Wireless power transfer in communications

Abstract

The invention relates to wireless power transfer in communications. A method is disclosed that includes instructing, by an apparatus, a set of environmental radiation power devices to suspend transmission during a training period in addition to a harvested energy report. When at least a predefined number of ambient radiation power supply devices in the set agrees to send a harvested energy report during a training period with a predefined report periodicity configured by the apparatus, the apparatus is caused to receive the harvested energy report from at least one ambient radiation power supply device in the set, wherein the predefined report is periodically configured by the device.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The following example embodiments relate to wireless communication and wireless power transfer. BACKGROUND

[0002] Wireless energy harvesting supports harvesting energy from radio frequency signals. Radio frequency signals can carry information and energy. Wireless devices can use wireless energy harvesting or wireless power transfer to harvest small amounts of energy from radio frequency signals. The harvested energy can then be used to power the device or to charge a battery of the device. SUMMARY

[0003] The scope of protection sought for various example embodiments is set forth by the independent claims. Example embodiments and features that are not the subject of independent claims are to be construed as examples useful for understanding various embodiments and are not provided for limiting the claimed embodiments if they are not otherwise claimed. The description in this specification uses examples to convey the principles of various embodiments. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the departure from these examples does not depart from the spirit and scope of the various embodiments.

[0004] According to one aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: select a set of ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices from a plurality of ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices in a network; send a configuration to at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device in the set, the configuration indicating the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient-radiation energy reports for a time window and to report harvested ambient-radiation energy at a time interval; receive at least one indication from the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device in the set, the at least one indication indicating whether the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device agrees or disagrees to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient-radiation energy reports; determine, based on the at least one indication, whether a number of ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices that agree to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient-radiation energy reports exceeds a predefined number.

[0005] According to another aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for selecting a set of ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices from a plurality of ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices in a network; means for sending a configuration to at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device in the set, the configuration indicating the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient-radiation energy reports for a time window and to report harvested ambient-radiation energy at a time interval; means for receiving at least one indication from at least one ambient energy harvesting AIoT device of the set, the at least one indication indicating whether the at least one ambient energy harvesting AIoT device agrees or disagrees to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient energy reports; means for determining, based on the at least one indication, whether a number of ambient energy harvesting AIoT devices agreeing to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient energy reports exceeds a predefined number.

[0006] According to another aspect, there is provided a method comprising: selecting a set of ambient energy harvesting AIoT devices from a plurality of ambient energy harvesting environmental Internet of Things, AIoT, devices in a network; sending a configuration to at least one ambient energy harvesting AIoT device of the set, the configuration indicating the at least one ambient energy harvesting AIoT device to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient energy reports for a time window and to report harvested ambient energy at a time interval; receiving at least one indication from at least one ambient energy harvesting AIoT device of the set, the at least one indication indicating whether the at least one ambient energy harvesting AIoT device agrees or disagrees to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient energy reports; determining, based on the at least one indication, whether a number of ambient energy harvesting AIoT devices agreeing to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient energy reports exceeds a predefined number.

[0007] According to another aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: selecting a set of ambient energy harvesting AIoT devices from a plurality of ambient energy harvesting environmental Internet of Things, AIoT, devices in a network; sending a configuration to at least one ambient energy harvesting AIoT device of the set, the configuration indicating the at least one ambient energy harvesting AIoT device to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient energy reports for a time window and to report harvested ambient energy at a time interval; receiving at least one indication from at least one ambient energy harvesting AIoT device of the set, the at least one indication indicating whether the at least one ambient energy harvesting AIoT device agrees or disagrees to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient energy reports; determining, based on the at least one indication, whether a number of ambient energy harvesting AIoT devices agreeing to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient energy reports exceeds a predefined number.

[0008] According to another aspect, there is provided a computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least: select a set of ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices from a plurality of ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices in a network; send a configuration to at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device in the set, the configuration indicating the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient-radiation energy reports for a time window and to report harvested ambient-radiation energy at a time interval; receive at least one indication from the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device in the set, the at least one indication indicating whether the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device agrees or disagrees to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient-radiation energy reports; determine, based on the at least one indication, whether a number of ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices that agree to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient-radiation energy reports exceeds a predefined number.

[0009] According to another aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least: select a set of ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices from a plurality of ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices in a network; send a configuration to at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device in the set, the configuration indicating the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient-radiation energy reports for a time window and to report harvested ambient-radiation energy at a time interval; receive at least one indication from the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device in the set, the at least one indication indicating whether the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device agrees or disagrees to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient-radiation energy reports; determine, based on the at least one indication, whether a number of ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices that agree to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient-radiation energy reports exceeds a predefined number.

[0010] According to another aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive a configuration from a network apparatus, the configuration indicating the apparatus to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient-radiation energy reports for a time window and to report harvested ambient-radiation energy of the apparatus at a time interval; and transmitting, to the network apparatus, an indication indicating whether the device agrees or disagrees to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient radiated energy reports.

[0011] According to another aspect, there is provided a device comprising: receiving, from a network apparatus, a configuration indicating that the device is to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiated energy reports for a time window and to report harvested ambient radiated energy of the device at a time interval; and transmitting, to the network apparatus, an indication indicating whether the device agrees or disagrees to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient radiated energy reports.

[0012] According to another aspect, there is provided a method comprising: receiving, from a network apparatus, a configuration indicating that the device is to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiated energy reports for a time window and to report harvested ambient radiated energy of the device at a time interval; and transmitting, to the network apparatus, an indication indicating whether the device agrees or disagrees to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient radiated energy reports.

[0013] According to another aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the following: receiving, from a network apparatus, a configuration indicating that the device is to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiated energy reports for a time window and to report harvested ambient radiated energy of the device at a time interval; and transmitting, to the network apparatus, an indication indicating whether the device agrees or disagrees to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient radiated energy reports.

[0014] According to another aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the following: receiving, from a network apparatus, a configuration indicating that the device is to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiated energy reports for a time window and to report harvested ambient radiated energy of the device at a time interval; and transmitting, to the network apparatus, an indication indicating whether the device agrees or disagrees to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient radiated energy reports.

[0015] According to another aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the following: receiving a configuration from a network apparatus, the configuration indicating that the device suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiated energy reports within a time window and report harvested ambient radiated energy of the device at a time interval; transmitting an indication to the network apparatus, the indication indicating whether the device agrees or disagrees to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiated energy reports. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] In the following, various example embodiments will be described in more detail by reference to the following drawings, in which

[0017] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication network is shown;

[0018] Figure 2 An example of selecting a tag for energy training is shown;

[0019] Figures 3 to 7 An example method is shown;

[0020] Figures 8 to 9 An example apparatus is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The following embodiments are examples. Although the specification can

[0022] Some example embodiments described herein can be implemented in a wireless communication network comprising a radio access network based on one or more of the following radio access technologies (RATs): Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) or any other second generation radio access technology, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS, 3G) based on basic wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, Fourth Generation (4G), Fifth Generation (5G), 5G New Radio (NR), Advanced 5G (i.e., 3GPP NR Rel-18 and beyond), or Sixth Generation (6G). Some examples of the radio access network include Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), or Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN). The wireless communication network can also comprise a core network, and some example embodiments can also be applied to network functions of the core network.

[0023] It should be noted that the embodiments are not limited to the wireless communication network given as an example, but a person skilled in the art can apply the solution to other wireless communication networks or systems provided with the necessary characteristics. For example, some example embodiments can also be applied to a communication system based on the IEEE 802.11 specifications or a communication system based on the IEEE 802.15 specifications. IEEE is an abbreviation of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

[0024] Figure 1 An example of a simplified wireless communication network is depicted showing some physical and logical entities. Figure 1 The connections shown can be physical or logical. It is apparent to a person skilled in the art that the wireless communication network can also comprise other physical and logical entities than those shown. Figure 1 The connections shown can be physical or logical. It is apparent to a person skilled in the art that the wireless communication network can also comprise other physical and logical entities than those shown.

[0025] However, the example embodiments described herein are not limited to the wireless communication network given as an example, but a person skilled in the art can apply the example embodiments described herein to other wireless communication networks provided with the necessary characteristics.

[0026] Figure 1 The example wireless communication network shown comprises a radio access network (RAN) and a core network 110.

[0027] Figure 1 User equipment (UE) 100, 102 is shown, which is configured to wirelessly connect with an access node 104 of the radio access network on one or more communication channels in a radio cell.

[0028] The access node 104 can comprise a computing device configured to control radio resources of the access node 104 and wirelessly connect with one or more UEs 100, 102. The access node 104 can also be called a base station, a base transceiver station (BTS), an access point, a cell site, a network node, a radio access network node, or a RAN node. The access node 104 can be, for example, an evolved Node B (abbreviated as eNB or eNodeB), or a next generation evolved Node B (abbreviated as ng-eNB), or a next generation Node B (abbreviated as gNB or gNodeB), providing a radio cell. The access node 104 can comprise or be coupled to a transceiver. From the transceiver of the access node 104, a connection can be provided to an antenna unit that establishes a bidirectional radio link to one or more UEs 100, 102. The antenna unit can comprise an antenna or antenna elements, or a plurality of antennas or antenna elements.

[0029] The wireless connection (e.g., radio links) from the UEs 100, 102 to the access node 104 can be referred to as the uplink (UL) or reverse link, while the wireless connection (e.g., radio links) from the access node 104 to the UEs 100, 102 can be referred to as the downlink (DL) or forward link. The UEs 100 can also communicate directly with another UE 102 via a wireless connection, often referred to as a sidelink (SL), and vice versa. It is understood that the access node 104, or functionality thereof, can be implemented by using any node, host, server, access point or other entity, suitable for providing such functionality.

[0030] The radio access network can comprise more than one access node 104, in which case the access nodes can also be configured to communicate with each other, by wired or wireless links. These links between access nodes can be used for transmitting and receiving control plane signaling and also for routing data from one access node to another.

[0031] The access node 104 can further be connected to a core network (CN) 110. The core network 110 can comprise an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network and / or a 5thGeneration Core network (5GC). The EPC can comprise network entities such as a Serving Gateway (S-GW) for routing and forwarding data packets, a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW) for providing connectivity to external packet data networks, and / or a Mobility Management Entity (MME). The 5GC can comprise one or more network functions such as at least one of: an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 111, a User Plane Function (UPF), a Location Management Function (LMF), and / or a Session Management Function (SMF).

[0032] The core network 110 can also be able to communicate with one or more external networks 113, such as a public switched telephone network or the Internet, or utilize services provided by them. For example, in a 5G wireless communication network, the UPF of the core network 110 can be configured to communicate with external data networks via an N6 interface. In an LTE wireless communication network, the P-GW of the core network 110 can be configured to communicate with external data networks.

[0033] It should also be understood that the distribution of functions between core network operations and access node operations can be different, or even non-existent, in future wireless communication networks compared to LTE or 5G.

[0034] The illustrated UEs 100, 102 are one type of apparatus that can be assigned and configured to operate on resources on the air interface. The UEs 100, 102 can also be referred to as wireless communication devices, subscriber units, mobile stations, remote terminals, access terminals, user terminals, terminal devices, or user equipment, to name but a few. The UEs 100, 102 can be computing devices that operate with or without a subscriber identification module (SIM), including but not limited to the following types of computing devices: mobile phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, computing devices including wireless modems (e.g., alarm or meter devices, etc.), laptop computers, desktop computers, tablet computers, game consoles, notebooks, multimedia devices, RedCap devices, wearable devices with radio components (e.g., watches, headphones, or glasses), sensors including wireless modems, or computing devices including wireless modems integrated in vehicles.

[0035] It will be appreciated that the UEs 100, 102 can also be almost exclusively uplink only devices, an example of which can be a camera or video camera that loads images or video clips to the network. The UEs 100, 102 can also be devices with the capability to operate in an Internet of Things (IoT) network, which is a scenario in which data is transferred between objects and can provide objects with the ability to transfer data through a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.

[0036] The wireless communication network can also support the use of cloud services. For example, at least a portion of the core network operations can be performed as a cloud service (this is depicted in Figure 1 by the “cloud” 114). The UEs 100, 102 can also utilize the cloud 114. In some applications, the computations for a given UE can be performed in the cloud 114 or another UE.

[0037] The wireless communication network can also include a central control entity, such as a network management system (NMS) or the like. The NMS is a centralized suite of software and hardware used to monitor, control, and manage network infrastructure. The NMS is responsible for various tasks such as fault management, configuration management, security management, performance management, and billing management. The NMS enables network operators to efficiently manage and optimize network resources, ensuring that the network provides high performance, reliability, and security.

[0038] 5G enables the use of multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antennas in the access nodes 104 and / or UEs 100, 102, much more base stations or access nodes than LTE networks (so-called small cell concept), including macro sites operating in co-operation with smaller stations and according to the service requirements, use cases and / or available frequency spectrum, employing a variety of radio technologies. 5G wireless communication networks can support a broad range of use cases and related applications, including video streaming, augmented reality, different ways of data sharing and various forms of machine type applications, such as (massive) machine type communications (mMTC), including vehicle safety, different sensors and real-time control.

[0039] In 5G wireless communication networks, the access nodes and / or UEs can have multiple radio interfaces, such as sub-6 gigahertz (GHz), centimeter wave (cmWave) and millimeter wave (mmWave), and can also be integrated with legacy radio access technologies, such as LTE. The integration with LTE can be implemented, for example, as a system where macro coverage can be provided by LTE and 5G radio interface access can come from small cells by aggregating to LTE. In other words, 5G wireless communication networks can support inter-RAT operability, such as interoperability between LTE and 5G, and inter-RI operability, inter-radio interface operability, such as between sub-6 GHz, cmWave and mmWave.

[0040] 5G wireless communication networks can also apply network slicing, where multiple independent and dedicated virtual sub-networks (network instances) can be created within the same physical infrastructure to run services with different requirements on latency, reliability, throughput and mobility.

[0041] In one embodiment, the access node 104 can comprise a radio unit (RU) including a radio transceiver (TRX), i.e. transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx), one or more distributed units (DU) 105, which can be used for so-called layer 1 (LI) processing and real-time layer 2 (L2) processing, and a central unit (CU) 108 (also called centralized unit), which can be used for non-real-time L2 and layer 3 (L3) processing. The CU 108 can be connected to one or more DUs 105, e.g. via an Fl interface. This embodiment of the access node 104 can enable centralization of the CU with respect to the cell site and the DUs, which can be more distributed and can even remain at the cell site. The CU and the DU can also be together referred to as a baseband or baseband unit (BBU). The CU and the DU can also be comprised in a radio access point (RAP).

[0042] The CU 108 can be a logical node hosting a radio resource control (RRC), a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and / or a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the NR protocol stack for the access node 104. The CU 108 can include a control plane (CU-CP), which can be a logical node hosting a control plane part of the PDCP protocol and the RRC of the NR protocol stack for the access node 104. The CU 108 can also include a user plane (CU-UP), which can be a logical node hosting a user plane part of the PDCP protocol and the SDAP protocol of the CU for the access node 104.

[0043] The DU 105 can be a logical node hosting a radio link control (RLC), a medium access control (MAC), and / or a physical (PHY) layer of the NR protocol stack for the access node 104. The operation of the DU 105 can be controlled at least in part by the CU 108. It should also be appreciated that the distribution of functions between the DU 105 and the CU 108 can vary depending on the implementation.

[0044] A cloud computing system can also be used to provide the CU 108 and / or the DU 105. A CU provided by a cloud computing system can be referred to as a virtualized CU (vCU). In addition to a vCU, there can also be a virtualized DU (vDU) provided by a cloud computing system. Furthermore, there can also be a combination in which a DU can be implemented on a so-called bare metal solution, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a customer-specific standard product (CSSP) system on a chip (SoC).

[0045] An edge cloud can be brought into the radio access network by utilizing network function virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN). Using an edge cloud can mean that access node operations to be executed at least partly in a computing system operatively coupled to a remote radio head (RRH) or a radio unit (RU) of the access node 104. The access node operations can also be executed on a distributed computing system or a cloud computing system located at the access node 104. The application of a cloud RAN architecture enables real-time functions of the RAN to be executed at the radio access network (e.g., in the DU 105) and non-real-time functions to be executed in a centralized manner (e.g., in the CU 108).

[0046] A 5G (or new radio, NR) wireless communication network can support multiple tiers, in which a multi-access edge computing (MEC) server can be placed between the core network 110 and the access node 104. It should be appreciated that MEC can also be applied to LTE wireless communication networks.

[0047] A 5G wireless communication network ("5G network") can also include non-terrestrial communication networks, such as satellite communication networks, to enhance or complement the coverage of the 5G radio access network. For example, satellite communication can support data transmission between the 5G radio access network and the core network 110, thereby enabling a wider network coverage. Possible use cases can include providing service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or Internet of Things (IoT) devices or for passengers on board of vehicles, or ensuring service availability for critical communications and future railway, maritime or aeronautical communications. Satellite communication can utilize geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite systems, but also low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, in particular mega-constellations (i.e. systems in which hundreds of (nano)satellites are deployed). A given satellite 106 in a mega-constellation can cover several network entities of the support satellites that create a terrestrial cell. The terrestrial cell can be created by a terrestrial relay access node or by an access node located on the ground or in a satellite.

[0048] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, Figure 1 The access nodes 104 depicted are merely examples of a part of a radio access network, and in practice, a radio access network can comprise a plurality of access nodes 104, a UE 100, 102 can access a plurality of radio cells, and a radio access network can further comprise other apparatuses, such as physical layer relay access nodes or other entities. At least one of the access nodes can be a Home eNodeB or a Home gNodeB. A Home gNodeB or a Home eNodeB is a kind of access node that can be used to provide indoor coverage within a home, an office, or other indoor environment.

[0049] In addition, in the geographical area of the radio access network, a plurality of different kinds of radio cells and a plurality of radio cells can be provided. A radio cell can be a macro cell (or umbrella cell), which can be a large size cell up to several tens of kilometers in diameter, or can be a smaller cell, such as a micro cell, a femto cell, or a pico cell. Figure 1 The access nodes 104 of Figure 1 can provide any kind of these cells. A cellular radio network can be implemented as a multi-tiered access network comprising several kinds of radio cells. In a multi-tiered access network, one access node can provide one or more radio cells of one type, and thus a plurality of access nodes can be needed to provide such a multi-tiered access network.

[0050] To meet the demand for increased radio access network performance, the concept of a "plug and play" access node can be introduced. In addition to a Home eNodeB or a Home gNodeB, a radio access network capable of using "plug and play" access nodes can also include a Home NodeB gateway (HNB-GW) Figure 1A HNB-GW, which can be installed within an operator's radio access network, can aggregate traffic from a large number of home eNodeBs or home gNodeBs back to the operator's core network 110.

[0051] The following describes some example embodiments using the principles and terminology of 5G radio access technology, without limiting the example embodiments to 5G radio access technology.

[0052] In energy harvesting technology, an energy harvesting based terminal device can operate in an active mode or a passive mode. The terminal device itself can use energy harvested from wireless radio waves as well as any other form of energy that can be harvested, and can operate at ultra-low power in the range of tens of microwatts to hundreds of microwatts. For example, if energy is harvested from wireless radio waves, the output power of the energy harvester can be from a few microwatts to tens of microwatts. If a solar panel is used to harvest energy from solar power / light, the output power can be less than 1 milliwatt due to the small size of the solar panel. The energy harvesting device can harvest energy and then transmit using active circuitry in a manner similar to a conventional transmitter. A communication service supporting energy harvesting (also referred to as environmental IoT in 3GPP) can be desirable in various vertical industries including logistics, manufacturing, transportation, energy industry, etc. Enabling environmental IoT devices in both public networks and private networks can benefit the overall 5G system. For example, they can facilitate operation in extreme environmental conditions (e.g., high pressure, extremely high / low temperature, humid environment, etc.), vibration, they can enable ultra-low complexity (low cost), very small terminal size / form factor (e.g., thickness of about 1 mm), and / or maintenance-free and longer life cycle, etc., and / or they can be used in other scenarios where battery-driven terminals are not feasible. Support for environmental IoT using battery-less terminals or terminals with limited energy storage capability (e.g., using a capacitor) can be beneficial to existing 3GPP technology.

[0053] RFID solutions can be used with backscatter technology. Environmental IoT can use 3GPP technology to enhance coverage for backscatter RFID solutions, as well as to introduce advanced features like harvesting energy from dedicated RF energy sources under network control and / or environmental energy sources including RF and other energy sources not under network control, and to improve energy efficiency for IoT-type data transmission. The wireless devices can be battery-less devices or devices with limited energy storage capability, and energy can be provided via radio wave harvesting, light, motion, etc. One goal is to have low-rate and low-complexity passive IoT with energy harvesting capability or IoT supporting environmental energy. Therefore, battery-less and small-battery devices can be supported, as well as active and passive IoT devices. Other aspects to be considered include power consumption, complexity, coverage, data rate, and positioning accuracy.

[0054] Depending on the storage capacity, environmental IoT devices can be classified into the following types: • Type A devices: no energy storage, no independent signal generation / amplification, i.e., backscatter transmission, • Type B devices: with energy storage, no independent signal generation, i.e., backscatter transmission. The use of stored energy can include amplification of the reflected signal, • Type C devices: with energy storage, with independent signal generation, i.e., active RF components for transmission. Examples of such devices include RFID tags, Bluetooth Low Energy tags, or other environmental IoT, AIoT, devices powered by ambient radiation.

[0055] Type C devices have storage and active transmission capabilities and are able to provide better coverage than Type A or Type B devices. Transmissions for Type C devices can be similar to those of NR UEs, so the access protocol can still be used with some changes.

[0056] Type C devices can be referred to as ambient-radiation-powered devices or tags. Ambient-radiation-powered devices or tags can be powered by 3GPP and environmental non-3GPP sources. A gNB (and / or a UE such as a smartphone) is able to provide RF energy to ambient-radiation-powered devices. However, due to link budget considerations, it is not always efficient to use a gNB to provide RF energy to ambient-radiation-powered devices, as the energy harvested by RF decreases rapidly with the distance between the gNB and the ambient-radiation-powered device. Moreover, increasing the gNB power to provide energy to the tags can cause a lot of interference to 3GPP network UEs and impact their transmissions. For example, some ambient-radiation-powered devices can be close to the gNB and well served by the gNB; while other ambient-radiation-powered devices can be at the cell edge and surrounded by NR / Type C devices and can be better served by alternative energy sources if well coordinated. Moreover, the precise harvested energy level of an ambient-radiation-powered device is only known to the ambient-radiation-powered device as they can also harvest energy from non-3GPP sources. A device can signal its current energy level when requested by the network, but this consumes energy, so it is not feasible to frequently ask ambient-radiation-powered devices for their energy level report. In addition, it can not be possible to distinguish which part of the energy is harvested from the 3GPP source signal and which comes from non-3GPP sources (including RF). Knowing the device energy level is beneficial for ambient-radiation-powered devices to reduce their service interruption and for the network to better plan the wireless power transfer (WPT) for ambient-radiation-powered devices, reduce interference, and provide better coverage to the devices.

[0057] Thus, it can be desirable for the network to use a selective device reporting of energy level information harvested from environmental non-3GPP sources to assist the network to be able to plan RF energy transmissions from 3GPP sources (gNBs).

[0058] In embodiments, the energy harvested by an environmental radiation powered device or tag from environmental non-3GPP sources can be estimated. This can be used by the network to plan WPT from 3GPP sources to the tag. A gNB can select a set of tags and instruct them to suspend normal transmissions during a training period. This can help to more accurately estimate the harvested energy over a time interval. If a sufficient number of tags in the selected set agree to send a report within a fixed period, these tags can start reporting their harvested energy levels with a reporting periodicity configured by the gNB. The gNB can use the energy reports received from the tags to create and iteratively update its energy harvesting model for the tags. The updated energy harvesting model can then be used to plan WPT from the network side (from gNBs and / or UEs). The environmental non-3GPP sources can be, for example, TV (television) towers, WLAN (wireless local area network) signals, and / or Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) signals. This is further illustrated in Figure 2 In Figure 2 In

[0059] If a 3GPP source supports RF energy harvesting / WPT from the network, the gNB can be considered as the default RF energy source for the tags. The tags can be environmental radiation powered Ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) devices. It can be beneficial for the AIoT devices to harvest energy from any available energy source, including environmental non-3GPP RF sources such as TV towers, WLAN signals, Wi-Fi signals, for example, to reduce radio power transmission gNB transmissions. Before starting WPT, the gNB can evaluate whether it is able to provide the service by using power within certain limits without causing excessive interference or by limiting network overhead. With an estimate of the harvested energy provided by non-3GPP environmental sources, the gNB is able to better decide when to initiate WPT when needed, thus saving energy on the network side while maintaining the service for the AIoT devices.

[0060] Figure 3 A signal flow diagram is shown in accordance with example embodiments.

[0061] Reference is made to Figure 3At 401, a network device, such as a gNB, can receive or detect a training trigger from the network. Further, at 401, the gNB can select a set of ambient-radiation-powered devices for training. The selection of the set can be based on various factors, such as the geographic location of the tags, the last reported ambient-radiation energy level of the tags, and / or the population proportion of the tags. The gNB can suspend scheduling of the WPT signals for the gNB and any other 3GPP devices (e.g., UEs) that transmit WPT signals. Thus, the gNB can suspend transmission of the radio frequency signals for ambient-radiation energy harvesting at the ambient-radiation-powered devices, and / or the gNB can indicate to other network nodes, such as UEs, to suspend transmission of the radio frequency signals for ambient-radiation energy harvesting at the ambient-radiation-powered devices. This can ensure that the ambient-radiation energy harvested at the ambient-radiation-powered devices during the training period is from non-3GPP sources. At 402, the gNB can send a configuration to the ambient-radiation-powered devices in the set, instructing the ambient-radiation-powered devices in the set to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient-radiation energy reports within a time window W = δ + T * N TR slots, and instructing the ambient-radiation-powered devices in the set to report the harvested ambient-radiation energy levels at a time interval of every T slots for N TR instances, where W is the duration of the time window, T is a predefined period of the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports, and N TR is the number of harvested ambient-radiation energy reports. δ ≥ 0, and it can be an example of a time period before the ambient-radiation-powered devices first start reporting the harvested energy. In other words, δ can be configured in a range between 0 and a predefined time value, including the boundary values, and complete any ongoing energy consumption tasks. Since during the training period, the ambient-radiation-powered devices thus do not spend any energy on transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports, and the 3GPP sources do not schedule any WPT signals, the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports can facilitate the computation of the harvested ambient-radiation energy explicitly supplied to the ambient-radiation-powered devices from non-3GPP sources. The selection of T and N TR may depend on factors such as the required confidence of the energy model, the size of the selected set of ambient-radiation-powered devices, and the tolerable interference for the network.

[0062] At 403, upon the ambient radiation powered device agreeing to transmit the harvested ambient energy report, the ambient radiation powered device can respond with an indication such as a positive acknowledgement (ACK) signal. Thus, the gNB can receive the ACK signal from the at least one ambient radiation powered device at 404. Alternatively, at 403, when the ambient radiation powered device disagrees to transmit the harvested ambient energy report, it can respond with another indication (e.g., a negative acknowledgement (NACK) signal), possibly due to reasons such as not having enough energy for the report and / or having urgent data to transmit. When the gNB receives an insufficient amount of ACKs (i.e., less than a predefined number) at 404, the gNB can send a request to postpone 404 the energy report to a later time, or select another set of ambient radiation powered devices. When the gNB receives a sufficient amount of ACKs (at least one or at least a predefined number) at 404, the gNB can instruct or request the ambient radiation powered devices that sent the ACK to report their harvested ambient radiation energy levels periodically according to a configuration at 405. Without a sufficient amount of received ACKs (i.e., less than a predefined number), the gNB can decide to delay or postpone the training at 404, or the gNB can perform selection of tags of another set.

[0063] The decision to select another set or to delay or postpone the training can be based on a configured threshold. When the number of tags that responded with ACK is > the threshold, the gNB can instruct or request the tags that responded with an ACK signal to start the energy report immediately or after a delay. Thus, the report can be initiated after a period of δ, where δ > 0, and it can be an example of a period before the ambient radiation powered device first starts the harvested energy report. Otherwise, the gNB can delay or postpone the training, or the gNB can perform selection of tags of another set.

[0064] Upon receiving the request 405, the ambient radiation powered devices responding with an ACK signal can periodically report the harvested ambient radiation energy level to the gNB according to the configuration at 406, i.e., at least one ambient radiation powered device can send a harvested ambient radiation energy report to the gNB. At 407, the gNB can receive the energy report 406 and use the received energy report to update the harvested ambient radiation energy model for the ambient radiation powered devices in the set or a subset of the ambient radiation powered devices. The harvested ambient radiation energy model can also be augmented with supplemental data such as the time of the energy report and the tag identification so that the gNB can later perform a more accurate prediction of the harvested ambient radiation energy. At 408, the gNB can send a request to the ambient radiation powered devices to stop the harvested ambient radiation energy reporting and resume normal transmissions. The ambient radiation powered devices can then resume normal operation mode, ending the training period or time window W. At 409, the gNB can send a WPT signal to the ambient radiation powered devices based on the gNB’s evaluation of the energy harvested by the ambient radiation powered devices from the non-3GPP source, i.e., perform wireless power transmission. When the ambient radiation powered devices covered (powered) by the non-3GPP source do not have sufficient energy, the ambient radiation powered devices can report an energy insufficient signal which can be used by the gNB to re-trigger the training when the criteria for training are met. The gNB can monitor energy status information about the number of ambient radiation powered devices reporting insufficient power levels outside the training period. This can be based on the tags indicating / reporting energy insufficient / low power at 410. At 411, the gNB can update the energy insufficient / low power tag count. If the number of ambient radiation powered devices insufficient in energy from the non-3GPP source is greater than a predefined threshold, the training can be re-triggered 411 by the gNB. This can mean that when the number of ambient radiation powered devices in the set reporting insufficient power levels outside the training period is greater than a predefined threshold, the gNB can re-initiate the procedure to start the training period from 401.

[0065] When triggered, the gNB can decide to perform WPT to the ambient radiation powered devices. The gNB can check the tag energy model and decide whether to perform WPT based on factors such as the operating energy threshold ETh of the ambient radiation powered devices and the trend (increase or decrease) of the predicted ambient non-3GPP energy level. The gNB can keep updating the count of ambient radiation powered devices reporting insufficient power in the set, where at a count greater than a threshold, a re-training trigger can be caused and the training can be restarted by the gNB.

[0066] The training tags can have similar harvesting capabilities and be geographically co-located, so they can harvest similar amounts of energy from nearby ambient sources. The energy model for the training tags can be maintained by the gNB. This is shown in Tables 1 and 2 below. For example, with a training period or time window of 5 time intervals, there can be ten training samples, and the reporting frequency (periodicity) can be once every five time intervals, where it can be noted that the energy harvested by the ambient energy harvesting device steadily increases from time interval 1 to 11 during the training phase. Once the training is complete, the gNB can use methods such as Bayesian estimation or time series prediction to generate a prediction for the harvested ambient energy. Larger training datasets can enable better predictions. Other additional data can be used to enhance the quality of the energy model, such as timestamps and environmental indicators. In time slot 13, the gNB can receive an estimation trigger, after which the gNB can generate a predicted harvested energy value for the ambient energy harvesting device, as shown in Table 2. Based on the observation that the harvested ambient energy for the ambient energy harvesting device has an increasing trend over the past training window (i.e., training period) and the predicted energy is above a preset threshold, the gNB can decide not to initiate WPT to the ambient energy harvesting device and defer it to a later time. Table 1 Energy report from training tags Table 2 Energy model at gNB

[0067] The energy model can be updated as shown in Table 3 below. In this case, the gNB can observe that the harvested ambient energy is not increasing and the predicted harvested energy is less than the threshold for the ambient energy harvesting device, so the gNB can initiate WPT. The power P can be based on the energy model, i.e., enough until the next expected ambient power collection, and the interference conditions of the network. Table 3 Energy model at gNB

[0068] Thus, a data-driven approach to planning and optimizing network wireless energy transfer to ambient energy harvesting devices can be provided, which can be used for deployments with slowly changing environments, such as industrial indoor environments. The ambient energy harvesting devices can be provided with improved service, with lower chances of power outage and subsequent failed transmissions for the ambient energy harvesting devices. The UE can use the obtained information to defer the tag wireless power transfer to another UE to achieve its own QoS.

[0069] Figure 4 is shown in accordance with Figure 8The flowchart illustrates an example embodiment of the method performed by the device 9800 depicted herein. For example, the device 9800 may be, or may include, or may be included in network device 104 (such as a radio access network node gNB or a distributed unit 105 or a central unit 108).

[0070] refer to Figure 4 In box 501, the gNB can instruct the set of ambient radiated power supply devices to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient radiated energy report. Prior to this, the gNB can suspend the transmission of radio frequency signals for ambient radiated energy harvesting at the ambient radiated power supply devices, and / or instruct other network nodes (such as the UE) to suspend the transmission of radio frequency signals for ambient radiated energy harvesting at the ambient radiated power supply devices. When at least a predefined number of ambient radiated power supply devices in the set agree to periodically transmit the harvested ambient radiated energy report with a predefined report configured by the gNB, the gNB can request at 502 that at least a predefined number of ambient radiated power supply devices agree to periodically transmit the harvested ambient radiated energy report with the predefined report. When at least a predefined number of ambient radiated power supply devices in the set agree to periodically transmit the harvested ambient radiated energy report with a predefined report configured by the gNB, the gNB can receive the harvested ambient radiated energy report periodically from at least one ambient radiated power supply device in the set with a predefined report configured by the gNB at 503. At point 504, the gNB can use the received harvested ambient radiation energy reports to update the harvested ambient radiation energy model for ambient radiation power supply devices or subsets of ambient radiation power supply devices in the ensemble. At point 505, the gNB can monitor energy state information regarding the number of ambient radiation power supply devices reporting insufficient power levels outside of the training period, and / or re-initiate the training period if the number of ambient radiation power supply devices reporting insufficient power levels outside of the training period in the ensemble exceeds a predefined threshold.

[0071] When the number of environmental radiation power supply devices that agree to send harvested environmental radiation energy reports during the training period is less than a predefined number, the gNB may request the environmental radiation power supply devices in the set to postpone the harvested environmental radiation energy reports at 502.

[0072] Figure 5 It shows that according to the Figure 9 The flowchart illustrates an example embodiment of a method performed by device 9900. For example, device 9900 may be, include, or be incorporated into an RFID tag, Bluetooth Low Energy tag, or other ambient radiation powered AIoT device.

[0073] refer to Figure 5In block 601, the device 9900 can receive a transmission from a network device, such as a gNB, indicating that the device suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiation energy reports. At 602, the device can agree or disagree to send harvested ambient radiation energy reports to the network device at a predefined reporting periodicity configured by the network device. The device can disagree to send harvested ambient radiation energy reports to the network device when there is not enough energy for the harvested ambient radiation energy reports, and / or when there is an urgent data transmission requirement. At 603, the device can receive a request from the network device to send harvested ambient radiation energy reports to the network device. When the device agrees to send harvested ambient radiation energy reports, the device can periodically send harvested ambient radiation energy reports to the network device at the predefined reporting periodicity at 604.

[0074] Alternatively, at 603, the device can receive a request from the network device to postpone harvested ambient radiation energy reports, where the device can postpone 604 harvested ambient radiation energy reports.

[0075] Figure 6 A flow diagram illustrating example embodiments of a method performed by an apparatus 9800 is shown according to Figure 8 The apparatus 9800 can be, or include, or be included in, a network device 104, such as a radio access network node gNB or a distributed unit 105 or a central unit 108.

[0076] Reference is made to Figure 6 In block 701, the apparatus can select a set of ambient radiation powered AIoT devices from a plurality of ambient radiation powered AIoT devices in a network. The selecting the set of ambient radiation powered AIoT devices from the plurality of ambient radiation powered AIoT devices in the network is based on one or more of: geographic locations of the plurality of ambient radiation powered AIoT devices, last reported energy levels of the plurality of ambient radiation powered AIoT devices, or population proportions of the plurality of ambient radiation powered AIoT devices. In block 702, the apparatus can send a configuration to at least one ambient radiation powered AIoT device in the set, the configuration indicating the at least one ambient radiation powered AIoT device to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiation energy reports for a time window and to report harvested ambient radiation energy at a time interval. In block 703, the apparatus can receive at least one indication from the at least one ambient radiation powered AIoT device in the set, the at least one indication indicating whether the at least one ambient radiation powered AIoT device agrees or disagrees to suspend the transmissions other than the harvested ambient radiation energy reports. In block 704, the apparatus can determine, based on the at least one indication, whether a number of ambient radiation powered AIoT devices that agree to suspend the transmissions other than the harvested ambient radiation energy reports exceeds a predefined number.

[0077] In block 705, the apparatus can, in response to determining that the number of ambient-radiation-powered AlOT devices that agree to suspend transmission of harvested ambient-radiation energy reports other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports exceeds the predefined number, wait for a period of time and send a first request to at least one ambient-radiation-powered AlOT device that agrees to suspend transmission of harvested ambient-radiation energy reports other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports to start the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports. The period of time can be from 0 to a predefined time value. In block 706, the apparatus can receive the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports from the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AlOT device and start the training based on the received harvested ambient-radiation energy reports. In block 707, the apparatus can send a second request to the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AlOT device to stop the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports.

[0078] Alternatively, in response to determining that the number of ambient-radiation-powered AlOT devices that agree to suspend transmission of harvested ambient-radiation energy reports other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports does not exceed the predefined number, the apparatus can resend the configuration to the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AlOT device in the set after the suspension or select another set of ambient-radiation-powered AlOT devices from the plurality of ambient-radiation-powered AlOT devices in the network.

[0079] Figure 7 A flow diagram illustrating example embodiments of a method performed by an apparatus 9900 is shown according to Figure 9 The apparatus 9900 can be, or include, or be included in, an RFID tag, a Bluetooth Low Energy tag, or other ambient-radiation-powered AlOT device.

[0080] Reference is made to Figure 7 In block 801, the device can receive a configuration from a network apparatus, such as a gNB, indicating that the device suspends transmission of harvested ambient-radiation energy reports other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports within a time window and reports harvested ambient-radiation energy of the device at a time interval. In block 802, the device can send an indication to the network apparatus indicating whether the device agrees or disagrees to suspend transmission of harvested ambient-radiation energy reports other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports. In response to agreeing to suspend transmission of harvested ambient-radiation energy reports other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports, in block 803, the device can suspend transmission of harvested ambient-radiation energy reports other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports, where the indication 802 can include an ACK signal. In block 804, the device can receive a first request from the network apparatus to start the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports; and start the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports 805 upon receiving the first request. In block 806, the device can receive a second request from the network apparatus indicating that the device stops the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports, and stop 807 the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports upon receiving the second request.

[0081] In response to agreeing to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiation energy reports, the indication 802 can include a NACK signal. In response to disagreeing to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiation energy reports, the indication 802 can include a NACK signal, where the disagreement to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiation energy reports can be determined based on at least one of: the device not having sufficient energy for harvested ambient radiation energy reports, or the device having an urgent data transmission requirement.

[0082] The above-described blocks, related functions, and information exchanges (messages) are not in absolute chronological order, and some of them can be executed simultaneously or in a different order than described. Other functions can also be executed among or within them, and other information and / or other rules can be sent. Some blocks or parts of blocks or one or more pieces of information can also be omitted or replaced by corresponding blocks or parts of blocks or one or more pieces of information. Figures 2 to 7 The above-described blocks, related functions, and information exchanges (messages) are not in absolute chronological order, and some of them can be executed simultaneously or in a different order than described. Other functions can also be executed among or within them, and other information and / or other rules can be sent. Some blocks or parts of blocks or one or more pieces of information can also be omitted or replaced by corresponding blocks or parts of blocks or one or more pieces of information.

[0083] In embodiments, the apparatus can suspend transmission of radio frequency signals for ambient radiation energy harvesting at the ambient radiation powered device, and / or indicate to the network node to suspend transmission of radio frequency signals for ambient radiation energy harvesting at the ambient radiation powered device.

[0084] In embodiments, the apparatus can use the received harvested ambient radiation energy report to update a harvested ambient radiation energy model for the ambient radiation powered device or a subset of the ambient radiation powered devices in the set.

[0085] In embodiments, the apparatus can request the at least predefined number of ambient radiation powered devices that agreed to periodically send harvested ambient radiation energy reports to send harvested ambient radiation energy reports during the training period at the predefined reporting period.

[0086] In embodiments, the apparatus can request the ambient radiation powered devices in the set to defer harvested ambient radiation energy reports when the number of ambient radiation powered devices that agreed to send harvested ambient radiation energy reports during the training period is lower than the predefined number.

[0087] In embodiments, the apparatus can monitor energy status information regarding the number of ambient radiation powered devices reporting insufficient power levels outside the training period.

[0088] In embodiments, the apparatus can reinitiate the training period when the number of ambient radiation powered devices in the set reporting insufficient power levels outside the training period is greater than a predefined threshold.

[0089] In embodiments, the ambient radiation powered device can periodically send harvested ambient radiation energy reports to the network apparatus during the training period at the predefined reporting period.

[0090] In an embodiment, the ambient energy harvesting device can disagree to send the harvested ambient energy report to the network device when there is not enough energy for the harvested ambient energy report, and / or when there is an urgent data transmission requirement.

[0091] In an embodiment, in response to determining that the number of ambient energy harvesting AIoT devices that agree to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient energy report exceeds a predefined number, the device gNB can wait for a period of time and send a first request to at least one ambient energy harvesting AIoT device that agrees to suspend transmissions other than the harvested energy report to start the collected ambient energy report. The period of time can be in a range (including the boundary values) of 0 and a predefined time value.

[0092] In an embodiment, the device can receive the harvested ambient energy report from the at least one ambient energy harvesting AIoT device and start training based on the received harvested ambient energy report.

[0093] In an embodiment, the device can send a second request to the at least one ambient energy harvesting AIoT device to stop the harvested ambient energy report.

[0094] In an embodiment, the device can, in response to determining that the number of ambient energy harvesting AIoT devices that agree to suspend transmissions other than the harvested energy report does not exceed a predefined number, resend the configuration to at least one ambient energy harvesting AIoT device in the set after the suspension, or select another set of ambient energy harvesting AIoT devices from the plurality of ambient energy harvesting AIoT devices in the network.

[0095] In an embodiment, selecting the set of ambient energy harvesting AIoT devices from the plurality of ambient energy harvesting AIoT devices in the network can be based on one or more of: geographical locations of the plurality of ambient energy harvesting AIoT devices, last reported energy levels of the plurality of ambient energy harvesting AIoT devices, or population proportions of the plurality of ambient energy harvesting AIoT devices.

[0096] In an embodiment, in response to agreeing to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient energy report, the ambient energy harvesting device can suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient energy report, wherein the indication comprises an ACK signal.

[0097] In an embodiment, the ambient energy harvesting device can receive a first request from the network device to start the harvested ambient energy report; and start the harvested ambient energy report upon receiving the first request.

[0098] In embodiments, the ambient radiation powered device can receive a second request from the network apparatus, the second request indicating that the device stop collecting ambient radiation energy reports, and stop harvesting ambient radiation energy reports upon receiving the second request.

[0099] In embodiments, wherein responsive to disagreeing to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiation energy reports, the indication can comprise a NACK signal, wherein the disagreeing to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiation energy reports can be determined based on at least one of: the device not having sufficient energy for harvested ambient radiation energy reports, or the device having an emergency data transmission requirement.

[0100] In embodiments, a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a device, cause the device to at least perform the following: receive a configuration from a network apparatus, the configuration indicating that the device suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiation energy reports for a time window, and report harvested ambient radiation energy of the device at time intervals; and send an indication to the network apparatus, the indication indicating whether the device agrees or disagrees to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiation energy reports.

[0101] In embodiments, a computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by a device, cause the apparatus to at least perform the following: receive a configuration from a network apparatus, the configuration indicating that the device suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiation energy reports for a time window, and report harvested ambient radiation energy of the device at time intervals; and send an indication to the network apparatus, the indication indicating whether the device agrees or disagrees to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiation energy reports.

[0102] In embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by a device, cause the device to at least perform the following: receive a configuration from a network apparatus, the configuration indicating that the device suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiation energy reports for a time window, and report harvested ambient radiation energy of the device at time intervals; and send an indication to the network apparatus, the indication indicating whether the device agrees or disagrees to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient radiation energy reports.

[0103] As used herein, “at least one of ” and “one or more of ” and similar phrases, where a list of two or more elements is conjoined by “and” or “or”, means at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0104] Figure 8An example of an apparatus 9800 comprising means for performing one or more of the above-described example embodiments is shown. For example, the apparatus 9800 can be or comprise or be comprised in a radio access network node 104 or a distributed unit 105 or a central unit 108.

[0105] The apparatus 9800 can comprise circuitry or a chipset adapted for implementing one or more of the above-described example embodiments. The apparatus 9800 can be an electronic device comprising one or more electronic circuits. The apparatus 9800 can comprise a communication control circuitry 9810, such as at least one processor, and at least one memory 9820 storing instructions 9822 that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus 9800 to perform one or more of the above-described example embodiments. Such instructions 9822 can for example comprise computer program code (software). The at least one processor and the at least one memory storing instructions can provide means for providing or causing execution of any of the methods and / or blocks described above.

[0106] The processor is coupled to the memory 9820. The processor is configured to read data from and write data to the memory 9820. The memory 9820 can comprise one or more memory units. The memory units can be volatile or non-volatile. It should be noted that there can be one or more non-volatile memory units and one or more volatile memory units, or alternatively one or more non-volatile memory units, or alternatively one or more volatile memory units. The volatile memory can be, for example, a random access memory (RAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM). The non-volatile memory can be, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, an optical storage, or a magnetic storage device. In general, the memory can be referred to as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. As used herein, the term “non-transitory” is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, as opposed to signals), and not a limitation of data storage durability (e.g., RAM versus ROM). The memory 9820 stores computer-readable instructions executed by the processor. For example, the non-volatile memory stores the computer-readable instructions, and the processor uses the volatile memory to execute the instructions to store data and / or instructions temporarily.

[0107] The computer-readable instructions can be pre-stored to the memory 9820, or alternatively or additionally, they can be received by the apparatus via an electromagnetic carrier signal and / or can be copied from a physical entity such as a computer program product. Execution of the computer-readable instructions causes the apparatus 9800 to perform one or more of the above-described functions.

[0108] The memory 9820 can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and / or removable memory. The memory may include a configuration database for storing configuration data.

[0109] The device 9800 may also include or be connected to a communication interface 9830, such as a radio unit, including hardware and / or software for establishing a communication connection with one or more wireless communication devices according to one or more communication protocols. The communication interface 9830 includes at least one transmitter (Tx) and at least one receiver (Rx) that can be integrated into or connected to the device 9800. The communication interface 9830 may provide components for performing some of the blocks of the above-described example embodiments. The communication interface 9830 may include one or more components controlled by a corresponding control unit, such as: a power amplifier, a digital front end (DFE), an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a frequency converter, a modulator (demodulator), and / or encoder / decoder circuitry.

[0110] Communication interface 9830 provides the device with radio communication capabilities for communication in a wireless communication network. The communication interface may, for example, provide a radio interface to one or more UEs 100, 102. The device 9800 may also include or be connected to another interface toward core network 110 (such as a network coordinator device or AMF 111), and / or access node 104 of the wireless communication network.

[0111] The apparatus 9800 may also include a scheduler 9840 configured to allocate radio resources. The scheduler 9840 may be configured together with the communication control circuitry 9810, or it may be configured separately.

[0112] It should be noted that device 9800 may also include Figure 8 Various components are not shown. These components can be hardware components and / or software components.

[0113] Figure 9 An example of a device 9900 or apparatus 9900 for a communication network 110 is shown. The device 9900 includes components for performing one or more of the above-described example embodiments. For example, the components may be RFID tags, Bluetooth Low Energy tags, or other environmentally radiated powered AIoT devices.

[0114] The apparatus 9900 can comprise, for example, a circuit or chipset adapted to implement one or more of the example embodiments described above. The apparatus 9900 can be an electronic device or computing system comprising one or more electronic circuits. The apparatus 9900 can comprise a control circuit 9910, such as at least one processor, and at least one memory 9920 storing instructions 9922 that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus 9900 to perform one or more of the example embodiments described above. Such instructions 9922 can for example comprise computer program code (software). The at least one processor and the at least one memory storing instructions can provide means for providing or causing execution of any of the methods and / or blocks described above.

[0115] The processor is coupled to the memory 9920. The processor is configured to read data from and write data to the memory 9920. The memory 9920 can comprise one or more memory units. The memory units can be volatile or non-volatile. It should be noted that there can be one or more non-volatile memory units and one or more volatile memory units, or alternatively one or more non-volatile memory units, or alternatively one or more volatile memory units. Volatile memory can be, for example, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM). Non-volatile memory can be, for example, read only memory (ROM), programmable read only memory (PROM), electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, optical storage, or magnetic storage. Generally, the memory can be referred to as a non-transitory computer readable medium. As used herein, the term non-transitory is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, as opposed to signals), and not a limitation of data storage persistence (e.g., RAM versus ROM). The memory 9920 stores computer-readable instructions executed by the processor. For example, the non-volatile memory stores the computer-readable instructions, and the processor uses the volatile memory to execute the instructions to store data and / or instructions temporarily.

[0116] The computer-readable instructions can be pre-stored to the memory 9920, or alternatively or additionally, they can be received by the apparatus via an electromagnetic carrier signal and / or can be copied from a physical entity such as a computer program product. Execution of the computer-readable instructions causes the apparatus 9900 to perform one or more of the functions described above.

[0117] The memory 9920 can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and / or removable memory.

[0118] The apparatus 9900 can also include or be connected to a communication interface 9930 including hardware and / or software for implementing communication connections according to one or more communication protocols. The communication interface 9930 can include at least one transmitter (Tx) and at least one receiver (Rx) that can be integrated into the apparatus 9900 or to which the apparatus 9900 can be connected. The communication interface 9930 can provide means for performing some of the blocks of one or more of the example embodiments described above. The communication interface 9930 can include one or more components controlled by a corresponding control unit, such as: power amplifiers, digital front ends (DFEs), analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), digital-to-analog converters (DACs), frequency converters, modulators (demodulators), and / or encoder / decoder circuits.

[0119] The communication interface 9930 provides the apparatus with communication capabilities to communicate in a wireless communication network. The communication interface 9930 may, for example, provide a radio, cable, or optical fiber interface to one or more network nodes 104 of a radio access network.

[0120] It should be noted that the apparatus 9900 can also include various components not shown in FIG. 9A. The various components can be hardware components and / or software components. Figure 9

[0121] As used in this application, the term “circuitry” can refer to one or more or all of the following: a) hardware-only circuitry such as amongst others an implementation in only analog and / or digital circuitry; and b) a combination of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable): i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware; and ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processors); and c) hardware circuit(s) whether or not accompanied by software, as that term is construed in this application, including as applicable: (1) a microprocessor or a portion thereof, whether or not the software needs the microprocessor or portion thereof to operate but the microprocessor or portion thereof is absent when it is not needed to do so.

[0122] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application including any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation that has a sole hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a sole hardware circuit or processor portion for its (or their) implementation, with its (or their) software and / or firmware implementation per the preceding definition.

[0123] ​The techniques and methods described herein can be implemented by various means. For example, these techniques can be implemented in hardware (one or more devices), firmware (one or more devices), software (one or more modules), or combinations thereof. For a hardware implementation, the apparatus of an example embodiment can be implemented within one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphics processing units (GPUs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, a combination thereof, or the like. For firmware or software, the implementation can be carried out through modules of at least one chipset (e.g., processes, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. The software codes can be stored in memory units and executed by processors. The memory unit can be implemented within the processor or external to the processor, in which case it can be communicatively coupled to the processor via various means as is known in the art. Further, the components of the systems described herein can be rearranged and / or complemented by additional components in order to facilitate the achievements of the various aspects, etc., described with regard thereto, and they are not limited to the precise configurations set forth in the given figures, as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art.

[0124] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, with the progress of technology, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways within the scope of the claims. The embodiments are not limited to the above-described example embodiments, but can be varied within the scope of the claims. Therefore, all words and expressions should be interpreted broadly and they are intended to illustrate, not to limit, the embodiments.

[0125] In addition, the implementations of the present disclosure can be described with reference to the following clauses, the features of which can be combined in any reasonable manner.

[0126] Clause 1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: select, from a plurality of ambient-radiation-powered AIoT (ambient-radiation-powered AIoT) devices in a network, a set of ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices; send, to at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device in the set, a configuration indicating the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device to suspend, for a time window, transmissions other than harvested ambient-radiation energy reports and to report harvested ambient-radiation energy at a time interval; receive, from the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device in the set, at least one indication indicating whether the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device agrees or disagrees to suspend the transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports; and based on the at least one indication, determine whether a number of the ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices that agree to suspend the transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports exceeds a predefined number.

[0127] Clause 2. The apparatus of clause 1, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to: in response to determining that the number of the ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices that agree to suspend the transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports exceeds the predefined number, wait for a period of time, and send, to the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device that agrees to suspend the transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports, a first request to start harvested ambient-radiation energy reporting.

[0128] Clause 3. The apparatus of clause 2, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to: receive, from the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device that agrees to suspend the transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports, the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports, and based on the received harvested ambient-radiation energy reports, start training.

[0129] Clause 4. The apparatus of clause 3, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to: send, to the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device that agrees to suspend the transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports, a second request to stop the harvested ambient-radiation energy reporting.

[0130] Clause 5. The apparatus of Clause 1, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory storing the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to: in response to determining that the number of the ambient-radiation-powered AlOT devices that consent to suspending the transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports does not exceed the predefined number, after the suspending, resend the configuration to the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AlOT device in the set or select another set of ambient-radiation-powered AlOT devices from the plurality of ambient-radiation-powered AlOT devices in the network.

[0131] Clause 6. An apparatus comprising: means for selecting a set of ambient-radiation-powered environmental Internet of Things (AlOT) devices from a plurality of ambient-radiation-powered AlOT devices in a network; means for sending a configuration to at least one ambient-radiation-powered AlOT device in the set, the configuration instructing the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AlOT device to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient-radiation energy reports for a time window and to report harvested ambient-radiation energy at a time interval; means for receiving at least one indication from the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AlOT device in the set, the at least one indication indicating whether the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AlOT device consents or disagrees to suspend the transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports; and means for determining whether a number of the ambient-radiation-powered AlOT devices that consent to suspending the transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports exceeds a predefined number based on the at least one indication.

[0132] Clause 7. The apparatus of Clause 6, further comprising, in response to determining that the number of the ambient-radiation-powered AlOT devices that consent to suspending the transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports exceeds the predefined number, means for waiting for a period of time and means for sending a first request to the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AlOT device that consents to suspending the transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports to start harvested ambient-radiation energy reports.

[0133] Clause 8. The apparatus of Clause 7, further comprising: means for receiving the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports from the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AlOT device that consents to suspending the transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports; and means for starting training based on the received harvested ambient-radiation energy reports.

[0134] Clause 9. The apparatus of clause 8, further comprising means for sending, to the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AlloT device that agreed to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy report, a second request to stop the harvested ambient-radiation energy report.

[0135] Clause 10. The apparatus of any one of clauses 2-5 or 7-9, wherein the period of time is configured to be in a range between 0 and a predefined time value, inclusive of 0 and the predefined time value.

[0136] Clause 11. The apparatus of clause 6, further comprising, in response to determining that the number of the ambient-radiation-powered AlloT devices that agreed to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy report does not exceed the predefined number, means for resending the configuration to the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AlloT device in the set after the suspension, or means for selecting another set of ambient-radiation-powered AlloT devices from the plurality of ambient-radiation-powered AlloT devices in the network.

[0137] Clause 12. The apparatus of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein selecting the set of ambient-radiation-powered AlloT devices from the plurality of ambient-radiation-powered AlloT devices in the network is based on at least one of: geographic locations of the plurality of ambient-radiation-powered AlloT devices, a population proportion, or last reported energy levels of the plurality of ambient-radiation-powered AlloT devices.

[0138] Clause 13. The apparatus of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein the apparatus is, comprises, or is included in a gNB.

[0139] Clause 14. A device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: receive, from a network apparatus, a configuration that instructs the device to suspend transmissions other than a harvested ambient-radiation energy report for a time window and to report, at a time interval, a harvested ambient-radiation energy of the device; and send, to the network apparatus, an indication that indicates whether the device agrees or disagrees to suspend the transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy report.

[0140] Clause 15. The device of clause 14, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the device to: in response to agreeing to suspend the transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy report, suspend the transmissions, wherein the indication comprises an ACK signal.

[0141] Clause 16. The device of clause 15, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the device to: receive a first request from the network apparatus to start the harvested ambient radiant energy report; and start the harvested ambient radiant energy report upon receiving the first request.

[0142] Clause 17. The device of clause 16, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the device to: receive a second request from the network apparatus, the second request indicating the device to stop the harvested ambient radiant energy report, stop the harvested ambient radiant energy report upon receiving the second request and resume all other transmissions.

[0143] Clause 18. A device comprising: means for receiving a configuration from a network apparatus, the configuration indicating the device to suspend transmissions other than a harvested ambient radiant energy report for a time window and to report a harvested ambient radiant energy of the device at a time interval; and means for sending an indication to the network apparatus, the indication indicating whether the device agrees or disagrees to suspend the transmissions other than the harvested ambient radiant energy report.

[0144] Clause 19. The device of clause 18, further comprising: means for suspending the transmissions other than the harvested ambient radiant energy report in response to agreeing to suspend the transmissions, wherein the indication comprises an ACK signal.

[0145] Clause 20. The device of clause 19, further comprising: means for receiving a first request from the network apparatus to start the harvested ambient radiant energy report; and means for starting the harvested ambient radiant energy report upon receiving the first request.

[0146] Clause 21. The device of clause 20, further comprising: means for receiving a second request from the network apparatus, the second request indicating the device to stop the harvested ambient radiant energy report; means for stopping the harvested ambient radiant energy report upon receiving the second request, and means for resuming other transmissions.

[0147] Clause 22. The device of clause 14 or 18, wherein, in response to disagreeing to suspend the transmissions other than the harvested ambient radiation energy report, the indication comprises a NACK signal, wherein the disagreement to suspend the transmissions other than the harvested ambient radiation energy report is determined based on at least one of: the device not having sufficient energy for the harvested ambient radiation energy report, or the device having an emergency transmission.

[0148] Clause 23. The device of any of the preceding clauses 14 to 22, wherein the device comprises or is comprised in an RFID tag, a Bluetooth Low Energy tag, or other ambient radiation powered ambient Internet of Things, AIoT, device.

[0149] Clause 24. A method comprising: selecting, by a network apparatus, a set of ambient radiation powered Ambient Internet of Things, AIoT, devices from a plurality of ambient radiation powered AIoT devices in a network; sending, by the network apparatus, a configuration to at least one ambient radiation powered AIoT device in the set, the configuration instructing the at least one ambient radiation powered AIoT device to suspend transmissions other than a harvested ambient radiation energy report within a time window and to report harvested ambient radiation energy at a time interval; receiving, by the network apparatus, at least one indication from the at least one ambient radiation powered AIoT device in the set, the at least one indication indicating whether the at least one ambient radiation powered AIoT device agrees or disagrees to suspend the transmissions other than the harvested ambient radiation energy report; determining, by the network apparatus, based on the at least one indication, whether a number of the ambient radiation powered AIoT devices that agree to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient radiation energy report exceeds a predefined number.

[0150] Clause 25. A method comprising: receiving, by a device, a configuration from a network apparatus, the configuration instructing the device to suspend transmissions other than a harvested ambient radiation energy report within a time window and to report harvested ambient radiation energy of the device at a time interval; and sending, by the device, an indication to the network apparatus, the indication indicating whether the device agrees or disagrees to suspend the transmissions other than the harvested ambient radiation energy report.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless power transfer in communications, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: select a set of ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices from a plurality of ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices in a network; send a configuration to at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device in the set, the configuration indicating the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device to suspend transmissions other than harvested ambient-radiation energy reports for a time window and to report harvested ambient-radiation energy at a time interval; receive at least one indication from the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device in the set, the at least one indication indicating whether the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device agrees or disagrees to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports; based on the at least one indication, determine whether a number of the ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices that agree to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports exceeds a predefined number.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: in response to determining that the number of the ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices that agree to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports exceeds the predefined number, wait for a period of time, and send a first request to the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device that agrees to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports to start harvested ambient-radiation energy reporting.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: receive the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports from the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device that agrees to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports and start training based on the received harvested ambient-radiation energy reports.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: send a second request to the at least one ambient-radiation-powered AIoT device that agrees to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports to stop the harvested ambient-radiation energy reporting.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: in response to determining that the number of the ambient-radiation-powered AIoT devices that agree to suspend transmissions other than the harvested ambient-radiation energy reports does not exceed the predefined number, After the pause, the configuration is resent to at least one ambient radiation-powered AIoT device in the set, or Select another set of ambient radiation powered AIoT devices from the plurality of ambient radiation powered AIoT devices in the network.

6. An apparatus for wireless power transmission in communication, comprising: Components for selecting a set of ambient radiation powered AIoT devices from multiple ambient radiation powered AIoT devices in a network; Components for sending configuration to at least one ambient radiation powered AIoT device in the set, the configuration instructing the at least one ambient radiation powered AIoT device to suspend transmissions other than the reported ambient radiation energy during a time window, and to report the reported ambient radiation energy at time intervals. A component for receiving at least one indication from the at least one ambient radiation powered AIoT device in the set, the at least one indication indicating whether the at least one ambient radiation powered AIoT device agrees or disagrees to suspend the transmission other than the harvested ambient radiation energy report; as well as A component for determining, based on the at least one indication, whether the number of environmental radiation-powered AIoT devices that agree to suspend transmissions other than the harvested environmental radiation energy report exceeds a predefined number.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: In response to the determination that the number of environmental radiation-powered AIoT devices agreeing to suspend transmissions other than the harvested environmental radiation energy report exceeds the predefined number, a component is provided for waiting for a period of time. A component for sending a first request to at least one environmental radiation-powered AIoT device that has agreed to suspend transmission of environmental radiation energy reports other than those being harvested, in order to begin harvesting environmental radiation energy reports.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: Components for receiving the harvested environmental radiation energy report from at least one environmental radiation-powered AIoT device that has agreed to suspend transmissions other than the harvested environmental radiation energy report; as well as A component for initiating training based on the received environmental radiation energy report.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: A component for sending a second request to at least one environmental radiation-powered AIoT device that has agreed to suspend transmissions other than the harvested environmental radiation energy reports, in order to stop the harvested environmental radiation energy reports.

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5 or 7 to 9, wherein the time period is configured to be within a range between 0 and a predefined time value, including 0 and the predefined time value.

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