, or a combination thereof. For example, for implicit cell barring, the network may advertise the one or more energy harvesting classifications that it supports (e.g., that are authorized to access the network). By way of illustration, the energy harvesting information 470 may include or indicate the supported energy harvesting classifications. In some embodiments, such as when multiple energy harvesting classifications are defined by a standard or provided by the network to the UE 115, the energy harvesting information 470 may include or indicate the one or more supported energy harvesting classifications. Alternatively, when multiple energy harvesting classifications are defined by a standard or provided by the network to the UE 115, the energy harvesting information 470 may include or indicate a single energy harvesting classification associated with the minimum energy harvesting classification supported by the network. For example, based on the single energy harvesting classification, the network may support energy harvesting classifications that are higher than or equal to the single energy harvesting classification. In other words, the network may not support energy harvesting classifications that are lower than or equal to the single energy harvesting classification.

[0101] For explicit cell barring, the network may indicate whether it supports an energy harvesting classification. For example, when multiple energy harvesting classifications are defined by a standard, for each energy harvesting classification, the network may indicate whether it supports that energy harvesting classification. By way of illustration, the energy harvesting information 470 may include a bitmap, where each bit corresponds to a different energy harvesting classification among the multiple energy harvesting classifications, and the value of each bit may indicate whether the corresponding energy harvesting classification is supported. For example, the first bit value (e.g., bit value "1") may indicate support for the corresponding energy harvesting classification, and the second bit value (e.g., bit value "0") may indicate no support for the corresponding energy harvesting classification. As another example, the energy harvesting information 470 may indicate a cut-off energy harvesting classification such that all classifications that are lower than or equal to the cut-off energy harvesting classification are barred from accessing the network.

[0102] For binary barring, the network may indicate whether the network allows energy harvesting, such as any energy harvesting. For example, the energy harvesting information 470 may include one or more bits indicating whether energy harvesting is allowed. By way of illustration, the first bit value (e.g., bit value "1") may indicate support for energy harvesting, and the second bit value (e.g., bit value "0") may indicate no support for energy harvesting. In some embodiments, the one or more bits may be a single bit. Additionally or alternatively, the energy harvesting information 470 may be included in system information (such as system information block 1 (SIB1)) and may include one or more bits indicating whether energy harvesting is allowed.

[0103] In some specific implementations, one or more energy harvesting classifications can be used for access control. For example, for each energy harvesting classification that is not prohibited, the network can configure different access control parameters for the energy harvesting classification. For example, the access control parameters can be indicated by or configured based on the energy harvesting information 470. As an illustrative non-limiting example, the access control parameters can include a prohibition factor, a prohibition parameter, or a combination thereof. The access control parameters can include or correspond to the energy harvesting parameters 412 or the access information 468. In some specific implementations, the network can indicate the access control parameters when the network configures one or more energy harvesting classifications.

[0104] In some specific implementations, an access category or an access identity can be provided for each energy harvesting classification. The access category or the access identity can include or correspond to the energy harvesting parameters 412 or the access information 468. In some specific implementations, the access category or the access identity can be provided when one or more energy harvesting classifications are predefined based on a standard. The network or the standard can define one or more access classes for one or more energy harvesting classifications. For access control, access can be provided based on the energy harvesting capability or the energy harvesting classification.

[0105] In some specific implementations, one or more energy harvesting classifications can be associated with cell selection or cell reselection. For example, the one or more energy harvesting classifications can be associated with intra-frequency reselection. By way of illustration, the network or the base station 105 can provide an indicator that indicates whether one or more other cells (or all cells) on the same frequency allow the same energy harvesting classification, have the same prohibition, or a combination thereof. The indicator can include or correspond to the energy harvesting parameters 412, the access information 468, the network information 469, the energy harvesting information 470, the network information 474, or a combination thereof. By providing the indicator, UE cell reselection can be simplified in terms of which cell(s) to use. Additionally, if the operator deploys services based on each frequency (e.g., all cells operating on the same frequency will have the same prohibition policy), then using the indicator can be advantageous. In such cases, the UE 115 that receives the indicator does not have to continue to check neighboring cells to know whether the neighboring cells have different prohibition states. Accordingly, the UE 115 can save energy after receiving the indicator. In some specific implementations, the network can provide the indicator when one or more energy harvesting classifications are defined by a standard or when the network implements binary prohibition.

[0106] In some specific implementations, a cell (or base station) may indicate whether an adjacent cell or an adjacent base station supports energy harvesting or supports one or more energy harvesting classifications. For example, base stations (such as base station 105 and base station 415) may exchange information (such as network information 474), which indicates whether each base station supports one or more energy harvesting classifications. Such information may indicate whether all energy harvesting classifications are supported or no energy harvesting classification is supported, or may indicate whether each energy harvesting classification supports energy harvesting. In some specific implementations, the network or a base station (such as base station 105) may include such information in the energy harvesting information 470 sent to one or more UEs. For illustration, base station 105, acting as the serving cell of UE 115, may announce in the system information (such as SIB3 / 4 / 5) whether one or more adjacent cells or base stations support energy harvesting or which energy harvesting classifications are supported by the adjacent cells or base stations.

[0107] In a specific implementation, when one or more energy harvesting classifications are associated with cell selection or cell reselection, UE115 may be able to determine whether it needs to check / monitor adjacent cells when UE 115 is mobile or roaming across cells in the network. Additionally, the information associated with cell selection or cell reselection may simplify the neighbor cell measurements of UE 115, because if UE 115 knows that a certain group of neighbors does not support a specific energy harvesting classification, then UE 115 does not need to perform neighbor cell measurements on these cells, that is, these neighboring cells cannot be candidate cells for reselection, and thus UE 115 can avoid unnecessary neighboring cell measurements and save power.

[0108] As referred to Figure 4 As described, the present disclosure provides techniques for supporting an access control process for UEs configured for energy harvesting. The techniques described herein enable UE 115 to collect network information when in the idle mode or access the network from the idle mode to transition to the RRC connected mode. Additionally, the one or more energy harvesting classifications enable the network or a base station to control access to the network or to a cell while reducing overhead communication, thereby reducing the complexity of the network.

[0109] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 500 for supporting an access control process for UEs configured for energy harvesting according to one or more aspects. The operations of process 500 may be performed by a UE (such as UE115 described above with reference to Figures 1 to 4 or a UE described with reference to Figure 6 ). For example, process 500 may enable UE 115 to support example operations (also referred to as "boxes") of an access control process for UEs configured for energy harvesting.

[0110] In block 502, the UE receives energy harvesting information from the network, which indicates one or more energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE to access the network. The network may include or correspond to the wireless network 100 or the wireless communication system 400. The energy harvesting information may include or correspond to the energy harvesting information 406, the energy harvesting information 464, or the energy harvesting information 470. In some specific implementations, the energy harvesting information may be received by the UE from a base station (such as base station 105). Additionally or alternatively, the energy harvesting information may be received from the core network 130, the LMF, or another UE. In some specific implementations, the energy harvesting information is included in the system information received by the UE.

[0111] In some specific implementations, the energy harvesting information may indicate a minimum energy harvesting capability, a first set of energy harvesting classifications, a second set of energy harvesting classifications that do not authorize the UE to access the network, whether the energy harvesting device authorizes the UE to access the network, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, for each of the multiple energy harvesting classifications, the energy harvesting information may indicate whether the energy harvesting classification authorizes the UE to access the network.

[0112] In block 504, the UE accesses the network based on the energy harvesting information and the energy harvesting classification of the UE. The energy harvesting capability of the UE may include or correspond to the energy harvesting capability 408.

[0113] In some specific implementations, the UE may determine one or more energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE to access the network based on the energy harvesting information. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may determine one or more energy harvesting classifications that are permitted to access the network, one or more energy harvesting classifications that are not permitted to access the network, or a combination thereof based on the energy harvesting information.

[0114] The one or more energy harvesting classifications may be determined from a plurality of energy harvesting classifications, such as a predefined plurality of energy harvesting classifications. The plurality of energy harvesting classifications may be defined in a standard, configured by a base station, or configured by the network or a device of the network. In some embodiments, each energy harvesting classification in the plurality of energy harvesting classifications is associated with a corresponding minimum energy harvesting capability. For example, each energy harvesting classification in the plurality of energy harvesting classifications may define a minimum energy harvesting capability. For example, the first energy harvesting classification defines a first minimum energy harvesting capability, and the second energy harvesting classification defines a second minimum energy harvesting capability. In some embodiments, the minimum energy harvesting capability of each energy harvesting classification in the plurality of energy harvesting classifications includes energy storage capacity, energy storage state, energy consumption rate, energy harvesting rate, energy harvesting type, system information acquisition rate, number of transmit (Tx) circuits with full charge, number of receive (Rx) circuits with full charge, average duration to acquire full charge, or a combination thereof. The UE may also determine whether the energy harvesting classification of the UE is included in the one or more energy harvesting classifications. The UE may access the network based on determining that the energy harvesting classification of the UE is included in the one or more energy harvesting classifications.

[0115] In some embodiments, the UE may send the energy harvesting capability information of the UE. For example, the UE may send the energy harvesting capability information of the UE to the network (e.g., to a base station, core network, or LMF of the network). The energy harvesting capability may indicate energy storage capacity, energy storage state, energy consumption rate, energy harvesting rate, energy harvesting type, system information acquisition rate, or a combination thereof. The energy harvesting capability may include or correspond to the energy harvesting capability 408.

[0116] In some embodiments, the UE may receive a configuration of access control parameters indicating the energy harvesting classification of the UE. The access control parameters may include or correspond to a barring factor, an access category, or a combination thereof. The access control parameters may include or correspond to the energy harvesting parameter 412 or the access information 468. The configuration (such as configuration information) may be included in the system information received by the UE. In some embodiments, the UE may determine an access category associated with the energy harvesting classification of the UE. The UE may access the network based on the access category.

[0117] In some specific implementations, the UE may receive an indicator that indicates one or more energy harvesting classifications that are prohibited from accessing the network, one or more cells having the one or more prohibited energy harvesting classifications, or a combination thereof. The indicator may be included in the energy harvesting information (such as energy harvesting information 470). Additionally or alternatively, the UE may receive information (such as system information or the energy harvesting information) from a first base station of the network. The information may include or correspond to network information 469, network information 474, or a combination thereof. The first base station may include or correspond to base station 105. The information may indicate whether a second base station of the network supports energy harvesting, authorizes the UE to access one or more energy harvesting classifications of the network via the second base station, or a combination thereof. For example, the second base station may include or correspond to base station 415.

[0118] Figure 6 is a block diagram of an example UE 600 that supports an access control process for a UE configured for energy harvesting according to one or more aspects. UE 600 may be configured to perform operations including referring to Figure 5 the blocks of the processes described. In some specific implementations, UE 600 includes the structure, hardware, and components shown and described for UE 115 with reference to Figures 1 to 4 For example, UE 600 includes a controller 280 that operates to execute logic or computer instructions stored in a memory 282 and controls the components of UE 600 that provide the features and functionality of UE 600. UE 600 transmits and receives signals under the control of controller 280 via radio devices 601a - 601r and antennas 252a - 252r. The radio devices 601a - 601r include various components and hardware, such as Figure 2 illustrated for UE 115, including modulators and demodulators 254a - 254r, a MIMO detector 256, a receive processor 258, a transmit processor 264, and a TX MIMO processor 266. UE 600 also includes an energy harvester 610. The energy harvester 610 may include or correspond to energy harvester 421.

[0119] As shown, the memory 282 may include energy harvesting information 602 and communication logic 603. The energy harvesting information 602 may include or correspond to energy harvesting information 406, energy harvesting capabilities 408, energy harvesting classifications 410, energy harvesting parameters 412, energy harvesting information 470, or a combination thereof. The communication logic 603 may be configured to enable communication between UE 600 and one or more other devices. UE 600 may receive from one or more network entities (such as Figure 1 or Figure 4 base station 105 of Figure 4 base station 415 ofFigure 8 The illustrated base station) receives signals or transmits signals to the one or more network entities.

[0120] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 700 that supports an access control process for a UE configured for energy harvesting according to one or more aspects. The operations of process 700 may be performed by a base station (such as the base station 105 referred to in Figures 1 to 3 the described base station 105, the base station 415 referred to in Figure 4 the described base station 415, or the base station referred to above in Figure 8 the described base station). For example, the example operations of process 700 may enable the base station 105 to support an access control process for a UE configured for energy harvesting.

[0121] In block 702, the base station generates energy harvesting information that indicates one or more of a plurality of energy harvesting classifications, and the one or more energy harvesting classifications may be authorized to access the network. The network may include or correspond to the wireless network 100 or the wireless communication system 400. The energy harvesting information may include or correspond to the energy harvesting information 406, the energy harvesting information 464, or the energy harvesting information 470. In some specific implementations, the energy harvesting information also indicates a minimum energy harvesting capability, a first set of energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE to access the network, a second set of energy harvesting classifications that do not authorize the UE to access the network, whether the energy harvesting device authorizes the UE to access the network, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, for each of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications, the energy harvesting information may also indicate whether the energy harvesting classification authorizes the UE to access the network.

[0122] In some embodiments, the one or more energy harvesting classifications include a first energy harvesting classification of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications. Additionally, the energy harvesting information also indicates a second energy harvesting classification of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications. The second energy harvesting classification is not authorized to access the network.

[0123] In some specific implementations, each of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications defines a minimum energy harvesting capability. For each of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications, the minimum energy harvesting capability may include an energy storage capacity, an energy storage state, an energy consumption rate, an energy harvesting rate, an energy harvesting type, a system information acquisition rate, a number of Tx circuits with a full charge, a number of Rx circuits with a full charge, an average duration to acquire a full charge, or a combination thereof.

[0124] At block 704, the base station transmits the energy harvesting information. For example, the base station may transmit the energy harvesting information as energy harvesting information 470. In some embodiments, the energy harvesting information is transmitted to a UE, such as UE 115. The one or more energy harvesting classifications may include an energy harvesting classification for the UE. The energy harvesting classification for the UE may include or correspond to energy harvesting classification 410. In some embodiments, transmitting the energy harvesting information includes transmitting system information that includes the energy harvesting information.

[0125] In some embodiments, the base station transmits a configuration of access control parameters indicating a first energy harvesting classification among the one or more energy harvesting classifications. Additionally or alternatively, each of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications may be associated with a corresponding access control parameter among a plurality of access control parameters. The access control parameters may include or correspond to a barring factor, an access category, or a combination thereof. The access control parameters may include or correspond to energy harvesting parameter 412 or access information 468. The configuration (such as configuration information) may be included in system information transmitted by the base station.

[0126] In some embodiments, the base station transmits an indicator indicating a first energy harvesting classification prohibited from accessing the network, one or more cells having the prohibited energy harvesting classification, or a combination thereof. The indicator may be included in the energy harvesting information (such as energy harvesting information 470).

[0127] In some embodiments, the base station transmits information indicating whether another base station of the network supports energy harvesting, authorizes one or more energy harvesting classifications for the UE to access the network via the another base station, or a combination thereof. For example, the another base station may include or correspond to base station 415. The information may include or correspond to network information 469, network information 474, or a combination thereof.

[0128] Figure 8 is a block diagram of an example base station 800 that supports an access control process for a UE configured for energy harvesting according to one or more aspects. Base station 800 may be configured to perform operations including referring to Figure 7 the blocks of process 700 described. In some embodiments, base station 800 includes referring to Figures 1 to 4The structures, hardware, and components shown and described for base station 105. For example, base station 800 may include a controller 240 that operates to execute logic or computer instructions stored in a memory 242 and controls the components of base station 800 that provide the features and functionality of base station 800. Base station 800 transmits and receives signals under the control of controller 240 via radio devices 801a - 801t and antennas 234a - 234t. Radio devices 801a - 801t include various components and hardware, such as Figure 2 illustrated for base station 105, including modulators and demodulators 232a - 232t, a transmit processor 220, a TX MIMO processor 230, a MIMO detector 236, and a receive processor 238.

[0129] As shown, memory 242 may include energy harvesting information 802 and communication logic 803. Energy harvesting information 802 may include or correspond to energy harvesting information 406, energy harvesting capabilities 408, energy harvesting classifications 410, energy harvesting parameters 412, energy harvesting information 470, or combinations thereof. Communication logic 803 may be configured to enable communication between base station 800 and one or more other devices. Base station 800 may receive signals from or transmit signals to one or more UEs (such as Figures 1 to 4 UE 115 or Figure 6 UE 600).

[0130] Note that one or more of the blocks (or operations) described with reference to Figure 5 or Figure 7 may be combined with one or more of the blocks (or operations) described with reference to another figure. For example, Figure 5 one or more of the blocks (or operations) of Figure 7 may be combined with one or more of the blocks (or operations) of Figure 5 or Figure 7 associated with Figures 1 to 4 or Figures 1 to 4 may be combined with one or more of the blocks (or operations) associated with Figure 6 or Figure 8 Additional or alternatively, one or more of the operations described above with reference to Figures 1 to 4 may be combined with one or more of the operations described with reference to Figure 6 or Figure 8

[0131] In one or more aspects, techniques for supporting an access control process for a UE configured for energy harvesting may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below or in connection with one or more other processes or devices described elsewhere herein. In a first aspect, techniques for supporting an access control process for a UE configured for energy harvesting may include: receiving, from a network, energy harvesting information that indicates one or more energy harvesting classifications authorizing the UE to access the network. The techniques may also include: accessing the network based on the energy harvesting information and the UE's energy harvesting classification. In some examples, the techniques in the first aspect may be implemented in a method or process. In some other examples, the techniques of the first aspect may be implemented in a wireless communication device (which may include a UE or a component of a UE). In some examples, the wireless communication device may include at least one processing unit or system (which may include an application processor, a modem, or other components) and at least one memory device coupled to the processing unit. The processing unit may be configured to perform the operations described herein with respect to the wireless communication device. In some examples, the memory device includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code stored thereon that, when executed by the processing unit, is configured to cause the wireless communication device to perform the operations described herein. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless communication device may include an interface (e.g., a wireless communication interface) that includes a transmitter, a receiver, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless communication device may include one or more components configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0132] In a second aspect, in combination with the first aspect, the techniques further include: determining one or more energy harvesting classifications, and wherein the one or more energy harvesting classifications may be determined from a plurality of energy harvesting classifications.

[0133] In a third aspect, in combination with the second aspect, the techniques further include: determining whether the UE's energy harvesting classification is included in the one or more energy harvesting classifications.

[0134] In a fourth aspect, in combination with the second or third aspect, each of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications defines a minimum energy harvesting capability.

[0135] In a fifth aspect, in combination with one or more of the second through fourth aspects, the plurality of energy harvesting classifications are defined in a standard or configured by the network.

[0136] In a sixth aspect, in combination with the fourth or fifth aspect, the minimum energy harvesting capabilities of each of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications include energy storage capacity, energy storage state, energy consumption rate, energy harvesting rate, energy harvesting type, system information acquisition rate, number of Tx circuits with full charge, number of Rx circuits with full charge, average duration to acquire full charge, or a combination thereof.

[0137] In a seventh aspect, in combination with one or more of the first to sixth aspects, the technique further includes: receiving system information including the energy harvesting information.

[0138] In an eighth aspect, in combination with one or more of the first to seventh aspects, the energy harvesting information indicates: minimum energy harvesting capabilities, a first set of energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE to access the network, a second set of energy harvesting classifications that do not authorize the UE to access the network, whether the energy harvesting device authorizes the UE to access the network, or a combination thereof.

[0139] In a ninth aspect, in combination with one or more of the first to eighth aspects, the energy harvesting information further indicates: for each of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications in the plurality of energy harvesting classifications, whether the energy harvesting classification authorizes the UE to access the network.

[0140] In a tenth aspect, in combination with one or more of the first to ninth aspects, the technique further includes: receiving a configuration of access control parameters indicating the energy harvesting classification of the UE.

[0141] In an eleventh aspect, in combination with the tenth aspect, the access control parameter indicates a prohibition factor.

[0142] In a twelfth aspect, in combination with one or more of the first to eleventh aspects, the technique further includes: determining an access category associated with the energy harvesting classification of the UE, the energy harvesting capabilities of the UE, or a combination thereof.

[0143] In a thirteenth aspect, in combination with the twelfth aspect, the technique further includes: accessing the network based on the access category.

[0144] In a fourteenth aspect, in combination with one or more of the first to thirteenth aspects, the technique further includes: receiving an indicator indicating one or more energy harvesting classifications prohibited from accessing the network, one or more cells having the one or more prohibited energy harvesting classifications, or a combination thereof.

[0145] In a fifteenth aspect, in combination with one or more of the first to fourteenth aspects, the technique further includes: receiving system information from a first base station of the network.

[0146] In a sixteenth aspect, in combination with the fifteenth aspect, the system information indicates whether a second base station of the network supports energy harvesting, authorizes the UE to access one or more energy harvesting classifications of the network via the second base station, or a combination thereof.

[0147] In one or more aspects, techniques for supporting an access control process for a UE configured for energy harvesting may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below or in one or more other processes or devices described elsewhere herein. In a seventeenth aspect, techniques for supporting an access control process for a UE configured for energy harvesting may include: generating energy harvesting information that indicates one or more of a plurality of energy harvesting classifications. The one or more energy harvesting classifications may be authorized to access the network. The techniques may further include: transmitting the energy harvesting information. In some examples, the techniques in the seventeenth aspect may be implemented in a method or process. In some other examples, the techniques of the seventeenth aspect may be implemented in a wireless communication device (such as a network entity, which may include a base station or a component of a base station). In some examples, the wireless communication device may include at least one processing unit or system (which may include an application processor, a modem, or other components) and at least one memory device coupled to the processing unit. The processing unit may be configured to perform the operations described herein with respect to the wireless communication device. In some examples, the memory device includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code stored thereon that, when executed by the processing unit, is configured to cause the wireless communication device to perform the operations described herein. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless communication device may include an interface (e.g., a wireless communication interface) that includes a transmitter, a receiver, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless communication device may include one or more components configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0148] In an eighteenth aspect, in combination with the seventeenth aspect, the one or more energy harvesting classifications include a first energy harvesting classification of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications.

[0149] In a nineteenth aspect, in combination with the eighteenth aspect, the energy harvesting information further indicates a second energy harvesting classification of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications, where the second energy harvesting classification is not authorized to access the network.

[0150] In a twentieth aspect, in combination with one or more of the seventeenth to nineteenth aspects, the energy harvesting information is sent to the UE.

[0151] In a twenty-first aspect, in combination with the twentieth aspect, the one or more energy harvesting classifications include the energy harvesting classification of the UE.

[0152] In a twenty-second aspect, in combination with one or more of the seventeenth to twenty-first aspects, each of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications defines a minimum energy harvesting capability.

[0153] In a twenty-third aspect, in combination with the twenty-second aspect, for each of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications, the minimum energy harvesting capability includes energy storage capacity, energy storage state, energy consumption rate, energy harvesting rate, energy harvesting type, system information acquisition rate, number of Tx circuits with full charge, number of Rx circuits with full charge, average duration to acquire full charge, or a combination thereof.

[0154] In a twenty-fourth aspect, in combination with one or more of the seventeenth to twenty-third aspects, the technique for sending the energy harvesting information further includes: sending system information including the energy harvesting information.

[0155] In a twenty-fifth aspect, in combination with one or more of the seventeenth to twenty-fourth aspects, the energy harvesting information further indicates: the minimum energy harvesting capability, a first set of energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE to access the network, a second set of energy harvesting classifications that do not authorize the UE to access the network, whether the energy harvesting device is authorized to access the network, or a combination thereof.

[0156] In a twenty-sixth aspect, in combination with one or more of the seventeenth to twenty-fifth aspects, the energy harvesting information further indicates: for each of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications, whether the energy harvesting classification authorizes the UE to access the network.

[0157] In a twenty-seventh aspect, in combination with one or more of the seventeenth to twenty-sixth aspects, the technique further includes: sending a configuration of access control parameters indicating a first energy harvesting classification among the one or more energy harvesting classifications.

[0158] In a twenty-eighth aspect, in combination with the twenty-seventh aspect, the access control parameter indicates a prohibition factor.

[0159] In a twenty-ninth aspect, in combination with one or more of the seventeenth to twenty-eighth aspects, each of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications is associated with a corresponding access control parameter among a plurality of access control parameters.

[0160] In a thirtieth aspect, in combination with one or more of the seventeenth to twenty-ninth aspects, the technique further includes: sending an indicator that indicates a first energy harvesting classification prohibited from accessing the network, one or more cells having the prohibited energy harvesting classification, or a combination thereof.

[0161] In a thirty - first aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the seventeenth to thirtieth aspects, the technique further includes: transmitting system information that indicates whether another base station of the network supports energy harvesting, authorizes one or more energy harvesting categories for the UE to access the network via the other base station, or a combination thereof.

[0162] Those skilled in the art should understand that any one of a variety of different techniques and arts can be used to represent information and signals. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may have been mentioned throughout the above description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0163] As used herein Figures 1 to 8 The components, functional blocks, and modules described herein include processors, electronic devices, hardware devices, electronic components, logic circuits, memories, software code, firmware code, and so on, or any combination thereof. Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, sub - programs, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, sub - routines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, and / or functions, etc., regardless of whether it is referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other terms. Additionally, the features discussed herein can be implemented via dedicated processor circuitry, via executable instructions, or a combination thereof.

[0164] Those skilled in the art will further understand that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the disclosure herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functionality in different ways for each particular application, but such specific implementation decisions should not be construed as causing a departure from the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will also readily recognize that the order or combination of the components, methods, or interactions described herein is merely exemplary, and the components, methods, or interactions of the various aspects of the disclosure can be combined or performed in ways other than those illustrated and described herein.

[0165] The various illustrative logical components, logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic processes described in connection with the specific implementations disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. The interchangeability of hardware and software has been described generally in terms of functionality and illustrated in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described above. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0166] The hardware and data processing apparatus for implementing or performing the various illustrative logical components, logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be realized using a general-purpose single-chip or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or, any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. In some particular implementations, the processor may be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some particular implementations, specific processes and methods may be performed by circuitry specific to a given function.

[0167] In one or more aspects, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuitry, computer software, firmware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and structural equivalents thereof, or any combination thereof. The specific implementations of the subject matter described in this specification may also be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer storage medium for execution by, or to control the operation of, a data processing apparatus.

[0168] If implemented in software, the functions can be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. The processes of the methods or algorithms disclosed herein can be implemented in a processor-executable software module that may reside on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, and the communication media includes any medium that can be implemented to transfer a computer program from one place to another. The storage media can be any available media accessible by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Additionally, any connection can be properly termed a computer-readable medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc, where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm can reside as one set of code and instructions or any combination of sets of code and instructions on a machine-readable medium and a computer-readable medium, which can be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0169] Various modifications to the specific implementations described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to some other specific implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the specific implementations shown herein, but rather to the broadest scope consistent with this disclosure, the principles disclosed herein, and the novel features.

[0170] Additionally, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the terms "upper" and "lower" are sometimes used for ease of describing the figures and indicate relative positions corresponding to the orientation of the figures on a properly oriented page, and may not reflect the correct orientation of any device as implemented.

[0171] Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments in this specification can also be implemented in a single embodiment in combination. Conversely, the various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub - combination in multiple embodiments. Additionally, although features may have been described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from the claimed combination can in some cases be removed from the combination, and the claimed combination can be directed to a sub - combination or variations of the sub - combination.

[0172] Similarly, although operations are depicted in the figures in a particular order, this should not be construed as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all of the illustrated operations be performed to achieve the desired result. Additionally, the figures may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of a flowchart. However, other operations not depicted can be incorporated into the example processes that are schematically illustrated. For example, one or more additional operations can be performed before, after, simultaneously with, or between any of the illustrated operations. In certain environments, multitasking and parallel processing are advantageous. Moreover, the separation of the various system components in the specific embodiments described above should not be construed as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. Additionally, some other specific embodiments also fall within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the acts recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve the desired result.

[0173] As used herein (including in the claims), the term "or" as used in a list of two or more items means that any one of the listed items can be employed alone or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be employed. For example, if a composition is described as containing component A, B, or C, the composition can contain A alone; B alone; C alone; a combination of A and B; a combination of A and C; a combination of B and C; or a combination of A, B, and C. Further, as used herein (including in the claims), "or" as used in a list of items beginning with "at least one" indicates a disjunctive list such that, for example, a list of "at least one of A, B, or C" means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C) or any combination of any of these items. The term "substantially" is defined as being largely but not necessarily wholly that which is specified (and includes that which is specified; e.g., substantially 90 degrees includes 90 degrees and substantially parallel includes parallel), as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. In any of the disclosed specific embodiments, the term "substantially" can be replaced with "[percentage] within" that which is specified, where the percentage includes 0.1%, 1%, 5%, or 10%.

[0174] The foregoing description of the disclosure has been provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a network, energy harvesting information indicating one or more energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE to access the network; and accessing the network based on the energy harvesting information and an energy harvesting classification of the UE.

2. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising: determining the one or more energy harvesting classifications, the one or more energy harvesting classifications being determined from a plurality of energy harvesting classifications; and determining whether the energy harvesting classification of the UE is included in the one or more energy harvesting classifications, and wherein each energy harvesting classification in the plurality of energy harvesting classifications defines a minimum energy harvesting capability.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: the plurality of energy harvesting classifications are defined in a standard or configured by the network, and the minimum energy harvesting capability of each energy harvesting classification in the plurality of energy harvesting classifications includes energy storage capacity, energy storage state, energy consumption rate, energy harvesting rate, energy harvesting type, system information acquisition rate, number of transmission (Tx) circuits with full charge, number of reception (Rx) circuits with full charge, average duration of acquiring full charge, or a combination thereof.

4. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising: receiving system information including the energy harvesting information, and wherein the energy harvesting information further indicates: a minimum energy harvesting capability, a first set of energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE to access the network, a second set of energy harvesting classifications that do not authorize the UE to access the network, whether an energy harvesting device is authorized to access the network, for each energy harvesting classification in the plurality of energy harvesting classifications, whether the energy harvesting classification authorizes the energy harvesting device to access the network, or a combination thereof.

5. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising: receiving a configuration of access control parameters indicating the energy harvesting classification of the UE, and wherein the access control parameters indicate a prohibition factor.

6. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising: determining an access category associated with the energy harvesting classification of the UE, the energy harvesting capability of the UE, or a combination thereof; and accessing the network based on the access category.

7. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising: receiving an indicator indicating one or more energy harvesting classifications that prohibit the UE from accessing the network, one or more cells having one or more prohibited energy harvesting classifications, or a combination thereof.

8. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising: receiving system information from a first base station of the network, and wherein the system information indicates whether a second base station of the network supports energy harvesting, one or more energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE to access the network via the second base station, or a combination thereof.

9. A user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising: A memory that stores processor-readable code; and at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor being configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to: Receive energy harvesting information from a network, the energy harvesting information indicating one or more energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE to access the network; and Access the network based on the energy harvesting information and the energy harvesting classification of the UE.

10. The UE according to claim 9, wherein: The at least one processor is configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to: Determine the one or more energy harvesting classifications, the one or more energy harvesting classifications being determined from a plurality of energy harvesting classifications; and Determine whether the energy harvesting classification of the UE is included in the one or more energy harvesting classifications, and Each energy harvesting classification in the plurality of energy harvesting classifications defines a minimum energy harvesting capacity.

11. The UE according to claim 9, wherein: The at least one processor is configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to: receive system information including the energy harvesting information, and the energy harvesting information further indicates: Minimum energy harvesting capacity, A first set of energy harvesting classifications that authorize the UE to access the network, A second set of energy harvesting classifications that do not authorize the UE to access the network, Whether an energy harvesting device is authorized to access the network, For each energy harvesting classification in a plurality of energy harvesting classifications, whether the energy harvesting classification authorizes the energy harvesting device to access the network, or A combination thereof.

12. The UE according to claim 9, wherein: The at least one processor is configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to: receive a configuration of access control parameters indicating the energy harvesting classification of the UE, and The access control parameters indicate a prohibition factor.

13. The UE according to claim 9, wherein: The at least one processor is configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to: determine an access category associated with the energy harvesting classification of the UE, the energy harvesting capacity of the UE, or a combination thereof; and The network further accesses based on the access category.

14. The UE according to claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to: receive an indicator indicating one or more energy harvesting classifications that prohibit the UE from accessing the network, one or more cells having one or more prohibited energy harvesting classifications, or a combination thereof.

15. The UE according to claim 9, wherein: The at least one processor is configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to: receive system information from a first base station of the network, and the system information indicates whether a second base station of the network supports energy harvesting, authorize the UE to access one or more energy harvesting classifications of the network via the second base station, or a combination thereof.

16. A method of wireless communication performed by a base station, the method comprising: generating energy harvesting information indicating one or more energy harvesting classifications among a plurality of energy harvesting classifications, the one or more energy harvesting classifications authorizing a user equipment (UE) to access the network; and transmitting the energy harvesting information.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein: the one or more energy harvesting classifications include a first energy harvesting classification among the plurality of energy harvesting classifications, and the energy harvesting information further indicates a second energy harvesting classification among the plurality of energy harvesting classifications, the second energy harvesting classification not being authorized to access the network.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein: the energy harvesting information is transmitted to a user equipment (UE), the one or more energy harvesting classifications include the energy harvesting classification of the UE, each energy harvesting classification among the plurality of energy harvesting classifications defines a minimum energy harvesting capability, and for each energy harvesting classification among the plurality of energy harvesting classifications, the minimum energy harvesting capability includes energy storage capacity, energy storage state, energy consumption rate, energy harvesting rate, energy harvesting type, system information acquisition rate, number of transmission (Tx) circuits with full charge, number of reception (Rx) circuits with full charge, average duration of acquiring full charge, or a combination thereof.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein: transmitting the energy harvesting information includes transmitting system information including the energy harvesting information, and the energy harvesting information further indicates: minimum energy harvesting capability, a first set of energy harvesting classifications authorizing the UE to access the network, a second set of energy harvesting classifications not authorizing the UE to access the network, whether an energy harvesting device is authorized to access the network, for each energy harvesting classification among the plurality of energy harvesting classifications, whether the energy harvesting classification authorizes the energy harvesting device to access the network, or a combination thereof.

20. The method according to claim 16, the method further comprising: transmitting a configuration of access control parameters indicating a first energy harvesting classification among the one or more energy harvesting classifications, and wherein the access control parameters indicate a prohibition factor.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein each energy harvesting classification among the plurality of energy harvesting classifications is associated with a corresponding access control parameter among a plurality of access control parameters.

22. The method according to claim 16, the method further comprising: transmitting an indicator indicating a first energy harvesting classification prohibited from accessing the network, one or more cells having the prohibited energy harvesting classification, or a combination thereof.

23. The method according to claim 16, the method further comprises: sending system information, the system information indicating whether another base station of the network supports energy harvesting, authorizing one or more energy harvesting classifications for the UE to access the network via another base station, or a combination thereof.

24. A base station, the base station comprises: a memory storing processor-readable code; and at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor being configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to: generate energy harvesting information indicating one or more energy harvesting classifications among a plurality of energy harvesting classifications, the one or more energy harvesting classifications authorizing a user equipment (UE) to access the network; and send the energy harvesting information.

25. The base station according to claim 24, wherein: the one or more energy harvesting classifications include a first energy harvesting classification among the plurality of energy harvesting classifications; and the energy harvesting information further indicates a second energy harvesting classification among the plurality of energy harvesting classifications, the second energy harvesting classification not being authorized to access the network.

26. The base station according to claim 24, wherein: the energy harvesting information is sent to the UE, the one or more energy harvesting classifications include the energy harvesting classification of the UE, each of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications defines a minimum energy harvesting capability, and for each of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications, the minimum energy harvesting capability includes energy storage capacity, energy storage state, energy consumption rate, energy harvesting rate, energy harvesting type, system information acquisition rate, number of transmit (Tx) circuits with full charge, number of receive (Rx) circuits with full charge, average duration to acquire full charge, or a combination thereof.

27. The base station according to claim 24, wherein: the at least one processor is configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to: send a configuration of access control parameters indicating a first energy harvesting classification among the one or more energy harvesting classifications, and the access control parameters indicate a prohibition factor.

28. The base station according to claim 24, wherein each of the plurality of energy harvesting classifications is associated with a corresponding access control parameter among a plurality of access control parameters.

29. The base station according to claim 24, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to: send an indicator indicating a first energy harvesting classification prohibited from accessing the network, one or more cells having the prohibited energy harvesting classification, or a combination thereof.

30. The base station according to claim 24, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to: transmit system information, the system information indicating whether another base station of the network supports energy harvesting, authorizing one or more energy harvesting classifications for the UE to access the network via another base station, or a combination thereof.

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