Communication method and system of environmental Internet of Things

Abstract

Provided in an embodiment of the present application are a communication method and system for an environmental Internet of Things, the method comprising: a first entity configures or pre-configures a communication resource of a target signal to a second entity, the target signal comprising at least one of the following: an energy signal, a carrier signal, a forward signal, and a reverse signal; the communication resources comprise time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code domain resources, space domain resources and power domain resources. The embodiment of the invention can solve the resource configuration problem of the energy signal, the carrier signal, the forward signal and the reverse signal in the related technology.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a communication method and system for an ambient Internet of Things. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous progress of radio technology, a large number of various radio services have emerged. In addition to the cellular service between a base station and a terminal, in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system and a New Radio (NR) system, there is also an Internet of Things (IoT) service, that is, communication between a base station and an IoT device. IoT devices are usually powered by traditional batteries with a limited lifespan. Under some extreme environmental conditions, it may be very challenging to maintain the continuous operation of IoT devices and replace the batteries. On the other hand, an increasingly wide range of large-scale commercial scenario use cases require IoT devices with very small sizes and longer lifecycles. Therefore, in LTE systems, NR systems, and future communication systems, it is necessary to consider IoT devices with ultra-low power consumption, ultra-low complexity, and ultra-low cost that are not battery-powered.

[0003] In the related art, an IoT device without battery power supply is proposed, called Ambient-IoT (A-IoT) or Passive-IoT (P-IoT), and the electrical energy required for its operation comes from radio frequency signals or other forms of energy in the surrounding environment. In the ambient IoT communication scenario, A-IoT devices may involve the following several types of signals: an energy signal for charging (also called a charging signal), a carrier signal for modulation or reflection (also called a signal to be modulated or a signal to be reflected), a forward signal for forward link (also called downlink) communication (also called a downlink signal), and a reverse signal for reverse link (also called uplink) communication (also called an uplink signal). These signals may not be the same type of signal and may all exist in the system, so problems such as resource allocation of energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals, and reverse signals will be involved. Even if there is only one type of signal in the system, problems such as signal waveforms will also be involved.

[0004] In summary, there is no good solution to the above technical problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and system for an ambient Internet of Things to at least solve the problem of resource allocation of energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals, and reverse signals in the related art.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present application, a communication method for the Internet of Things in the environment is provided. The method includes: a first entity configuring or pre-configuring communication resources for a target signal to a second entity, where the target signal includes at least one of the following: an energy signal, a carrier signal, a forward signal, and a reverse signal, and the communication resources include: time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, code-domain resources, space-domain resources, and power-domain resources.

[0007] According to another embodiment of the present application, a communication system for the Internet of Things in the environment is provided. The system includes: a first entity and a second entity, where the first entity is configured to configure or pre-configure communication resources for a target signal to the second entity, where the target signal includes at least one of the following: an energy signal, a carrier signal, a forward signal, and a reverse signal, and the communication resources include: time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, code-domain resources, space-domain resources, and power-domain resources.

[0008] According to still another embodiment of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is further provided. A computer program is stored in the storage medium, where the computer program, when run by a processor, executes the steps in any one of the above method embodiments.

[0009] According to still another embodiment of the present application, an electronic device is further provided, including a memory and a processor. A computer program is stored in the memory, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to execute the steps in any one of the above method embodiments.

[0010] Through the embodiments of the present application, resource allocation can be performed on several signals (such as energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals, and reverse signals) involved in the communication scenario of the Internet of Things in the environment, so as to at least solve the problem of resource allocation for energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals, and reverse signals in the related art. Description of the Drawings

[0011] Figure 1 is a flowchart of the communication method for the Internet of Things in the environment according to the embodiment of the present application;

[0012] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the simultaneous operation or time-division operation of the target signal according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0013] Figure 3 is a structural block diagram of the communication system for the Internet of Things in the environment according to the embodiment of the present application;

[0014] Figure 4 is a networking schematic diagram of the Internet of Things in the environment according to the embodiment of the present application. Detailed Embodiments

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings and in conjunction with the embodiments.

[0016] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification, claims and the above-mentioned drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not necessarily have to be used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0017] The embodiments of this application are applied to IoT services and implemented in LTE systems and NR systems. Exemplarily, typical IoT services in the LTE system include Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT for short), Machine Type Communication (MTC for short), and enhanced Machine Type Communication (eMTC for short); typical IoT services in the NR system include Reduced Capability (RedCap for short), enhanced Reduced Capability (eRedCap for short).

[0018] The embodiments of this application can be widely applied to various commercial scenarios, including but not limited to warehousing, logistics, supply chain, smart home, environmental monitoring, intelligent agriculture and animal husbandry, item search, shopping mall, venue guide, modification of medical device status, activation and deactivation of devices, and elderly care.

[0019] In an embodiment of this application, a communication method for an environmental Internet of Things is provided. Figure 1 It is a flowchart of the communication method for the environmental Internet of Things in the embodiments of this application, as Figure 1 shown, and this process includes the following steps:

[0020] Step S1, a first entity configures or pre-configures communication resources for a target signal to a second entity.

[0021] In this embodiment, the target signal includes at least one of the following: energy signal, carrier signal, forward signal, reverse signal, and the communication resources include: time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code domain resources, spatial domain resources, and power domain resources.

[0022] Through the embodiments of this application, the resource configuration problems of energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals, and reverse signals in the related art can be solved.

[0023] In some embodiments, the energy signal is used for charging, the carrier signal is used for modulation or reflection, the forward signal is used for forward link (also known as downlink) communication, and the reverse signal is used for reverse link (also known as uplink) communication. The energy signal, the carrier signal, the forward signal, and the reverse signal may exist simultaneously in the ambient Internet of Things, or only one or a part of the energy signal, the carrier signal, the forward signal, and the reverse signal may exist in the ambient Internet of Things.

[0024] Furthermore, in the ambient Internet of Things, the energy signal may also be referred to as a charging signal; the carrier signal may also be referred to as a signal to be modulated or a signal to be reflected; the forward signal may also be referred to as a downlink signal, which refers to the communication signal in the direction from the base station to the A-IoT device; the reverse signal may also be referred to as an uplink signal, which refers to the communication signal in the direction from the A-IoT device to the base station.

[0025] In some embodiments, the first entity includes at least one of the following: a network node, a relay node, an auxiliary node, a terminal node, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and a Physical (PHY) layer. Among them, the network node, the relay node, the auxiliary node, and the terminal node are physical entities, and the RRC layer, the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the PHY layer are logical entities.

[0026] In an exemplary embodiment, the network node may include a base station. The relay node includes an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), a repeater, and a terminal node with a relay function. The auxiliary node may include an IAB, a repeater, and a terminal node with a relay function. The terminal node may include a User Equipment (UE).

[0027] In some embodiments, the second entity includes an Internet of Things device, and exemplarily, it may be an A-IoT device.

[0028] In some embodiments, the first entity and the second entity in step S1 can communicate directly or indirectly. Exemplarily, the A-IoT network can be divided into the following four types: The first type of topology is that the network node communicates directly with the A-IoT device; the second type of topology is that there is a relay node between the network node and the A-IoT device; the third type of topology is that there is an auxiliary node between the network node and the A-IoT device, and the auxiliary node can assist the downlink communication or uplink communication of the A-IoT device; the fourth type of topology is that the terminal node communicates directly with the A-IoT device.

[0029] Further, in the case where the first entity and the second entity communicate indirectly, for example, when the first entity communicates with the A-IoT device through a relay node, an auxiliary node or a terminal node, the relay node, the auxiliary node or the terminal node can also be regarded as the second entity and be configured or pre-configured by the first entity.

[0030] In some embodiments, the first entity can be used as a reader, and the second entity can be used as a tag, such as a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag.

[0031] In some embodiments, the method further includes: the first entity configures or pre-configures the operation mode of the target signal for the second entity.

[0032] In some embodiments, the operation of the energy signal includes at least one of the following: the reception of the energy signal; the device operation triggered by the energy signal; the charging using the energy signal.

[0033] In some embodiments, the operation of the carrier signal includes at least one of the following: the reception of the carrier signal; the power amplification of the carrier signal.

[0034] In some embodiments, the operation of the forward signal includes at least one of the following: the reception of the forward signal; the power amplification of the forward signal; the demodulation of the forward signal; the decoding of the forward signal.

[0035] In some embodiments, the operation of the reverse signal includes at least one of the following: the encoding of the carrier signal, where the reverse signal is obtained by encoding the carrier signal; the modulation of the carrier signal, where the reverse signal is obtained by modulating the carrier signal; the power amplification, where the reverse signal is obtained by power amplification; the reflection of the reverse signal; the transmission of the reverse signal.

[0036] In this embodiment, the operations of the above energy signal, carrier signal, forward signal, and reverse signal are described with the second entity (such as an A-IoT device) as the execution subject. Corresponding operations also occur in the first entity, which will not be elaborated here.

[0037] In some embodiments, the device operations triggered by the energy signal may include any operations occurring in the second entity, such as operations of the carrier signal, forward signal, and reverse signal. Exemplarily, the second entity may immediately trigger a specified device operation (such as encoding the carrier signal) after receiving the energy signal; or, the second entity may first use the energy signal for charging and then trigger the specified device operation after the energy reaches a preset trigger threshold.

[0038] In some embodiments, there may be certain differences in the operation modes of the energy signal, carrier signal, forward signal, and reverse signal corresponding to different types of A-IoT devices. Exemplarily, for an A-IoT device without signal transmission capability, it cannot transmit a reverse signal and can only reflect the reverse signal; while for an A-IoT device with signal transmission capability, it can transmit a reverse signal.

[0039] In some embodiments, in the environmental Internet of Things, the above energy signal, carrier signal, forward signal, and reverse signal may operate simultaneously or in a time-division manner. Among them, time-division operation means that each type of signal operates at different times. Further, the operation mode can be configured by the first entity for the second entity.

[0040] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the simultaneous operation or time-division operation of the target signals in an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 2 shown, the target signals include at least one of the following: energy signal, carrier signal, forward signal, reverse signal. The first entity can configure or pre-configure the second entity to achieve the simultaneous operation or time-division operation of different types of target signals.

[0041] Through the embodiments of the present application, the operation problems of the energy signal, carrier signal, forward signal, and reverse signal in the related art can be solved.

[0042] In some embodiments, the method further includes: the first entity configures or pre-configures the communication format (i.e., waveform) of the target signal for the second entity.

[0043] In some embodiments, the energy signal can be a modulated radio frequency signal or an unmodulated radio frequency signal.

[0044] Exemplarily, the energy signal may include at least one of the following: a modulated radio frequency signal of a first entity, a modulated radio frequency signal of a radio broadcast, a modulated radio frequency signal of WiFi, or a modulated radio frequency signal of Bluetooth; an unmodulated radio frequency signal of the first entity, an unmodulated radio frequency signal of a radio broadcast, an unmodulated radio frequency signal of WiFi, or an unmodulated radio frequency signal of Bluetooth.

[0045] In some embodiments, the carrier signal is an unmodulated radio frequency signal. Exemplarily, the carrier signal includes at least one of the following: an unmodulated radio frequency signal of the first entity, an unmodulated radio frequency signal of a radio broadcast, an unmodulated radio frequency signal of WiFi, or an unmodulated radio frequency signal of Bluetooth.

[0046] In some embodiments, the communication system of the modulated radio frequency signal included in the energy signal includes at least one of the following: Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK), Frequency Shift Keying (FSK), Phase Shift Keying (PSK), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM).

[0047] In some embodiments, the communication system of the unmodulated radio frequency signal included in the energy signal or the carrier signal includes at least one of the following: pulse, constant frequency continuous wave, amplitude modulated continuous wave, phase modulated continuous wave, frequency modulated continuous wave; Exemplarily, the constant frequency continuous wave includes: sine wave, cosine wave, or orthogonal sine and cosine waves, and the frequency modulated continuous wave includes Multitone (MT) or Linear Frequency Modulation (LFM).

[0048] In some embodiments, the energy signal and the carrier signal may be generated by a first entity and sent by the first entity to a second entity. Further, the communication systems adopted by the energy signal and the carrier signal may also be configured by the first entity for the second entity.

[0049] Through the embodiments of the present application, the waveform problems of the energy signal, the carrier signal, the forward signal, and the reverse signal in the related art can be solved.

[0050] In yet another embodiment of the present application, a communication system for the Internet of Things in the environment is further provided.

[0051] Figure 3is a structural block diagram of a communication system of an environmental Internet of Things according to an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 3 As shown, the system includes:

[0052] A first entity 10 and a second entity 20 .

[0053] In this embodiment, the first entity 10 is used to configure or pre-configure communication resources of a target signal to the second entity, wherein the target signal includes at least one of the following: an energy signal, a carrier signal, a forward signal, and a reverse signal; and the communication resources include: time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code domain resources, spatial domain resources, and power domain resources.

[0054] In some embodiments, the first entity includes at least one of the following: a network node, a relay node, an auxiliary node, a terminal node, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and a Physical (PHY) layer. The network node, the relay node, the auxiliary node, and the terminal node are physical entities, and the RRC layer, the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the PHY layer are logical entities.

[0055] In an exemplary embodiment, the network node may include a base station. The relay node includes an integrated access and backhaul (IAB), a repeater, and a terminal node with a relay function. The auxiliary node may include an IAB, a repeater, and a terminal node with a relay function. The terminal node may include a user equipment (UE).

[0056] In some embodiments, the second entity includes an Internet of Things device, and illustratively, may be an A-IoT device.

[0057] In some embodiments, the first entity and the second entity can communicate directly or indirectly. Exemplarily, the A-IoT network can be divided into the following four types: the first type of topology is that the network node communicates directly with the A-IoT device; the second type of topology is that there is a relay node between the network node and the A-IoT device; the third type of topology is that there is an auxiliary node between the network node and the A-IoT device, and the auxiliary node can assist the downlink communication or uplink communication of the A-IoT device; the fourth type of topology is that the terminal node communicates directly with the A-IoT device.

[0058] Further, in the case of indirect communication between the first entity and the second entity, for example, when the first entity communicates with the A-IoT device through a relay node, an auxiliary node or a terminal node, the relay node, the auxiliary node or the terminal node can also be regarded as the second entity and be configured or pre-configured by the first entity.

[0059] In some embodiments, the first entity is further configured to configure or pre-configure the operation mode of the target signal for the second entity.

[0060] In some embodiments, the second entity is configured to perform operations related to energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals or reverse signals.

[0061] In an exemplary embodiment, the second entity is further configured to receive the energy signal; or trigger device operation according to the energy signal; or perform charging using the energy signal.

[0062] In an exemplary embodiment, the second entity is further configured to receive the carrier signal; or amplify the power of the carrier signal.

[0063] In an exemplary embodiment, the second entity is further configured to receive the forward signal; or amplify the power of the forward signal; or demodulate the forward signal; or decode the forward signal.

[0064] In an exemplary embodiment, the second entity is further configured to encode the carrier signal to obtain the reverse signal; or modulate the carrier signal to obtain the reverse signal; or obtain the reverse signal through power amplification; or reflect the reverse signal; or transmit the reverse signal.

[0065] In some embodiments, the first entity is further configured to configure or pre-configure the communication format (i.e., waveform) of the target signal for the second entity.

[0066] Through the embodiments of the present application, problems related to energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals, reverse signals and their configuration, operation, and waveform in the environmental Internet of Things communication scenario can be solved. With the evolution of wireless mobile communication systems, extensive and in-depth research on the environmental Internet of Things can be achieved. Energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals, reverse signals and their configuration, operation, and waveform in the environmental Internet of Things communication scenario are essential technologies for the environmental Internet of Things and have broad commercial prospects.

[0067] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the network architecture of the environmental Internet of Things according to the embodiments of the present application, as Figure 4As shown, direct or indirect communication can occur between a first entity and a second entity. In the case of indirect communication, intermediate nodes (such as relay nodes, auxiliary nodes, and terminal nodes) can act as either the second entity communicating with the upper-level first entity or the first entity communicating with the lower-level second entity.

[0068] In this embodiment, for each level, resource allocation and operation of energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals, or reverse signals can be implemented between the first entity and the second entity according to any of the above method embodiments, and the waveforms (or communication systems) used for various signals can also be configured with reference to any of the above embodiments.

[0069] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, where the computer program, when run by a processor, executes the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0070] In an exemplary embodiment, the above computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to: USB flash drives, read-only memories (ROM), random access memories (RAM), external hard drives, magnetic disks, or optical discs, and other media capable of storing computer programs.

[0071] An embodiment of the present application also provides an electronic device including a memory and a processor, where the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to execute the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0072] In an exemplary embodiment, the above electronic device may further include a transmission device and input / output devices, where the transmission device is connected to the above processor, and the input / output devices are connected to the above processor.

[0073] Specific examples in this embodiment may refer to the examples described in the above embodiments and exemplary embodiments, and will not be elaborated herein.

[0074] Obviously, those skilled in the art should understand that the above-mentioned modules or steps of the present application can be implemented by a general-purpose computing device. They can be concentrated on a single computing device or distributed on a network composed of multiple computing devices. They can be implemented by program codes executable by the computing device. Thus, they can be stored in a storage device and executed by the computing device. And in some cases, the steps shown or described can be executed in a sequence different from that here, or they can be separately fabricated into individual integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps among them can be fabricated into a single integrated circuit module for implementation. In this way, the present application is not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software.

[0075] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present application and are not used to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application can have various changes and modifications. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method for the Internet of Things in the environment, characterized in that, The method includes: A first entity configures or pre-configures communication resources for a target signal to a second entity, where the target signal includes at least one of the following: an energy signal, a carrier signal, a forward signal, a reverse signal, and the communication resources include: time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code domain resources, spatial domain resources, and power domain resources.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first entity includes at least one of the following: a network node, a relay node, an auxiliary node, a terminal node, a radio resource control layer, a radio link control layer, a media access control layer, a physical layer.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The operation of the energy signal includes at least one of the following: Receiving the energy signal; Device operation triggered by the energy signal; Charging using the energy signal.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The operation of the carrier signal includes at least one of the following: Receiving the carrier signal; Power amplification of the carrier signal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The operation of the forward signal includes at least one of the following: Receiving the forward signal; Power amplification of the forward signal; Demodulating the forward signal; Decoding the forward signal.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein The operation of the reverse signal includes at least one of the following: Encoding of the carrier signal, where the reverse signal is obtained by encoding the carrier signal; Modulation of the carrier signal, where the reverse signal is obtained by modulating the carrier signal; Power amplification, where the reverse signal is obtained by power amplification; Reflection of the reverse signal; Transmission of the reverse signal.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that The energy signal, the carrier signal, the forward signal, and the reverse signal operate simultaneously or in a time-division manner.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein The energy signal includes at least one of the following: A modulated radio frequency signal of the first entity, radio broadcast, WiFi, or Bluetooth; An unmodulated radio frequency signal of the first entity, radio broadcast, WiFi, or Bluetooth.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein The carrier signal includes at least one of the following: an unmodulated radio frequency signal of the first entity, radio broadcast, WiFi, or Bluetooth.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein The communication system of the modulated radio frequency signal includes at least one of the following: amplitude shift keying ASK, frequency shift keying FSK, phase shift keying PSK, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM.

11. According to the method described in any one of claims 8 or 9, characterized in that, The communication system of the unmodulated radio frequency signal includes at least one of the following: pulse, constant frequency continuous wave, amplitude modulated continuous wave, phase modulated continuous wave, frequency modulated continuous wave, where the constant frequency continuous wave includes: sine wave, cosine wave, or orthogonal sine and cosine waves, and the frequency modulated continuous wave includes multi-tone MT or linear frequency modulation LFM.

12. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The second entity includes an Internet of Things device.

13. A communication system for the Internet of Things in the environment, characterized in that, The system includes: a first entity and a second entity, where the first entity is used to configure or pre-configure communication resources for a target signal to the second entity, where the target signal includes at least one of the following: an energy signal, a carrier signal, a forward signal, a reverse signal, and the communication resources include: time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code domain resources, spatial domain resources, and power domain resources.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer program is stored in the storage medium, where the computer program, when run by a processor, executes the method described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

15. An electronic device, comprising a memory and a processor, characterized in that, A computer program is stored in the memory, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to execute the method described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

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