Attachment of energy harvesting device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to attaching an energy harvesting device to a terminal device. A network device receives first information associated with a first subset of at least one energy harvesting device from a first terminal device. The network device receives, from a second terminal device, second information associated with a second subset of the at least one energy harvesting device. The network device determines to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the first information and the second information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments relate to the field of telecommunications, and in particular, to network devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for attachment of energy harvesting devices. Background Art

[0002] A candidate technology for ultra-low energy devices or zero energy devices is backscattering, whereby an illuminator can transmit a radio frequency (RF) signal that illuminates an energy harvesting device, which uses an information-bearing signal to modulate the incident RF signal, and the reflected signal is demodulated at a receiver. All backscattering systems are reader-talks-first (RTF). That is, the energy harvesting device only modulates the reflected wave with the information it stores after receiving the signal sent by the illuminator.

[0003] Radio frequency identification (RFID) based on Electronic Product Code (EPC) Generation 2 (Gen2) can support data rates from 40 kbps to 640 kbps from an energy harvesting device to a reader, with a sensitivity of -85 dBm. Typical rates in the laboratory use Miller (M = 4) coding and vary between 60 and 70 kbps. For RFID, a typical range of 3 m can be achieved with a passive transponder, and a range of up to 30 m can be achieved with an active transponder. All remote systems operate using ultra-high frequency (UHF) or microwave frequencies and use backscattering modulation to communicate with the reader.

[0004] From the perspectives of cost, complexity, and lifecycle, passive Internet of Things (IoT) in the fifth generation system (5GS) using RF harvesting and backscattering is the optimal solution. Radio technologies need to be studied, such as to support backscattering communication and RF energy harvesting, or to extend the communication range of passive devices. For example, the harvested energy can only be used to assist in enhancing the backscattered signal, rather than for active communication. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Generally, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for attachment of an energy harvesting device.

[0006] In a first aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes at least one processor and at least one memory, and the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: receive first information associated with a first subset of at least one energy harvesting device from a first terminal device; receive second information associated with a second subset of at least one energy harvesting device from a second terminal device; and determine, based on the first information and the second information, to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0007] In a second aspect, a method implemented at a network device is provided. The method includes: receiving, at the network device, first information associated with a first subset of at least one energy harvesting device from a first terminal device; receiving second information associated with a second subset of at least one energy harvesting device from a second terminal device; and determining, based on the first information and the second information, to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0008] In a third aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: means for receiving, at a network device, first information associated with a first subset of at least one energy harvesting device from a first terminal device; means for receiving second information associated with a second subset of at least one energy harvesting device from a second terminal device; and means for determining, based on the first information and the second information, to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions for causing an apparatus to at least execute the method according to any one of the above second aspect.

[0010] It should be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Through the following description, other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings, where:

[0012] Figure 1 An example communication network in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown;

[0013] Figure 2 A signaling diagram showing a process for attaching an energy harvesting device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0014] Figure 3 A signaling diagram showing a process for attaching an energy harvesting device according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 4 A signaling diagram showing a process for attaching an energy harvesting device according to still some other example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method implemented at a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 6 A signaling diagram showing a process for attaching an energy harvesting device according to yet another example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 7 A flowchart of a method implemented at a network device according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 8 A flowchart of a method implemented at a network device according to still some other example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 9 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0021] Figure 10 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Description

[0023] Details of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that the description of these embodiments is for illustrative purposes only and helps those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without implying any limitation to the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0024] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0025] References to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "example embodiment", etc. in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is considered within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0026] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element may be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the example embodiment. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0027] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that when the terms "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "includes", and / or "including" are used herein, they specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, "at least one of: <list of two or more elements>" and "at least one of <list of two or more elements>" and similar phrases, where two or more elements in the list are joined by "and" or "or", mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0028] The term "circuitry" as used in this application may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) only hardware circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuits) and (b) a combination of hardware circuits and software, such as, where applicable: (i) a combination of (one or more) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware and (ii) any portion of (one or more) hardware processors (including (one or more) digital signal processors) with software and (one or more) memories, which work together to cause a device, such as a mobile phone or a server, to perform various functions and (c) One or more hardware circuits and / or one or more processors, such as one or more microprocessors or a portion of one or more microprocessors, which require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but may not have the software present when not required to operate.

[0029] The definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also encompasses implementations that are only hardware circuits or processors (or a plurality of processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also encompasses, for example (and if applicable to a particular claim element), a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network devices.

[0030] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Additionally, communication between a terminal device and a network device in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including but not limited to first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communication, of course, there will be future types of communication technologies and systems to which the present disclosure can be implemented. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the above systems.

[0031] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device can refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), remote radio unit (RRU), radio header (RH), remote radio header (RRH), relay, low power node (such as femto, pico, etc.), depending on the terminology and technology applied.

[0032] The term "terminal device" refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), user station (SS), portable user station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, IP voice (VoIP) phones, wireless regional loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), game terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, lap-mounted embedded devices (LEEs), lap-mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless client devices (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of an industrial and / or automation processing chain), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment", and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0033] Figure 1 FIG. 100 shows an example communication network 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The communication network 100 may include terminal devices 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 110-4, and 110-5. Hereinafter, for simplicity, the terminal devices 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 110-4, and 110-5 may be collectively referred to as terminal device 110 or individually referred to as terminal device 110.

[0034] The communication network 100 may further include a network device 120. The network device 120 may provide a coverage area 122, which is also referred to as a cell 122. The network device 120 communicates with the terminal devices 110 in the cell 122.

[0035] The communication network 100 may further include energy harvesting devices 130-1, 130-2, 130-3, 130-4, 130-5, 130-6, 130-7, 130-8, 130-9, 130-10, 130-11, 130-12, and 130-13. Hereinafter, for simplicity, the energy harvesting devices 130-1, 130-2, 130-3, 130-4, 130-5, 130-6, 130-7, 130-8, 130-9, 130-10, 130-11, 130-12, and 130-13 may be collectively referred to as energy harvesting device 130 or individually referred to as energy harvesting device 130.

[0036] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may provide services to one or more energy harvesting devices 130 in its corresponding service area. For example, the terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 may provide services to the energy harvesting devices 130-1 to 130-4 in the service area 140. The terminal devices 110-3 and 110-4 may provide services to the energy harvesting devices 130-5 to 130-8 in the service area 150.

[0037] It should be understood that the numbers of the network devices, terminal devices, and energy harvesting devices are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. The network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices, terminal devices, and energy harvesting devices adapted to implement the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0038] The communication in the communication network 100 may be implemented according to any appropriate communication protocol(s), including but not limited to cellular communication protocols such as the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), and fifth generation (5G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as those of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol known currently or to be developed in the future. In addition, the communication may utilize any appropriate wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), passive communication protocols such as those for RFID, including but not limited to: ISO / IEC 14443, ISO / IEC 15693, ISO / IEC 18000, EPC Gen2, and / or any other technology known currently or to be developed in the future.

[0039] In some example embodiments, at least one of the terminal devices 110 may be a terminal device having an illuminator capability.

[0040] In some example embodiments, at least one of the terminal devices 110 may be a terminal device having a receiver or reader / writer capability. In the present disclosure, the terms "receiver" and "reader / writer" may be used interchangeably.

[0041] In some example embodiments, the illuminator may transmit an RF signal that illuminates the energy harvesting device 130. The RF signal that illuminates the energy harvesting device 130 is also referred to as an illumination signal. The energy harvesting device may modulate the incident RF signal using an information-bearing signal and reflect the modulated signal. The reflected signal may be demodulated at the receiver.

[0042] In some example embodiments, at least one of the terminal devices 110 can be a terminal device having the capabilities of both a reader / writer and an irradiator. For the sake of brevity, a terminal device having the capabilities of both a reader / writer and an irradiator is also referred to as a "reader / writer / irradiator".

[0043] In some example embodiments, at least one of the terminal devices 110 can be a reader / writer / irradiator with a fixed deployment, which is also referred to as a fixed reader / writer / irradiator. For example, the terminal device 110-1 can be a fixed reader / writer / irradiator that is deployed in the area 140 having high-density energy harvesting devices 130-1 to 130-4. As another example, the terminal device 110-5 can be a fixed reader / writer / irradiator that provides services to the energy harvesting devices 130-10 to 130-12.

[0044] In some example embodiments, at least one of the terminal devices 110 can be a reader / writer / irradiator with a mobile deployment, which is also referred to as a mobile reader / writer / irradiator. For example, the terminal device 110-2 can be a mobile reader / writer / irradiator that is deployed in the area 140. The terminal devices 110-3 and 110-4 can provide services to the energy harvesting devices 130-5 to 130-8 that enter the area 150.

[0045] In some example embodiments, when the fixed reader / writer / irradiator is not available to provide services, the mobile reader / writer / irradiator can be used for "probabilistic" or "best-effort" coverage.

[0046] In some example embodiments, the network device 120 can act as a reader / writer / irradiator, an irradiator, or a receiver.

[0047] In some example embodiments, at least one of the energy harvesting devices 130 can be an active device.

[0048] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, at least one of the energy harvesting devices 130 can be a passive device. For example, at least one of the energy harvesting devices 130 can be a passive IoT device, such as a tag.

[0049] As Figure 1As shown, in cell 122, energy harvesting devices 130 are distributed non-uniformly with a high density in some areas (such as areas 140 and 150), and non-uniformly with a low density in other areas. Some energy harvesting devices 130 may be located closer to network device 120. However, some energy harvesting devices may be located farther from network device 120. For example, energy harvesting device 130-13 is closer to network device 120, while energy harvesting devices 130-1 to 130-4 are farther from network device 120.

[0050] Although energy harvesting device 130 is an element of 5GS, it does not have some of the characteristics of a 5G terminal device. For example, due to cost and / or complexity constraints, energy harvesting device 130 may not be able to receive and parse most of the communications in 5G NR. Energy harvesting device 130 may only be able to receive some selected communication messages at preconfigured frequencies. Therefore, energy harvesting device 130 may only have limited communication with network device 120. For example, energy harvesting device 130 may only be able to communicate with network device 120 via backscattering.

[0051] Due to the limitations of the link budget, network device 120 itself should not always be used as an illuminator for backscattering, because it may cause a large amount of interference to other terminal devices. For the energy harvesting device 130 at the cell edge, if the reflected signal can be received and correctly decoded by network device 120, the power used by network device 120 to illuminate energy harvesting device 130 may need to be very large, which may interfere with all other communications at the same frequency.

[0052] A possible solution is to deploy multiple illuminators and receivers (or readers / writers) according to the density of energy harvesting devices 130. These illuminators and receivers are 5G terminal devices. They can communicate with network device 120 in a normal manner. The illuminators and receivers deployed nearby can minimize the power required for illumination. For example, an illuminator that only covers energy harvesting devices within ten meters can transmit a power that will not cause a large amount of interference to UEs and energy harvesting devices in other areas.

[0053] Based on different use cases and requirements, the illuminators and receivers can be fixed and powered by a fixed power source, or can be mobile and powered by a battery or another type of energy storage. In some cases, when there are no longer energy harvesting devices around some illuminators and receivers, they can be disabled by the system, or opportunistically illuminated and / or received by mobile terminal devices located nearby.

[0054] When an energy harvesting device is allowed to access the 5GS, multiple illuminators and receivers have been deployed in the system according to the density of the energy harvesting devices. Before being able to communicate with the 5GS, several requirements should be addressed. For example, it is necessary to first discover the energy harvesting devices and the reader / writer / illuminators and configure the illuminator-receiver pairs for each energy harvesting device based on this information. As another example, it is necessary to detect any expiration of the connectivity of the energy harvesting devices and / or initiate or restart the process for establishing / re-establishing the connectivity of the energy harvesting devices.

[0055] Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for attaching at least one energy harvesting device (e.g., establishing an association or achieving some form of communication therewith). According to one solution, the terminal device receives an information message from the network device for attaching at least one energy harvesting device to the terminal device. For example, the message may indicate to the terminal device that at least one energy harvesting device is attached to the terminal device. In this way, the energy harvesting device can be associated with the terminal device acting as the reader / writer / illuminator. Thus, the network device can obtain information associated with the energy harvesting device through the terminal device.

[0056] In the following, reference will be made to the appended Figures 2 to 10 to describe the details of the present disclosure.

[0057] Figure 2 A signaling diagram showing a process 200 for attaching at least one energy harvesting device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 to describe process 200. Process 200 may involve Figure 1 the terminal device 110, the network device 120, and the energy harvesting device 130 in

[0058] In process 200, the terminal device 110-1 is implemented as a reader / writer / illuminator.

[0059] As Figure 2 shown, the network device 120 transmits 210 an information message for attaching at least one energy harvesting device 130 to the terminal device 110.

[0060] In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may broadcast the information message in the system information so that all terminal devices 110 in the cell 122 can receive the information message. For example, the network device 120 may broadcast the information message in the system information block (SIB) or through the multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS).

[0061] In some example embodiments, the information message may include at least one of the following: · The time at which the illumination signal is transmitted, · The bandwidth part (BWP) on which the illumination signal will be transmitted, · The type of at least one energy harvesting device 130 that will receive the illumination signal, or · A set of identifiers of energy harvesting devices including at least one energy harvesting device 130.

[0062] In some example embodiments, the identifiers of a set of energy harvesting devices may indicate the range of identifiers of the energy harvesting devices to be discovered by the terminal device 110.

[0063] Accordingly, the terminal device 110-1 receives an information message from the network device 120 for attaching at least one energy harvesting device 130.

[0064] In an example embodiment where the terminal device 110-1 is implemented as a reader / writer / illuminator, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit an illumination signal based on the information message. The illumination signal includes a request for attachment.

[0065] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110-1 may broadcast the illumination signal so that more than one energy harvesting device can receive the illumination signal. For example, the energy harvesting devices 130-1 and 130-2 may receive the illumination signal.

[0066] In some example embodiments, the illumination signal may include the identifier of the terminal device 110-1.

[0067] Furthermore, the terminal device 110-1 may receive 220 a signal from the energy harvesting device 130-1 based on the information message. The signal may at least include the identifier of the energy harvesting device 130-1. Alternatively or additionally, the signal may include any other auxiliary information to be used for attaching the energy harvesting device 130-1.

[0068] In an example embodiment where the energy harvesting device 130-1 is a passive energy harvesting device, the signal from the energy harvesting device 130-1 may be a signal backscattered from the energy harvesting device 130-1. For example, the energy harvesting device 130-1 may modulate the received illumination signal using an information-bearing signal and backscatter the modulated signal. The information-bearing signal may include the identifier of the energy harvesting device 130-1.

[0069] The terminal device 110-1 may demodulate the backscattered signal from the energy harvesting device 130-1.

[0070] In an example embodiment where the energy harvesting device 130-1 is an active energy harvesting device, the signal from the energy harvesting device 130-1 can be a signal transmitted from the energy harvesting device 130-1.

[0071] Similarly, the terminal device 110-1 can receive 225 a signal from the energy harvesting device 130-2 based on the information message. The signal from the energy harvesting device 130-2 can at least include the identification of the energy harvesting device 130-2. The signal from the energy harvesting device 130-2 can be a signal backscattered or transmitted from the energy harvesting device 130-2.

[0072] Then, the terminal device 110-1 can transmit 230 to the network device 120 the information associated with at least one energy harvesting device 130 and the identification of the terminal device 110-1.

[0073] In some example embodiments, the information associated with at least one energy harvesting device 130 can include at least one of the following: the identification of at least one energy harvesting device 130, or the power measurement of the signal from at least one energy harvesting device 130. For example, the information associated with at least one energy harvesting device 130 can include at least one of the following: the identification of the energy harvesting devices 130-1 and 130-2, or the power measurement of the signals from the energy harvesting devices 130-1 and 130-2.

[0074] When receiving the information associated with at least one energy harvesting device 130 and the identification of the terminal device 110-1, the network device 120 determines 235 to attach at least one energy harvesting device 130 to the terminal device 110-1 based at least on the information and the identification of the terminal device 110-1. For example, the network device 120 can determine to attach at least one of the energy harvesting devices 130-1 and 130-2 to the terminal device 110-1 based at least on the information and the identification of the terminal device 110-1.

[0075] Furthermore, the network device 120 transmits 240 a message to the terminal device 110-1, and the message indicates that at least one energy harvesting device 130 is attached to the terminal device 110-1.

[0076] In some example embodiments, the message indicating that at least one energy harvesting device 130 is attached to the terminal device 110-1 can include the identification of at least one of the energy harvesting devices 130-1 and 130-2.

[0077] When receiving the message indicating that at least one energy harvesting device 130 is attached to the terminal device 110-1, the attachment of at least one energy harvesting device 130 to the terminal device 110-1 is completed.

[0078] In some example embodiments, the attachment of at least one energy harvesting device 130 to the terminal device 110-1 determines which irradiator may need to be used to communicate with the energy harvesting device 130 and which reader may need to listen for the energy harvesting device 130 when the irradiator is active. For example, in an example embodiment where the energy harvesting device 130-1 is attached to the terminal device 110-1 acting as a reader / irradiator, the terminal device 110-1 may need to be used to communicate with the energy harvesting device 130-1 and listen for the energy harvesting device 130-1.

[0079] In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit 245 a query configuration for at least one attached energy harvesting device 130 to the terminal device 110-1. For example, the network device 120 may broadcast the query configuration.

[0080] In some example embodiments, the query configuration may include at least one of the following: · An identification of at least one attached energy harvesting device 130, · A period during which the query is transmitted, or · A bandwidth portion during which the query is transmitted.

[0081] Upon receiving the query configuration, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit 250 a query to at least one attached energy harvesting device 130 based on the query configuration. For example, the terminal device 110-1 may broadcast the query so that the attached energy harvesting devices 130-1 and 130-2 can receive the query.

[0082] Alternatively, the network device 120 may transmit a query to at least one attached energy harvesting device 130 based on the query configuration.

[0083] Furthermore, the terminal device 110-1 may receive 255 a query result from the attached energy harvesting device 130-1 based on the query configuration. For example, the query result from the attached energy harvesting device 130-1 may include sensing information from the attached energy harvesting device 130-1.

[0084] Similarly, the terminal device 110-1 may receive 260 a query result from the attached energy harvesting device 130-2 based on the query configuration. For example, the query result from the attached energy harvesting device 130-2 may include sensing information from the attached energy harvesting device 130-2.

[0085] Furthermore, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit 265 the query result to the network device 120.

[0086] In some example embodiments, due to the mobility of at least one of the energy harvesting device 130 and the terminal device 110-1, for example, the at least one energy harvesting device 130 may not be attached to the terminal device 110-1. In other words, the at least one energy harvesting device 130 may not be within the communication range of the terminal device 110-1.

[0087] In some example embodiments, optionally, if the terminal device 110-1 detects that the at least one energy harvesting device 130 does not respond to the terminal device 110-1, such as a query request, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit 270 a notification to the network device 120, and the notification indicates that the at least one energy harvesting device 130 does not respond to the terminal device 110-1.

[0088] Upon receiving the notification, the network device 120 may optionally transmit 275 an information message, and the information message is used to reattach the at least one energy harvesting device 130 to the terminal device 110. For example, the network device 120 may broadcast an information message for reattaching the at least one energy harvesting device 130 to the terminal device 110.

[0089] In some example embodiments, the notification from the terminal device 110-1 may indicate the number of energy harvesting devices 130 that do not respond to the terminal device 110-1. If the number exceeds a number threshold, the network device 120 may transmit an information message, and the information message is used to reattach the at least one energy harvesting device 130 to the terminal device 110-1.

[0090] In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may periodically transmit an information message so that one or more new energy harvesting devices can be attached to the terminal device 110. In such example embodiments, even if the network device 120 does not receive a notification from the terminal device 110-1, the network device 120 may periodically transmit an information message.

[0091] Figure 3 A signaling diagram showing a process 300 for attaching at least one energy harvesting device according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, process 300 will be described with reference to Figure 1 Process 300 will be described. Process 300 may involve Figure 1 the terminal device 110, the network device 120, and the energy harvesting device 130 in. Hereinafter, process 300 will be described using, for example, the terminal device 110-1, the terminal device 110-2, the network device 120, and the energy harvesting devices 130-1 and 130-2.

[0092] In process 300, the terminal device 110-1 is implemented as an irradiator, and the terminal device 110-2 is implemented as a reader / writer.

[0093] The actions at 210, 215, 245, 250, and 275 in process 300 are similar to those in process 200. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, the details of these actions are omitted.

[0094] Process 300 is different from process 200 in terms of the actions at 310, 315, 320, 325, 330, 335, 340, 345, 350, and 355.

[0095] Specifically, the terminal device 110-2 can receive a 310 signal from the energy harvesting device 130-1 based on the information message. The signal from the energy harvesting device 130-1 can be a signal backscattered or transmitted from the energy harvesting device 130-1. The signal can at least include the identifier of the energy harvesting device 130-1 and the identifier of the terminal device 110-1. Alternatively or additionally, the signal can include any other auxiliary information used to attach the energy harvesting device 130-1.

[0096] Similarly, the terminal device 110-2 can receive a 315 signal from the energy harvesting device 130-2 based on the information message. The signal from the energy harvesting device 130-2 can at least include the identifier of the energy harvesting device 130-2 and the identifier of the terminal device 110-1. The signal from the energy harvesting device 130-2 can be a signal backscattered or transmitted from the energy harvesting device 130-2.

[0097] Then, the terminal device 110-2 can transmit 320 to the network device 120 the information associated with at least one energy harvesting device 130, the identifier of the terminal device 110-1, and the identifier of the terminal device 110-2.

[0098] Upon receiving the information associated with at least one energy harvesting device 130 and the identifiers of the terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2, the network device 120 determines 325 to attach at least one energy harvesting device 130 to the terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 based at least on the information and the identifiers of the terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2. For example, the network device 120 can determine to attach at least one of the energy harvesting devices 130-1 and 130-2 to the terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 based at least on the information and the identifiers of the terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2.

[0099] Furthermore, the network device 120 transmits 330 to the terminal device 110-2 a message indicating that at least one energy harvesting device 130 is attached to the terminal device 110-2.

[0100] Similarly, network device 120 transmits a message 335 to terminal device 110-1 indicating that at least one energy harvesting device 130 is attached to terminal device 110-1.

[0101] Upon receiving a message indicating that at least one energy harvesting device 130 is attached to terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2, the attachment of at least one energy harvesting device 130 to terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 is completed.

[0102] In some example embodiments, the attachment of at least one energy harvesting device 130 to terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 determines which illuminator may need to be used to communicate with the energy harvesting device 130, and determines which reader may need to listen for the energy harvesting device 130 when the illuminator is active.

[0103] For example, in an example embodiment where energy harvesting device 130-1 is attached to terminal device 110-1 acting as an illuminator and terminal device 110-2 acting as a reader, terminal device 110-1 must be used to transmit a signal to energy harvesting device 130-1, and terminal device 110-2 must be used to listen for energy harvesting device 130-1.

[0104] Upon receiving a query, energy harvesting device 130-1 transmits a query result 340 to terminal device 110-2, and energy harvesting device 130-2 transmits a query result 345 to terminal device 110-2.

[0105] Upon receiving query results from energy harvesting devices 130-1 and 130-2, terminal device 110-2 transmits a query result 350 to network device 120.

[0106] In some example embodiments, for example, due to the mobility of at least one of the at least one energy harvesting device 130 and terminal device 110-2, at least one energy harvesting device 130 may not be attached to terminal device 110-2. In other words, at least one energy harvesting device 130 may not be within the communication range of terminal device 110-2.

[0107] In some example embodiments, optionally, if terminal device 110-2 detects that at least one energy harvesting device 130 does not respond to terminal device 110-2, terminal device 110-2 may transmit a notification 355 to network device 120, which notification indicates that at least one energy harvesting device 130 does not respond to terminal device 110-2.

[0108] Upon receiving the notification, network device 120 may optionally transmit an information message 275 for re-attaching at least one energy harvesting device 130 to terminal device 110-2.

[0109] It should be noted that the details of the exemplary embodiments described with reference to Figure 2 are also applicable to process 300.

[0110] In some exemplary embodiments, the energy harvesting device 130 has a high density, and the terminal device 110 can be used only as a receiver. This configuration is referred to as a bistatic configuration. In a high-density area (such as area 140), reducing the number of illuminators can reduce the mutual interference between the backscattered signals. Multiple mobile receivers in different directions can act as receivers to assist the fixed illuminator for anti-collision purposes. This will be described with reference to Figure 4 below.

[0111] Figure 4 FIG. shows a signaling diagram illustrating a process 400 for attaching at least one energy harvesting device according to still other exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, process 400 will be described with reference to Figure 1 Process 400 may involve Figure 1 the terminal device 110, the network device 120, and the energy harvesting device 130 in

[0112] In process 400, the terminal device 110-1 may act as a reader / writer / illuminator, and the terminal device 110-2 may act as a mobile receiver. Alternatively, in process 400, the terminal device 110-1 may act as an illuminator, and the terminal device 110-2 may act as a mobile receiver. Alternatively, in process 400, the terminal device 110-1 may act as a reader / writer / illuminator, and the terminal device 110-2 may act as a mobile reader / writer / illuminator.

[0113] The actions at 245, 250, 255, 260, and 265 in process 400 are similar to those in process 200. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, the details of these actions are omitted.

[0114] In addition, the actions at 210 to 240 in process 200 may be performed in process 400. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, these actions are not shown in Figure 4 below.

[0115] As described below, process 400 is different from process 200 in terms of the actions at 410, 415, 420, 425, 430, 435, 440, 445, 450, and 455.

[0116] As Figure 4As shown, the terminal device 110-1 can enter the cell 122, for example, by physically entering or powering on when in the cell 122.

[0117] The terminal device 110-1 can transmit a request 415 to the network device 120, requesting the network device 120 to act as a receiver for at least one energy harvesting device 130.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the request for acting as a receiver may include at least one of the following: · The identification of the terminal device 110-2, · The location of the terminal device 110-2, or · The capability information of the terminal device 110-2.

[0119] Upon receiving the request, the network device 120 transmits a response 420 to the request. The response may include an information message for attaching at least one energy harvesting device 130 to the terminal device 110.

[0120] The energy harvesting device 130-1 broadcasts a signal 425 so that the terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 can receive the signal based on the information message. In some examples, the information message may be broadcast periodically.

[0121] As described above, the signal from the energy harvesting device 130-1 may include at least the identification of the energy harvesting device 130-1. Alternatively or additionally, the signal may include any other auxiliary information used to attach the energy harvesting device 130-1.

[0122] Similarly, the energy harvesting device 130-2 broadcasts a signal 430 so that the terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 can receive the signal based on the information message. In some examples, the information message may be broadcast periodically.

[0123] As described above, the signal from the energy harvesting device 130-2 may include at least the identification of the energy harvesting device 130-2. Alternatively or additionally, the signal may include any other auxiliary information used to attach the energy harvesting device 130-2.

[0124] Upon receiving the signal, the terminal device 110-2 transmits 435 to the network device 120 the information associated with the energy harvesting devices 130-1 and 130-2 and the identification of the terminal device 110-2.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the information associated with the energy harvesting devices 130-1 and 130-2 may include at least one of the following: the identification of the energy harvesting devices 130-1 and 130-2, the power measurement of the signals from the energy harvesting devices 130-1 and 130-2.

[0126] Upon receiving information associated with the energy harvesting devices 130-1 and 130-2 and the identification of the terminal device 110-2, the network device 120 changes the attachment of at least one of the energy harvesting devices 130-1 and 130-2 based on at least one of the number of energy harvesting devices 130, the power measurement of the signals from the energy harvesting devices 130, and the location of the terminal device 110-2.

[0127] For example, since the terminal device 110-2 is closer to the energy harvesting device 130-2 than the terminal device 110-1, the network device 120 can change the attachment of the energy harvesting device 130-2 from being attached to the terminal device 110-1 to being attached to the terminal device 110-2.

[0128] In an example embodiment where the terminal device 110-2 is only implemented as a mobile receiver, the network device 120 can transmit a 445 notification to the terminal device 110-2, which indicates that signal reception from the energy harvesting device 130-2 will start.

[0129] In an example embodiment where the terminal device 110-1 is implemented as a reader / writer / irradiator or a receiver, the network device 120 can transmit a 455 notification to the terminal device 110-1, which indicates that signal reception from the energy harvesting device 130-2 will stop.

[0130] In an example embodiment where the terminal device 110-2 is implemented as a mobile reader / writer / irradiator, the network device 120 can transmit a notification to the terminal device 110-2 to indicate that signal reception from the energy harvesting device 130-2 will start and signals will be transmitted to the energy harvesting device 130-2. The network device 120 can also transmit a notification to the terminal device 110-1, which indicates that the attachment of the energy harvesting device 130-2 is removed.

[0131] In addition, in order to obtain the query result of the energy harvesting device 130-2, the network device 120 can transmit a 450 query configuration to the terminal device 110-2.

[0132] With process 400, the terminal device 110-2 acting as a mobile receiver can operate in a different direction from the terminal device 110-1 acting as a fixed irradiator to assist the fixed irradiator for anti-collision purposes.

[0133] In addition, the terminal device 110-2 acting only as a mobile receiver does not increase the number of irradiators in the area 140, thereby reducing the mutual interference between the backscattered signals.

[0134] It should be noted that with reference to Figure 2 and Figure 3The details of the described example embodiments also apply to process 400.

[0135] In some example embodiments, energy harvesting devices 130 may be distributed in some areas at a high density, such as in area 140 or 150. Network 100 will deploy multiple fixed or mobile readers / irradiators to serve these dense energy harvesting devices 130. In addition, more terminal devices with reader / irradiator capabilities can be added to the network later, and the newly added readers / irradiators can share the burden of the original readers / irradiators. Since multiple readers / irradiators can serve these energy harvesting devices 130, it is necessary to determine which energy harvesting device 130 is attached to which reader / irradiator, what the attachment criteria are, what the signaling interaction process is, and which network node makes the attachment decision. This will be described with reference to the attachment Figures 5 to 8 to describe.

[0136] Figure 5 A flowchart of an example method 500 implemented at a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, method 500 will be described with reference to Figure 1 from the perspective of network device 120.

[0137] At block 510, network device 120 receives first information associated with a first subset of at least one energy harvesting device from a first terminal device.

[0138] At block 520, network device 120 receives second information associated with a second subset of at least one energy harvesting device from a second terminal device.

[0139] At block 530, network device 120 determines to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the first information and the second information.

[0140] Through method 500, network device 120 determines which energy harvesting device 130 to attach to which reader / irradiator based on the information associated with the at least one energy harvesting device.

[0141] Figure 6 A signaling diagram showing a process 600 for attaching at least one energy harvesting device according to another example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, process 600 will be described with reference to Figure 1 Describe process 600. Process 600 may involve Figure 1The terminal device 110, network device 120, and energy harvesting device 130 in

[0142] In process 600, each of the terminal devices 110-3 and 110-4 in the terminal device 110 can act as a reader / writer / irradiator.

[0143] As Figure 6 shown, the network device 120 transmits 610 an information message for attaching at least one energy harvesting device 130 to the terminal device 110.

[0144] Similar to Figure 2 action 210 in

[0145] In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may broadcast the information message in the system information so that all terminal devices 110 in the cell 122 can receive the information message.

[0146] Accordingly, the terminal devices 110-3 and 110-4 in the cell 122 can receive the information message.

[0147] The terminal device 110-3 may transmit 615 an irradiation signal based on the information message. The irradiation signal may include a request for attachment and an identifier of the terminal device 110-3.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110-3 may broadcast the irradiation signal so that at least one energy harvesting device 130 in the area 150 can receive the irradiation signal. For example, at least one of the energy harvesting devices 130-5, 130-6, 130-7, and 130-8 in the area 150 can receive the irradiation signal from the terminal device 110-3.

[0149] Similarly, the terminal device 110-4 may transmit 620 an irradiation signal based on the information message. The irradiation signal may include a request for attachment and an identifier of the terminal device 110-4.

[0150] Furthermore, the energy harvesting device 130-5 can receive the 625 signal. The signal from the energy harvesting device 130-5 can include the identification of the energy harvesting device 130-5 and at least one identification of the terminal devices 110-3 and 110-4. The signal from the energy harvesting device 130-5 can be a signal backscattered or transmitted from the energy harvesting device 130-5.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the energy harvesting device 130-5 can broadcast a signal so that one or more of the terminal devices 110-3 and 110-4 can receive the signal.

[0152] The energy harvesting device 130-6 can receive the 630 signal. The signal from the energy harvesting device 130-6 can include the identification of the energy harvesting device 130-6 and at least one identification of the terminal devices 110-3 and 110-4. The signal from the energy harvesting device 130-6 can be a signal backscattered or transmitted from the energy harvesting device 130-6.

[0153] In some example embodiments, the energy harvesting device 130-6 can broadcast a signal so that one or more of the terminal devices 110-3 and 110-4 can receive the signal.

[0154] The terminal device 110-3 transmits 635 the first information associated with at least a first subset of the energy harvesting devices 130 to the network device 120.

[0155] In some example embodiments, the first information associated with at least a first subset of the energy harvesting devices 130 can include at least one of the following: the identification of at least one of the energy harvesting devices 130-5 to 130-8, the power measurement of the signal from at least one of the energy harvesting devices 130-5 to 130-8.

[0156] For example, the first information associated with at least a first subset of the energy harvesting devices 130 can include: the identification of the energy harvesting device 130-5, the identification of the energy harvesting device 130-6, the identification of the energy harvesting device 130-7, the first power measurement of the first signal from the energy harvesting device 130-5, the power measurement of the signal from the energy harvesting device 130-6, and the power measurement of the signal from the energy harvesting device 130-7.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110-3 can transmit the identification of the terminal device 110-3 together with the first information.

[0158] The terminal device 110-4 transmits second information related to 640 and a second subset of at least one energy harvesting device 130 to the network device 120.

[0159] In some example embodiments, the second information associated with the second subset of at least one energy harvesting device 130 may include at least one of the following: the identification of at least one energy harvesting device among energy harvesting devices 130-5 to 130-8, the power measurement of the signal from at least one energy harvesting device among energy harvesting devices 130-5 to 130-8.

[0160] For example, the second information associated with the second subset of at least one energy harvesting device 130 may include: the identification of energy harvesting device 130-5, the identification of energy harvesting device 130-7, the second power measurement of the second signal from energy harvesting device 130-5, and the power measurement of the signal from energy harvesting device 130-7.

[0161] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110-4 may transmit the identification of the terminal device 110-4 together with the second information.

[0162] Upon receiving the first information and the second information, based on the first information and the second information, the network device 120 determines 645 to attach one or more energy harvesting devices among at least one energy harvesting device 130 to one of the terminal devices 110-3 and 110-4.

[0163] Furthermore, the network device 120 transmits a 650 message to the terminal device 110-3, and the message indicates that at least one energy harvesting device 130 is attached to the terminal device 110-3. For example, if the network device 120 determines to attach the energy harvesting device 130-5 to the terminal device 110-3, the message may include the identification of the energy harvesting device 130-5.

[0164] Similarly, the network device 120 transmits a 655 message to the terminal device 110-4, and the message indicates that at least one energy harvesting device 130 is attached to the terminal device 110-4. For example, if the network device 120 determines to attach the energy harvesting device 130-6 to the terminal device 110-4, the message may include the identification of the energy harvesting device 130-6.

[0165] In some example embodiments, after completing the attachment of the energy harvesting devices 130-5 and 130-6, the network device 120 may transmit a 660 query configuration for at least one attached energy harvesting device 130 to the terminal device 110-3. For example, if the network device 120 determines to attach the energy harvesting device 130-5 to the terminal device 110-3, the query configuration may include at least one of the following: · Identification of the attached energy harvesting device 130-5, · Query the transmission period, or · Query the bandwidth portion to be transmitted.

[0166] Upon receiving the query configuration, the terminal device 110-3 may transmit a query to the energy harvesting device 130-5 and receive a query result from the energy harvesting device 130-5. Further, the terminal device 110-3 may transmit the query result to the network device 120.

[0167] Similarly, the network device 120 may transmit a query configuration for at least one attached energy harvesting device 130 to the terminal device 110-4. For example, if the network device 120 determines to attach the energy harvesting device 130-6 to the terminal device 110-4, the query configuration may include at least one of the following: · Identification of the attached energy harvesting device 130-6, · Query the transmission period, or · Query the bandwidth portion to be transmitted.

[0168] Upon receiving the query configuration, the terminal device 110-4 may transmit a query to the energy harvesting device 130-6 and receive a query result from the energy harvesting device 130-6. Further, the terminal device 110-4 may transmit the query result to the network device 120.

[0169] Reference Figures 2 to 4 The details of the queries described also apply to process 600.

[0170] Hereinafter, some example embodiments for determining to attach the energy harvesting device 130-5 to one of the terminal devices 110-3 and 110-4 will be described with reference to Figure 7 to describe some example embodiments for determining to attach the energy harvesting device 130-5 to one of the terminal devices 110-3 and 110-4.

[0171] Figure 7 A flowchart of an example method 700 implemented at a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 700 may be considered an example implementation of action 530 in Figure 5 or action 645 in Figure 6 For purposes of discussion, method 700 will be described from the perspective of the network device 120 with reference to Figure 1 from the perspective of the network device 120.

[0172] At block 710, the network device 120 determines whether the identification (ID) of the energy harvesting device 130-5 is included only in the first information transmitted by the terminal device 110-3.

[0173] If the ID of the energy harvesting device 130-5 is only included in the first information transmitted by the terminal device 110-3, at block 720, the network device 120 may determine to attach the energy harvesting device 130-5 to the terminal device 110-3.

[0174] On the other hand, if the ID of the energy harvesting device 130-5 is included in both the first information transmitted by the terminal device 110-3 and the second information transmitted by the terminal device 110-4, the network device 120 may compare 730 a first power measurement of a first signal from the energy harvesting device 130-5, a second power measurement of a second signal from the energy harvesting device 130-5, and a power threshold.

[0175] It should be understood that the first signal from the energy harvesting device 130-5 may be a signal received by the terminal device 110-3 from the energy harvesting device 130-5, and the second signal from the energy harvesting device 130-5 may be a signal received by the terminal device 110-4 from the energy harvesting device 130-5.

[0176] Furthermore, the network device 120 may, based on the comparison, determine 740 to attach the energy harvesting device 130-5 to one of the terminal devices 110-3 and 110-4.

[0177] Figure 8 A flowchart of an example method 800 implemented at a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The method 800 may be considered an Figure 7 example implementation of the actions 730 and 740 in. For purposes of discussion, the method 800 will be described with reference to Figure 1 the perspective of the network device 120.

[0178] At block 810, the network device 120 determines whether both the first power measurement and the second power measurement are higher than the power threshold.

[0179] If both the first power measurement and the second power measurement are higher than the power threshold, at block 820 the network device 120 may compare a first number of energy harvesting devices already attached to the terminal device 110-3 with a second number of energy harvesting devices already attached to the terminal device 110-4.

[0180] Furthermore, the network device 120 may, based on the comparison, determine to attach the energy harvesting device 130-5 to one of the terminal devices 110-3 and 110-4.

[0181] In some example embodiments, if a first number of energy harvesting devices attached to the terminal device 110-3 is less than a second number of energy harvesting devices attached to the terminal device 110-4, then at block 830, the network device 120 may determine to attach the energy harvesting device 130-5 to the terminal device 110-3.

[0182] If the first number of energy harvesting devices attached to the terminal device 110-3 is greater than the second number of energy harvesting devices attached to the terminal device 110-4, then at block 840, the network device 120 may determine to attach the energy harvesting device 130-5 to the terminal device 110-4.

[0183] If at block 850 the network device 120 determines that one of a first power measurement and a second power measurement is higher than a power threshold, then at block 860, the network device 120 determines whether the first power measurement is higher than the second power measurement.

[0184] If the first power measurement is higher than the second power measurement, then at block 830, the network device 120 determines to attach the energy harvesting device 130-5 to the terminal device 110-3.

[0185] If the first power measurement is lower than the second power measurement, then at block 840, the network device 120 determines to attach the energy harvesting device 130-5 to the terminal device 110-4.

[0186] If at block 850 the network device 120 determines that both the first power measurement and the second power measurement are lower than the power threshold, then the network device 120 may determine not to perform the attachment of the energy harvesting device 130-5.

[0187] Through methods 700 and 800, the energy harvesting device 130-5 can be attached to the nearest reader / irradiator, or the reader / irradiator with the maximum power measurement on the reverse link, or the reader / irradiator with the minimum load, which achieves some balance in the attachment.

[0188] In some example embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., the network device 120) capable of performing any method 500 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 500. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module. The apparatus may be implemented as or included in the network device 120. In some example embodiments, the components may include a processor and a memory.

[0189] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: means for receiving, at a network device, first information associated with a first subset of at least one energy harvesting device from a first terminal device; means for receiving second information associated with a second subset of at least one energy harvesting device from a second terminal device; and means for determining, based on the first information and the second information, to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0190] In some example embodiments, the means for determining, based on the first information and the second information, to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device includes: means for determining to attach a first energy harvesting device to the first terminal device based on a determination that an identification of the first energy harvesting device among the at least one energy harvesting device is included only in the first information.

[0191] In some example embodiments, the first information includes a first power measurement of a first signal from the first energy harvesting device, and the second information includes a second power measurement of a second signal from the first energy harvesting device.

[0192] In some example embodiments, the means for determining, based on the first information and the second information, to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device includes: means for comparing the first power measurement, the second power measurement, and a power threshold based on a determination that a first identification is included in both the first information and the second information, and means for determining to attach the first energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the comparison.

[0193] In some example embodiments, the means for determining, based on the first information and the second information, to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device includes: means for comparing a first number of energy harvesting devices already attached to the first terminal device and a second number of energy harvesting devices already attached to the second terminal device based on a determination that both the first power measurement and the second power measurement are higher than the power threshold, and means for determining to attach the first energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the comparison.

[0194] In some example embodiments, the component for determining to attach one or more energy harvesting devices of at least one energy harvesting device to one of a first terminal device and a second terminal device based on first information and second information includes: a component for determining whether a first power measurement is higher than a second power measurement according to a determination that one of the first power measurement and the second power measurement is higher than a power threshold, and a component for determining to attach a first energy harvesting device to the first terminal device according to the determination that the first power measurement is higher than the second power measurement.

[0195] In some example embodiments, each of the first signal and the second signal is at least one of the following: a backscattered signal from a passive energy harvesting device, or a transmission signal from an active energy harvesting device.

[0196] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a component for transmitting a query configuration for at least one attached energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device; and a component for receiving a query result from one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0197] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a component for transmitting a query to at least one attached energy harvesting device based on the query configuration.

[0198] In some example embodiments, the query configuration includes at least one of the following: an identifier of at least one energy harvesting device, a period during which the query is transmitted, a bandwidth portion during which the query is transmitted.

[0199] Figure 9 is a simplified block diagram of a device 900 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 900 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 the terminal device 110 or the network device 120 shown. As shown, the device 900 includes one or more processors 910, one or more memories 920 coupled to the processor 910, and one or more communication modules 940 coupled to the processor 910.

[0200] The communication module 940 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 940 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communicating with other network elements.

[0201] As a non-limiting example, the processor 910 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include one or more of the following: a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 900 may have multiple processors, such as an application-specific integrated circuit chip that is clocked subordinate to a synchronous master processor over time.

[0202] The memory 920 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 924, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 922 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power-off.

[0203] The computer program 930 includes computer-executable instructions executed by the associated processor 910. The program 930 may be stored in the ROM 924. The processor 910 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 930 into the RAM 922.

[0204] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program 930 such that the device 900 may execute any process of the present disclosure as discussed with reference to Figures 1 to 8 Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0205] In some example embodiments, the program 930 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 900 (such as in the memory 920) or in other storage devices accessible by the device 900. The device 900 may load the program 930 from the computer-readable medium into the RAM 922 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 10 An example of a computer-readable medium 1000 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. The program 930 is stored on the computer-readable medium.

[0206] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be run by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, as a non-limiting example, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers, or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0207] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor, to perform the methods 500, 700, and 800 described above with reference to Figure 5 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 . Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of program modules can be combined or split among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions for program modules can be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, program modules can be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0208] The program code for performing the methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, such that when the program codes are executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams are implemented. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0209] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data can be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0210] The computer-readable media can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable media can include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or apparatuses, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium will include electrical connections with one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0211] Moreover, although the operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be construed as requiring that the 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. In some instances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the foregoing discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination within a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0212] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the above specific features and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A network device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: receive first information associated with a first subset of at least one energy harvesting device from a first terminal device; receive second information associated with a second subset of the at least one energy harvesting device from a second terminal device; and based on the first information and the second information, determine to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

2. The network device according to claim 1, wherein the network device is caused to determine to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device by: determining to attach the first energy harvesting device to the first terminal device according to the determination that the identification of the first energy harvesting device among the at least one energy harvesting device is only included in the first information.

3. The network device according to claim 2, wherein the first information includes a first power measurement of a first signal from the first energy harvesting device, and the second information includes a second power measurement of a second signal from the first energy harvesting device; and wherein the network device is caused to determine to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device by: according to the determination that the identification is included in both the first information and the second information, compare the first power measurement, the second power measurement and a power threshold, and based on the comparison, determine to attach the first energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

4. The network device according to claim 3, wherein the network device is caused to determine to attach the first energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the comparison by: according to the determination that both the first power measurement and the second power measurement are higher than the power threshold, compare a first number of energy harvesting devices already attached to the first terminal device with a second number of energy harvesting devices already attached to the second terminal device, and based on the comparison, determine to attach the first energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

5. The network device according to claim 3, wherein the network device is caused to determine to attach the first energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the comparison by: according to the determination that one of the first power measurement and the second power measurement is higher than the power threshold, Determine whether the first power measurement is higher than the second power measurement, and Based on the determination that the first power measurement is higher than the second power measurement, determine to attach the first energy harvesting device to the first terminal device.

6. The network device according to claim 3, wherein each of the first signal and the second signal is at least one of the following: A backscatter signal from a passive energy harvesting device, or A transmission signal from an active energy harvesting device.

7. The network device according to claim 1, wherein the network device is further configured to: Transmit a query configuration for at least one attached energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device; and Receive a query result from one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

8. The network device according to claim 7, wherein the network device is further configured to: Transmit a query to the at least one attached energy harvesting device based on the configuration.

9. The network device according to claim 7, wherein the query configuration includes at least one of the following: An identifier of the at least one energy harvesting device, A period during which the query is transmitted, or A bandwidth portion during which the query is transmitted.

10. An apparatus, comprising: Components for receiving, at a network device, first information associated with a first subset of at least one energy harvesting device from a first terminal device; Components for receiving second information associated with a second subset of the at least one energy harvesting device from a second terminal device; And Components for determining, based on the first information and the second information, to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the components for determining, based on the first information and the second information, to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device include: Components for determining to attach the first energy harvesting device to the first terminal device based on the determination that an identifier of a first energy harvesting device among the at least one energy harvesting device is only included in the first information.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first information includes a first power measurement of a first signal from the first energy harvesting device, and the second information includes a second power measurement of a second signal from the first energy harvesting device; and wherein the components for determining, based on the first information and the second information, to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device include: Based on the determination that the first identifier is included in both the first information and the second information, Components for comparing the first power measurement, the second power measurement, and a power threshold, and A component for determining, based on the comparison, to which one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device to attach the first energy harvesting device.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the component for determining, based on the first information and the second information, to which one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device comprises: Based on the determination that both the first power measurement and the second power measurement are higher than the power threshold, A component for comparing a first number of energy harvesting devices already attached to the first terminal device and a second number of energy harvesting devices already attached to the second terminal device, and A component for determining, based on the comparison, to which one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device to attach the first energy harvesting device.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the component for determining, based on the first information and the second information, to which one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device comprises: Based on the determination that one of the first power measurement and the second power measurement is higher than the power threshold, A component for determining whether the first power measurement is higher than the second power measurement, and A component for determining, based on the determination that the first power measurement is higher than the second power measurement, to attach the first energy harvesting device to the first terminal device.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein each of the first signal and the second signal is at least one of the following: A backscattered signal from a passive energy harvesting device, or A transmission signal from an active energy harvesting device.

16. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising: A component for transmitting, to the one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device, a query configuration for at least one attached energy harvesting device; And A component for receiving a query result from the one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising: A component for transmitting a query to the at least one attached energy harvesting device based on the query configuration.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the query configuration comprises at least one of the following: An identifier of the at least one energy harvesting device, A period during which the query is transmitted, or A bandwidth portion during which the query is transmitted.

19. A method, comprising: Receiving, at a network device, first information associated with a first subset of at least one energy harvesting device from a first terminal device; Receiving second information associated with a second subset of the at least one energy harvesting device from a second terminal device; And Based on the first information and the second information, determine to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein determining to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the first information and the second information comprises: Determine to attach the first energy harvesting device to the first terminal device according to the determination that the identification of the first energy harvesting device among the at least one energy harvesting device is only included in the first information.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the first information includes a first power measurement of a first signal from the first energy harvesting device, and the second information includes a second power measurement of a second signal from the first energy harvesting device; and wherein determining to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the first information and the second information comprises: According to the determination that the first identification is included in both the first information and the second information, Compare the first power measurement, the second power measurement and a power threshold, and Based on the comparison, determine to attach the first energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein determining to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the first information and the second information comprises: According to the determination that both the first power measurement and the second power measurement are higher than the power threshold, Compare a first number of energy harvesting devices already attached to the first terminal device and a second number of energy harvesting devices already attached to the second terminal device, and Based on the comparison, determine to attach the first energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein determining to attach one or more of the at least one energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the first information and the second information comprises: According to the determination that one of the first power measurement and the second power measurement is higher than the power threshold, Determine whether the first power measurement is higher than the second power measurement, and According to the determination that the first power measurement is higher than the second power measurement, determine to attach the first energy harvesting device to the first terminal device.

24. The method according to claim 21, wherein each of the first signal and the second signal is at least one of the following: Backscatter signals from a passive energy harvesting device, or Transmission signals from an active energy harvesting device.

25. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: Transmitting a query configuration for at least one attached energy harvesting device to one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device; And Receiving a query result from one of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

26. The method according to claim 25, further comprising: Transmitting a query to the at least one attached energy harvesting device based on the query configuration.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein the query configuration comprises at least one of the following: An identifier of the at least one energy harvesting device, A period during which the query is transmitted, or A bandwidth portion during which the query is transmitted.

28. A computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing a device to perform at least the method according to any one of claims 19 to 27.

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