Communication method and system for ambient internet of things

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure are a communication method and system for an ambient Internet of Things. The method comprises: a first entity configuring or pre-configuring communication resources for a target signal to a second entity, wherein the target signal includes at least one of the following: an energy signal, a carrier signal, a forward signal and a reverse signal, and the communication resources include a time-domain resource, a frequency-domain resource, a code-domain resource, a spatial-domain resource, and a power-domain resource.

Description

A communication method and system for environmental Internet of Things

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This disclosure is based on Chinese patent application CN202410070921.9, filed on January 17, 2024, entitled “A communication method and system for an environmental Internet of Things”, and claims the priority of the patent application, and all the contents disclosed therein are incorporated into this disclosure by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a communication method and system for an environmental Internet of Things. Background Art

[0004] With the continuous advancement of radio technology, a large number of radio services have emerged. In addition to cellular services between base stations and terminals, Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems and New Radio (NR) systems also include Internet of Things (IoT) services, that is, communication between base stations and IoT devices. IoT devices are usually powered by traditional batteries with limited lifespans. In some extreme environmental conditions, maintaining the continuous operation of IoT devices and replacing batteries can be very challenging. On the other hand, the increasing number of large-scale commercial use cases requires IoT devices with very small sizes and longer life cycles. Therefore, ultra-low power consumption, ultra-low complexity, and ultra-low cost IoT devices that are not battery-powered need to be considered in LTE systems, NR systems, and future communication systems.

[0005] Related art proposes an IoT device that is not battery-powered, called Ambient-IoT (A-IoT) or Passive-IoT (P-IoT), and the power required for its operation comes from radio frequency signals or other forms of energy in the surrounding environment. In the ambient IoT communication scenario, the A-IoT device may involve the following signals: an energy signal for charging (also called a charging signal), a carrier signal for modulation or reflection (also called a signal to be modulated or a signal to be reflected), a forward signal for forward link (also called downlink) communication (also called a downlink signal), and a reverse signal for reverse link (also called uplink) communication (also called an uplink signal). These signals may not be the same signal and may all exist in the system, which involves issues such as resource allocation of energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals, and reverse signals. Even if there is only one signal in the system, issues such as signal waveforms will be involved.

[0006] In summary, there is no good solution to the above technical problems.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method and system for an environmental Internet of Things to at least solve the resource allocation problem of energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals, and reverse signals in related technologies.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method for an environmental Internet of Things is provided, the method comprising: a first entity configuring or pre-configuring communication resources of a target signal to a second entity, wherein the target signal comprises at least one of the following: an energy signal, a carrier signal, a forward signal, and a reverse signal; and the communication resources comprise: time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code domain resources, spatial domain resources, and power domain resources.

[0010] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication system for an environmental Internet of Things is provided, the system comprising: a first entity and a second entity, wherein the first entity is used to configure or pre-configure communication resources of a target signal to the second entity, wherein the target signal comprises at least one of the following: an energy signal, a carrier signal, a forward signal, a reverse signal, and the communication resources comprise: time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code domain resources, spatial domain resources, and power domain resources.

[0011] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of any of the above method embodiments are executed.

[0012] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, including a memory and a processor, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to execute the steps in any one of the above method embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] FIG1 is a flow chart of a communication method of an environmental Internet of Things according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0014] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of simultaneous operation or time-division operation of target signals according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG3 is a structural block diagram of a communication system of an environmental Internet of Things according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a network of an environmental Internet of Things according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with embodiments.

[0018] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present disclosure and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0019] The embodiments of the present disclosure are applied to IoT services and implemented in LTE and NR systems. For example, typical IoT services in LTE systems include Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Machine Type Communication (MTC), and Enhanced Machine Type Communication (eMTC); while typical IoT services in NR systems include Reduced Capability (RedCap) and Enhanced Reduced Capability (eRedCap).

[0020] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be widely applied in various commercial scenarios, including but not limited to warehousing, logistics, supply chain, smart home, environmental monitoring, smart agriculture and animal husbandry, finding items, shopping malls, venue guides, medical device status modification, device activation and deactivation, and elderly care.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method for an environmental Internet of Things is provided. FIG1 is a flow chart of the communication method for the environmental Internet of Things according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG1 , the flow chart includes the following steps:

[0022] Step S1: A first entity configures or pre-configures communication resources of a target signal to a second entity.

[0023] In this embodiment, the target signal includes at least one of the following: an energy signal, a carrier signal, a forward signal, and a reverse signal, and the communication resources include: time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code domain resources, space domain resources, and power domain resources.

[0024] Through the embodiments of the present disclosure, the resource configuration problem of energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals and reverse signals in related technologies can be solved.

[0025] In some embodiments, the energy signal is used for charging, the carrier signal is used for modulation or reflection, the forward signal is used for forward link (also known as downlink) communication, and the reverse signal is used for reverse link (also known as uplink) communication. The energy signal, carrier signal, forward signal, and reverse signal may all exist in the ambient Internet of Things, or only one or a portion of the energy signal, carrier signal, forward signal, and reverse signal may exist in the ambient Internet of Things.

[0026] Furthermore, in the environmental Internet of Things, the energy signal can also be called the charging signal; the carrier signal can also be called the signal to be modulated or the signal to be reflected; the forward signal can also be called the downlink signal, which refers to the communication signal from the base station to the A-IoT device; the reverse signal can also be called the uplink signal, which refers to the communication signal from the A-IoT device to the base station.

[0027] In some embodiments, the first entity includes at least one of the following: a network node, a relay node, an auxiliary node, a terminal node, a radio resource control (RRC) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and a physical (PHY) layer. The network node, relay node, auxiliary node, and terminal node are physical entities, and the RRC layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer are logical entities.

[0028] In an exemplary embodiment, a network node may include a base station. A relay node may include an integrated access and backhaul (IAB), a repeater, or a terminal node with relay functionality. An auxiliary node may include an IAB, a repeater, or a terminal node with relay functionality. A terminal node may include a user equipment (UE).

[0029] In some embodiments, the second entity includes an Internet of Things device, and illustratively, may be an A-IoT device.

[0030] In some embodiments, the first entity and the second entity in step S1 can communicate directly or indirectly. For example, A-IoT networks can be divided into the following four types: the first type of topology is direct communication between network nodes and A-IoT devices; the second type of topology is the presence of relay nodes between network nodes and A-IoT devices; the third type of topology is the presence of auxiliary nodes between network nodes and A-IoT devices, which can assist in downlink or uplink communication of A-IoT devices; and the fourth type of topology is direct communication between terminal nodes and A-IoT devices.

[0031] Furthermore, in the case where the first entity communicates indirectly with the second entity, for example, when the first entity communicates with the A-IoT device through a relay node, an auxiliary node or a terminal node, the relay node, the auxiliary node or the terminal node can also be regarded as the second entity, which is configured or pre-configured by the first entity.

[0032] In some embodiments, the first entity may serve as a reader / writer, and the second entity may serve as a tag, such as a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag.

[0033] In some embodiments, the method further includes: the first entity configuring or pre-configuring an operation mode of the target signal to the second entity.

[0034] In some embodiments, the operation of the energy signal includes at least one of the following: reception of the energy signal; operation of a device triggered by the energy signal; and charging using the energy signal.

[0035] In some embodiments, the operation of the carrier signal includes at least one of the following: receiving the carrier signal; and power amplifying the carrier signal.

[0036] In some embodiments, the operation of the forward signal includes at least one of the following: receiving the forward signal; power amplifying the forward signal; demodulating the forward signal; and decoding the forward signal.

[0037] In some embodiments, the operation of the reverse signal includes at least one of the following: encoding of the carrier signal, wherein the reverse signal is obtained by encoding the carrier signal; modulation of the carrier signal, wherein the reverse signal is obtained by modulating the carrier signal; power amplification, wherein the reverse signal is obtained by power amplification; reflection of the reverse signal; and transmission of the reverse signal.

[0038] In this embodiment, the operations of the energy signal, carrier signal, forward signal, and reverse signal are described with the second entity (e.g., A-IoT device) as the execution subject. The first entity also involves corresponding operations, which will not be repeated here.

[0039] In some embodiments, the device operation triggered by the energy signal may include any operation occurring at the second entity, such as the operation of a carrier signal, the operation of a forward signal, or the operation of a reverse signal. For example, the second entity may immediately trigger a specified device operation (e.g., encoding an operation on the carrier signal) upon receiving the energy signal; alternatively, the second entity may first charge the device using the energy signal and then trigger the specified device operation after the energy reaches a predetermined trigger threshold.

[0040] In some embodiments, different types of A-IoT devices may have different operational modes for energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals, and reverse signals. For example, an A-IoT device without signal transmission capabilities cannot transmit reverse signals, only reflect them. However, an A-IoT device with signal transmission capabilities can transmit reverse signals.

[0041] In some embodiments, in the ambient IoT, the energy signal, carrier signal, forward signal, and reverse signal described above can operate simultaneously or in a time-division manner. Time-division operation means that each type of signal operates at different times. Furthermore, the operation mode can be configured by the first entity to the second entity.

[0042] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating simultaneous or time-division operation of target signals according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2 , the target signal includes at least one of the following: an energy signal, a carrier signal, a forward signal, and a reverse signal. The first entity can configure or preconfigure the second entity to implement simultaneous or time-division operation of different types of target signals.

[0043] Through the embodiments of the present disclosure, the operation problems of energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals and reverse signals in related technologies can be solved.

[0044] In some embodiments, the method further includes: the first entity configuring or pre-configuring the communication format (ie, waveform) of the target signal to the second entity.

[0045] In some embodiments, the energy signal may be a modulated radio frequency signal or an unmodulated radio frequency signal.

[0046] Exemplarily, the energy signal may include at least one of: a modulated radio frequency signal of the first entity, a modulated radio frequency signal of radio broadcast, a modulated radio frequency signal of WiFi, or a modulated radio frequency signal of Bluetooth; an unmodulated radio frequency signal of the first entity, an unmodulated radio frequency signal of radio broadcast, an unmodulated radio frequency signal of WiFi, or an unmodulated radio frequency signal of Bluetooth.

[0047] In some embodiments, the carrier signal is an unmodulated radio frequency signal. Exemplarily, the carrier signal includes at least one of the following: an unmodulated radio frequency signal of the first entity, an unmodulated radio frequency signal of radio broadcast, an unmodulated radio frequency signal of WiFi, or an unmodulated radio frequency signal of Bluetooth.

[0048] In some embodiments, the communication format of the modulated radio frequency signal contained in the energy signal includes at least one of the following: amplitude shift keying (ASK), frequency shift keying (FSK), phase shift keying (PSK), and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM).

[0049] In some embodiments, the communication format of the unmodulated radio frequency signal contained in the energy signal or the carrier signal includes at least one of the following: pulse, constant frequency continuous wave, amplitude modulated continuous wave, phase modulated continuous wave, frequency modulated continuous wave; illustratively, the constant frequency continuous wave includes: sine wave, cosine wave or orthogonal sine and cosine waves, and the frequency modulated continuous wave includes multitone (MT) or linear frequency modulation (LFM).

[0050] In some embodiments, the energy signal and the carrier signal may be generated by the first entity and sent by the first entity to the second entity. Furthermore, the communication format used by the energy signal and the carrier signal may be configured by the first entity to the second entity.

[0051] Through the embodiments of the present disclosure, the waveform problems of energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals and reverse signals in related technologies can be solved.

[0052] In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication system for an environmental Internet of Things is provided.

[0053] FIG3 is a structural block diagram of a communication system of an environmental Internet of Things according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3 , the system includes:

[0054] A first entity 10 and a second entity 20 .

[0055] In this embodiment, the first entity 10 is used to configure or pre-configure communication resources of a target signal to the second entity, wherein the target signal includes at least one of the following: an energy signal, a carrier signal, a forward signal, and a reverse signal; and the communication resources include: time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code domain resources, spatial domain resources, and power domain resources.

[0056] In some embodiments, the first entity includes at least one of the following: a network node, a relay node, an auxiliary node, a terminal node, a radio resource control (RRC) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and a physical (PHY) layer. The network node, relay node, auxiliary node, and terminal node are physical entities, and the RRC layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer are logical entities.

[0057] In an exemplary embodiment, a network node may include a base station. A relay node may include an integrated access and backhaul (IAB), a repeater, or a terminal node with relay functionality. An auxiliary node may include an IAB, a repeater, or a terminal node with relay functionality. A terminal node may include a user equipment (UE).

[0058] In some embodiments, the second entity includes an Internet of Things device, and illustratively, may be an A-IoT device.

[0059] In some embodiments, the first entity and the second entity can communicate directly or indirectly. For example, A-IoT networks can be divided into the following four types: the first type of topology is direct communication between network nodes and A-IoT devices; the second type of topology is the presence of relay nodes between network nodes and A-IoT devices; the third type of topology is the presence of auxiliary nodes between network nodes and A-IoT devices, which can assist in downlink or uplink communication of A-IoT devices; and the fourth type of topology is direct communication between terminal nodes and A-IoT devices.

[0060] Furthermore, in the case where the first entity communicates indirectly with the second entity, for example, when the first entity communicates with the A-IoT device through a relay node, an auxiliary node or a terminal node, the relay node, the auxiliary node or the terminal node can also be regarded as the second entity, which is configured or pre-configured by the first entity.

[0061] In some embodiments, the first entity is further configured to configure or pre-configure an operation mode of the target signal to the second entity.

[0062] In some embodiments, the second entity is configured to perform operations related to the energy signal, the carrier signal, the forward signal, or the reverse signal.

[0063] In an exemplary embodiment, the second entity is further configured to receive the energy signal; or trigger the device to operate according to the energy signal; or charge using the energy signal.

[0064] In an exemplary embodiment, the second entity is further configured to receive the carrier signal; or perform power amplification on the carrier signal.

[0065] In an exemplary embodiment, the second entity is further configured to receive the forward signal; or, perform power amplification on the forward signal; or, perform demodulation on the forward signal; or, perform decoding on the forward signal.

[0066] In an exemplary embodiment, the second entity is further used to encode the carrier signal to obtain the reverse signal; or, modulate the carrier signal to obtain the reverse signal; or, obtain the reverse signal through power amplification; or, reflect the reverse signal; or, transmit the reverse signal.

[0067] In some embodiments, the first entity is further configured to configure or pre-configure the communication format (ie, waveform) of the target signal to the second entity.

[0068] The disclosed embodiments address issues related to energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals, reverse signals, and their configuration, operation, and waveforms in ambient IoT communication scenarios. The evolution of wireless mobile communication systems has enabled extensive and in-depth research into the ambient IoT. Energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals, reverse signals, and their configuration, operation, and waveforms in ambient IoT communication scenarios are essential technologies for the ambient IoT and hold broad commercial promise.

[0069] Figure 4 is a networking diagram of the environmental Internet of Things according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4, the first entity and the second entity can communicate directly or indirectly. In the case of indirect communication, the intermediate node (such as a relay node, an auxiliary node, and a terminal node) can serve as the second entity communicating with the first entity at the previous level, or as the first entity communicating with the second entity at the next level.

[0070] In this embodiment, the first entity and the second entity at each level can perform resource configuration and operation of energy signals, carrier signals, forward signals or reverse signals according to any of the above-mentioned method embodiments, and the waveforms (or communication standards) used by various signals can also be configured with reference to any of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0071] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of any of the above method embodiments are executed.

[0072] In an exemplary embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, various media that can store computer programs, such as a USB flash drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a mobile hard disk, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0073] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides an electronic device, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0074] In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device may further include a transmission device and an input / output device, wherein the transmission device is connected to the processor, and the input / output device is connected to the processor.

[0075] For specific examples in this embodiment, reference may be made to the examples described in the above embodiments and exemplary implementation modes, and this embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0076] Obviously, those skilled in the art should understand that the modules or steps of the present disclosure described above can be implemented using a general-purpose computing device, they can be concentrated on a single computing device, or distributed across a network composed of multiple computing devices, they can be implemented using program code executable by the computing device, and thus, they can be stored in a storage device and executed by the computing device, and in some cases, the steps shown or described can be performed in a different order than herein, or they can be fabricated into separate integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps can be fabricated into a single integrated circuit module for implementation. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to any particular combination of hardware and software.

[0077] The foregoing is merely an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and variations. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, and the like made within the principles of the present disclosure shall be included within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

14. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program therein, wherein, The computer program, when run by a processor, executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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

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