Ambient internet of things – device frequency-shift determination

Abstract

A method (300) performed by a device (512) for determining which frequency shift to apply for backscattering communication includes determining (302) a frequency shift based on an attribute of the device. A backscattering communication is modified based on the frequency shift determined based on the attribute of the device.

Description

[0001] AMBIENT INTERNET OF THINGS - DEVICE FREQUENCY- SHIFT DETERMINATION

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates, in general, to wireless communications and, more particularly, systems and methods for ambient Internet of Things (loT) device frequency shift determination.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Zero-Energy loT & Ambient- loT

[0006] Wireless loT devices are often battery powered. Both the need to change the battery and the battery lifetime may be concerns for many potential applications, such as asset tracking or environmental / industrial sensors. For this reason, the wireless communications industry has been interested in so-called zero-energy (ZE) devices. ZE devices refer to wireless loT devices that do not require battery replacement. In some use cases, such as monitoring the temperature of foodstuffs, the ZE devices may have small batteries that are disposable (e.g., organic, compostable batteries), rechargeable, or have very limited capacity. ZE-IoT devices can be very small and even be printable

[0007] Additionally, ZE-IoT devices target ultra-low power consumption to enable operation based on either harvesting energy from ambient sources or back- scattering communication (cf. radio-frequency identification (RFID)). That is, instead of relying on energy for communication being provided by a battery, the energy is instead harvested from an ambient source, such as vibrations, solar power, RF, etc. Alternatively, a charge carrier wave is provided to the device, which is modulated and reflected back to a reader (in the back-scattering communication case). This enables energy-autonomous operation during the lifetime of the devices without the need for either manual replacement or charging of the batteries. Compared to existing radio access technologies, this puts new requirements on the radio interface and the protocols.

[0008] In 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Rel-18, the study item RP-222685, Study on Ambient loT, was carried out on radio access network (RAN) plenary level (referring to ZE-IoT as ‘ Ambient- loT’). The outcome was captured in 3GPP TR 38.848.

[0009] In Rel-19, the work is being continued with RP-234058, Study on solutions for Ambient loT (Internet of Things) in New radio (NR), with the following general scope:

[0010] The definitions provided in TR 38.848 are taken into this [Study Item (SI)], and the following are the exclusive general scope:

[0011] A. The overall objective shall be to study a harmonized air interface design with minimized differences (where necessary) for Ambient loT to enable the following devices: i. ~1 pW peak power consumption, has energy storage, initial sampling frequency offset (SFO) up to 10xppm, and neither [downlink (DL)] nor [uplink (UL)] amplification in the device. The device’s UL transmission is backscattered on a carrier wave provided externally. ii. < a few hundred pW peak power consumption, has energy storage, initial sampling frequency offset (SFO) up to 10xppm, both downlink (DL) and / or uplink (UL) amplification in the device. The device’s UL transmission may be generated internally by the device or be backscattered on a carrier wave provided externally.

[0012] • X is to be decided in working groups (WGs).

[0013] • Coverage design target: Maximum distance of 10-50 m with device indoors as per TR 38.848: “...a range that WGs can sub-select within”.

[0014] • For Topologies 1 & 2 [User Equipment (UE)] as an intermediate node under [Network (NW)] control) per TR 38.848, with no [Radio Resource Control (RRC)] states, no mobility (i.e., at least no cell selection / re-selection -like function), no hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), no automatic repeat request (ARQ).

[0015] NOTE 1 : It is to be understood that “< a few hundred pW” means WGs are not tasked with setting a particular value, and that it will be for WG discussions to determine if a presented design with corresponding power consumption satisfies the “< a few hundred pW” requirement.

[0016] B. Deployment Scenarios with the following characteristics, referenced to the tables in Clause 4.2.2 of TR 38.848:

[0017] • Deployment scenario 1 with Topology 1 o Base station and coexistence characteristics: Micro-cell, co-site

[0018] • Deployment scenario 2 with Topology 2 and UE as intermediate nodes, under network control o Base station and coexistence characteristics: Macro-cell, cosite o The location of the intermediate node is indoor C. FR1 licensed spectrum in [Frequency Division Duplex (FDD)].

[0019] D. Spectrum deployment in-band to NR, in guard-band to long term evolution (LTE) / NR, in standalone band(s).

[0020] E. Traffic types Overlapping-Dedicated Transmission Technology (DO- DTT), Dedicated Transmission (DT), with a focus on reduced use case 1 (rUCl (indoor inventory) and rUC4 (indoor command).

[0021] • The study will assess whether the harmonized air interface design (per bullet ‘A’ above) can address the DO-A (Device-originated autonomous) use case, only to identify which part(s) of the harmonized air interface design (per bullet ‘A’ above) is / are not sufficient for the DO-A use case.

[0022] • Transmission from Ambient loT device (including backscattering when used) can occur at least in UL spectrum.

[0023] Backscattering Communication

[0024] FIGURE 1 illustrates backscattering communication (bistatic setup). In backscattering communication, passive devices can communicate by modulating and reflecting an incoming carrier wave. That is, a carrier wave transmitted by a carrier wave transmitter (CWT) is modulated and reflected by the passive device (‘Tag’ in FIGURE 1), and the modulated signal is then read by a reader. In this way, the CWT provides the energy to the passive device (CWT-Tag) to enable it to send uplink data to the reader (Tag-Reader).

[0025] The most well-known example of backscattering communication today is RFID. The 3- node setup illustrated in FIGURE 1 is referred to as the ‘bistatic’ backscattering communication, whereas the 2-node case where CWT and reader are located in the same node is referred to as ‘monostatic’ backscattering communication.

[0026] More capable Tags have the possibility to apply a frequency shift to the backscattered uplink signal, which can be beneficial such as, for example, for capacity. The magnitude of the frequency shift may, e.g., be achieved by the rate of impedance switching in the device.

[0027] There currently exist certain challenge(s). For example, it is technically possible that the passive devices considered in Release 19 (Device type ‘i-passive’ and ‘ii-passive’) could apply a frequency shift to the backscattered transmission, but it is not clear how devices would know which frequency shift to apply.

[0028] SUMMARY Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. According to certain embodiments, methods and systems are provided for passive Ambient loT devices to determine which frequency shift to apply for backscattering communication.

[0029] According to certain embodiments, a method by a wireless device for backscattering communication includes determining a frequency shift based on an attribute of the device and modifying a backscattering communication based on the frequency shift determined based on the attribute of the device.

[0030] According to certain embodiments, a wireless device for backscattering communication is configured to determine a frequency shift based on an attribute of the device and modify a backscattering communication based on the frequency shift determined based on the attribute of the device.

[0031] According to certain embodiments, a method by a network node for backscattering communication includes transmitting, to a device, a configuration indicating a plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk. The configuration includes information valid for at least one of a system frame, a session time, or until further notice. A notification is received from the device and indicates a frequency shift based on an attribute of the device and the transmitted configuration.

[0032] According to certain embodiments, a network node for backscattering communication is configured to transmit, to a device, a configuration indicating a plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk. The configuration includes information valid for at least one of a system frame, a session time, or until further notice. The network node is configured to receive a notification from the device and indicates a frequency shift based on an attribute of the device and the transmitted configuration.

[0033] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. Particular embodiments provide systems and methods that achieve benefits from the application of frequency shift to backscattering communication, most importantly an increased uplink capacity.

[0034] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] For a more complete understanding of the disclosed embodiments and their features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0036] FIGURE 1 illustrates backscattering communication (bistatic setup); FIGURE 2 illustrates the application of a frequency shift to backscattering communication with index k;

[0037] FIGURE 3 illustrates an example method performed by a device for backscattering communication, according to certain embodiments;

[0038] FIGURE 4 illustrates an example method performed by a network node for backscattering communication, according to certain embodiments;

[0039] FIGURE 5 illustrates an example communication system, according to certain embodiments;

[0040] FIGURE 6 illustrates an example UE, according to certain embodiments;

[0041] FIGURE 7 illustrates an example network node, according to certain embodiments; and

[0042] FIGURE 8 illustrates a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized, according to certain embodiments.

[0043] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0045] According to certain embodiment, methods and systems are provided for devices to determine frequency changes such as, for example, frequency shift, shifting to muted carriers, shifting / moving to desired frequency harmonics. These frequency changes may apply to backscattering communication, for example, involving one or more of the following:

[0046] • Frequency-shift is determined by a device identifier, e.g., findex = UE_ID mod (Nf), where the UE_ID is the identifier of the UE, findex is the index of the frequency shift, and Nf is the number of possible frequency shifts that can be applied by the device.

[0047] • Random selection of the frequency shift over a number of frequency shift alternatives communicated by the network, where the configuration may be a valid system frame, over a longer session time, or until further notice.

[0048] • Frequency-shift may also be determined by A-IoT frame- structure dependent parameters (e.g., slot or frame number), cell ID, and / or CWT ID.

[0049] Frequency Shift for Backscattering Communication

[0050] FIGURE 2 illustrates an example 100 of a frequency shift to backscattering communication with index k, according to certain embodiments. In particular embodiments, if no (additional) frequency shift is applied by the backscattering device, the backscattered signal may have the same frequency as the incoming carrier wave that was reflected, i.e., frequency shift index k=O in FIGURE 2.

[0051] It is noted that the amount of frequency shift induced in the backscattered signal depends on how the device performs backscatter communications by switching between its antenna impedance states. If the backscatter device switches at a relatively small rate (e.g., relative to subcarrier spacing or channel / signal bandwidth or carrier frequency of the incident signal), the amount of frequency shift induced in the backscattered signal may also be relatively small with respect to the carrier frequency or the channel / signal bandwidth or the subcarrier spacing of the incident signal. Therefore, from the perspective of the receiver of the backscattered signal, any frequency shift induced may be treated as a frequency offset or error while the receiver attempts to decode the backscattered signal. This means that the frequency shift index k=0 may be interpreted to correspond to the case where the induced frequency shift is relatively small or negligible and may be referred to as if “no” frequency shift was applied. In particular embodiments, devices, at least those with somewhat higher devices capabilities (e.g., devices with device capacities more than a threshold), may apply a frequency shift to the backscattered signal, corresponding to frequency shift indexes k={ 1, 2, 3, 4, ... } in FIGURE 2.

[0052] In FIGURE 2, it is assumed that k=0 means that the backscattered signal may have the same frequency as the incident signal. In practice, however, when the device reflects the incident signal via backscatter modulation, it may induce a frequency shift depending on how the device switches between the antenna impedance states such as, for example, the switching pattern or sequence used by the device may change the amount of frequency shift induced in the reflected signal relative to the incident signal. To address this practical scenario, in one interpretation, it may be assumed that the frequency shift corresponding to index k=0 is excluded from the set of frequency shifts. For example, a simple device may support frequency shift index k={ 1 } whereas a more capable device may support frequency shift indexes k={ 1,2}.

[0053] It is noted that the backscattering may typically result in the frequency translation of the incident signal in both directions. That is, if the frequency shift is X, then the backscattered signal may contain scaled replicas of the frequency domain representation of the incident signal at a frequency offset of +X and at a frequency offset of -X This disclosure, however, often refers to the magnitude of frequency shift, X, and ignores the sign of the frequency shift for brevity. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the frequency shifts described herein may have + / - signs. Moreover, this disclosure focuses on the first order harmonics in the backscattered signal as they contain most of the signal’s energy for brevity and conciseness. In practice, the backscattered signal may contain additional scaled replicas of the frequency domain representation of the incident signal at frequency offsets in addition to + / -X (e.g., at an integer multiple of + / -X). As they have extremely low energy, they may be ignored for the sake of simplicity. However, particular embodiments are equally applicable if additional harmonics are considered. The embodiments disclosed herein deal with how devices may determine the frequency shift to apply for the backscattering communication, and where the network receiver may expect the signal from the device. The disclosed embodiments are applicable if the frequency shift index is interpreted as described herein.

[0054] Based on Device Identifier

[0055] In particular embodiments, the device determines the frequency shift to be applied based on a device identifier. In one example, the modulus operation may be used over the number of possible frequency shifts such as, for example: k = UE_ID mod (Nk) Eq ( 1 ) where k is the frequency shift index, UE_ID is the device identifier (allocated by network, for example, RAN scope identifier (ID) or CN scope ID), and Nk is the number of possible frequency shifts that may be applied by the device. For example, if there are 4 possible frequency shifts, k={0, 1, 2, 3 } and Nk=4, a device with UE_ID= 16495 may determine that it should (or may) apply frequency shift with index 3 (and the network would expect from the response from the device on this frequency resource). If device identifiers are (quasi-) randomly applied this determination leads to that also the frequency resource selection may be “random” with a (close to) uniform distribution of devices over the frequency resources.

[0056] Specific ID

[0057] The device identifier (UE_ID) mentioned above is typically an identifier allocated / known to the network. However, for the newly joined devices, such as one not yet inventoried / registered to the network, UE_ID is not available. In particular embodiments, when the A-IoT device is new to the network, device ID is not yet available, and the device attempts to respond to a DL command / message from the network for the first time, for example, during an inventory session (i.e., replying to the Query-like command), the device determines frequency shift index for the UL response based on its contention resolution ID (i.e., 16-bit RN16 / Handle in RFID C1G2 protocol or 39-bit random value as UE-Identity during random access in NR). Note that, in this case, the application of frequency shifts for UL responses of contending unknown devices might further help alleviate collision and interference during random access.

[0058] In one example, Nk is provided in the DL command / message, triggering inventory / registration, and frequency shift of a device may be calculated as its contention resolution ID mod Nk. This assumes devices needs to contend for UL access to send the first response upon inventory command.

[0059] If the selected frequency shift is not suitable for the device, for example, no DL command / message in response to the UL message with contention resolution ID, for example, no further communication between device and network, device may try the same frequency shift in next attempt(s) or decrease the shift index (k) by 1 after one or several access attempts.

[0060] Once the “dedicated connection” between the device and the network is established, for example, the device wins the contention and gets allocated with a device ID, the frequency shift index to be used in the dedicated subsequent communication may either be the index selected during access phase above. Alternatively, network may schedule / indicate frequency shift(s) in any the dedicated DL command(s) / message(s) targeting the device (i.e., with device ID).

[0061] Frequency shift index of a device may be stored together with other key parameters (e.g., device ID, security parameters), for example, as part of the device context for subsequent communications with network.

[0062] Alternative to the using of contention resolution ID, it may be specified that device ID at the application layer (e.g., electronic product code (EPC), tag identifier (TID) in case of passive devices) may be made available to the communication layer so that device may determine the frequency shift index based on the application-level device ID.

[0063] Frequency Range Related

[0064] In particular embodiments, the frequency shift indices may correspond to uniformly spaced frequency shifts. In particular embodiments, the frequency shift indices may be described in terms of the subcarrier spacing. For example, k={0, 1,2,3 } correspond to a frequency shift of { 0, Ay, 2Ay 3 Ay where Ay is the subcarrier spacing. In another example, k={0, 1,2,3} correspond to a frequency shift of { Ay, 2 Ay, 3Ay 4Ay} where Ay is the subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz). In another example, the frequency shifts may also be defined in terms of absolute frequency such as, for example, 10 kHz (instead of subcarrier spacing)

[0065] Alternatively, in particular embodiments, the frequency shift indices may correspond to non-uniformly spaced frequency shifts. For example, k={0, 1,2,3} correspond to a frequency shift of { 0,2A 3 Ay , 6 Ay} where Ay is the subcarrier spacing. In another example, k={0, 1,2,3} correspond to a frequency shift of {Ay, 3Ay, 4 Ay, 8Ay} where Ay is the subcarrier spacing.

[0066] In particular embodiments, the range of frequency indices and the mapping to frequency shift values may be fixed in the specification. Alternatively, in particular embodiments, the range of frequency shift may be defined in the specification but is configurable by the network. For example, a maximum of M values may be defined for the frequency shift indices. However, it is up to the network to configure a smaller range (which is indicated to the devices in the DL).

[0067] In particular embodiments, one or more ways to map from frequency indices to frequency shift values are defined in the specification. The network may indicate to the devices which mapping is used. For example, there are two tables defined for mapping from frequency range indices to frequency shift values. The network may use a 1 -bit indicator to indicate to the devices which mapping is used.

[0068] In particular embodiments, a scaling factor A is defined to indicate the step-size between frequency shift values. For example, the frequency range may be fixed to 4 values in the specification, and the frequency shift may be { AAy, 2AAy, 3AAy, 44 Ay } . The scaling factor A may be { 1,2} and may be indicates by the network to the devices using 1 -bit. In another example, the scaling factor A may be dependent on the scenario or frequency band. For example, in a certain frequency, scaling factor A may be 1, in others it may be 2, i.e., it does not need to be explicitly indicated. In another example, the frequency range may be fixed to 4 values in the specification, and the frequency shift may be {Ay, 2 Ay, 3Ay, 44 Ay } where A is as per the previous example.

[0069] Frequency Shift Based on Device Hardware Properties

[0070] In particular embodiments, the frequency shifts on the devices may be correlated with the hardware properties of the backscatter device components and may be directly associated with the voltage supplied to the device. For example, for the backscatter devices supporting low power oscillators (e.g., LTC 69xx series), by configuring the energy source, the supply voltage to the backscatter device may be adjusted. This induces the appropriate frequency shifts on the backscattered transmissions. In particular embodiments, this configuration involves RF adjustments in the carrier wave transmissions. These adjustments may lead to changes in the charge remaining within the storage capacitor of the backscatter device, subsequently leading to changes in the input voltages to the backscatter device. This may induce an appropriate frequency shift to the backscattered transmission. In another particular embodiments, the required shift needs to be explicitly provided to the device, and the device controls the voltage supplied to its hardware components, for example, oscillators, This introduces the required frequency shift to the backscattered transmissions.

[0071] Duty Cycle Determination

[0072] The impedance switching circuit of different devices may be modulated with square waves of different duty cycles ranging from 0 to 50% (i.e., rectangular pulses). Because the switching process is equivalent to mixing with a square wave, it generates harmonics by default. Different duty cycles would result in different harmonic components (i.e., Harmonic IDs). The harmonic components together with the frequency shifts may carry different device IDs. In particular embodiments, a mapping function based on the allocated device ID is used to calculate the duty cycle. Different devices which have the same frequency shift may have different duty cycle indices. At the reader, the harmonic ID is detected by finding the peaks of the harmonics and deducing which device the data is coming from by matching the peaks against the preassigned harmonic patterns. In particular embodiments, the duty cycle of the different devices may be assigned by the NW via DL signaling or hardcoded in the device.

[0073] Shifting to a Harmonic Frequency Band

[0074] In particular embodiments, the device is instructed (for example, via a DL command) to shift to another band for UL backscattering. The device enables / tunes a bandpass filter that filters the high-order harmonics generated by the non-linear response of the rectifier or the envelope detector present in the device. The generated high-order harmonic frequency (e.g., at twice or three times the fundamental frequency of the incident carrier wave) is used to convey the backscattered data (i.e., harmonic backscattering) and is retransmitted through the same or a different antenna attached to the devices. Different devices may combine high-order harmonic frequencies with different frequency shifts mapping to different device IDs.

[0075] In particular embodiments, the device activates the harmonic backscattering mode based on a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or device location information (e.g., CW ID). The device combines the high-order harmonic frequencies with different smaller frequency shifts which may be calculated based on a mapping function or network assigned as described in the previous embodiments.

[0076] Energy Harvesting Time and Receiver Sensitivity Related

[0077] In particular embodiments, the frequency shift index in the device is configured based on harvesting time. For example, in a situation where the device may harvest energy (and, thus, not transmitting / receiving) for a longer period of time, more energy may be stored and used for higher frequency shifts, while devices that need to transmit more frequently and harvest for shorter period of time may be configured by the network with lower frequency shift index to minimize power consumption. The frequency shift may be determined by the device via a mapping function such as: k= f(UE_ID, Battery_status, Nk) Eq (2) where k is the frequency shift index, UE_ID is the device identifier allocated by network, the battery status is the voltage at the energy storage device and Nk is the number of possible frequency shifts than may be applied by the device.

[0078] In particular embodiments, the frequency shift may be traded with receiver sensitivity. The network may configure for low index frequency shift (reduced power consumption from the oscillator) in exchange for higher bias and lower noise figure in the low noise amplifier (LNA) (or baseband amplifier) for devices that are more far away and need to prioritize receiver sensitivity. Other devices may instead be configured for low bias in the LNA (worse sensitivity) and higher frequency shift index.

[0079] Received Power Related

[0080] In particular embodiments, the frequency shift index in the device is dependent on the power level of the signal received from CWT, in addition to the UE identifier. A larger (or smaller) frequency shift is imposed when the power received from CWT by the tag is larger (or, smaller). Because the power of the backscattered signal is typically proportional to the received signal power at the tag, this allows backscattered signals of similar power levels from different devices to be assigned to the same frequency index or nearby frequency indices, which avoids the potential problem of strong backscattered signals drowning out the weaker backscattered signals when strong and weak signals are assigned to the same frequency shift. In other words, the frequency shift may be determined by the device via a mapping function such as: k = f(UE_ID, Received_Power, Nk), Eq (3) where k is the frequency shift index, UE_ID is the device identifier allocated by the network, Nk is the number of possible frequency shifts than may be applied by the device, and the Received_Power denotes the received signal power measured by the device.

[0081] Random Selection In particular embodiments, devices may randomly select the index k and which frequency shift to apply for the backscatter communication. The maximal number of frequency shifts than may be applied, Nk, which the device performs the random selection over, or the amount of frequency shift that each index corresponds to, may be determined by any of the following:

[0082] • Communicated from the network to the device via: o System Information o Control information in the carrier wave transmission (e.g., in FDD uplink and if that is where the carrier wave is transmitted). o Control information in downlink transmission (e.g., in the FDD downlink band if this is used for downlink transmission to the device). o Network wide configuration provided to the device at registration. o Inventory command in DL (like select or query command in RFID) initiating inventory of targeted user group.

[0083] • Device capability, i.e., more capable devices are capable of larger frequency shifts, and the device type or class would determine how many frequency shifts the device should consider for selection (this capability may be communicated to the network, for example, at registration). o A skewed, shifted or biased selection could also be considered taking different device capabilities into account, for example., if the least capable device type may apply no frequency shift (k=0), low capable devices may apply frequency shift corresponding to k={0, 1, 2}, and the most capable devices may apply a frequency shift corresponding to k={0, 1, 2, 3, 4}, the most capable device type could apply a higher weight for selection of k={3, 4}, because the least devices may use these resources, and the lowest weight for k=0 because any device may use this and it may therefore be used the most (pending the number of devices with different capabilities of course).

[0084] • Hardcoded in the standard, either common to all A-IoT devices or specified in a table form based on device capabilities without involving any DL signaling from the network.

[0085] In particular embodiments, a new random selection may be applied by devices upon a reattempt after a collision or unsuccessful earlier attempt.

[0086] In particular embodiments, the frequency shift to be applied is fixed based on the channel or type of information to be transmitted. For example, for the first transmission (e.g., random access), one set of frequency shifts may be used while for subsequent transmissions, a different set of frequency shifts may be used.

[0087] Frequency Hopping Related

[0088] In particular embodiments, a set or pattern of frequency shifts for frequency hopping is defined such that a backscattering device may perform frequency hopping according to that pattern. For example, a frequency shift hopping pattern {A,B,C} is defined corresponding to events {E1,E2, E3} where the device inducing a frequency shift A at the start of the transmission (event El) may induce a different frequency shift B after event E2 occurs and a third frequency shift C after event E3 occurs. In one example, the events correspond to time durations. In another example, the event may correspond to Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol duration, for example, the hopping is done on an OFDM symbol level.

[0089] In particular embodiments, the starting frequency of the frequency for backscattering may be random, but the remaining frequency shifts are deterministic and depend on the starting frequency shift. For example, multiple frequency hopping patterns may be defined based on the starting frequency shift.

[0090] Impact of Continuous Wave Emitter node

[0091] In particular embodiments, the device may determine the frequency shift to be applied based on a carrier wave (CW) ID or continuous wave emitter (CWE) node ID as one of the nonlimiting input. In one example, in the above embodiments, the impact CW ID may be considered while calculating shift, for example:

[0092] • Example 1: k= function (CW_ID, Nk) o In this option, all users who selected the same CWE node may experience same frequency shift, but different users associated with different CWE nodes may experience different shifts, thus may reduce collisions within the cell up to a certain extent. o In one example, each CWE node associated with a specific shift for the user to apply during backscatter communication. Consider a case where a cell consists of three CWE nodes, and depending on the tag selecting the CWE node, the user applies a specific shift corresponding to that CWE node. To apply a specific shift, the user may know these shift values, which the user may obtain in one or more of the following ways: • CW emitted by CWE node indicates a control information specifying the desired shift the user should apply.

[0093] • CW indicates the CWE node ID along with / in CW and gNB may also indicate generic configuration information or system information (SI) in DL indicating what frequency shift a user should employ when user selects CW from a given CWE node ID.

[0094] • Example2: k = function (CW_ID, UE_ID, Nk) . o In this option, in addition to the above, reduced inter-nodal collisions, the users who selected the same CWE node may also experience different frequency shifts due to the impact of UE_ID.

[0095] This will benefit in curtailing interference or collision, for example, if a cell or gNB controlling multiple CWE nodes, and users connecting or utilizing CWs of different CWE nodes will have different frequent shifts.

[0096] It is to be remarked that the UEs associated with given CWE / CWT, they may further apply random and other frequency shifts, like UE ID-based criteria on top of it which are defined in the above embodiments. Thus, the users associated with a given CWE / CWT may not always apply the same frequency shift, for example, UEs associated with CWE ID#X select frequency shift randomly from allowed shifts fl and f2 shift; UEs associated with CWE ID#X+1 select shifts randomly from f3 and f4 shift. The division of frequency resources associated with different CWT / CWE may be treated similar to the frequency resource division among different sectors of cell (where frequency reuse is more than 1).

[0097] Group-Based Approach

[0098] In particular embodiments, in one option, a DL command, for example, a part of inventory command or SI (which may not be complemented with inventory command) may indicate rules of frequency shift. One such rule is that network may define a few frequency shifts and allocate groups of users to them. Thus, during inventory procedure, the user belonging to a specific group (say user belonging to group Gl) applies a corresponding frequency shift (say Fl for user group Gl) for its backscattered UL during the UL access. For some groups, more than one frequency shift may be defined, and the selection of the frequency shift may be based on above-described embodiments. Below is a tabular example indicating different frequency shifts for different users as Table 1.

[0099] Table 1

[0100] The new user, which is not registered yet or inventoried yet, may not have pre-allocated group ID. For the users who are registered (or inventoried earlier), temporary UE IDs (e.g., like GUTI) or context may be saved either in a memory bank or have constant RF energy illumination. Thus, IDs / context may be kept in state machine. Then for the user, the network may allocate or assign a group ID (just like temporary ID / context), which may remain in user’s possession or some or long time depending on energy or memory management.

[0101] Further, in SI or DE inventory command, the network may indicate recommended frequency shifts for group of users (corresponding to group ID). If the user does not belong to any group, it may apply non-group specific frequency shifts (which may also be indicated in DL or inventory command or SI). With this, the network is able to control collisions by assigning different users from different CWTs to one group and the users from the group may choose the same frequency shift for their UE backscattered transmissions which are transmitted in a spatially orthogonal manner.

[0102] BUBO using Frequency Shift

[0103] In particular embodiments, the frequency shift may be utilized as back-off (BO) for frequency resource selection. In such embodiments, a user may select the central frequency or the indicated frequency shift (specific or selected from set of shifts) for its backscattered uplink. In case of collision, or if the user does not receive any response, for example, an acknowledgment message (ACK) in response to its transmission from the RAN node or interrogator, the user may reattempt to transmit again with larger BO for frequency shift. Network may define multiple methodologies for executing the BO. The methodologies include:

[0104] 1. Preconfigured Behavior: In particular embodiments, for example, in SI (e.g., Select, Query, or inventory command), network may indicate the frequency shift window for 1stattempt, 2ndattempt, ..., n-th attempt.

[0105] 2. Dynamic Behavior: In particular embodiments, if there is collision or error detected, then network may send a group-common negative acknowledgment (NACK) indicating a larger BO, for example, a larger window of or set of frequency shifts to choose from. Consider, two users in an inventory slot or round collides (assuming the same frequency resource / shift). Upon collision detection, network may indicate NACK indicating, for example, increased size of frequency shift window, say default size, i.e., size{k} = 3 increased to new size, size{k}=5 for reattempts to reduce collision probability.

[0106] Next, a rule or scenario is defined, where how BO is implemented according to particular embodiments. Consider a scenario where A-IoT users (supporting non-critical or low quality of service (QoS) services) are allocated to a band, say B 1 bandwidth (BW) where a user may transmit its UL by doing one or few attempts, for example, using random access uplink. The network may have additional neighboring bands, say B2 BW in order to support other services / users (say more reliable or high QoS services. The use of BO in the frequency domain (using frequency shift) may occur in case the A-IoT users collide excessively during certain time instant / windows, and the network may indicate BO using some frequency shifts and move the user in neighboring band B2. This may momentarily reduce access pressure in band B l at the possible risk of deterioration of services in band B2. However, if the network has full control over BO, then it may facilitate that the band B2 is momentarily not occupied or witnessing low loading or services remain with reliability target.

[0107] Downlink Control Information

[0108] In particular embodiments, the network dynamically indicates which frequency shift a device should apply (i.e., in association with the carrier wave transmission). This is similar to dedicated scheduling of the device and is applicable after contention resolution when the device has been allocated a unique RAN identifier (i.e., similar to RN16 in RFID or cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) in 3GPP). The indication may for example be done by indicating the frequency shift index k the device should apply to the device in control information in the carrier wave transmission, or control information in the downlink transmission of the device.

[0109] Configurational Aspects

[0110] The skewed selection of frequency shift mentioned above for the random selection may be generalized to any of the embodiments herein. For example, a device capable of applying frequency shift could completely avoid k=0 due to the higher collision risk (all devices not capable of frequency shift will use k=0) also in the case of UE identifier selection. For the downlink control information embodiment, the network could, based on the device capabilities (retrieved from the device identifier after contention resolution), know to which extent the device is capable of frequency shift and, based on network implementation, allocate a suitable frequency shift for the device.

[0111] Randomization of Frequency Shifts

[0112] A passive device is expected to be slow-moving (or stationary) during an inventory cycle, That is, it might be difficult to get any diversity gain in the time domain during the inventory case. Due to this reason, if a device is provided with a fixed frequency offset (i.e., the device uses the same offset for all backscattered transmissions within an inventory cycle or across cycles), then the device is expected to experience, for example, the same deep fading all the time.

[0113] Now, if the index of the frequency shift selected by the device (i.e., findex) is only based on UE_ID and Nk, an unlucky UE may get stuck in deep fades, and consequently, may not be inventoried. Therefore, in particular embodiments, the fmdex is determined as follows: findex = function(UE_ID, Nk, Ns) Eq (4) where ftmction(.) is a randomization function and Nsis time-occasion that depends on the frame structure of A-IoT (which is yet to be discussed in 3GPP). For example, Nsmay be A-IoT slot or frame number. Alternatively, Ns may depend on the index of the UL message in an inventory round (i.e., 1stmessage, 2ndmessage, and so on). This ensures that different UL messages from a device are transmitted on different frequencies (and hence may experience different fades).

[0114] Further, to randomize interference across CWTs within a cell and / or across cells, the value findex may be determined as follows: findex = ftmction(UE_ID, Nk, Ns, Cell ID, CWT ID) Eq (5)

[0115] However, the above approach requires that A-IoT device knows the IDs of the cell and CWT it is associated with (which is not yet decided in 3 GPP).

[0116] Collision Avoidance

[0117] During an inventory process (or other use cases where many devices need to perform uplink transmissions at the same or approximately the same time), there may be a high probability of colliding uplink transmissions from multiple devices. In some cases, an uplink transmission from one device may go on for a relatively long time duration (e.g., due to challenging coverage conditions), and if another device starts transmitting on the same frequency shift, it would be detrimental for both devices, since none of them may be able to carry out their transmission successfully. It may be especially beneficial to avoid collision with an already ongoing uplink transmission, since in this case, the partial uplink transmission that has already been carried out may be in vain if it needs to start over from the beginning. In particular embodiments, collisions with ongoing transmissions are avoided by skewing the (pseudo-)random selection of uplink frequency shifts away from the uplink frequency shifts for ongoing uplink transmissions.

[0118] For another example, in a first embodiment, the uplink frequency shift for a new uplink transmission may be (partly) based on the time occasion (e.g., slot number or frame number) of the beginning of the new transmission. The rest of the uplink transmission may be carried out on this frequency shift. This facilitates or at least increases the probability that a new transmission from one device does not collide with an ongoing transmission from another device.

[0119] As another example, in a second embodiment, the uplink frequency shift for a new uplink transmission may be skewed away from the uplink frequency shifts used for ongoing uplink transmission based on control information transmitted in the DL by the base station, for example, in system information (SI) or downlink control information (DCI) from the base station. This information may, for example, be an integer number reflecting the additional frequency shift that the device should apply on top of the frequency shift calculated using one of the embodiments described earlier.

[0120] In another example, in a third embodiment , different sets of uplink frequency shifts may be applied to the initial and subsequent uplink transmissions from a device (which could for example correspond to a transmission carrying an RN and another transmission carrying a UE ID). Since the base station may have more knowledge about the subsequent transmissions compared to the initial transmission, the base station may more actively steer the subsequent transmissions to uplink frequency shifts where other uplink transmissions are likely to occur, especially if separate sets of uplink frequency shifts are used for initial and subsequent uplink transmissions. This may, for example, be achieved using the control information mentioned in the above second subembodiment.

[0121] An efficient design may achieve synergies by any and combining any two or more of the above embodiments for collision avoidance (for avoiding collision between transmissions from different devices) and the embodiments described herein on randomization of frequency shifts (for avoiding systematic overlaps between transmissions and fading dips).

[0122] Additional Miscellaneous Embodiments

[0123] If the backscattering modulation is based on Frequency Shift Keying (FSK), two frequency indexes are needed for backscattering. In this case, in particular embodiments, the device may determine two frequency shifts. The first frequency, fmdex, may be determined, as in earlier- described embodiments, based on the device identifier, number of possible frequency shifts, frame- structure related parameters, cell ID, and / or CWT ID. The second frequency may be findex + foffset, where foffSet may be fixed (e.g., foffSet = 1) or it may be, for example, configured by the network. In this case, however, it should be ensured that be fmdex + foffset of one device (Device 1) does not coincide with fmdex of another device (Device 2).

[0124] As described in earlier embodiments, the frequency shift index may be determined based on the device identifier, the number of possible frequency shifts, frame- structure related parameters, cell ID, and / or CWT ID. Also, in general, as described above and illustrated in FIGURE 2, a backscattering signal from each device will contain two replicas (considering only first order harmonics) on either side of the carrier wave frequency. This limits the number of possible frequency shifts, thereby limiting the number of devices that may be multiplexed in the frequency domain. However, certain devices may be capable of filtering out images on one side of the carrier wave frequency (e.g., using single sideband modulation or other filtering techniques). Therefore, in particular embodiments, the device may determine not only the frequency shift but also determines in which side of the carrier wave frequency it should shift. In one example, the findex may be determined as fmdex = fimction(UE_ID, Nk, Ns), whereas the side (+findex or - fmdex) may be determined randomly.

[0125] FIGURE 3 illustrates an example method 200 performed by a device for determining which frequency shift to apply for backscattering communication, according to certain embodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, the method begins at step 202 when the device determines a frequency shift based on an attribute of the device. At step 204, the device modifies a backscattering communication based on the frequency shift determined based on the attribute of the device.

[0126] In a particular embodiment, determining the frequency shift includes calculating a frequency index, findex, as the modulus of a device identifier and a predetermined number of frequency shifts, Nf.

[0127] In a particular embodiment, the frequency shift is determined based on A-IoT framestructure dependent parameters, comprising at least one of: a slot number, a frame number, cell identifier, and a CWT ID.

[0128] In a particular embodiment, the device determines that the frequency shift has resulted in no further communication between the device and a network. In response to determining that the frequency shift has resulted in no further communication between the device and the network, the device selects another frequency shift from among the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk.

[0129] In a particular embodiment, the other frequency shift is selected after one or more several instances of unsuccessful attempts to communicate with the network. In a particular embodiment, the device receives a configuration indicating a plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk, from a network, and the configuration is periodically broadcasted based on network conditions, system frame configurations, or upon initiation of a new communication session. The plurality of frequency shift alternatives Nk, is valid for at least one of a system frame, a session time, or until further notice.

[0130] In a particular embodiment, the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk, is communicated to the device within a downlink command and / or in response to a registration procedure.

[0131] In a particular embodiment, each of the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk, is associated with a respective frequency index, findex. A set of frequency shift indices of the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk, correspond to uniformly or non-uniformly spaced frequency shifts determined based on a subcarrier spacing.

[0132] In a particular embodiment, the device receives a message indicating which mapping of frequency indices to the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk, is to be used.

[0133] In a particular embodiment, a set or pattern of the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk, is defined for frequency hopping. The device modifies the backscattering communication based on the selected frequency shift comprises performing frequency hopping according to the set or pattern associated with the frequency shift determined based on the attribute of the device.

[0134] In a further particular embodiment, the selection of the first frequency shift from the plurality of frequency shift alternatives is random.

[0135] In a further particular embodiment, the selection of the first frequency shift from the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk, is based on capability to apply the selected frequency shift.

[0136] In a further particular embodiment, the selection of the first frequency shift from the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk, is based on an instruction from the network, the instruction is based on dedicated scheduling information pos-contention resolution.

[0137] In a further particular embodiment, the device is a part of a set of UEs that is assigned the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk.

[0138] In a particular embodiment, the device receives a larger window of frequency shift alternatives after a detection of an interference with another device from the set of devices, and a size of the larger window of frequency shift alternatives is dynamically adjusted based on feedback from the network.

[0139] FIGURE 4 illustrates an example method 300 performed by a network node for managing frequency shifts in backscattering communication, according to certain embodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, the method begins at step 302 when the network node transmits, to a device, a configuration indicating a plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk. At step 304, the network node receives a notification from the device indicating a frequency shift based on an attribute of the device and the transmitted configuration.

[0140] In a particular embodiment, the frequency shift is based on a frequency index, findex, as a modulus of the device identifier and a predetermined number of frequency shifts, Nf.

[0141] In a particular embodiment, the configuration includes information valid for at least one of a system frame, a session time, or until further notice.

[0142] In a particular embodiment, the frequency shift is based on ambient internet of things, A- loT, frame-structure dependent parameters, comprising at least one of: a slot number, a frame number, a cell identifier, and a carrier wave time identifier.

[0143] In a particular embodiment, the network node updates the configuration based on at least one of a network condition and system frame configuration and / or upon an initiation of a new communication session. The network node communicates the updated configuration to the device.

[0144] In a particular embodiment, updating the configuration is periodic.

[0145] In a particular embodiment, the network node transmits, to the device, information instructing the device to select another frequency shift from among the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nf, in response to a detection of no further communication between the device and the network or in response to interference detection.

[0146] In a particular embodiment, the information instructing the device to select another frequency shift is transmitted to the device based on one or more instances of unsuccessful attempts by the device to communicate with the network.

[0147] In a particular embodiment, each of the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nf, is associated with a respective frequency index, findex, and a set of frequency shift indices of the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nf, correspond to uniformly or non-uniformly spaced frequency shifts determined based on subcarrier spacing.

[0148] In a particular embodiment, the network node transmits, to the device, a message indicating which mapping of frequency indices to the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nf, to be used.

[0149] In a particular embodiment, the network node transmits, to the device, an instruction as to which frequency shift is to be selected by the device, and the instruction is based on dedicated scheduling information post-contention resolution.

[0150] In a particular embodiment, the device is a part of a set of devices that is assigned the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nf. In a particular embodiment, the network node assigns the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nf, to the set of devices based a capability of each device in the set of devices.

[0151] In a particular embodiment, the network node transmits a larger window of frequency shift alternatives after a detection of an interference between at least two devices in the set of devices, and a size of the larger window of frequency shift alternatives is dynamically adjusted based on feedback from the network.

[0152] In a particular embodiment, a set or pattern of the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nf, is defined for frequency hopping.

[0153] FIGURE 5 illustrates an example of a communication system 400 in accordance with some embodiments. In the example, the communication system 400 includes a telecommunication network 402 that includes an access network 404, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 406, which includes one or more core network nodes 408. The access network 404 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 410a and 410b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 410), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. The network nodes 410 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 412a, 412b, 412c, and 412d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 412) to the core network 406 over one or more wireless connections.

[0154] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 400 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 400 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0155] The UEs 412 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 410 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 410 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 412 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 402 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 402. In the depicted example, the core network 406 connects the network nodes 410 to one or more hosts, such as host 416. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 406 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 408) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 408. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0156] The host 416 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 404 and / or the telecommunication network 402 and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 416 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0157] As a whole, the communication system 400 of Figure 4 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0158] In some examples, the telecommunication network 402 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 402 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 402. For example, the telecommunications network 402 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0159] In some examples, the UEs 412 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 404 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 404. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi- standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0160] In the example, the hub 414 communicates with the access network 404 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 412c and / or 412d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 410b). In some examples, the hub 414 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 414 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 406 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 414 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 410, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 414. As another example, the hub 414 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 414 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 414 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 414 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 414 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular in if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0161] The hub 414 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 410b. The hub 414 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 414 and UEs (e.g., UE 412c and / or 412d), and between the hub 414 and the core network 406. In other examples, the hub 414 is connected to the core network 406 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 414 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 404 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 410 while still connected via the hub 414 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 414 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 410b. In other embodiments, the hub 414 may be a nondedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 410b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0162] FIGURE 6 illustrates a UE 500 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0163] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0164] The UE 500 includes processing circuitry 502 that is operatively coupled via a bus 504 to an input / output interface 506, a power source 508, a memory 510, a communication interface 512, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 5. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc. The processing circuitry 502 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 510. The processing circuitry 502 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field- programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 502 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0165] In the example, the input / output interface 506 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 500. Examples of an input device include a touch- sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence- sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0166] In some embodiments, the power source 508 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 508 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 508 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 500 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 508. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 508 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 500 to which power is supplied.

[0167] The memory 510 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only 1 memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 510 includes one or more application programs 514, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 516. The memory 510 may store, for use by the UE 500, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0168] The memory 510 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 510 may allow the UE 500 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 510, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0169] The processing circuitry 502 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 512. The communication interface 512 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 522. The communication interface 512 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 518 and / or a receiver 520 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 518 and receiver 520 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 522) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0170] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 512 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of 1 the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0171] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 512, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE may be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0172] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0173] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or itemtracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 500 shown in FIGURE 5.

[0174] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3 GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0175] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0176] FIGURE 6 illustrates a network node 600 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)).

[0177] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS). Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi- standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0178] The network node 600 includes a processing circuitry 602, a memory 604, a communication interface 606, and a power source 608. The network node 600 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 600 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 600 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 604 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 610 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 600 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 600, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 600.

[0179] The processing circuitry 602 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application- specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 600 components, such as the memory 604, to provide network node 600 functionality.

[0180] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 602 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 602 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 612 and baseband processing circuitry 614. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 612 and the baseband processing circuitry 614 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 612 and baseband processing circuitry 614 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0181] The memory 604 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 602. The memory 604 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 602 and utilized by the network node 600. The memory 604 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 602 and / or any data received via the communication interface 606. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 602 and memory 604 is integrated.

[0182] The communication interface 606 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 606 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 616 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 606 also includes radio frontend circuitry 618 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 610. Radio front-end circuitry 618 comprises filters 620 and amplifiers 622. The radio front-end circuitry 618 may be connected to an antenna 610 and processing circuitry 602. The radio frontend circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 610 and processing circuitry 602. The radio front-end circuitry 618 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 618 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 620 and / or amplifiers 622. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 610. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 610 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 618. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 602. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0183] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 600 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 618, instead, the processing circuitry 602 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 610. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 612 is part of the communication interface 606. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 606 includes one or more ports or terminals 616, the radio front-end circuitry 618, and the RF transceiver circuitry 612, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 606 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 614, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0184] The antenna 610 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 610 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 618 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 610 is separate from the network node 600 and connectable to the network node 600 through an interface or port.

[0185] The antenna 610, communication interface 606, and / or the processing circuitry 602 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 610, the communication interface 606, and / or the processing circuitry 602 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0186] The power source 608 provides power to the various components of network node 600 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 608 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 600 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 600 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 608. As a further example, the power source 608 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0187] Embodiments of the network node 600 may include additional components beyond those shown in FIGURE 6 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 600 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 600 and to allow output of information from the network node 600. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 600.

[0188] FIGURE 8 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 700 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 700 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized.

[0189] Applications 702 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0190] Hardware 704 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 706 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 708a and 708b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 708), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 706 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 708.

[0191] The VMs 708 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 706. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 702 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 708, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0192] In the context of NFV, a VM 708 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 708, and that part of hardware 704 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements . Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 708 on top of the hardware 704 and corresponds to the application 702.

[0193] Hardware 704 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 704 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 704 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 710, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 702. In some embodiments, hardware 704 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 712 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units. Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0194] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionalities may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0195] EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0196] Group A Example Embodiments

[0197] 1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) for determining frequency changes in backscattering communication, the method comprising: determining a frequency shift based on an attribute of the wireless device; and modifying the backscattering communication based on the selected frequency shift.

[0198] 2. The method of the embodiment 1, wherein the frequency shift is determined by calculating a frequency index (findex) as the modulus of the device identifier (UE_ID) and a predetermined number of frequency shifts (Nf).

[0199] 3. The method of any one of the embodiments 1-2, wherein the frequency shift is determined based on adaptive internet of things (A-IoT) frame- structure dependent parameters, comprising at least one of a slot number, a frame number, a cell identifier (cell ID), and a carrier wave time (CWT) ID.

[0200] 4. The method of any one of the embodiments 1-3, further comprising: receiving a configuration indicating a plurality of frequency shift alternatives from a network, wherein the configuration is periodically updated based on network conditions, system frame configurations, or upon initiation of a new communication session; and selecting a first frequency shift from the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, wherein the selection is random and the plurality of frequency shift alternatives is valid for at least one of a system frame, a session time, or until further notice.

[0201] 5. The method of embodiment 4, wherein the plurality of frequency shift alternatives (Nk) is communicated to the UE within a downlink (DL) command, and / or in response to a registration procedure.

[0202] 6. The method of any one of the embodiments 1-5, further comprising: determining that the selected frequency shift has resulted in no further communication between the UE and the network; in response to determining that the selected frequency shift has resulted in no further communication between the UE and the network, selecting another frequency shift from among the plurality of frequency shift alternatives.

[0203] 7. The method of the embodiment 6, wherein the other frequency shift is selected after one or more several instances of unsuccessful attempts to communicate with the network.

[0204] 8. The method of embodiment 2, further comprising storing the frequency index (findex) of the selected frequency shift and the device ID as a part of a UE context for subsequent communications with the network.

[0205] 9. The method of embodiment 4, wherein: each of the plurality of frequency shift alternatives is associated with a respective frequency index (findex); a set of frequency shift indices of the plurality of frequency shift alternative correspond to uniformly or non-uniformly spaced frequency shifts determined based on subcarrier spacing.

[0206] 10. The method of embodiments 4, further comprising: receiving a message indicating which mapping of frequency indices to the plurality of frequency shift alternatives to be used.

[0207] 11. The method of embodiment 4, wherein a set or pattern of the plurality of frequency shift alternatives is defined for frequency hopping; modifying the backscattering communication based on the selected frequency shift comprises performing frequency hopping according to a defined patter associated with the selected frequency shift.

[0208] 12. The method of embodiments 4, wherein the selection of the first frequency shift from the plurality of frequency shift alternatives is random.

[0209] 13. The method of embodiment 4, wherein the selection of the first frequency shift from the plurality of frequency shift alternatives is based on UE capability to apply the selected frequency shift.

[0210] 14. The method of embodiment 4, wherein the selection of the first frequency shift from the plurality of frequency shift alternatives is based on an instruction from the network, the instruction is based on dedicated scheduling information post-contention resolution. 31

[0211] 15. The method of embodiment 4, wherein the UE is a part of a set of UEs that is assigned the plurality of frequency shift alternatives.

[0212] 16. The method of embodiment 4, further comprising: receiving a larger window of frequency shift alternatives after a detection of an interference with another UE from the set of UEs, wherein a size of the larger window of frequency shift alternatives is dynamically adjusted based on feedback from the network.

[0213] 17. A method performed by a wireless device, the method comprising: any of the wireless device steps, features, or functions described above, either alone or in combination with other steps, features, or functions described above.

[0214] 18. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising one or more additional wireless device steps, features or functions described above.

[0215] 19. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host computer via the transmission to the base station.

[0216] Group B Example Embodiments

[0217] 20. A method performed by a network node for managing frequency shifts in backscattering communication by user equipment (UEs), the method comprising: transmitting a configuration indicating a plurality of frequency shift alternatives to a UE, wherein the configuration comprises information valid for at least one of a system frame, a session time, or until further notice; and receiving a notification from the UE regarding a selected frequency shift based on a device identifier (ID) and the transmitted configuration.

[0218] 21. The method of the embodiment 20, wherein the frequency shift is determined based on a frequency index (findex) as the modulus of the device identifier (UE_ID) and a predetermined number of frequency shifts (Nf).

[0219] 22. The method of any one of the embodiments 20-21, wherein the frequency shift is determined based on adaptive internet of things (A-IoT) frame- structure dependent parameters, comprising at least one of a slot number, a frame number, a cell identifier (cell ID), and a carrier wave time (CWT) ID.

[0220] 23. The method of any one of the embodiments 20-22, further comprising: updating the configuration based on network conditions, system frame configurations, or upon initiation of a new communication session; and communicating the updated configuration to the UE.

[0221] 24. The method of the embodiment 23, wherein updating the configuration is periodic.

[0222] 25. The method of any one of the embodiments 20-24, further comprising instructing the UE to select another frequency shift from among the plurality of frequency shift alternatives in response to a detection of no further communication between the UE and the network, or in response to interference detection.

[0223] 26. The method of any one of the embodiments 20-25, wherein instructing the UE to select another frequency shift is based on one or more instances of unsuccessful attempts by the UE to communicate with the network.

[0224] 27. The method of any one of the embodiments 20-26, wherein: each of the plurality of frequency shift alternatives is associated with a respective frequency index (findex); and a set of frequency shift indices of the plurality of frequency shift alternative correspond to uniformly or non-uniformly spaced frequency shifts determined based on subcarrier spacing.

[0225] 28. The method of any one of the embodiments 20-27, further comprising: transmitting a message to the UE indicating which mapping of frequency indices to the plurality of frequency shift alternatives to be used.

[0226] 29. The method of any one of the embodiments 20-27, further comprising: transmitting an instruction to the UE to which frequency shift to be selected, the instruction is based on dedicated scheduling information post-contention resolution.

[0227] 30. The method of any one of the embodiments 20-29, wherein the UE is a part of a set of UEs that is assigned the plurality of frequency shift alternatives.

[0228] 31. The method of the embodiment 30, further comprising: assigning the plurality of frequency shift alternatives to the set of UEs based UE capability of each UE in the set of UEs.

[0229] 32. The method of any one of the embodiments 30-31, further comprising: transmitting a larger window of frequency shift alternatives after a detection of an interference with between at least two UEs in the set of UEs, wherein a size of the larger window of frequency shift alternatives is dynamically adjusted based on feedback from the network.

[0230] 33. The method of any one of the embodiments 20-32, wherein a set or pattern of the plurality of frequency shift alternatives is defined for frequency hopping.

[0231] 34. A method performed by a base station, the method comprising: any of the steps, features, or functions described above with respect to base station, either alone or in combination with other steps, features, or functions described above.

[0232] 35. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising one or more additional base station steps, features or functions described above.

[0233] 36. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host computer or a wireless device.

[0234] Group C Example Embodiments 37. A user equipment for determining frequency changes in backscattering communication, comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0235] 38. A network node for managing frequency shifts in backscattering communication by user equipment (UEs),the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0236] 39. A user equipment (UE) for determining frequency changes in backscattering communication, the UE comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

[0237] 40. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

[0238] 41. The host of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data to the UE from the host.

[0239] 42. The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0240] 43. A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the UE performs any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

[0241] 44. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

[0242] 45. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

[0243] 46. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0244] 47. The host of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data from the UE to the host.

[0245] 48. The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0246] 49. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, receiving user data transmitted to the host via the network node by the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0247] 50. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

[0248] 51. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

[0249] 52. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0250] 53. The host of the previous embodiment, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that provides the user data; and the UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to receive the transmission of user data from the host.

[0251] 54. A method implemented in a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0252] 55. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.

[0253] 56. The method of any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0254] 57. A communication system configured to provide an over-the-top service, the communication system comprising: a host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with the over-the-top service; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0255] 58. The communication system of the previous embodiment, further comprising: the network node; and / or the user equipment.

[0256] 59. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to initiate receipt of user data; and a network interface configured to receive the user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to receive the user data from a user equipment (UE) for the host. 60. The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0257] 61. The host of the any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data.

[0258] 62. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating receipt of user data from the UE, the user data originating from a transmission which the network node has received from the UE, wherein the network node performs any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments to receive the user data from the UE for the host.

[0259] 63. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method (200) performed by a device (412) for determining which frequency shift to apply for backscattering communication, the method comprising: determining (202) a frequency shift based on an attribute of the device; and modifying (204) a backscattering communication based on the frequency shift determined based on the attribute of the device.

2. The method of the Claim 1, wherein determining the frequency shift comprises calculating a frequency index, findex, as the modulus of a device identifier and a predetermined number of frequency shifts, Nf.

3. The method of any one of the Claims 1-2, wherein the frequency shift is determined based on ambient internet of things, A-IoT, frame-structure dependent parameters, comprising at least one of: a slot number, a frame number, cell identifier, and a carrier wave time identifier, CWT ID.

4. The method of any one of the Claims 1-3, comprising: determining that the frequency shift has resulted in no further communication between the device and a network; and in response to determining that the frequency shift has resulted in no further communication between the device and the network, selecting another frequency shift from among the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk.

5. The method of the Claim 4, wherein the other frequency shift is selected after one or more several instances of unsuccessful attempts to communicate with the network.

6. The method of any one of the Claims 1 to 5, comprising: receiving a configuration indicating a plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk, from a network, wherein the configuration is periodically broadcasted based on network conditions, system frame configurations, or upon initiation of a new communication session, and wherein the plurality of frequency shift alternatives Nk, is valid for at least one of a system frame, a session time, or until further notice.

7. The method of Claim 6, wherein the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk, is communicated to the device within a downlink command and / or in response to a registration43procedure.

8. The method of any one of Claims 6 to 7, wherein: each of the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk, is associated with a respective frequency index, findex; a set of frequency shift indices of the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk, correspond to uniformly or non-uniformly spaced frequency shifts determined based on a subcarrier spacing.

9. The method of Claims 8, further comprising: receiving a message indicating which mapping of frequency indices to the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk, is to be used.

10. The method of any one of Claims 6 to 9, wherein: a set or pattern of the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk, is defined for frequency hopping; modifying the backscattering communication based on the selected frequency shift comprises performing frequency hopping according to the set or pattern associated with the frequency shift determined based on the attribute of the device.

11. The method of Claims 6, wherein the selection of the first frequency shift from the plurality of frequency shift alternatives is random.

12. The method of Claim 6, wherein the selection of the first frequency shift from the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk, is based on capability to apply the selected frequency shift.

13. The method of Claim 6, wherein the selection of the first frequency shift from the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk, is based on an instruction from the network, the instruction is based on dedicated scheduling information pos-contention resolution.

14. The method of any one of Claims 6 to 13, wherein the device is a part of a set of UEs that is assigned the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk.

15. The method of any one of Claims 6 to 14, comprising: receiving a larger window of frequency shift alternatives after a detection of an interference with another device from the set of devices, wherein a size of the larger window of frequency shift alternatives is dynamically adjusted based on feedback from the network.

16. A method (300) performed by a network node (410) for managing frequency shifts in backscattering communication, the method comprising: transmitting (302), to a device (412), a configuration indicating a plurality of frequency44shift alternatives, Nk; and receiving (304) a notification from the device indicating a frequency shift based on an attribute of the device and the transmitted configuration.

17. The method of the Claim 16, wherein the frequency shift is based on a frequency index, findex, as a modulus of the device identifier and a predetermined number of frequency shifts, Nf.

18. The method of any one of Claims 16 to 17, wherein the configuration comprises information valid for at least one of a system frame, a session time, or until further notice.

19. The method of any one of the Claims 16 to 17, wherein the frequency shift is based on ambient internet of things, A-IoT, frame-structure dependent parameters, comprising at least one of: a slot number, a frame number, a cell identifier, and a carrier wave time identifier.

20. The method of any one of the Claims 16 to 19, comprising: updating the configuration based on at least one of a network condition and system frame configuration and / or upon an initiation of a new communication session; and communicating the updated configuration to the device.

21. The method of the Claim 20, wherein updating the configuration is periodic.

22. The method of any one of the Claims 16 to 21, comprising transmitting, to the device, information instructing the device to select another frequency shift from among the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nf, in response to a detection of no further communication between the device and the network or in response to interference detection.

23. The method of any one of the Claims 16 to 22, wherein the information instructing the device to select another frequency shift is transmitted to the device based on one or more instances of unsuccessful attempts by the device to communicate with the network.

24. The method of any one of the Claims 16 to 23, wherein: each of the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nf, is associated with a respective frequency index, findex; and a set of frequency shift indices of the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nf, correspond to uniformly or non-uniformly spaced frequency shifts determined based on subcarrier spacing.4525. The method of any one of the Claims 16 to 24, comprising: transmitting, to the device, a message indicating which mapping of frequency indices to the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nf, to be used.

26. The method of any one of the Claims 16 to 25, comprising: transmitting, to the device, an instruction as to which frequency shift is to be selected by the device, wherein the instruction is based on dedicated scheduling information post-contention resolution.

27. The method of any one of the Claims 16 to 26, wherein the device is a part of a set of devices that is assigned the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nf.

28. The method of the Claim 27, comprising: assigning the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nf, to the set of devices based a capability of each device in the set of devices.

29. The method of any one of the Claims 26 to 28, further comprising: transmitting a larger window of frequency shift alternatives after a detection of an interference between at least two devices in the set of devices, wherein a size of the larger window of frequency shift alternatives is dynamically adjusted based on feedback from the network.

30. The method of any one of the Claims 16 to 29, wherein a set or pattern of the plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nf, is defined for frequency hopping.

31. A device (412) for determining which frequency shift to apply for backscattering communication, the device configured to: determine a frequency shift based on an attribute of the device; and modify a backscattering communication based on the frequency shift determined based on the attribute of the device.

32. The device of the Claim 30, configured to perform any one of the methods of Claims 2 to 15.

33. A network node (410) for backscattering communication, the network node configured to: transmit, to a device (412), a configuration indicating a plurality of frequency shift alternatives, Nk; and receive a notification from the device indicating a frequency shift based on an attribute of the device and the transmitted configuration.

34. The network node of Claim 32, configured to perform any one of the methods of Claims17 to 30.

Images