Detecting and preventing oscillations

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to a device and method for detecting and preventing oscillation and a computer readable storage medium. In the method, a first device transmits to a second device an indication to cause the second device to transmit an activation signal to a third device. The activation signal includes a command to enable the reflective amplifier. The first device receives, from the third device, a first signal backscattered based on the activation signal. The reflective amplifier has been turned on at the third device. Further, if the first signal cannot be successfully decoded, the first device sends a request to the second device to reduce the power for sending the activation signal to the third device, and / or to cause the third device to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier. In this manner, the proposed method can advantageously enhance signal quality and avoid interference.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of UK application number 2402080.2 filed on 15 February 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0002] Various example embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and in particular, to methods, devices, apparatus, and computer-readable storage media for detecting and preventing oscillations. Background Art

[0003] Regarding Internet of Things (IoT) applications, narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) / enhanced machine-type communications (eMTC) and New Radio (NR) reduced capability (Red Cap) have been specified to meet the requirements for low-cost and low-power devices for wide-area IoT communications. These IoT devices typically consume tens or hundreds of milliwatts of power during transmission and reception, costing only a few dollars. However, to achieve the Internet of Everything, IoT devices with tenfold or even a hundredfold lower cost and power consumption are desired, especially for a wide range of applications requiring battery-free devices. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: send an instruction to a second device to cause the second device to send an activation signal to a third device, the activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier; receive a first signal backscattered based on the activation signal from the third device, wherein the reflection amplifier has been turned on at the third device; and, if it is determined that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded, send a request to the second device to perform at least one of the following: reduce the power used to send the activation signal to the third device, or cause the third device to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier.

[0005] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: in response to receiving an instruction from a first device to cause the second device to send an activation signal to a third device, send an activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier to the third device; and in response to receiving a request from the first device to reduce the power used to send the activation signal to the third device, send the activation signal to the third device using the reduced power, or in response to receiving a request from the first device to cause the third device to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier, send another request to the third device to reduce the reflection gain.

[0006] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a third device is provided. The third device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third device to at least: receive an activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier from a second device; and transmit a first signal backscattered based on the activation signal to a first device, wherein the reflection amplifier is already turned on at the third device, and wherein a reflection gain of the reflection amplifier operates at full gain or a variable gain.

[0007] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: sending an instruction to a second device to cause the second device to send an activation signal to a third device, the activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier; receiving a first signal backscattered based on the activation signal from the third device, wherein the reflection amplifier has been turned on at the third device; and if it is determined that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded, sending a request to the second device to perform at least one of the following: reducing power used to send the activation signal to the third device, or causing the third device to reduce a reflection gain of the reflection amplifier.

[0008] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: in response to receiving an instruction from a first device to cause a second device to send an activation signal to a third device, sending an activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier to the third device; and in response to receiving a request from the first device to reduce power used to send the activation signal to the third device, sending the activation signal to the third device using the reduced power, or in response to receiving a request from the first device to cause the third device to reduce a reflection gain of the reflection amplifier, sending another request to the third device to reduce the reflection gain.

[0009] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided, comprising: receiving an activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier from a second device; and transmitting a first signal backscattered based on the activation signal to a first device, wherein the reflection amplifier has been turned on at a third device, wherein a reflection gain of the reflection amplifier operates at full gain or variable gain.

[0010] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes a component for sending an instruction to a second device to cause the second device to send an activation signal to a third device, the activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier; a component for receiving a first signal backscattered from the third device based on the activation signal, wherein the reflection amplifier has been turned on at the third device; and a component for, if it is determined that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded, sending a request to the second device to perform at least one of the following: reducing the power used to send the activation signal to the third device, or causing the third device to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier.

[0011] In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes a component for, in response to receiving an instruction from a first device to cause the second device to send an activation signal to the third device, sending an activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier to the third device; and a component for, in response to receiving a request from the first device to reduce the power used to send the activation signal to the third device, sending the activation signal to the third device using a reduced power, or, in response to receiving a request from the first device to cause the third device to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier, sending another request to the third device to reduce the reflection gain.

[0012] In a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a third device is provided. The third device includes a component for receiving an activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier from a second device; and a component for transmitting a first signal backscattered based on the activation signal to a first device, wherein the reflection amplifier has been turned on at the third device, and wherein a reflection gain of the reflection amplifier operates at full gain or variable gain.

[0013] In a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, the instructions being configured to cause a device to at least execute the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0014] In an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, the instructions being configured to cause a device to at least execute the method according to the fifth aspect.

[0015] In a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, the instructions being configured to cause a device to at least execute the method according to the sixth aspect.

[0016] It should be understood that this summary is not intended to identify the key features or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] Figure 1 An example communication environment is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing a first connection topology;

[0020] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a second connection topology;

[0021] Figure 4A A schematic diagram showing downlink assistance of a third connection topology;

[0022] Figure 4B A schematic diagram showing uplink assistance of a third connection topology is shown;

[0023] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of a fourth connection topology;

[0024] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating periodic user equipment (UE) power tuning for detecting and preventing oscillations is shown;

[0025] Figure 7 shows a signaling diagram for detecting and preventing oscillations according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 8 shows a signaling diagram for oscillation detection upon backscattering according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 9 shows a signaling diagram for a UE multi-scattering solution for oscillation detection upon backscattering according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 10 shows a signaling diagram for a variable gain process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 11 A schematic diagram illustrating UE reader behavior according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0031] Figure 13 A flowchart illustrating a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0032] Figure 14 A flowchart illustrating a method implemented at a third device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0033] Figure 15 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0034] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and help those skilled in the art understand and implement the present disclosure without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways different from the manner described below.

[0036] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0037] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to assert such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0038] It should be understood that, although the term "first", "second" etc. before (a plurality of) nouns can be used to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish an element from another element and they do not limit the order of nouns. For example, without departing from the scope of example embodiments, the first element can be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element can be referred to as the first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0039] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions, where a list of two or more elements is connected 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.

[0040] As used herein, unless explicitly stated otherwise, performing a step "in response to A" does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after "A" occurs and may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0041] The terms used herein are used only to describe particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "having," "includes," and / or "including," when used herein, specify the presence of the 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.

[0042] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation only in analog and / or digital circuits) and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) and software / firmware and (ii) any portion of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s), software and memory) that work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions, and (c) Hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or portion(s) of microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when not required for operation.

[0043] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, and if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also covers a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit used in a mobile device or server, a cellular network device, or other computing or networking device.

[0044] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network equipment in the communication network can be carried out according to any suitable generation communication protocol, 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), sixth generation (6G) communication protocols and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communications, there are of course future types of communication technologies and systems that can implement the present disclosure. It should not be considered that the scope of the present disclosure is limited to the above-mentioned systems.

[0045] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from it. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNode B or eNB), a NR NB (also known as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a repeater, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a femto, a micro, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or a non-terrestrial network device, a low-power node such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied. In some example embodiments, a radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at an IAB donor node. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves similarly to a UE to a parent node, while the DU portion of the IAB node behaves similarly to a base station to a next-hop IAB node.

[0046] The term "terminal device" refers to any end device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS) or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local 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 facilities, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMD), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) portion of an IAB node (eg, a relay node).In the following description, the terms "terminal device," "communication device," "terminal," "user equipment," and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0047] As used herein, the terms "resources," "transmission resources," "resource blocks," "physical resource blocks" (PRBs), "uplink resources," or "downlink resources" may refer to any resources used to perform communications, for example, communications between a terminal device and a network device, such as resources in the time domain, resources in the frequency domain, resources in the spatial domain, resources in the code domain, or any other combination of time, frequency, space, and / or code domain resources that enable communications. Hereinafter, unless explicitly stated otherwise, resources in the frequency domain and the time domain will be used as examples of transmission resources for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It is noteworthy that the example embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0048] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. In the communication environment 100, there are multiple communication devices, such as a first device 110, a second device 120, a third device 130, and a fourth device 140. Any two of these four devices can communicate with each other.

[0049] As briefly mentioned above, the number of IoT connections has grown rapidly in recent years and is predicted to be in the hundreds of billions in the near future. As more and more "things" are expected to be interconnected to improve production efficiency and increase the comfort of life, there is a need to further reduce the size, cost and power consumption of IoT devices. In particular, due to the huge consumption of materials and manpower, regular replacement of batteries for all IoT devices is impractical. Using energy harvested from the environment to drive self-sustaining communication of IoT devices has become a trend, especially in applications with a large number of devices (e.g., identity (ID) tags and sensors).

[0050] The most critical issue with existing Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) technologies in target use cases is their ability to work with energy harvesting, given the limited device size. Cellular devices typically consume tens or even hundreds of milliwatts of power for transceiver processing. Taking an NB-IoT module as an example, the typical current consumption for receive processing is approximately 60mA with a supply voltage above 3.1V, while transmit processing at 0dBm transmit power is approximately 70mA. Furthermore, given the small size of actual devices, which can reach a few square centimeters, the output power provided by typical energy harvesters is mostly less than 1mW. Since the available power is far less than the consumed power, directly powering cellular devices through energy harvesting is impractical in most cases.

[0051] One possible solution is to integrate energy harvesting with rechargeable batteries or supercapacitors. However, several issues remain to be addressed. First, in practical applications, both rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors can suffer from a shortened lifespan. Energy harvesting is difficult to provide a constant charging current or voltage, and because the output power from the energy harvester is very low, long periods of continuous charging are required. Both the non-constant charging current and the long periods of continuous charging are detrimental to battery lifespan. For supercapacitors, their lifespan is significantly reduced in high-temperature environments (e.g., less than three years at 50°C). Second, device size can be significantly increased. Because small coin-cell batteries can only provide tens of milliamperes of current, much larger batteries (e.g., AA batteries) are typically used to power cellular devices, often larger than the module itself. To store energy for a reasonable operating duration (e.g., one second), the required capacitance of a supercapacitor is in the hundreds of millifarads. Such a supercapacitor can be larger than the NB-IoT module. Third, both rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors can be more expensive than the module itself. Even purchased in large quantities, a suitable battery or supercapacitor can cost one or several dollars, nearly doubling the cost of the device.

[0052] Radio frequency identification (RFID) is the most well-known technology for battery-free tags (devices). Commercial passive RFID tags can consume as little as 1 microwatt. The key technologies enabling this low power consumption are envelope detection for downlink data reception and backscatter communication for uplink data transmission. RFID is designed for short-range communication, typically with an effective range of less than 10 meters. Because the RFID air interface has remained virtually unchanged since 2005, its overly simple transmission scheme has become an obstacle to improving its link budget and its ability to support scalable networks.

[0053] Attracted by the extremely low power consumption of backscatter communication, many non-3GPP technologies have begun research, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), and Long Range Radio (LoRa). Various studies have demonstrated that power consumption of a few microwatts or tens of microwatts for passive tags can be achieved using or utilizing minor modifications to the aforementioned air interfaces. A significant portion of this research is targeting long-range communication. For example, a LoRa tag implemented with commercial off-the-shelf components can transmit sensor data to a receiver up to 381 meters away. Currently, most research focuses on individual, detailed technologies targeting various optimization objectives. Comprehensive system designs that fully meet the requirements of the target use cases are elusive. However, standardization of these technologies is flexible and rapid, as the industry generally adheres to de facto standards. This means that once a private standard demonstrates competitiveness in certain applications, many products on the market will even adhere to it.

[0054] A passive radio is a device that uses energy from a wireless signal transmitted over a specific carrier and / or bandwidth to charge a simple circuit that, once activated, transmits / reflects a signal that encodes at least the ID of the passive radio. A typical system architecture for a passive radio includes: 1) Activator: A device that sends an activation signal with the goal of waking up a passive radio. 2) Passive radio: Utilizes energy over a certain frequency range and listens for an activation signal. Upon detecting such a signal, the passive radio transmits / reflects a signal specific to that radio ID. 3) Reader: A device that listens for and detects passive radio signals. A reader can be used with or without an activator.

[0055] In existing designs related to ambient IoT, three device types have been identified: 1) Device A: No energy storage, no independent signal generation / amplification, i.e., backscatter transmission. 2) Device B: Energy storage, no independent signal generation, i.e., backscatter transmission. The use of stored energy may include amplification of the reflected signal. 3) Device C: has energy storage and independent signal generation, i.e., active RF components for transmission.

[0056] The design target for device A's power consumption is 1 μW or less, or 10 μW or less. The design target for device B's power consumption is greater than device A and less than device C. Furthermore, the design target for device C's power consumption is 1 mW or less, or 10 mW or less.

[0057] The device complexity design target for device A is comparable to that of UHF RFID. The device complexity design target for device B is equal to or greater than that of device A and less than or equal to that of device C. Furthermore, the device complexity design target for device C is orders of magnitude lower than that of NB-IoT.

[0058] Furthermore, Table 1 and Table 2 below describe the functionalities to be addressed during the ambient IoT study. Table 1 - Functions to be solved for the design goals Table 2 - Features to be addressed for the requested features

[0059] Several connectivity topologies for ambient IoT networks and devices are defined for the purpose of this study and are described in detail below. In all of these topologies, an ambient IoT (AIoT) device can be provided with a segment of carrier from other (multiple) nodes inside or outside the topology. The links in each topology can be bidirectional or unidirectional. A base station (BS), UE, auxiliary node, or intermediate node can be multiple BSs or UEs, respectively. A mix of indoor and outdoor placement of such nodes is considered as a network implementation option.

[0060] Figure 2 A schematic diagram 200 is shown of a first connection topology, which can be represented as "BS<->AIoT device". Figure 2 In Topology 1, ambient IoT devices communicate directly and bidirectionally with a base station. Communications between the base station and the ambient IoT devices include ambient IoT data and / or signaling. This topology allows for the possibility that the base station transmitting to the ambient IoT device may be different from the base station receiving from the ambient IoT device.

[0061] Figure 3 A schematic diagram 300 is shown of a second connection topology, which can be represented as "BS<->Intermediate Node<->AIoT Device". Figure 3In Topology 2, ambient IoT devices communicate bidirectionally with intermediate nodes between the devices and the base station. In this topology, intermediate nodes can be relays, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, UEs, repeaters, and other devices that enable ambient IoT. Intermediate nodes transfer information between the base station and the ambient IoT devices.

[0062] Figure 4A A schematic diagram 400 showing downlink assistance for a third connection topology is shown, and Figure 4B A schematic diagram 410 of uplink assistance of a third connection topology is shown. The third connection topology can be represented as "BS<->Assisting Node<->AIoT Device<->BS Device". Figure 4A and Figure 4B In topology 3, an ambient IoT device sends data / signaling to a base station and receives data / signaling from a secondary node; or an ambient IoT device receives data / signaling from a base station and sends data / signaling to a secondary node. In this topology, the secondary node can be a relay, IAB, UE, repeater, or other device capable of implementing ambient IoT.

[0063] Figure 5 A schematic diagram 500 is shown of a fourth connection topology, which may be represented as "UE<->AIoT device". Figure 5 In topology 4 shown, the ambient IoT device communicates bidirectionally with the UE. The communication between the UE and the ambient IoT device includes ambient IoT data and / or signaling.

[0064] It is desirable to research a coordinated air interface design with minimized differences (where necessary) for ambient IoT to enable the following devices: 1) ~1μW peak power consumption, energy storage in the device, up to 10 X ppm initial sampling frequency offset (SFO), neither DL nor UL amplification. The device's UL transmission is backscattered on an externally provided carrier. 2) ≤ several hundred μW peak power consumption 1 , there is energy storage in the device, up to 10 X ppm of initial sampling frequency offset (SFO), amplification DL and / or UL. The UL transmission of the device can be generated internally by the device or backscattered on an externally provided carrier. The coverage design target is a maximum distance of 10m-50m when the device is indoors. For topology 1 and topology 2 (UE as an intermediate node under NW control), there is no radio resource control (RRC) state, no mobility (i.e., at least no cell selection / class reselection functionality), no hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), and no automatic repeat request (ARQ).

[0065] It should be understood that “≤ several hundred μW” means that the multiple WGs are not responsible for setting a specific value, and should leave it to the WGs to discuss and determine whether the presented design with the corresponding power consumption meets the “≤ several hundred μW” requirement.

[0066] The deployment scenario has the following characteristics: 1) Deployment scenario 1 with topology 1: base stations and coexistence characteristics: micro cells, co-sites; 2) Deployment scenario 2 with topology 2 and UE as intermediate node under network control: base station and coexistence characteristics: macro cell, co-site; and the location of the intermediate node is indoor.

[0067] In addition, the following is expected: Frequency Range 1 (FR1) licensed spectrum in Frequency Division Duplex (FDD); spectrum deployment in-band to NR, spectrum deployment in guard bands to LTE / NR, and spectrum deployment in (multiple) independent bands; device termination triggering (DO-DTT) of service types DO, DT, focus on rUC1 (indoor inventory) and rUC4 (indoor commands). In addition, the study will evaluate whether a coordinated air interface design can address DO-A (device-initiated autonomous) use cases, and identify which parts of the coordinated air interface design alone are insufficient for DO-A use cases.

[0068] Transmissions from ambient IoT devices (including backscatter when used) may occur at least in the uplink (UL) spectrum.

[0069] Device Type A and Device Type B rely on backscatter communication, where modulation is typically achieved by switching the antenna between two passive loads (load modulation). This is a low-power communication scheme, but can result in a low SNR at the reader because, in most practical cases, the passive load attenuates the incident signal before reflecting it, resulting in reflection losses (equivalent to a lower modulation factor).

[0070] Device Type B can further improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by utilizing a low-power reflection amplifier, thereby achieving reflection gain. A reflection amplifier is a single-port, sub-biased oscillator that operates with low current (microamp to milliamp current consumption) and presents a negative resistance at its single port. This negative resistance translates into reflection gain, i.e., amplifying and reflecting the incident signal.

[0071] A practical issue with reflection amplifiers is stability. In the presence of a high-power incident RF signal, the reflection amplifier can begin to oscillate, which can cause unwanted interference and compromise the AIoT device data at the reader.

[0072] The present disclosure provides methods for detecting such oscillations from an AIoT Type-B device having a reflection amplifier, and controlling its reflection gain to suppress the oscillations.

[0073] Figure 6 The proposed method for detecting and suppressing oscillations from reflection gain AIoT devices is depicted. According to the proposed method, the Session Control Unit (SCU) will configure the luminaire and the reader. The luminaire can be a UE or any active node in the network. The reader can be a gNB or any active node in the network. The UE queries the ambient IoT devices (AIoT) for its device capabilities, such as reflection gain capability. AIoT devices with reflection gain capability can be turned on or off by the luminaire. The gNB can estimate its signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) from the luminaire, including oscillations from the AIoT devices. The gNB uses the SINR and "bad" signal detection to adjust the UE lighting power and turn on / off the AIoT device reflection gain to optimize the SINR and "bad" signal detection received by the gNB. This process is performed in Figure 6 is outlined in Figure 6 A schematic diagram 600 illustrating periodic UE power tuning to detect and prevent oscillations is shown.

[0074] The proposed method can improve the signal quality and performance of communication between illuminators and readers by reducing or eliminating oscillations from reflected gain AIoT devices. Furthermore, the proposed method can optimize the energy consumption of both UEs and AIoT devices by adjusting their power levels based on channel conditions and SINR requirements. Furthermore, the proposed method can enhance the scalability and flexibility of the network by allowing any active node to act as either a illuminator or reader for an AIoT device.

[0075] The proposed method consists of two solutions: 1) on / off reflected gain at ambient IoT devices and related signaling frameworks; and 2) variable gain at ambient IoT and related signaling frameworks. Details of the two solutions are provided below.

[0076] According to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, the solution includes at least one of the following features: signaling for requesting reflection capability from an AIoT device; signaling for controlling reflection gain (enable / disable); and signaling for controlling illuminator power to avoid oscillation or determining whether a reflection amplifier enters unstable operation by detecting oscillation in a gNB.

[0077] By means of the above-mentioned feature(s), the proposed method can advantageously, for example, increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) required for backscatter reception (e.g., by requesting REFL_GAIN) and avoid interference by controlling unstable oscillations (by requesting PASSIVE). In addition, if reflection gain is not required (e.g., by requesting PASSIVE), the proposed method can also save AIoT device energy and thus reduce the power in the luminaire device.

[0078] Example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0079] Figure 7 A signaling diagram 700 for detecting and preventing oscillations according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, the signaling diagram 700 will refer to Figure 1 The discussion proceeds, for example, using a first device 110, a second device 120, and a third device 130. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may comprise a receiving device associated with an ambient Internet of Things (IoT). By way of example and not limitation, the first device 110 may comprise a gNB or any other suitable network device. Alternatively, the first device 110 may comprise a user equipment (UE) or any other suitable terminal device. In this case, the proposed solution may involve a fourth device. By way of example and not limitation, the fourth device may comprise a gNB, while the first device 110 comprises a UE.

[0080] In addition, the second device 120 may include a sending device associated with the ambient IoT, such as another user device, etc. In addition, the third device 130 may include an ambient IoT (AIoT) device. In some example embodiments, the second device 120 and the third device 130 may be included in one physical entity. Alternatively, the second device 120 and the third device 130 may also be implemented as different physical entities that are communicatively coupled to each other. It should be understood that the above description is described for descriptive purposes only. The first device 110, the second device 120, the third device 130 and / or the fourth device 140 may also be implemented in any other suitable manner. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0081] In signaling diagram 700, first device 110 sends (710) an instruction to second device 120 to cause second device 120 to send an activation signal to third device 130. The activation signal includes a command to enable a reflection amplifier. By way of example and not limitation, this instruction can be used to initiate an AIoT communication session with third device 130. Thus, first device 110 initiates an AIoT communication session via second device 120.

[0082] The second device 120 receives 715 the instruction from the first device 110 and sends 720 an activation signal including a command to enable the reflection amplifier to the third device 130. In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may send the activation signal using the maximum power of the second device 120.

[0083] The third device 130 receives (725) an activation signal from the second device 120. The third device 130 may turn on the reflection amplifier in response to receiving the activation signal. In addition, the third device 130 transmits (730) the first signal backscattered based on the activation signal to the first device 110. In some example embodiments, the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier may be operated at full gain. Alternatively, the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier may be operated at variable gain. This will be described in detail below.

[0084] The first device 110 receives (735) the first signal from the third device 130 and determines whether the first signal can be successfully decoded. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may determine a signal quality metric and a signal strength metric based on the first signal. By way of example and not limitation, the signal quality metric may include a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), a signal to noise ratio (SNR), etc. The signal strength metric may include a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), etc.

[0085] Additionally, the first device 110 may determine a first differential metric between the signal quality metric and a previous signal quality metric, and a second differential metric between the signal strength metric and a previous signal strength metric. The first device 110 may determine whether the first signal can be successfully decoded based on at least the first differential metric and the second differential metric. In an example embodiment, if it is determined that the first differential metric is greater than a first threshold and the second differential metric is less than a second threshold, the first device 110 may determine that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded.

[0086] In another example embodiment, first device 110 may determine whether third device 130 is in a static state based on at least one mobility condition. If third device 130 is determined to be in a static state, first device 110 may compare the first differential metric with a first threshold and may compare the second differential metric with a second threshold. If the first differential metric is determined to be greater than the first threshold and the second differential metric is less than the second threshold, first device 110 may determine that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded.

[0087] For example, whether the first signal can be successfully decoded can be determined based on RSSI and SINR. For example, if the first device 110 detects high RSSI but low SINR, which may subsequently lead to low-quality decoding, it can be determined that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded, which may be due to unstable oscillations.

[0088] By means of the above detection process, the proposed method can conveniently determine whether the first signal can be successfully decoded more efficiently and accurately. For example, the above detection process can be used to detect unexpected oscillations. It should be understood that the above description and examples are described for illustrative purposes only. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0089] If it is determined that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded, the first device 110 sends (740) a request to the second device 120 to perform at least one of the following: reducing power used to send the activation signal to the third device 130, or causing the third device 130 to reduce a reflection gain of the reflection amplifier.

[0090] If the second device 120 receives (745) a request from the first device 110 to reduce the power used to transmit the activation signal to the third device 130, the second device 120 may transmit (750) the activation signal to the third device 130 using the reduced power. Accordingly, the third device 130 may receive (755) the activation signal with the reduced power. For example, the reduced power may be lower than the maximum power of the second device 120. Thus, undesirable oscillations may be effectively avoided.

[0091] Alternatively, if the second device 120 receives (745) a request from the first device 110 for the third device 130 to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier, the second device 120 may send (760) another request to reduce the reflection gain to the third device 130. After receiving (765) the request to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier from the second device 120, the third device 130 may send the first signal with the reduced reflection gain. Thus, undesirable oscillations can be effectively avoided.

[0092] In some example additional embodiments, the first device 110 may send a request for capability information of the third device 130 related to an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) to the second device 120 , so that the second device 120 requests the capability information from the third device 130 .

[0093] Additionally or alternatively, if the first device 110 receives a trigger of an instruction from the fourth device 140, an instruction for causing the second device 120 to send an activation signal to the third device 130 may be sent to the second device 120. For example, the fourth device 140 may send a request for capability information of the third device 130 related to the ambient Internet of Things (IoT) to the second device 120, so that the second device 120 requests the capability information from the third device 130.

[0094] Accordingly, the second device 120 may receive a request for capability information related to the ambient Internet of Things (IoT) of the third device 130 from the first device 110 or the fourth device 140, and send a request for capability information to the third device 130. After receiving the request for capability information related to the ambient Internet of Things (IoT) of the third device 130 from the second device 120, the third device 130 may send the capability information to the first device 110 or the fourth device 140.

[0095] Accordingly, the first device 110 may receive the second signal backscattered from the third device 130. The second signal may indicate capability information of the third device 130. Alternatively, the fourth device 140 may receive the second signal backscattered from the third device 130. By way of example and not limitation, the capability information of the third device 130 may include a gain level.

[0096] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may determine the distortion amplitude to be reduced based on the capability information of the third device 130. Furthermore, the first device 110 may send a request including the amplitude to the second device 120 so that the third device 130 reduces the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier. In this case, the request (745) received at the second device 120 may include the distortion amplitude to be reduced determined based on the capability information of the third device 130, and the further request (760) sent to the third device 130 may include the distortion amplitude to be reduced. Therefore, the third device 130 may determine the reflection gain to be reduced based on the distortion amplitude to be reduced.

[0097] Additionally or alternatively, if it is determined that the first signal can be successfully decoded, the first device 110 may send an instruction to the second device 120 to configure ambient Internet of Things (IoT) communication using passive communication. The second device 120 may receive the instruction and send a signal to the third device 130 to disable the reflection amplifier. After receiving the signal to disable the reflection amplifier from the second device 120, the third device 130 may turn off the reflection amplifier. Therefore, the proposed solution can achieve lower power consumption and is therefore more energy-efficient.

[0098] In view of the above, the proposed method can effectively increase the signal quality required for backscatter reception and avoid interference by controlling unstable oscillations. In addition, if reflection gain is not required, the proposed method can also save energy in the third device and thus reduce power consumption at the second device.

[0099] The following will refer to Figures 8-10 Describe in more detail Figure 7 First, the following will refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9The scheme of switching on / off reflection gain at ambient IoT devices and the related signaling framework is described in more detail. Figure 8 A signaling diagram 800 for oscillation detection upon backscattering is shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0100] exist Figure 8 In the example, gNB 801 can be Figure 1 In one example implementation of the first device 110, the UE 802 may be Figure 1 An example implementation of the second apparatus 120 in , and the AIoT device 803 may be Figure 1 An example implementation of the third device 130 in .

[0101] Initially, the SCU configures gNB 801 as an AIoT reader and the UE as an AIoT illuminator, also referred to below as an AIoT activator or UE illuminator. At 810, gNB 801 requests AIoT device capabilities via the UE illuminator. At 815, UE 802 queries AIoT capabilities via a lighting session with instructions to provide device capabilities. At 820, AIoT device 803 backscatters its device capabilities in the default configuration (reflection gain on / off). For example, AIoT device 803 reports capabilities such as REFL_GAIN and / or PASSIVE_BACK.

[0102] At 825, gNB 801 initiates an AIoT communication session via UE 802 (i.e., luminaire, which is sometimes referred to as an "activator"). At 830, UE 802 (luminaire) initiates an AIoT communication session at a maximum power of P. tx An activation signal is sent, including an AIoT command, to enable the backscatter reflection amplifier. At 835, AIoT device 803 turns on the backscatter reflection amplifier. In this case, the power is too high, and the amplifier becomes unstable (oscillations). At 840, AIoT device 803 backscatters the signal using full reflection gain. At 845, gNB 801 receives the backscatter signal and detects a high received signal strength indicator (RSSI), but a low SINR, which subsequently results in poor quality decoding.

[0103] At 850, gNB 801 requests UE 802 (illuminator) to reduce power. At 855, UE 802 receives the luminaire at reduced power P. txAn activation signal including an AIoT command is sent to enable the backscatter reflection amplifier. At 860, AIoT device 803 backscatters the signal using full reflection gain. At 865, because the reflected backscatter signal is not compressed (i.e., self-interference is minimized, resulting in a high SINR and high RSSI), gNB 801 can decode the data, thus avoiding oscillations. At 870, gNB 801 configures AIoT communication via UE 802 (the luminaire) using passive communication (e.g., not using the backscatter reflection amplifier). At 875, the AIoT device turns off the backscatter reflection amplifier. At 880, gNB 801 requests UE 802 to stop lighting.

[0104] In some alternative embodiments, gNB 801 can gradually increase or decrease the power of UE 802 (illuminator) based on the received signal. Additionally or alternatively, gNB 801 can be replaced with an additional UE as the reading entity. Furthermore, the operation of gNB 801 and UE 802(s) can be combined into a single entity with full-duplex operation or dual antennas with sufficient isolation. In addition, AIoT device 803 can enable multiple levels of backscatter reflection amplifier gain.

[0105] Figure 9 A signaling diagram 900 is shown for a UE multi-scattering scheme for oscillation detection upon backscattering according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 9 , UE1 901 can be Figure 1 In an example implementation of the first device 110, UE 2902 may be Figure 1 In an example implementation of the second apparatus 120, the AIoT device 903 may be Figure 1 An example implementation of the third apparatus 130 in the embodiment of the present invention, and the gNB 904 may be Figure 1 An example implementation of the fourth device 140 in .

[0106] Initially, the CU configures UE1 901 and gNB 904 as AIoT readers and UE2 as an AIoT illuminator, also referred to below as an AIoT activator or UE illuminator. At 910, gNB 904 requests the capabilities of AIoT device 903 via the UE illuminator. At 915, UE2 902 queries AIoT capabilities via a lighting session with instructions to provide device capabilities. At 920, AIoT device 903 backscatters its device capabilities via UE2 902 and UE1 901 in the default configuration (reflection gain on / off). For example, AIoT device 903 reports capabilities such as REFL_GAIN and / or PASSIVE_BACK.

[0107] At 925, gNB 904 initiates an AIoT communication session via the UE luminaire (i.e., UE2) and the UE reader (i.e., UE1). At 930, UE2 902 (i.e., luminaire) powers the UE2 902 at a maximum power of P. tx An activation signal including an AIoT command is sent to enable the backscatter reflection amplifier. At 935, the AIoT device 903 turns on the backscatter reflection amplifier. In this case, the power is too high and the amplifier becomes unstable (oscillation). At 940, the AIoT device 903 backscatters the signal using full reflection gain. At 945, UE1 901 receives the backscatter signal and detects a high RSSI but a low SINR, which subsequently results in poor quality decoding.

[0108] At 950, UE1 901 requests UE2, ie, the luminaire, to reduce power. At 955, the UE luminaire operates at reduced power P tx An activation signal including an AIoT command is sent to enable the backscatter reflection amplifier. At 960, the AIoT device 903 utilizes the full reflection gain to backscatter the signal. At 965, since the reflected backscatter signal is not compressed (i.e., self-interference is minimized, which results in high SINR and high RSSI), UE1 901 can decode the data and thus avoid oscillation. In addition, UE1 901 can provide data to the gNB 904 or SCU. This is Figure 9 Not shown in the figure.

[0109] At 970, UE1 901 configures AIoT communication using passive communication (e.g., without backscatter reflection amplifiers). After receiving the configuration, at 975, the AIoT device 903 turns off the backscatter reflection amplifiers. At 980, the gNB 904 requests UE2 902 to stop lighting via UE1 901.

[0110] Another solution for variable gain at the ambient IoT and related signaling framework will be described in detail below. In this case, the AIoT device 903 can be an ambient IoT device with variable gain, which has a varying bias voltage to the reflective amplifier.

[0111] Figure 10 1 shows a signaling diagram 1000 for a variable gain process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 10 , UE1 1001 can be Figure 1 In an example implementation of the first device 110, UE2 1002 may be Figure 1 In an example implementation of the second apparatus 120, the AIoT device 1003 may be Figure 1 An example implementation of the third apparatus 130 in the embodiment of the present invention, and the gNB 1004 may be Figure 1 An example implementation of the fourth device 140 in .

[0112] Initially, the SCU configures UE1 1001 and the gNB as AIoT readers and UE2 1002 as an AIoT illuminator, also referred to hereinafter as an AIoT activator or UE illuminator. At 1010, gNB1 1004 requests AIoT device capabilities via the UE illuminator. At 1015, UE2 1002 queries AIoT capabilities via a lighting session with instructions to provide device capabilities including gain levels. At 1020, AIoT device 1003 backscatters its device capabilities via UE2 1002 and UE1 1001 in the default configuration (reflection gain on / off). For example, AIoT device 1003 reports capabilities such as REFL_GAIN and / or PASSIVE_BACK.

[0113] At 1025, the gNB initiates an AIoT communication session via the UE luminaire (i.e., UE2 1002) and the UE reader (i.e., UE1 1001). At 1030, UE2 1002 (luminaire or AIoT luminaire) transmits the signal at a maximum power of P. tx An activation signal including an AIoT command is sent to enable the backscatter reflection amplifier. At 1035, the AIoT device 1003 turns on the backscatter reflection amplifier to maximum value. In this case, the power is too high and the amplifier becomes unstable (oscillation). At 1040, the AIoT device 1003 backscatters the signal using full reflection gain. At 1045, UE1 1001 receives the backscatter signal and detects a high RSSI, but a low SINR, which subsequently results in poor quality decoding. At 1050, UE1 1001 (i.e., the AIoT reader) estimates and sends the amplitude of the distorted signal to be reduced to be within the operating area of the AIoT device 1003 based on the device capability category. At 1055, UE2 1002 (i.e., the AIoT illuminator or activator) requests the AIoT device 1003 to reduce its reflection gain based on the estimated power setting. In addition, the AIoT illuminator operates at a maximum power P tx An activation signal including an AIoT command is sent to enable the backscatter reflection amplifier as estimated at 1050. At 1060, the AIoT device 1003 backscatters the signal with a reduced reflection gain.

[0114] At 1065, because the reflected backscattered signal is not compressed (i.e., self-interference is minimized, which results in high SINR and high RSSI), UE1 1001 can decode the data, thereby avoiding oscillations. In addition, UE1 1001 can provide data to the gNB or SCU. This is Figure 10 Not shown in the figure.

[0115] At 1070, UE1 1001 configures AIoT communication using passive communication (e.g., without backscatter reflection amplifiers). At 1075, the AIoT device 1003 turns off the backscatter reflection amplifiers. At 1080, the gNB 1004 requests UE2 1002 to stop lighting via UE1 1001.

[0116] The following describes in detail the detection process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 8 845 of them, Figure 9 945 of them and / or Figure 10 1045 of them were implemented.

[0117] As described above, the device can be configured as an activator and reader for an AIoT session. The device can be a terminal device, such as UE1 901 or UE1 1001. Alternatively, the device can be a network device, such as gNB 801, etc. This may require new implementations in the device to support new operations. For ease of discussion, the following example embodiments will be discussed with reference to a terminal device (e.g., UE). However, the proposed solution can also be applied to any other suitable device, such as a network device or other suitable device. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0118] When the UE is configured as a reader, the UE needs to detect the saturated signal from the AIoT device. In addition, the UE needs to estimate the appropriate illumination signal attenuation based on the signal saturation estimation.

[0119] The nonlinear PA response of the AIOT device introduces self-interference, which determines that the UE reader observes a received signal “x(n)” at time instance “n” consisting of a useful signal portion and self-interference and noise portions: x(n)=s(n)+w(n)+x SI (n) (1) where s(n) is the actual signal of interest, w(n) is the additive noise, and x SI (n) is the received self-interference signal, which depends on the PA nonlinear response: where f p,k are the effective model coefficients (including PA and propagation channel responses), χ p is a basis function, e.g. for a parallel Hammerstein PA response, χ p (x(n))=|x(n)| p-1 x(n).

[0120] To detect nonlinear effects, the UE may assume that the received signal 1101 samples obey equation (1) and therefore calculate 1102 SINR and calculate 1103 RSSI, e.g., calculate and record the SINR and RSSI of x(n). To detect the change, the UE may track the RSSI and SINR values over time.

[0121] Specifically, when the nonlinear state begins to appear, x SI The power of (n) is expected to be increased, and the resulting SINR will therefore decrease (compared to the previous linear mechanism), but the RSSI is expected to either increase or remain at a similar level. This combined behavior of RSSI and SINR indicates that Figure 11 As shown, the nonlinear region of AIOT transmission is entered. Figure 11 Schematic diagram 1100 illustrating UE reader behavior according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0122] In another case, the UE is configured as an activator. The UE needs to activate the AIoT device with reduced power. The process can be fixed Tx power. In one example, the UE can follow an open-loop type of power control that sweeps from low power to high power. Alternatively, the UE can follow an open-loop type of power control that sweeps from high power to low power.

[0123] The UE may evaluate the differential SINR and differential RSSI at 1104. If the UE determines that the differential SINR is greater than a threshold (e.g., delta1) and the differential RSSI is less than another threshold (e.g., delta2) at 1105, the AIoT nonlinear TX may be detected at 1106.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the UE may consider one or more evaluated mobility conditions at 1107. For example, it may be determined based on at least one mobility condition whether the UE is in a static state at 1108. If so, the UE may continue with evaluation 1104.

[0125] With the aid of the above-described detection process, it becomes possible to detect oscillation more efficiently and accurately.

[0126] Figure 12 A flow chart of an example method 1200 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, Figure 1 The method 1200 is described from the perspective of the first device 110 in FIG.

[0127] At block 1210, the first device 110 sends an instruction to the second device to cause the second device to send an activation signal to the third device. The activation signal includes a command to enable the reflection amplifier.

[0128] At block 1220, the first device 110 receives a first signal backscattered based on the activation signal from the third device. The reflection amplifier has been turned on at the third device.

[0129] At block 1230 , if it is determined that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded, the first device 110 sends a request to the second device to at least one of reduce power used to send an activation signal to the third device or cause the third device to reduce a reflection gain of a reflection amplifier.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the indication is used to initiate an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) communication session with a third device.

[0131] In some example embodiments, method 1200 further includes: sending a request to the second device for capability information related to an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) of a third device, so that the second device requests the capability information from the third device; and receiving a second signal backscattered from the third device, the second signal indicating the capability information of the third device.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the indication is sent to the second apparatus in response to a trigger of receiving an indication from a fourth apparatus.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the fourth device sends a request to the second device for capability information of the third device related to an ambient Internet of Things (IoT), so that the second device requests the capability information from the third device, and the fourth device receives a second signal backscattered from the third device, the second signal indicating the capability information of the third device.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the capability information of the third device includes a gain level.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the method 1200 further includes, if it is determined that the first signal can be successfully decoded, sending an indication to the second device for configuring an IoT communication environment using the passive communication.

[0136] In some example embodiments, the method 1200 further includes: determining a distortion amplitude to be reduced based on capability information of the third device; and sending a request including the amplitude to the second device so that the third device reduces a reflection gain of the reflection amplifier.

[0137] In some example embodiments, method 1200 further includes: determining a signal quality metric and a signal strength metric based on the first signal; determining a first differential metric between the signal quality metric and a previous signal quality metric; determining a second differential metric between the signal strength metric and the previous signal strength metric; and determining whether the first signal can be successfully decoded based on at least the first differential metric and the second differential metric.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the method 1200 further includes determining that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded if it is determined that the first differential metric is greater than a first threshold and the second differential metric is less than a second threshold.

[0139] In some example embodiments, method 1200 further includes: determining whether the third device is in a static state based on at least one mobility condition; and if it is determined that the third device is in a static state, comparing the first differential metric with a first threshold and comparing the second differential metric with a second threshold; and if it is determined that the first differential metric is greater than the first threshold and the second differential metric is less than the second threshold, determining that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the signal quality metric comprises a signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR), and the signal strength metric comprises a reference signal strength indicator (RSSI).

[0141] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a receiving device associated with an ambient Internet of Things (IoT), the second apparatus comprises a sending device associated with the ambient IoT, and the third apparatus comprises an ambient IoT device.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the second device and the third device are included in a physical entity.

[0143] Figure 13 A flow chart of an example method 1300 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, Figure 1 Method 1300 is described from the perspective of the second device 120 in FIG.

[0144] At block 1310 , in response to receiving an instruction from the first device to cause the second device to send an activation signal to the third device, the second device 120 sends an activation signal including a command to enable the reflection amplifier to the third device.

[0145] At block 1320, in response to receiving a request from the first device to reduce the power used to transmit the activation signal to the third device, the second device 120 transmits the activation signal to the third device using the reduced power. Alternatively, in response to receiving a request from the first device for the third device to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier, the second device 120 transmits another request to the third device to reduce the reflection gain.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the method 1300 further comprises, in response to receiving the indication, transmitting the activation signal at a maximum power of the second apparatus.

[0147] In some example embodiments, the reduced power is lower than a maximum power of the second device.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the request includes a distortion magnitude to be reduced determined based on capability information of the third apparatus, and the other request includes the distortion magnitude to be reduced.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the method 1300 further includes: receiving an indication from the first device to configure ambient Internet of Things (IoT) communication using passive communication; and sending a signal to the third device to disable the reflection amplifier.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the method 1300 further includes: receiving a request for capability information related to an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) of a third device from the first device or the fourth device; and sending the request for the capability information to the third device.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a receiving device associated with an ambient Internet of Things (IoT), the second apparatus comprises a sending device associated with the ambient IoT, and the third apparatus comprises an ambient IoT device.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the second device and the third device are included in one physical entity.

[0153] Figure 14 A flow chart of an example method 1400 implemented at a third device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, Figure 1 Method 1400 is described from the perspective of the third device 130 in FIG.

[0154] At block 1410 , the third device 130 receives an activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier from the second device.

[0155] At block 1420, the third device 130 transmits the first signal, which is backscattered based on the activation signal, to the first device. The reflection amplifier has been turned on at the third device, and the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier operates at full gain or variable gain.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the method 1400 further includes, in response to receiving the activation signal, turning on the reflection amplifier.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the activation signal is sent at a maximum power or a reduced power of the second device.

[0158] In some example embodiments, the method 1400 further includes, in response to receiving a request to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier from the second device, transmitting the first signal with the reduced reflection gain.

[0159] In some example embodiments, the method 1400 further comprises determining a reduced reflection gain based on the distortion magnitude to be reduced.

[0160] In some example embodiments, the method 1400 further includes: in response to receiving a signal to disable the reflection amplifier from the second device, turning off the reflection amplifier.

[0161] In some example embodiments, the method 1400 further includes: receiving a request from the second device for capability information of the third device related to an ambient Internet of Things (IoT); and sending the capability information to the first device or the fourth device.

[0162] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a receiving device associated with an ambient Internet of Things (IoT), the second apparatus comprises a sending device associated with the ambient IoT, and the third apparatus comprises an ambient IoT device.

[0163] In some example embodiments, the second device and the third device are included in one physical entity.

[0164] In some example embodiments, a first device (eg, Figure 1 The first device 110 in the embodiment may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 1200. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the first device 110.

[0165] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: a component for sending an instruction to the second device to cause the second device to send an activation signal to the third device, the activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier; a component for receiving a first signal that is backscattered based on the activation signal from the third device, wherein the reflection amplifier has been turned on at the third device; and a component for sending a request to the second device to perform at least one of the following if it is determined that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded: reducing the power used to send the activation signal to the third device, or causing the third device to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier.

[0166] In some example embodiments, the indication is used to initiate an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) communication session with a third device.

[0167] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: a component for sending a request for capability information related to an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) of a third device to the second device, so that the second device requests the capability information from the third device; and a component for receiving a second signal backscattered from the third device, the second signal indicating the capability information of the third device.

[0168] In some example embodiments, the indication is sent to the second apparatus in response to a trigger of receiving an indication from a fourth apparatus.

[0169] In some example embodiments, the fourth device sends a request to the second device for capability information of the third device related to an ambient Internet of Things (IoT), so that the second device requests the capability information from the third device, and the fourth device receives a second signal backscattered from the third device, the second signal indicating the capability information of the third device.

[0170] In some example embodiments, the capability information of the third device includes a gain level.

[0171] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for sending an indication to the second apparatus for configuring an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) communication using passive communication if it is determined that the first signal can be successfully decoded.

[0172] In some example embodiments, the first device further comprises: means for determining a distortion amplitude to be reduced based on capability information of the third device; and means for sending a request including the amplitude to the second device so that the third device reduces a reflection gain of the reflection amplifier.

[0173] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for determining a signal quality metric and a signal strength metric based on the first signal; means for determining a first differential metric between the signal quality metric and a previous signal quality metric; means for determining a second differential metric between the signal strength metric and the previous signal strength metric; and means for determining whether the first signal can be successfully decoded based on at least the first differential metric and the second differential metric.

[0174] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for determining that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded if it is determined that the first differential metric is greater than a first threshold and the second differential metric is less than a second threshold.

[0175] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: a component for determining whether the third device is in a static state based on at least one mobility condition; and a component for comparing the first differential metric with a first threshold and comparing the second differential metric with a second threshold if it is determined that the third device is in a static state; and a component for determining that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded if it is determined that the first differential metric is greater than the first threshold and the second differential metric is less than the second threshold.

[0176] In some example embodiments, the signal quality metric comprises a signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR), and the signal strength metric comprises a reference signal strength indicator (RSSI).

[0177] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a receiving device associated with an ambient Internet of Things (IoT), the second apparatus comprises a sending device associated with the ambient IoT, and the third apparatus comprises an ambient IoT device.

[0178] In some example embodiments, the second device and the third device are included in one physical entity.

[0179] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for performing other operations in some example embodiments of the method 1200 or the first apparatus 110. In some example embodiments, the means comprise at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to perform the operations.

[0180] In some example embodiments, a second device (eg, Figure 1 The second device 120 in the embodiment may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of method 1300. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module. The second device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the second device 120.

[0181] In some example embodiments, the second device includes: a component for sending an activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier to the third device in response to receiving an instruction from the first device to cause the second device to send an activation signal to the third device; and a component for sending the activation signal to the third device with reduced power in response to receiving a request from the first device to reduce the power used to send the activation signal to the third device, or a component for sending another request to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier to the third device in response to receiving a request from the first device to cause the third device to reduce the reflection gain.

[0182] In some example embodiments, the indication is used to initiate an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) communication session with a third device, and the second device further includes: a component for transmitting an activation signal at a maximum power of the second device in response to receiving the indication.

[0183] In some example embodiments, the reduced power is lower than a maximum power of the second device.

[0184] In some example embodiments, the request includes a distortion magnitude to be reduced determined based on capability information of the third apparatus, and the other request includes the distortion magnitude to be reduced.

[0185] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for receiving an indication from the first apparatus to configure ambient Internet of Things (IoT) communication using passive communication; and means for sending a signal to the third apparatus to disable the reflection amplifier.

[0186] In some example embodiments, the second device further includes: means for receiving a request for capability information related to an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) of the third device from the first device or the fourth device; and means for sending the request for the capability information to the third device.

[0187] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a receiving device associated with an ambient Internet of Things (IoT), the second apparatus comprises a sending device associated with the ambient IoT, and the third apparatus comprises an ambient IoT device.

[0188] In some example embodiments, the second device and the third device are included in one physical entity.

[0189] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for performing other operations in some example embodiments of method 1300 or second apparatus 120. In some example embodiments, the means comprise at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to perform the operations.

[0190] In some example embodiments, a third device (e.g., Figure 1 The third device 130 in the embodiment may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of method 1400. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module. The third device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the third device 130.

[0191] In some example embodiments, the third device includes: a component for receiving an activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier from the second device; and a component for sending a first signal that is backscattered based on the activation signal to the first device, wherein the reflection amplifier has been turned on at the third device, wherein the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier operates at full gain or variable gain.

[0192] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus further comprises means for turning on the reflection amplifier in response to receiving the activation signal.

[0193] In some example embodiments, the activation signal is sent at a maximum power or a reduced power of the second device.

[0194] In some example embodiments, the third device further comprises means for transmitting the first signal with the reduced reflection gain in response to receiving a request to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier from the second device.

[0195] In some example embodiments, the request includes a distortion magnitude to be reduced determined based on capability information of the third apparatus, the third apparatus further comprising means for determining a reduced reflection gain based on the distortion magnitude to be reduced.

[0196] In some example embodiments, the third device further comprises means for turning off the reflection amplifier in response to receiving a signal to disable the reflection amplifier from the second device.

[0197] In some example embodiments, the third device further includes: means for receiving a request from the second device for capability information of the third device related to an ambient Internet of Things (IoT); and means for sending the capability information to the first device or the fourth device.

[0198] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a receiving device associated with an ambient Internet of Things (IoT), the second apparatus comprises a sending device associated with the ambient IoT, and the third apparatus comprises an ambient IoT device.

[0199] In some example embodiments, the second device and the third device are included in one physical entity.

[0200] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus further comprises means for performing other operations in some example embodiments of method 1400 or third apparatus 130. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the execution of the third apparatus.

[0201] Figure 15 is a simplified block diagram of a device 1500 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 1500 may be provided for implementing a communication device, such as Figure 1 The first device 110, the second device 120, the third device 130 and / or the fourth device 140 are shown. As shown, the device 1500 includes one or more processors 1510, one or more memories 1520 coupled to the processors 1510, and one or more communication modules 1540 coupled to the processors 1510.

[0202] Communication module 1540 is configured for bidirectional communication. Communication module 1540 has one or more communication interfaces for communicating with one or more other modules or devices. A communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communicating with other network elements. In some exemplary embodiments, communication module 1540 may include at least one antenna.

[0203] As non-limiting examples, processor 1510 can be of any type suitable for a local technology network and can 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. Device 1500 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-slave to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0204] Memory 1520 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) 1524, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact disks (CDs), digital video disks (DVDs), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 1522 and other volatile memories that do not persist during a power outage.

[0205] Computer program 1530 includes computer-executable instructions executed by associated processor 1510. The instructions of program 1530 may include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Program 1530 may be stored in a memory, such as ROM 1524. Processor 1510 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 1530 into RAM 1522.

[0206] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by the method of the program 1530 so that the device 1500 can perform the Figures 2 to 14 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0207] In some example embodiments, program 1530 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in device 1500 (such as in memory 1520) or other storage device accessible by device 1500. Device 1500 may load program 1530 from the computer-readable medium to RAM 1522 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), not a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0208] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, and other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or illustrated and described using some other graphics, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or a controller or other computing device, or some combination thereof.

[0209] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in a program module, which are executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform any of the methods described above. Typically, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions for the program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, the program modules can be located in both local storage media and remote storage media.

[0210] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device so that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, enables the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be implemented. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0211] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0212] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer readable storage media would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0213] In addition, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details have been included in the above discussion, these details should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as describing features that may be specified in a particular embodiment. Unless expressly stated otherwise, certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, unless expressly stated otherwise, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0214] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Instead, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

[0215] In addition, various implementations of the present disclosure may be described with reference to the following clauses, and features thereof may be combined in any reasonable manner.

[0216] Item 1. A first device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: send an instruction to a second device causing the second device to send an activation signal to a third device, the activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier; receive a first signal backscattered based on the activation signal from the third device, wherein the reflection amplifier has been turned on at the third device; and if it is determined that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded, send a request to the second device to perform at least one of the following: reduce the power used to send the activation signal to the third device, or cause the third device to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier.

[0217] Clause 2. The first device of clause 1, wherein the indication is used to initiate an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) communication session with the third device.

[0218] Clause 3. A first device according to clause 1, wherein the first device is caused to: send a request for capability information related to an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) of the third device to the second device, so that the second device requests the capability information from the third device; and receive a second signal backscattered from the third device, the second signal indicating the capability information of the third device.

[0219] Clause 4. The first apparatus of Clause 1 or Clause 2, wherein the indication is sent to the second apparatus in response to a trigger of receiving the indication from a fourth apparatus.

[0220] Clause 5. A first device according to clause 4, wherein the fourth device sends a request to the second device for capability information of the third device related to an ambient Internet of Things (IoT), so that the second device requests the capability information from the third device, and the fourth device receives a second signal backscattered from the third device, the second signal indicating the capability information of the third device.

[0221] Clause 6. The first device of Clause 3 or Clause 5, wherein the capability information of the third device includes a gain level.

[0222] Clause 7. The first apparatus of clause 1, wherein the first apparatus is caused to, if it is determined that the first signal can be successfully decoded, send an indication to the second apparatus to configure ambient Internet of Things (IoT) communications using passive communication.

[0223] Clause 8. A first device according to clause 1, wherein the first device is caused to: determine a distortion amplitude to be reduced based on capability information of the third device; and send the request including the amplitude to the second device so that the third device reduces the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier.

[0224] Clause 9. A first device according to clause 1, wherein the first device is caused to: determine a signal quality metric and a signal strength metric based on the first signal; determine a first differential metric between the signal quality metric and a previous signal quality metric; determine a second differential metric between the signal strength metric and a previous signal strength metric; and determine whether the first signal can be successfully decoded based on at least the first differential metric and the second differential metric.

[0225] Clause 10. The first apparatus of clause 9, wherein the first apparatus is caused to determine that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded if the first differential metric is determined to be greater than a first threshold and the second differential metric is less than a second threshold.

[0226] Clause 11. A first device according to Clause 9, wherein the first device is caused to: determine whether the third device is in a static state based on at least one mobility condition; if it is determined that the third device is in the static state, compare the first differential metric with a first threshold and compare the second differential metric with a second threshold; and if it is determined that the first differential metric is greater than the first threshold and the second differential metric is less than the second threshold, determine that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded.

[0227] Clause 12. The first apparatus of any of clauses 9-11, wherein the signal quality metric comprises a signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR), and the signal strength metric comprises a reference signal strength indicator (RSSI).

[0228] Clause 13. A first apparatus according to any one of clauses 1-12, wherein the first apparatus comprises a receiving device associated with an ambient Internet of Things (IoT), the second apparatus comprises a sending device associated with the ambient IoT, and the third apparatus comprises an ambient IoT device.

[0229] Clause 14. The first apparatus of any of clauses 1-13, wherein the second apparatus and the third apparatus are included in one physical entity.

[0230] Item 15. A second device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: in response to receiving an instruction from the first device to cause the second device to send an activation signal to a third device, send the activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier to the third device; and in response to receiving a request from the first device to reduce the power used to send the activation signal to the third device, send the activation signal to the third device using the reduced power, or in response to receiving a request from the first device to cause the third device to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier, send another request to the third device to reduce the reflection gain.

[0231] Clause 16. A second device according to clause 15, wherein the indication is used to initiate an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) communication session with the third device, and the second device is caused to: in response to receiving the indication, send the activation signal using the maximum power of the second device.

[0232] Clause 17. The second apparatus of clause 15, wherein the reduced power is lower than a maximum power of the second apparatus.

[0233] Clause 18. The second apparatus of Clause 15, wherein the request comprises a distortion magnitude to be reduced determined based on capability information of the third apparatus, and the further request comprises the distortion magnitude to be reduced.

[0234] Clause 19. The second device of clause 15, wherein the second device is caused to: receive an indication from the first device to configure ambient Internet of Things (IoT) communications using passive communications; and send a signal to the third device to disable the reflection amplifier.

[0235] Clause 20. A second device according to any one of clauses 15-19, wherein the second device is caused to: receive a request for capability information related to an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) for the third device from the first device or the fourth device; and send a request for the capability information to the third device.

[0236] Clause 21. The second apparatus of any one of clauses 15-20, wherein the first apparatus comprises a receiving device associated with an ambient Internet of Things (IoT), the second apparatus comprises a sending device associated with an ambient IoT, and the third apparatus comprises an ambient IoT device.

[0237] Clause 22. The second apparatus of any one of clauses 15-21, wherein the second apparatus and the third apparatus are included in one physical entity.

[0238] Item 23. A third device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third device to at least: receive an activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier from a second device; and send a first signal that is backscattered based on the activation signal to a first device, wherein the reflection amplifier has been turned on at the third device, and wherein the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier operates at full gain or variable gain.

[0239] Clause 24. The third apparatus of clause 23, wherein the third apparatus is caused to: in response to receiving the activation signal, turn on the reflection amplifier.

[0240] Clause 25. The third apparatus of clause 23, wherein the activation signal is sent using a maximum power or a reduced power of the second apparatus.

[0241] Clause 26. The third apparatus of Clause 23, wherein the third apparatus is caused to transmit the first signal with the reduced reflection gain in response to receiving a request from the second apparatus to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier.

[0242] Clause 27. The third apparatus of clause 26, wherein the request includes a distortion magnitude to be reduced determined based on capability information of the third apparatus, and the third apparatus is caused to determine the reduced reflection gain based on the distortion magnitude to be reduced.

[0243] Clause 28. The third apparatus of Clause 26, wherein the first apparatus is caused to: in response to receiving a signal from the second apparatus to disable the reflection amplifier, turn off the reflection amplifier.

[0244] Clause 29. A third device according to any one of clauses 23-28, wherein the second device is caused to: receive a request from the second device for capability information related to an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) of the third device; and send the capability information to the first device or a fourth device.

[0245] Clause 30. A third apparatus according to any one of clauses 23-29, wherein the first apparatus comprises a receiving device associated with an ambient Internet of Things (IoT), the second apparatus comprises a sending device associated with the ambient IoT, and the third apparatus comprises an ambient IoT device.

[0246] Clause 31. The third apparatus of any one of clauses 23-30, wherein the second apparatus and the third apparatus are included in one physical entity.

[0247] Item 32. A method comprising: sending an instruction to a second device to cause the second device to send an activation signal to a third device, the activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier; receiving a first signal that is backscattered based on the activation signal from the third device, wherein the reflection amplifier has been turned on at the third device; and if it is determined that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded, sending a request to the second device to perform at least one of the following: reducing the power used to send the activation signal to the third device, or causing the third device to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier.

[0248] Clause 33. A method comprising: in response to receiving an instruction from a first device to cause a second device to send an activation signal to a third device, sending the activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier to the third device; and in response to receiving a request from the first device to reduce the power used to send the activation signal to the third device, sending the activation signal to the third device using the reduced power, or in response to receiving a request from the first device to cause the third device to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier, sending another request to the third device to reduce the reflection gain.

[0249] Item 34. A method comprising: receiving an activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier from a second device; and sending a first signal backscattered based on the activation signal to a first device, wherein the reflection amplifier has been turned on at a third device, wherein a reflection gain of the reflection amplifier operates at full gain or a variable gain.

[0250] Item 35. A first device, comprising: a component for sending an instruction to a second device to cause the second device to send an activation signal to a third device, the activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier; a component for receiving a first signal that is backscattered based on the activation signal from the third device, wherein the reflection amplifier has been turned on at the third device; and a component for sending a request to the second device to perform at least one of the following if it is determined that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded: reducing the power used to send the activation signal to the third device, or causing the third device to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier.

[0251] Item 36. A second device comprising: a component for sending an activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier to the third device in response to receiving an instruction from the first device to cause the second device to send an activation signal to the third device; and a component for sending the activation signal to the third device using reduced power in response to receiving a request from the first device to reduce the power used to send the activation signal to the third device, or a component for sending another request to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier to the third device in response to receiving a request from the first device to cause the third device to reduce the reflection gain.

[0252] Item 37. A third device comprising: a component for receiving an activation signal including a command to enable a reflection amplifier from a second device; and a component for sending a first signal that is backscattered based on the activation signal to a first device, wherein the reflection amplifier has been turned on at the third device, and wherein the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier operates at full gain or variable gain.

[0253] Clause 38. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of any one of clauses 32-34.

Claims

1. A first apparatus for communication, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: sending an instruction to the second device to cause the second device to send an activation signal to the third device, the activation signal including a command to enable the reflection amplifier; receiving a first signal backscattered based on the activation signal from the third device, wherein the reflection amplifier has been turned on at the third device; as well as If it is determined that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded, sending a request to the second device to perform at least one of the following: reducing the power used to send the activation signal to the third device, or The third device is caused to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier. 2 . The first device of claim 1 , wherein the indication is used to initiate an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) communication session with the third device.

3. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is configured to: sending a request for capability information related to the environmental Internet of Things (IoT) of the third device to the second device, so that the second device requests the capability information from the third device; and A second signal backscattered from the third device is received, the second signal indicating the capability information of the third device. 4 . The first device of claim 1 , wherein the indication is sent to the second device in response to a trigger of receiving the indication from a fourth device.

5. The first device according to claim 4, wherein the fourth device sends a request for capability information related to an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) of the third device to the second device, so that the second device requests the capability information from the third device, and The fourth device receives a second signal backscattered from the third device, the second signal indicating the capability information of the third device. The first device of claim 3 , wherein the capability information of the third device comprises a gain level.

7. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is caused to: If it is determined that the first signal can be successfully decoded, an indication for configuring an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) communication using passive communication is sent to the second device.

8. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is caused to: determining a distortion magnitude to be reduced based on the capability information of the third device; and The request including the amplitude is sent to the second device to cause the third device to reduce the reflection gain of the reflection amplifier.

9. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is caused to: determining a signal quality metric and a signal strength metric based on the first signal; determining a first differential metric between the signal quality metric and a previous signal quality metric; determining a second difference metric between the signal strength metric and a previous signal strength metric; as well as Based on at least the first differential metric and the second differential metric, it is determined whether the first signal can be successfully decoded.

10. The first device according to claim 9, wherein the first device is caused to: If it is determined that the first differential metric is greater than a first threshold and the second differential metric is less than a second threshold, it is determined that the first signal cannot be successfully decoded.

Images