State management for ambient internet of things communication
State management techniques for ambient IoT devices address inefficiencies in network resource consumption and power usage by allowing devices to indicate and manage their states, improving communication efficiency and reducing unnecessary resource consumption.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/CN2024/086205
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-04-05
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-09
AI Technical Summary
Wireless communication networks lack effective state management for ambient IoT devices, leading to inefficient network resource consumption, increased power usage, and unnecessary communication attempts due to the inability of these devices to switch between operational states.
Implement state management techniques for ambient IoT devices, enabling them to indicate short-term and long-term states, allowing readers and controllers to manage these states efficiently, reducing unnecessary communication attempts and conserving network, power, and computing resources.
The proposed solution enhances network resource management, improves communication performance, and conserves power by enabling efficient state switching and reducing unnecessary communication attempts with ambient IoT devices.
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Figure CN2024086205_09102025_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
STATE MANAGEMENT FOR AMBIENT INTERNET OF THINGS COMMUNICATION
[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication and specifically relate to techniques, apparatuses, and methods for state management for ambient Internet of Things communication.BACKGROUND
[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various services that may include carrying voice, text, messaging, video, data, and / or other traffic. The services may include unicast, multicast, and / or broadcast services, among other examples. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access radio access technologies (RATs) capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (for example, time domain resources, frequency domain resources, spatial domain resources, and / or device transmit power, among other examples) . Examples of such multiple-access RATs include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.
[0004] The above multiple-access RATs have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide common protocols that enable different wireless communication devices to communicate on a municipal, national, regional, or global level. An example telecommunication standard is New Radio (NR) . NR, which may also be referred to as 5G, is part of a continuous mobile broadband evolution promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) . NR (and other mobile broadband evolutions beyond NR) may be designed to better support Internet of things (IoT) and reduced capability device deployments, industrial connectivity, millimeter wave (mmWave) expansion, licensed and unlicensed spectrum access, non-terrestrial network (NTN) deployment, sidelink and other device-to-device direct communication technologies (for example, cellular vehicle-to-everything (CV2X) communication) , massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) , disaggregated network architectures and network topology expansions, multiple-subscriber implementations, high-precision positioning, and / or radio frequency (RF) sensing, among other examples. As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, further improvements in NR may be implemented, and other radio access technologies such as 6G may be introduced, to further advance mobile broadband evolution.SUMMARY
[0005] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus configured for wireless communication. The apparatus may include one or more memories including processor-executable instructions, and one or more processors. The one or more processors may be configured to execute the processor-executable instructions and cause the apparatus to receive a communication indicating a short-term ambient Internet of Things (IoT) state of an ambient IoT device. The one or more processors may be configured to execute the processor-executable instructions and cause the apparatus to store state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the short-term ambient IoT state.
[0006] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus configured for wireless communication. The apparatus may include one or more memories including processor-executable instructions, and one or more processors. The one or more processors may be configured to execute the processor-executable instructions and cause the apparatus to communicate a first communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device. The one or more processors may be configured to execute the processor-executable instructions and cause the apparatus to communicate a second communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0007] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus configured for wireless communication. The apparatus may include one or more memories including processor-executable instructions, and one or more processors. The one or more processors may be configured to execute the processor-executable instructions and cause the apparatus to receive a communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device. The one or more processors may be configured to execute the processor-executable instructions and cause the apparatus to store state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the long-term ambient IoT state.
[0008] Some aspects described herein relate to a method of wireless communication performed by a reader device. The method may include receiving a communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device. The method may include storing state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the short-term ambient IoT state.
[0009] Some aspects described herein relate to a method of wireless communication performed by an ambient IoT device. The method may include communicating a first communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device. The method may include communicating a second communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0010] Some aspects described herein relate to a method of wireless communication performed by an ambient IoT controller device. The method may include receiving a communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device. The method may include storing state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the long-term ambient IoT state.
[0011] Some aspects described herein relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores a set of instructions for wireless communication by a reader device. The set of instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the reader device, may cause the reader device to receive a communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device. The set of instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the reader device, may cause the reader device to store state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the short-term ambient IoT state.
[0012] Some aspects described herein relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores a set of instructions for wireless communication by an ambient IoT device. The set of instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the ambient IoT device, may cause the ambient IoT device to communicate a first communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device. The set of instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the ambient IoT device, may cause the ambient IoT device to communicate a second communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0013] Some aspects described herein relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores a set of instructions for wireless communication by an ambient IoT controller device. The set of instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the ambient IoT controller device, may cause the ambient IoT controller device to receive a communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device. The set of instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the ambient IoT controller device, may cause the ambient IoT controller device to store state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the long-term ambient IoT state.
[0014] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include means for receiving a communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device. The apparatus may include means for storing state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the short-term ambient IoT state.
[0015] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include means for communicating a first communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device. The apparatus may include means for communicating a second communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0016] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include means for receiving a communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device. The apparatus may include means for storing state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the long-term ambient IoT state.
[0017] Aspects of the present disclosure may generally be implemented by or as a method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory computer-readable medium, user equipment, base station, network node, network entity, wireless communication device, and / or processing system as substantially described with reference to, and as illustrated by, the specification and accompanying drawings.
[0018] The foregoing paragraphs of this section have broadly summarized some aspects of the present disclosure. These and additional aspects and associated advantages will be described hereinafter. The disclosed aspects may be used as a basis for modifying or designing other aspects for carrying out the same or similar purposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent aspects do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. Characteristics of the aspects disclosed herein, both their organization and method of operation, together with associated advantages, will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The appended drawings illustrate some aspects of the present disclosure, but are not limiting of the scope of the present disclosure because the description may enable other aspects. Each of the drawings is provided for purposes of illustration and description, and not as a definition of the limits of the claims. The same or similar reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.
[0020] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication network in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0021] Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example network node in communication with an example user equipment (UE) in a wireless network in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0022] Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example disaggregated base station architecture in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0023] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example associated with backscatter communications, in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0024] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating examples of topologies for ambient internet of things (A-IoT) devices in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0025] Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example associated with an A-IoT architecture, in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0026] Fig. 7 is a diagram of an example associated with state management for A-IoT communication, in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0027] Fig. 8 is a flowchart of an example method of wireless communication.
[0028] Fig. 9 is a flowchart of an example method of wireless communication.
[0029] Fig. 10 is a flowchart of an example method of wireless communication.
[0030] Fig. 11 is a diagram of an example apparatus for wireless communication, in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0031] Fig. 12 is a diagram of an example apparatus for wireless communication, in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0032] Fig. 13 is a diagram of an example apparatus for wireless communication, in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0033] Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of an implementation of code and circuitry for a communications device, in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0034] Fig. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of an implementation of code and circuitry for a communications device, in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0035] Fig. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of an implementation of code and circuitry for a communications device, in accordance with the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0036] Various aspects of the present disclosure are described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and is not to be construed as limited to any specific aspect illustrated by or described with reference to an accompanying drawing or otherwise presented in this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. One skilled in the art may appreciate that the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein, whether implemented independently of or in combination with any other aspect of the disclosure. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using various combinations or quantities of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover an apparatus having, or a method that is practiced using, other structures and / or functionalities in addition to or other than the structures and / or functionalities with which various aspects of the disclosure set forth herein may be practiced. Any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.
[0037] Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented with reference to various methods, operations, apparatuses, and techniques. These methods, operations, apparatuses, and techniques will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, or algorithms (collectively referred to as “elements” ) . These elements may be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.
[0038] Some wireless communication devices may be considered Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as ambient IoT devices (sometimes referred to as ultra-light IoT devices) , or similar IoT devices. In ambient IoT, a terminal (for example, a radio frequency identification (RFID) device, a tag, or a similar device) may not include a battery, and the terminal may accumulate energy from radio signaling. To achieve further cost reduction and zero-power communication, wireless networks may utilize a type of ambient IoT device referred to as an “ambient backscatter device, ” “energy harvesting device, ” or a “backscatter device. ” For example, an ambient IoT device may communicate with a reader device (e.g., a user equipment (UE) or a network node) by modulating a reflecting radio signal from a radio frequency (RF) source. One or more reader devices may provide information read from ambient IoT devices to an ambient IoT controller device, which may be a device (e.g., a core network device or a network node) implementing a core network function of a wireless communication network (e.g., an access and mobility management function (AMF) ) or an application function.
[0039] Due to having low complexity, an ambient IoT device may be unable to support states (e.g., different operational conditions or modes) , such as radio resource control (RRC) states, connection management (CM) states, and / or registration management (RM) states. Accordingly, wireless networks generally lack state management for ambient IoT devices, resulting in higher network resource consumption due to inefficient management of network resources. Additionally, without an ability to switch between states, ambient IoT devices and / or associated readers may remain unnecessary active, leading to increased power consumption. Furthermore, without an ability for ambient IoT devices to indicate their current states, readers and / or ambient IoT controller devices may repeatedly attempt to issue requests and / or commands for ambient IoT devices that are unavailable, thereby excessively consuming network resources, power resources, and / or computing resources.
[0040] Various aspects relate generally to state management for ambient IoT communication. Some aspects more specifically relate to signaling and maintenance of ambient IoT device states and / or reader states. In some aspects, an ambient IoT device may support and indicate one or more short-term ambient IoT states (e.g., conveying information used for local communication between the ambient IoT device and a reader device) and / or long-term ambient IoT states (e.g., conveying information used for end-to-end communication between the ambient IoT device and an ambient IoT controller device) . In some aspects, a reader device may maintain and manage short-term ambient IoT states of ambient IoT devices. In some aspects, an ambient IoT controller device may maintain and manage long-term ambient IoT states of ambient IoT devices. In some aspects, a reader device and / or an ambient IoT controller device may issue requests to ambient IoT devices to change ambient IoT states.
[0041] Particular aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, by enabling state management for ambient IoT communication, the described techniques can be used to efficiently manage network resources, thereby reducing network resource consumption. Furthermore, by maintaining and managing short-term ambient IoT states of ambient IoT devices at a reader device, the described techniques can be used to improve a performance of communications between the reader device and ambient IoT devices, such as by reducing attempts by the reader device to issue requests and / or commands for ambient IoT devices that are currently unavailable. Similarly, by maintaining and managing long-term states of ambient IoT devices at an ambient IoT controller device, the described techniques can be used to efficiently notify a reader device of ambient IoT devices that have long-term unavailability, so that the reader device does not consume network, power, and / or computing resources to issue requests and / or commands to those unavailable ambient IoT devices. Moreover, by enabling a reader device and / or an ambient IoT controller device to request ambient IoT devices to change ambient IoT states (e.g., between a sleep state and an awake state) , the described techniques can be used to conserve power of ambient IoT devices and / or the reader device (e.g., by enabling the reader device to reduce power consumption according to when the ambient IoT devices are sleeping) .
[0042] Multiple-access radio access technologies (RATs) have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide common protocols that enable wireless communication devices to communicate on a municipal, enterprise, national, regional, or global level. For example, 5G New Radio (NR) is part of a continuous mobile broadband evolution promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) . 5G NR supports various technologies and use cases including enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) , ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) , massive machine-type communication (mMTC) , millimeter wave (mmWave) technology, beamforming, network slicing, edge computing, Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity and management, and network function virtualization (NFV) .
[0043] As the demand for broadband access increases and as technologies supported by wireless communication networks evolve, further technological improvements may be adopted in or implemented for 5G NR or future RATs, such as 6G, to further advance the evolution of wireless communication for a wide variety of existing and new use cases and applications. Such technological improvements may be associated with new frequency band expansion, licensed and unlicensed spectrum access, overlapping spectrum use, small cell deployments, non-terrestrial network (NTN) deployments, disaggregated network architectures and network topology expansion, device aggregation, advanced duplex communication, sidelink and other device-to-device direct communication, IoT (including passive or ambient IoT) networks, reduced capability (RedCap) UE functionality, industrial connectivity, multiple-subscriber implementations, high-precision positioning, radio frequency (RF) sensing, and / or artificial intelligence or machine learning (AI / ML) , among other examples. These technological improvements may support use cases such as wireless backhauls, wireless data centers, extended reality (XR) and metaverse applications, meta services for supporting vehicle connectivity, holographic and mixed reality communication, autonomous and collaborative robots, vehicle platooning and cooperative maneuvering, sensing networks, gesture monitoring, human-brain interfacing, digital twin applications, asset management, and universal coverage applications using non-terrestrial and / or aerial platforms, among other examples. The methods, operations, apparatuses, and techniques described herein may enable one or more of the foregoing technologies and / or support one or more of the foregoing use cases.
[0044] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication network 100 in accordance with the present disclosure. The wireless communication network 100 may be or may include elements of a 5G (or NR) network or a 6G network, among other examples. The wireless communication network 100 may include multiple network nodes 110, shown as a network node (NN) 110a, a network node 110b, a network node 110c, and a network node 110d. The network nodes 110 may support communications with multiple UEs 120, shown as a UE 120a, a UE 120b, a UE 120c, a UE 120d, and a UE 120e.
[0045] The network nodes 110 and the UEs 120 of the wireless communication network 100 may communicate using the electromagnetic spectrum, which may be subdivided by frequency or wavelength into various classes, bands, carriers, and / or channels. For example, devices of the wireless communication network 100 may communicate using one or more operating bands. In some aspects, multiple wireless networks 100 may be deployed in a given geographic area. Each wireless communication network 100 may support a particular RAT (which may also be referred to as an air interface) and may operate on one or more carrier frequencies in one or more frequency ranges. Examples of RATs include a 4G RAT, a 5G / NR RAT, and / or a 6G RAT, among other examples. In some examples, when multiple RATs are deployed in a given geographic area, each RAT in the geographic area may operate on different frequencies to avoid interference with one another.
[0046] Various operating bands have been defined as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz through 7.125 GHz) , FR2 (24.25 GHz through 52.6 GHz) , FR3 (7.125 GHz through 24.25 GHz) , FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz through 71 GHz) , FR4 (52.6 GHz through 114.25 GHz) , and FR5 (114.25 GHz through 300 GHz) . Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to (interchangeably) as a “Sub-6 GHz” band in some documents and articles. Similarly, FR2 is often referred to (interchangeably) as a “millimeter wave” band in some documents and articles, despite being different than the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz through 300 GHz) , which is identified by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as a “millimeter wave” band. The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as mid-band frequencies, which include FR3. Frequency bands falling within FR3 may inherit FR1 characteristics or FR2 characteristics, and thus may effectively extend features of FR1 or FR2 into mid-band frequencies. Thus, “sub-6 GHz, ” if used herein, may broadly refer to frequencies that are less than 6 GHz, that are within FR1, and / or that are included in mid-band frequencies. Similarly, the term “millimeter wave, ” if used herein, may broadly refer to frequencies that are included in mid-band frequencies, that are within FR2, FR4, FR4-aor FR4-1, or FR5, and / or that are within the EHF band. Higher frequency bands may extend 5G NR operation, 6G operation, and / or other RATs beyond 52.6 GHz. For example, each of FR4a, FR4-1, FR4, and FR5 falls within the EHF band. In some examples, the wireless communication network 100 may implement dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) , in which multiple RATs (for example, 4G / LTE and 5G / NR) are implemented with dynamic bandwidth allocation (for example, based on user demand) in a single frequency band. It is contemplated that the frequencies included in these operating bands (for example, FR1, FR2, FR3, FR4, FR4-a, FR4-1, and / or FR5) may be modified, and techniques described herein may be applicable to those modified frequency ranges.
[0047] A network node 110 may include one or more devices, components, or systems that enable communication between a UE 120 and one or more devices, components, or systems of the wireless communication network 100. A network node 110 may be, may include, or may also be referred to as an NR network node, a 5G network node, a 6G network node, a Node B, an eNB, a gNB, an access point (AP) , a transmission reception point (TRP) , a mobility element, a core, a network entity, a network element, a network equipment, and / or another type of device, component, or system included in a radio access network (RAN) .
[0048] A network node 110 may be implemented as a single physical node (for example, a single physical structure) or may be implemented as two or more physical nodes (for example, two or more distinct physical structures) . For example, a network node 110 may be a device or system that implements part of a radio protocol stack, a device or system that implements a full radio protocol stack (such as a full gNB protocol stack) , or a collection of devices or systems that collectively implement the full radio protocol stack. For example, and as shown, a network node 110 may be an aggregated network node (having an aggregated architecture) , meaning that the network node 110 may implement a full radio protocol stack that is physically and logically integrated within a single node (for example, a single physical structure) in the wireless communication network 100. For example, an aggregated network node 110 may consist of a single standalone base station or a single TRP that uses a full radio protocol stack to enable or facilitate communication between a UE 120 and a core network of the wireless communication network 100.
[0049] Alternatively, and as also shown, a network node 110 may be a disaggregated network node (sometimes referred to as a disaggregated base station) , meaning that the network node 110 may implement a radio protocol stack that is physically distributed and / or logically distributed among two or more nodes in the same geographic location or in different geographic locations. For example, a disaggregated network node may have a disaggregated architecture. In some deployments, disaggregated network nodes 110 may be used in an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network, in an open radio access network (O-RAN) (such as a network configuration in compliance with the O-RAN Alliance) , or in a virtualized radio access network (vRAN) , also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN) , to facilitate scaling by separating base station functionality into multiple units that can be individually deployed.
[0050] The network nodes 110 of the wireless communication network 100 may include one or more central units (CUs) , one or more distributed units (DUs) , and / or one or more radio units (RUs) . A CU may host one or more higher layer control functions, such as radio resource control (RRC) functions, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) functions, and / or service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) functions, among other examples. A DU may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and / or one or more higher physical (PHY) layers depending, at least in part, on a functional split, such as a functional split defined by the 3GPP. In some examples, a DU also may host one or more lower PHY layer functions, such as a fast Fourier transform (FFT) , an inverse FFT (iFFT) , beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, and / or scheduling of resources for one or more UEs 120, among other examples. An RU may host RF processing functions or lower PHY layer functions, such as an FFT, an iFFT, beamforming, or PRACH extraction and filtering, among other examples, according to a functional split, such as a lower layer functional split. In such an architecture, each RU can be operated to handle over the air (OTA) communication with one or more UEs 120.
[0051] In some aspects, a single network node 110 may include a combination of one or more CUs, one or more DUs, and / or one or more RUs. Additionally or alternatively, a network node 110 may include one or more Near-Real Time (Near-RT) RAN Intelligent Controllers (RICs) and / or one or more Non-Real Time (Non-RT) RICs. In some examples, a CU, a DU, and / or an RU may be implemented as a virtual unit, such as a virtual central unit (VCU) , a virtual distributed unit (VDU) , or a virtual radio unit (VRU) , among other examples. A virtual unit may be implemented as a virtual network function, such as associated with a cloud deployment.
[0052] Some network nodes 110 (for example, a base station, an RU, or a TRP) may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In the 3GPP, the term “cell” can refer to a coverage area of a network node 110 or to a network node 110 itself, depending on the context in which the term is used. A network node 110 may support one or multiple (for example, three) cells. In some examples, a network node 110 may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, or another type of cell. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (for example, several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs 120 with service subscriptions. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs 120 with service subscriptions. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (for example, a home) and may allow restricted access by UEs 120 having association with the femto cell (for example, UEs 120 in a closed subscriber group (CSG) ) . A network node 110 for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro network node. A network node 110 for a pico cell may be referred to as a pico network node. A network node 110 for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto network node or an in-home network node. In some examples, a cell may not necessarily be stationary. For example, the geographic area of the cell may move according to the location of an associated mobile network node 110 (for example, a train, a satellite base station, an unmanned aerial vehicle, or an NTN network node) .
[0053] The wireless communication network 100 may be a heterogeneous network that includes network nodes 110 of different types, such as macro network nodes, pico network nodes, femto network nodes, relay network nodes, aggregated network nodes, and / or disaggregated network nodes, among other examples. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the network node 110a may be a macro network node for a macro cell 130a, the network node 110b may be a pico network node for a pico cell 130b, and the network node 110c may be a femto network node for a femto cell 130c. Various different types of network nodes 110 may generally transmit at different power levels, serve different coverage areas, and / or have different impacts on interference in the wireless communication network 100 than other types of network nodes 110. For example, macro network nodes may have a high transmit power level (for example, 5 to 40 watts) , whereas pico network nodes, femto network nodes, and relay network nodes may have lower transmit power levels (for example, 0.1 to 2 watts) .
[0054] In some examples, a network node 110 may be, may include, or may operate as an RU, a TRP, or a base station that communicates with one or more UEs 120 via a radio access link (which may be referred to as a “Uu” link) . The radio access link may include a downlink and an uplink. “Downlink” (or “DL” ) refers to a communication direction from a network node 110 to a UE 120, and “uplink” (or “UL” ) refers to a communication direction from a UE 120 to a network node 110. Downlink channels may include one or more control channels and one or more data channels. A downlink control channel may be used to transmit downlink control information (DCI) (for example, scheduling information, reference signals, and / or configuration information) from a network node 110 to a UE 120. A downlink data channel may be used to transmit downlink data (for example, user data associated with a UE 120) from a network node 110 to a UE 120. Downlink control channels may include one or more physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs) , and downlink data channels may include one or more physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs) . Uplink channels may similarly include one or more control channels and one or more data channels. An uplink control channel may be used to transmit uplink control information (UCI) (for example, reference signals and / or feedback corresponding to one or more downlink transmissions) from a UE 120 to a network node 110. An uplink data channel may be used to transmit uplink data (for example, user data associated with a UE 120) from a UE 120 to a network node 110. Uplink control channels may include one or more physical uplink control channels (PUCCHs) , and uplink data channels may include one or more physical uplink shared channels (PUSCHs) . The downlink and the uplink may each include a set of resources on which the network node 110 and the UE 120 may communicate.
[0055] Downlink and uplink resources may include time domain resources (frames, subframes, slots, and / or symbols) , frequency domain resources (frequency bands, component carriers, subcarriers, resource blocks, and / or resource elements) , and / or spatial domain resources (particular transmit directions and / or beam parameters) . Frequency domain resources of some bands may be subdivided into bandwidth parts (BWPs) . A BWP may be a continuous block of frequency domain resources (for example, a continuous block of resource blocks) that are allocated for one or more UEs 120. A UE 120 may be configured with both an uplink BWP and a downlink BWP (where the uplink BWP and the downlink BWP may be the same BWP or different BWPs) . A BWP may be dynamically configured (for example, by a network node 110 transmitting a DCI configuration to the one or more UEs 120) and / or reconfigured, which means that a BWP can be adjusted in real-time (or near-real-time) based on changing network conditions in the wireless communication network 100 and / or based on the specific requirements of the one or more UEs 120. This enables more efficient use of the available frequency domain resources in the wireless communication network 100 because fewer frequency domain resources may be allocated to a BWP for a UE 120 (which may reduce the quantity of frequency domain resources that a UE 120 is required to monitor) , leaving more frequency domain resources to be spread across multiple UEs 120. Thus, BWPs may also assist in the implementation of lower-capability UEs 120 by facilitating the configuration of smaller bandwidths for communication by such UEs 120.
[0056] As described above, in some aspects, the wireless communication network 100 may be, may include, or may be included in, an IAB network. In an IAB network, at least one network node 110 is an anchor network node that communicates with a core network. An anchor network node 110 may also be referred to as an IAB donor (or “IAB-donor” ) . The anchor network node 110 may connect to the core network via a wired backhaul link. For example, an Ng interface of the anchor network node 110 may terminate at the core network. Additionally or alternatively, an anchor network node 110 may connect to one or more devices of the core network that provide a core access and mobility management function (AMF) . An IAB network also generally includes multiple non-anchor network nodes 110, which may also be referred to as relay network nodes or simply as IAB nodes (or “IAB-nodes” ) . Each non-anchor network node 110 may communicate directly with the anchor network node 110 via a wireless backhaul link to access the core network, or may communicate indirectly with the anchor network node 110 via one or more other non-anchor network nodes 110 and associated wireless backhaul links that form a backhaul path to the core network. Some anchor network node 110 or other non-anchor network node 110 may also communicate directly with one or more UEs 120 via wireless access links that carry access traffic. In some examples, network resources for wireless communication (such as time resources, frequency resources, and / or spatial resources) may be shared between access links and backhaul links.
[0057] In some examples, any network node 110 that relays communications may be referred to as a relay network node, a relay station, or simply as a relay. A relay may receive a transmission of a communication from an upstream station (for example, another network node 110 or a UE 120) and transmit the communication to a downstream station (for example, a UE 120 or another network node 110) . In this case, the wireless communication network 100 may include or be referred to as a “multi-hop network. ” In the example shown in Fig. 1, the network node 110d (for example, a relay network node) may communicate with the network node 110a (for example, a macro network node) and the UE 120d in order to facilitate communication between the network node 110a and the UE 120d. Additionally or alternatively, a UE 120 may be or may operate as a relay station that can relay transmissions to or from other UEs 120. A UE 120 that relays communications may be referred to as a UE relay or a relay UE, among other examples.
[0058] The UEs 120 may be physically dispersed throughout the wireless communication network 100, and each UE 120 may be stationary or mobile. A UE 120 may be, may include, or may be included in an access terminal, another terminal, a mobile station, or a subscriber unit. A UE 120 may be, include, or be coupled with a cellular phone (for example, a smart phone) , a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device, a biometric device, a wearable device (for example, a smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, a smart wristband, and / or smart jewelry, such as a smart ring or a smart bracelet) , an entertainment device (for example, a music device, a video device, and / or a satellite radio) , an XR device, a vehicular component or sensor, a smart meter or sensor, industrial manufacturing equipment, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) device (such as a Global Positioning System device or another type of positioning device) , a UE function of a network node, and / or any other suitable device or function that may communicate via a wireless medium.
[0059] A UE 120 and / or a network node 110 may include one or more chips, system-on-chips (SoCs) , chipsets, packages, or devices that individually or collectively constitute or comprise a processing system. The processing system includes processor (or “processing” ) circuitry in the form of one or multiple processors, microprocessors, processing units (such as central processing units (CPUs) , graphics processing units (GPUs) , neural processing units (NPUs) and / or digital signal processors (DSPs) ) , processing blocks, application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) , programmable logic devices (PLDs) (such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) ) , or other discrete gate or transistor logic or circuitry (all of which may be generally referred to herein individually as “processors” or collectively as “the processor” or “the processor circuitry” ) . One or more of the processors may be individually or collectively configurable or configured to perform various functions or operations described herein. A group of processors collectively configurable or configured to perform a set of functions may include a first processor configurable or configured to perform a first function of the set and a second processor configurable or configured to perform a second function of the set, or may include the group of processors all being configured or configurable to perform the set of functions.
[0060] The processing system may further include memory circuitry in the form of one or more memory devices, memory blocks, memory elements or other discrete gate or transistor logic or circuitry, each of which may include tangible storage media such as random-access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM) , or combinations thereof (all of which may be generally referred to herein individually as “memories” or collectively as “the memory” or “the memory circuitry” ) . One or more of the memories may be coupled (for example, operatively coupled, communicatively coupled, electronically coupled, or electrically coupled) with one or more of the processors and may individually or collectively store processor-executable code (such as software) that, when executed by one or more of the processors, may configure one or more of the processors to perform various functions or operations described herein. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, one or more of the processors may be preconfigured to perform various functions or operations described herein without requiring configuration by software. The processing system may further include or be coupled with one or more modems (such as a Wi-Fi (for example, IEEE compliant) modem or a cellular (for example, 3GPP 4G LTE, 5G, or 6G compliant) modem) . In some implementations, one or more processors of the processing system include or implement one or more of the modems. The processing system may further include or be coupled with multiple radios (collectively “the radio” ) , multiple RF chains, or multiple transceivers, each of which may in turn be coupled with one or more of multiple antennas. In some implementations, one or more processors of the processing system include or implement one or more of the radios, RF chains or transceivers. The UE 120 may include or may be included in a housing that houses components associated with the UE 120 including the processing system.
[0061] Some UEs 120 may be considered machine-type communication (MTC) UEs, evolved or enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) UEs, further enhanced eMTC (feMTC) UEs, or enhanced feMTC (efeMTC) UEs, or further evolutions thereof, all of which may be simply referred to as “MTC UEs. ” An MTC UE may be, may include, or may be included in or coupled with a robot, an uncrewed aerial vehicle, a remote device, a sensor, a meter, a monitor, and / or a location tag. Some UEs 120 may be considered IoT devices and / or may be implemented as NB-IoT (narrowband IoT) devices. An IoT UE or NB-IoT device may be, may include, or may be included in or coupled with an industrial machine, an appliance, a refrigerator, a doorbell camera device, a home automation device, and / or a light fixture, among other examples. Some UEs 120 may be considered Customer Premises Equipment, which may include telecommunications devices that are installed at a customer location (such as a home or office) to enable access to a service provider's network (such as included in or in communication with the wireless communication network 100) .
[0062] Some UEs 120 may be classified according to different categories in association with different complexities and / or different capabilities. UEs 120 in a first category may facilitate massive IoT in the wireless communication network 100, and may offer low complexity and / or cost relative to UEs 120 in a second category. UEs 120 in a second category may include mission-critical IoT devices, legacy UEs, baseline UEs, high-tier UEs, advanced UEs, full-capability UEs, and / or premium UEs that are capable of URLLC, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) , and / or precise positioning in the wireless communication network 100, among other examples. A third category of UEs 120 may have mid-tier complexity and / or capability (for example, a capability between UEs 120 of the first category and UEs 120 of the second capability) . A UE 120 of the third category may be referred to as a reduced capacity UE ( “RedCap UE” ) , a mid-tier UE, an NR-Light UE, and / or an NR-Lite UE, among other examples. RedCap UEs may bridge a gap between the capability and complexity of NB-IoT devices and / or eMTC UEs, and mission-critical IoT devices and / or premium UEs. RedCap UEs may include, for example, wearable devices, IoT devices, industrial sensors, and / or cameras that are associated with a limited bandwidth, power capacity, and / or transmission range, among other examples. RedCap UEs may support healthcare environments, building automation, electrical distribution, process automation, transport and logistics, and / or smart city deployments, among other examples.
[0063] In some examples, two or more UEs 120 (for example, shown as UE 120a and UE 120e) may communicate directly with one another using sidelink communications (for example, without communicating by way of a network node 110 as an intermediary) . As an example, the UE 120a may directly transmit data, control information, or other signaling as a sidelink communication to the UE 120e. This is in contrast to, for example, the UE 120a first transmitting data in an UL communication to a network node 110, which then transmits the data to the UE 120e in a DL communication. In various examples, the UEs 120 may transmit and receive sidelink communications using peer-to-peer (P2P) communication protocols, device-to-device (D2D) communication protocols, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication protocols (which may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocols, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocols, and / or vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) protocols) , and / or mesh network communication protocols. In some deployments and configurations, a network node 110 may schedule and / or allocate resources for sidelink communications between UEs 120 in the wireless communication network 100. In some other deployments and configurations, a UE 120 (instead of a network node 110) may perform, or collaborate or negotiate with one or more other UEs to perform, scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and / or other operations for sidelink communications.
[0064] In various examples, some of the network nodes 110 and the UEs 120 of the wireless communication network 100 may be configured for full-duplex operation in addition to half-duplex operation. A network node 110 or a UE 120 operating in a half-duplex mode may perform only one of transmission or reception during particular time resources, such as during particular slots, symbols, or other time periods. Half-duplex operation may involve time-division duplexing (TDD) , in which DL transmissions of the network node 110 and UL transmissions of the UE 120 do not occur in the same time resources (that is, the transmissions do not overlap in time) . In contrast, a network node 110 or a UE 120 operating in a full-duplex mode can transmit and receive communications concurrently (for example, in the same time resources) . By operating in a full-duplex mode, network nodes 110 and / or UEs 120 may generally increase the capacity of the network and the radio access link. In some examples, full-duplex operation may involve frequency-division duplexing (FDD) , in which DL transmissions of the network node 110 are performed in a first frequency band or on a first component carrier and transmissions of the UE 120 are performed in a second frequency band or on a second component carrier different than the first frequency band or the first component carrier, respectively. In some examples, full-duplex operation may be enabled for a UE 120 but not for a network node 110. For example, a UE 120 may simultaneously transmit an UL transmission to a first network node 110 and receive a DL transmission from a second network node 110 in the same time resources. In some other examples, full-duplex operation may be enabled for a network node 110 but not for a UE 120. For example, a network node 110 may simultaneously transmit a DL transmission to a first UE 120 and receive an UL transmission from a second UE 120 in the same time resources. In some other examples, full-duplex operation may be enabled for both a network node 110 and a UE 120.
[0065] In some examples, the UEs 120 and the network nodes 110 may perform MIMO communication. “MIMO” generally refers to transmitting or receiving multiple signals (such as multiple layers or multiple data streams) simultaneously over the same time and frequency resources. MIMO techniques generally exploit multipath propagation. MIMO may be implemented using various spatial processing or spatial multiplexing operations. In some examples, MIMO may support simultaneous transmission to multiple receivers, referred to as multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) . Some RATs may employ advanced MIMO techniques, such as mTRP operation (including redundant transmission or reception on multiple TRPs) , reciprocity in the time domain or the frequency domain, single-frequency-network (SFN) transmission, or non-coherent joint transmission (NC-JT) .
[0066] In some examples, an ambient IoT device 135 may communicate with a network node 110 and / or a UE 120. In some examples, the ambient IoT device 135 may be configured to accumulate energy from radio signaling received from the network node 110 and / or the UE 120. In some examples, the ambient IoT device 135 may be configured to communicate data to the network node 110 and / or the UE 120 by backscattering radio signaling received from the network node 110 and / or the UE 120.
[0067] In some examples, an ambient IoT controller device 137 may communicate with a network node 110. In some examples, the ambient IoT controller device 137 may implement a core network function of the wireless communication network 100 or an application function. In some examples, the ambient IoT controller device 137 may be, or may be included in, the network node 110.
[0068] In some aspects, a UE may include a communication manager 140. As described in more detail elsewhere herein, the communication manager 140 may receive a communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device; and store state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the short-term ambient IoT state. Additionally, or alternatively, the communication manager 140 may perform one or more other operations described herein.
[0069] In some aspects, a network node may include a communication manager 150. As described in more detail elsewhere herein, the communication manager 150 may receive a communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device; and store state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the short-term ambient IoT state. As described in more detail elsewhere herein, the communication manager 150 may receive a communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device; and store state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the long-term ambient IoT state. Additionally, or alternatively, the communication manager 150 may perform one or more other operations described herein.
[0070] In some aspects, an ambient IoT device 135 may include a communication manager 160. As described in more detail elsewhere herein, the communication manager 160 may communicate a first communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device; and communicate a second communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device. Additionally, or alternatively, the communication manager 160 may perform one or more other operations described herein.
[0071] In some aspects, an ambient IoT controller device 137 may include a communication manager 170. As described in more detail elsewhere herein, the communication manager 170 may receive a communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device; and store state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the long-term ambient IoT state. Additionally, or alternatively, the communication manager 170 may perform one or more other operations described herein.
[0072] As indicated above, Fig. 1 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with regard to Fig. 1.
[0073] Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example network node 110 in communication with an example UE 120 in a wireless network in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0074] As shown in Fig. 2, the network node 110 may include a data source 212, a transmit processor 214, a transmit (TX) MIMO processor 216, a set of modems 232 (shown as 232a through 232t, where t ≥ 1) , a set of antennas 234 (shown as 234a through 234v, where v ≥ 1) , a MIMO detector 236, a receive processor 238, a data sink 239, a controller / processor 240, a memory 242, a communication unit 244, a scheduler 246, and / or a communication manager 150, among other examples. In some configurations, one or a combination of the antenna (s) 234, the modem (s) 232, the MIMO detector 236, the receive processor 238, the transmit processor 214, and / or the TX MIMO processor 216 may be included in a transceiver of the network node 110. The transceiver may be under control of and used by one or more processors, such as the controller / processor 240, and in some aspects in conjunction with processor-readable code stored in the memory 242, to perform aspects of the methods, processes, and / or operations described herein. In some aspects, the network node 110 may include one or more interfaces, communication components, and / or other components that facilitate communication with the UE 120 or another network node.
[0075] The terms “processor, ” “controller, ” or “controller / processor” may refer to one or more controllers and / or one or more processors. For example, reference to “a / the processor, ” “a / the controller / processor, ” or the like (in the singular) should be understood to refer to any one or more of the processors described in connection with Fig. 2, such as a single processor or a combination of multiple different processors. Reference to “one or more processors” should be understood to refer to any one or more of the processors described in connection with Fig. 2. For example, one or more processors of the network node 110 may include transmit processor 214, TX MIMO processor 216, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, and / or controller / processor 240. Similarly, one or more processors of the UE 120 may include MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, and / or controller / processor 280.
[0076] In some aspects, a single processor may perform all of the operations described as being performed by the one or more processors. In some aspects, a first set of (one or more) processors of the one or more processors may perform a first operation described as being performed by the one or more processors, and a second set of (one or more) processors of the one or more processors may perform a second operation described as being performed by the one or more processors. The first set of processors and the second set of processors may be the same set of processors or may be different sets of processors. Reference to “one or more memories” should be understood to refer to any one or more memories of a corresponding device, such as the memory described in connection with Fig. 2. For example, operation described as being performed by one or more memories can be performed by the same subset of the one or more memories or different subsets of the one or more memories.
[0077] For downlink communication from the network node 110 to the UE 120, the transmit processor 214 may receive data ( “downlink data” ) intended for the UE 120 (or a set of UEs that includes the UE 120) from the data source 212 (such as a data pipeline or a data queue) . In some examples, the transmit processor 214 may select one or more MCSs for the UE 120 in accordance with one or more channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from the UE 120. The network node 110 may process the data (for example, including encoding the data) for transmission to the UE 120 on a downlink in accordance with the MCS (s) selected for the UE 120 to generate data symbols. The transmit processor 214 may process system information (for example, semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI) ) and / or control information (for example, CQI requests, grants, and / or upper layer signaling) and provide overhead symbols and / or control symbols. The transmit processor 214 may generate reference symbols for reference signals (for example, a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) , a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) , or a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (CSI-RS) ) and / or synchronization signals (for example, a primary synchronization signal (PSS) or a secondary synchronization signals (SSS) ) .
[0078] The TX MIMO processor 216 may perform spatial processing (for example, precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, the overhead symbols, and / or the reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide a set of output symbol streams (for example, T output symbol streams) to the set of modems 232. For example, each output symbol stream may be provided to a respective modulator component (shown as MOD) of a modem 232. Each modem 232 may use the respective modulator component to process (for example, to modulate) a respective output symbol stream (for example, for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) ) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modem 232 may further use the respective modulator component to process (for example, convert to analog, amplify, filter, and / or upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a time domain downlink signal. The modems 232a through 232t may together transmit a set of downlink signals (for example, T downlink signals) via the corresponding set of antennas 234.
[0079] A downlink signal may include a DCI communication, a MAC control element (MAC-CE) communication, an RRC communication, a downlink reference signal, or another type of downlink communication. Downlink signals may be transmitted on a PDCCH, a PDSCH, and / or on another downlink channel. A downlink signal may carry one or more transport blocks (TBs) of data. A TB may be a unit of data that is transmitted over an air interface in the wireless communication network 100. A data stream (for example, from the data source 212) may be encoded into multiple TBs for transmission over the air interface. The quantity of TBs used to carry the data associated with a particular data stream may be associated with a TB size common to the multiple TBs. The TB size may be based on or otherwise associated with radio channel conditions of the air interface, the MCS used for encoding the data, the downlink resources allocated for transmitting the data, and / or another parameter. In general, the larger the TB size, the greater the amount of data that can be transmitted in a single transmission, which reduces signaling overhead. However, larger TB sizes may be more prone to transmission and / or reception errors than smaller TB sizes, but such errors may be mitigated by more robust error correction techniques.
[0080] For uplink communication from the UE 120 to the network node 110, uplink signals from the UE 120 may be received by an antenna 234, may be processed by a modem 232 (for example, a demodulator component, shown as DEMOD, of a modem 232) , may be detected by the MIMO detector 236 (for example, a receive (Rx) MIMO processor) if applicable, and / or may be further processed by the receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and / or control information. The receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to a data sink 239 (which may be a data pipeline, a data queue, and / or another type of data sink) and provide the decoded control information to a processor, such as the controller / processor 240.
[0081] The network node 110 may use the scheduler 246 to schedule one or more UEs 120 for downlink or uplink communications. In some aspects, the scheduler 246 may use DCI to dynamically schedule DL transmissions to the UE 120 and / or UL transmissions from the UE 120. In some examples, the scheduler 246 may allocate recurring time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources that the UE 120 may use to transmit and / or receive communications using an RRC configuration (for example, a semi-static configuration) , for example, to perform semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) or to configure a configured grant (CG) for the UE 120.
[0082] One or more of the transmit processor 214, the TX MIMO processor 216, the modem 232, the antenna 234, the MIMO detector 236, the receive processor 238, and / or the controller / processor 240 may be included in an RF chain of the network node 110. An RF chain may include one or more filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) , and / or other devices that convert between an analog signal (such as for transmission or reception via an air interface) and a digital signal (such as for processing by one or more processors of the network node 110) . In some aspects, the RF chain may be or may be included in a transceiver of the network node 110.
[0083] In some examples, the network node 110 may use the communication unit 244 to communicate with a core network and / or with other network nodes. The communication unit 244 may support wired and / or wireless communication protocols and / or connections, such as Ethernet, optical fiber, common public radio interface (CPRI) , and / or a wired or wireless backhaul, among other examples. The network node 110 may use the communication unit 244 to transmit and / or receive data associated with the UE 120 or to perform network control signaling, among other examples. The communication unit 244 may include a transceiver and / or an interface, such as a network interface.
[0084] The UE 120 may include a set of antennas 252 (shown as antennas 252a through 252r, where r ≥ 1) , a set of modems 254 (shown as modems 254a through 254u, where u ≥ 1) , a MIMO detector 256, a receive processor 258, a data sink 260, a data source 262, a transmit processor 264, a TX MIMO processor 266, a controller / processor 280, a memory 282, and / or a communication manager 140, among other examples. One or more of the components of the UE 120 may be included in a housing 284. In some aspects, one or a combination of the antenna (s) 252, the modem (s) 254, the MIMO detector 256, the receive processor 258, the transmit processor 264, or the TX MIMO processor 266 may be included in a transceiver that is included in the UE 120. The transceiver may be under control of and used by one or more processors, such as the controller / processor 280, and in some aspects in conjunction with processor-readable code stored in the memory 282, to perform aspects of the methods, processes, or operations described herein. In some aspects, the UE 120 may include another interface, another communication component, and / or another component that facilitates communication with the network node 110 and / or another UE 120.
[0085] For downlink communication from the network node 110 to the UE 120, the set of antennas 252 may receive the downlink communications or signals from the network node 110 and may provide a set of received downlink signals (for example, R received signals) to the set of modems 254. For example, each received signal may be provided to a respective demodulator component (shown as DEMOD) of a modem 254. Each modem 254 may use the respective demodulator component to condition (for example, filter, amplify, downconvert, and / or digitize) a received signal to obtain input samples. Each modem 254 may use the respective demodulator component to further demodulate or process the input samples (for example, for OFDM) to obtain received symbols. The MIMO detector 256 may obtain received symbols from the set of modems 254, may perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and may provide detected symbols. The receive processor 258 may process (for example, decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to the data sink 260 (which may include a data pipeline, a data queue, and / or an application executed on the UE 120) , and may provide decoded control information and system information to the controller / processor 280.
[0086] For uplink communication from the UE 120 to the network node 110, the transmit processor 264 may receive and process data ( “uplink data” ) from a data source 262 (such as a data pipeline, a data queue, and / or an application executed on the UE 120) and control information from the controller / processor 280. The control information may include one or more parameters, feedback, one or more signal measurements, and / or other types of control information. In some aspects, the receive processor 258 and / or the controller / processor 280 may determine, for a received signal (such as received from the network node 110 or another UE) , one or more parameters relating to transmission of the uplink communication. The one or more parameters may include a reference signal received power (RSRP) parameter, a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) parameter, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) parameter, a CQI parameter, or a transmit power control (TPC) parameter, among other examples. The control information may include an indication of the RSRP parameter, the RSSI parameter, the RSRQ parameter, the CQI parameter, the TPC parameter, and / or another parameter. The control information may facilitate parameter selection and / or scheduling for the UE 120 by the network node 110.
[0087] The transmit processor 264 may generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals, such as an uplink DMRS, an uplink sounding reference signal (SRS) , and / or another type of reference signal. The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be precoded by the TX MIMO processor 266, if applicable, and further processed by the set of modems 254 (for example, for DFT-s-OFDM or CP-OFDM) . The TX MIMO processor 266 may perform spatial processing (for example, precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, the overhead symbols, and / or the reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide a set of output symbol streams (for example, U output symbol streams) to the set of modems 254. For example, each output symbol stream may be provided to a respective modulator component (shown as MOD) of a modem 254. Each modem 254 may use the respective modulator component to process (for example, to modulate) a respective output symbol stream (for example, for OFDM) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modem 254 may further use the respective modulator component to process (for example, convert to analog, amplify, filter, and / or upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain an uplink signal.
[0088] The modems 254a through 254u may transmit a set of uplink signals (for example, R uplink signals or U uplink symbols) via the corresponding set of antennas 252. An uplink signal may include a UCI communication, a MAC-CE communication, an RRC communication, or another type of uplink communication. Uplink signals may be transmitted on a PUSCH, a PUCCH, and / or another type of uplink channel. An uplink signal may carry one or more TBs of data. Sidelink data and control transmissions (that is, transmissions directly between two or more UEs 120) may generally use similar techniques as were described for uplink data and control transmission, and may use sidelink-specific channels such as a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) , a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) , and / or a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) .
[0089] One or more antennas of the set of antennas 252 or the set of antennas 234 may include, or may be included within, one or more antenna panels, one or more antenna groups, one or more sets of antenna elements, or one or more antenna arrays, among other examples. An antenna panel, an antenna group, a set of antenna elements, or an antenna array may include one or more antenna elements (within a single housing or multiple housings) , a set of coplanar antenna elements, a set of non-coplanar antenna elements, or one or more antenna elements coupled with one or more transmission or reception components, such as one or more components of Fig. 2. As used herein, “antenna” can refer to one or more antennas, one or more antenna panels, one or more antenna groups, one or more sets of antenna elements, or one or more antenna arrays. “Antenna panel” can refer to a group of antennas (such as antenna elements) arranged in an array or panel, which may facilitate beamforming by manipulating parameters of the group of antennas. “Antenna module” may refer to circuitry including one or more antennas, which may also include one or more other components (such as filters, amplifiers, or processors) associated with integrating the antenna module into a wireless communication device.
[0090] In some examples, each of the antenna elements of an antenna 234 or an antenna 252 may include one or more sub-elements for radiating or receiving radio frequency signals. For example, a single antenna element may include a first sub-element cross-polarized with a second sub-element that can be used to independently transmit cross-polarized signals. The antenna elements may include patch antennas, dipole antennas, and / or other types of antennas arranged in a linear pattern, a two-dimensional pattern, or another pattern. A spacing between antenna elements may be such that signals with a desired wavelength transmitted separately by the antenna elements may interact or interfere constructively and destructively along various directions (such as to form a desired beam) . For example, given an expected range of wavelengths or frequencies, the spacing may provide a quarter wavelength, a half wavelength, or another fraction of a wavelength of spacing between neighboring antenna elements to allow for the desired constructive and destructive interference patterns of signals transmitted by the separate antenna elements within that expected range.
[0091] The amplitudes and / or phases of signals transmitted via antenna elements and / or sub-elements may be modulated and shifted relative to each other (such as by manipulating phase shift, phase offset, and / or amplitude) to generate one or more beams, which is referred to as beamforming. The term “beam” may refer to a directional transmission of a wireless signal toward a receiving device or otherwise in a desired direction. “Beam” may also generally refer to a direction associated with such a directional signal transmission, a set of directional resources associated with the signal transmission (for example, an angle of arrival, a horizontal direction, and / or a vertical direction) , and / or a set of parameters that indicate one or more aspects of a directional signal, a direction associated with the signal, and / or a set of directional resources associated with the signal. In some implementations, antenna elements may be individually selected or deselected for directional transmission of a signal (or signals) by controlling amplitudes of one or more corresponding amplifiers and / or phases of the signal (s) to form one or more beams. The shape of a beam (such as the amplitude, width, and / or presence of side lobes) and / or the direction of a beam (such as an angle of the beam relative to a surface of an antenna array) can be dynamically controlled by modifying the phase shifts, phase offsets, and / or amplitudes of the multiple signals relative to each other.
[0092] Different UEs 120 or network nodes 110 may include different numbers of antenna elements. For example, a UE 120 may include a single antenna element, two antenna elements, four antenna elements, eight antenna elements, or a different number of antenna elements. As another example, a network node 110 may include eight antenna elements, 24 antenna elements, 64 antenna elements, 128 antenna elements, or a different number of antenna elements. Generally, a larger number of antenna elements may provide increased control over parameters for beam generation relative to a smaller number of antenna elements, whereas a smaller number of antenna elements may be less complex to implement and may use less power than a larger number of antenna elements. Multiple antenna elements may support multiple-layer transmission, in which a first layer of a communication (which may include a first data stream) and a second layer of a communication (which may include a second data stream) are transmitted using the same time and frequency resources with spatial multiplexing.
[0093] While blocks in Fig. 2 are illustrated as distinct components, the functions described above with respect to the blocks may be implemented in a single hardware, software, or combination component or in various combinations of components. For example, the functions described with respect to the transmit processor 264, the receive processor 258, and / or the TX MIMO processor 266 may be performed by or under the control of the controller / processor 280.
[0094] Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example disaggregated base station architecture 300 in accordance with the present disclosure. One or more components of the example disaggregated base station architecture 300 may be, may include, or may be included in one or more network nodes (such one or more network nodes 110) . The disaggregated base station architecture 300 may include a CU 310 that can communicate directly with a core network 320 via a backhaul link, or that can communicate indirectly with the core network 320 via one or more disaggregated control units, such as a Non-RT RIC 350 associated with a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) Framework 360 and / or a Near-RT RIC 370 (for example, via an E2 link) . The CU 310 may communicate with one or more DUs 330 via respective midhaul links, such as via F1 interfaces. Each of the DUs 330 may communicate with one or more RUs 340 via respective fronthaul links. Each of the RUs 340 may communicate with one or more UEs 120 via respective RF access links. In some deployments, a UE 120 may be simultaneously served by multiple RUs 340.
[0095] Each of the components of the disaggregated base station architecture 300, including the CUs 310, the DUs 330, the RUs 340, the Near-RT RICs 370, the Non-RT RICs 350, and the SMO Framework 360, may include one or more interfaces or may be coupled with one or more interfaces for receiving or transmitting signals, such as data or information, via a wired or wireless transmission medium.
[0096] In some aspects, the CU 310 may be logically split into one or more CU user plane (CU-UP) units and one or more CU control plane (CU-CP) units. A CU-UP unit may communicate bidirectionally with a CU-CP unit via an interface, such as the E1 interface when implemented in an O-RAN configuration. The CU 310 may be deployed to communicate with one or more DUs 330, as necessary, for network control and signaling. Each DU 330 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions to control the operation of one or more RUs 340. For example, a DU 330 may host various layers, such as an RLC layer, a MAC layer, or one or more PHY layers, such as one or more high PHY layers or one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (which also may be referred to as a module) may be implemented with an interface for communicating signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 330, or for communicating signals with the control functions hosted by the CU 310. Each RU 340 may implement lower layer functionality. In some aspects, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control and user plane communication with the RU (s) 340 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 330.
[0097] The SMO Framework 360 may support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO Framework 360 may support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which may be managed via an operations and maintenance interface, such as an O1 interface. For virtualized network elements, the SMO Framework 360 may interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-Cloud) platform 390) to perform network element life cycle management (such as to instantiate virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface, such as an O2 interface. A virtualized network element may include, but is not limited to, a CU 310, a DU 330, an RU 340, a non-RT RIC 350, and / or a Near-RT RIC 370. In some aspects, the SMO Framework 360 may communicate with a hardware aspect of a 4G RAN, a 5G NR RAN, and / or a 6G RAN, such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 380, via an O1 interface. Additionally or alternatively, the SMO Framework 360 may communicate directly with each of one or more RUs 340 via a respective O1 interface. In some deployments, this configuration can enable each DU 330 and the CU 310 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture, such as a vRAN architecture.
[0098] The Non-RT RIC 350 may include or may implement a logical function that enables non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, AI / ML workflows including model training and updates, and / or policy-based guidance of applications and / or features in the Near-RT RIC 370. The Non-RT RIC 350 may be coupled to or may communicate with (such as via an A1 interface) the Near-RT RIC 370. The Near-RT RIC 370 may include or may implement a logical function that enables near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions via an interface (such as via an E2 interface) connecting one or more CUs 310, one or more DUs 330, and / or an O-eNB with the Near-RT RIC 370.
[0099] In some aspects, to generate AI / ML models to be deployed in the Near-RT RIC 370, the Non-RT RIC 350 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from external servers. Such information may be utilized by the Near-RT RIC 370 and may be received at the SMO Framework 360 or the Non-RT RIC 350 from non-network data sources or from network functions. In some examples, the Non-RT RIC 350 or the Near-RT RIC 370 may tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the Non-RT RIC 350 may monitor long-term trends and patterns for performance and may employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions via the SMO Framework 360 (such as reconfiguration via an O1 interface) or via creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 interface policies) .
[0100] As indicated above, Fig. 3 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with regard to Fig. 3.
[0101] The network node 110, the controller / processor 240 of the network node 110, the UE 120, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120, the CU 310, the DU 330, the RU 340, or any other component (s) of Figs. 1, 2, or 3 may implement one or more techniques or perform one or more operations associated with state management for ambient IoT communication, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, the controller / processor 240 of the network node 110, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120, any other component (s) of Fig. 2, the CU 310, the DU 330, or the RU 340 may perform or direct operations of, for example, process 800 of Fig. 8, process 900 of Fig. 9, process 1000 of Fig. 10, or other processes as described herein (alone or in conjunction with one or more other processors) . In some aspects, the reader device described herein is the UE 120, is included in the UE 120, or includes one or more components of the UE 120 shown in Fig. 2. In some aspects, the reader device described herein is the network node 110, is included in the network node 110, or includes one or more components of the network node 110 shown in Fig. 2. In some aspects, the ambient IoT device described herein is the UE 120, is included in the UE 120, or includes one or more components of the UE 120 shown in Fig. 2. In some aspects, the ambient IoT controller device described herein is the network node 110, is included in the network node 110, or includes one or more components of the network node 110 shown in Fig. 2.
[0102] The memory 242 may store data and program codes for the network node 110, the network node 110, the CU 310, the DU 330, or the RU 340. The memory 282 may store data and program codes for the UE 120. In some examples, the memory 242 or the memory 282 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions (for example, code or program code) for wireless communication. The memory 242 may include one or more memories, such as a single memory or multiple different memories (of the same type or of different types) . The memory 282 may include one or more memories, such as a single memory or multiple different memories (of the same type or of different types) . For example, the set of instructions, when executed (for example, directly, or after compiling, converting, or interpreting) by one or more processors of the network node 110, the UE 120, the CU 310, the DU 330, or the RU 340, may cause the one or more processors to perform process 800 of Fig. 8, process 900 of Fig. 9, process 1000 of Fig. 10, or other processes as described herein. In some examples, executing instructions may include running the instructions, converting the instructions, compiling the instructions, and / or interpreting the instructions, among other examples.
[0103] In some aspects, a reader device (e.g., a UE 120 or a network node 110) includes means for receiving a communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device; and / or means for storing state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the short-term ambient IoT state. In some aspects, the means for the reader device to perform operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of communication manager 150, transmit processor 214, TX MIMO processor 216, modem 232, antenna 234, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, controller / processor 240, memory 242, or scheduler 246. In some aspects, the means for the reader device to perform operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of communication manager 140, antenna 252, modem 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, controller / processor 280, or memory 282.
[0104] In some aspects, an ambient IoT device (e.g., an ambient IoT device 135) includes means for communicating a first communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device; and / or means for communicating a second communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device. In some aspects, the means for the ambient IoT device to perform operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of communication manager 140, communication manager 160, antenna 252, modem 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, controller / processor 280, or memory 282.
[0105] In some aspects, the ambient IoT controller device (e.g., an ambient IoT controller device 137) includes means for receiving a communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device; and / or means for storing state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the long-term ambient IoT state. In some aspects, the means for the ambient IoT controller device to perform operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of communication manager 150, communication manager 170, transmit processor 214, TX MIMO processor 216, modem 232, antenna 234, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, controller / processor 240, memory 242, or scheduler 246.
[0106] As indicated above, Fig. 3 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with regard to Fig. 3.
[0107] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example 400 associated with backscatter communications, in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0108] Some wireless communication devices may be considered IoT devices, such as ambient IoT devices (sometimes referred to as ultra-light IoT devices) , or similar IoT devices. IoT technology may include passive IoT (e.g., NR passive IoT for 5G Advanced) , semi-passive IoT, ultra-light IoT, or ambient IoT, among other examples. In passive IoT, a terminal (e.g., a radio frequency identification (RFID) device, a tag, or a similar device) may not include a battery, and the terminal may accumulate energy from radio signaling. Additionally, the terminal may accumulate solar energy to supplement accumulated energy from radio signaling. In passive IoT, a communication distance may be up to 30 meters (or more) to facilitate feasible network coverage over a large area (e.g., 5000 square meters) , such as in a warehouse. Moreover, the power consumption of a passive IoT terminal (e.g., a UE) may be less than 0.1 milliwatts (mW) to support operation without a battery, and the terminal may be relatively inexpensive to facilitate cost-sensitive uses. A positioning accuracy of a passive IoT terminal may be approximately 3-5 meters in the horizontal and the vertical directions.
[0109] Passive IoT may be useful in connection with industrial sensors, for which battery replacement may be prohibitively difficult or undesirable (e.g., for safety monitoring or fault detection in smart factories, infrastructures, or environments) . Additionally, features of passive IoT devices, such as low cost, small size, maintenance-free, durable, long lifespan, or the like, may facilitate smart logistics / warehousing (e.g., in connection with automated asset management by replacing RFID tags) . Furthermore, passive IoT may be useful in connection with smart home networks for household item management, wearable devices (e.g., wearable devices for medical monitoring for which patients do not need to replace batteries) , and / or environment monitoring. To achieve further cost reduction and zero-power communication, 5G+ / 6G wireless networks may utilize a type of passive IoT device referred to as an “ambient backscatter device” or a “backscatter device. ”
[0110] As shown in Fig. 4, a backscatter device 405 (e.g., a tag, a sensor, ambient IoT device 135, or the like) , which may be one example of a passive IoT device, may employ a simplified hardware design (e.g., including a power splitter, an energy harvester, and a microcontroller) that does not include a battery, such that the backscatter device 405 relies on energy harvesting for power, and that does not include a radio wave generation circuit, such that the backscatter device 405 is capable of transmitting information only by reflecting a radio wave. More particularly, the backscatter device 405 communicates with a reader 408 (e.g., a UE 120, a network node 110, or another network device) by modulating a reflecting radio signal from an RF source 410 (e.g., a network node 110, a UE 120, or another network device) . In some examples, the RF source 410 and the reader 408 may be the same device and / or may be co-located. For example, in some cases, the reader 408 and the RF source 410 may be associated with the same network node 110.
[0111] To facilitate communication of the backscatter device 405, the RF source 410 may transmit an energy harvesting wave to the backscatter device 405. The energy harvesting wave may be transmitted for a sufficient duration in order to enable a communication phase for a target range between the reader 408 and the backscatter device 405. Additionally, or alternatively, in some cases, a range between the RF source 410 and the backscatter device 405 may be limited by a minimum received power for triggering energy harvesting at the backscatter device 405, such as -20 decibel milliwatts (dBm) .
[0112] Once energy is sufficiently accumulated at the backscatter device 405, the backscatter device 405 may begin to reflect the radio wave that is radiated onto the backscatter device 405 via a backscatter link 415. For example, the RF source 410 may initiate a communication session (sometimes referred to as a query-response communication) with a query, which may be a modulating envelope of a continuous wave (CW) . The backscatter device 405 may respond by backscattering of the CW. The communication session may include multiple rounds, such as for purposes of contention resolution when multiple backscatter devices respond to a query. A channel between the RF source 410 and the backscatter device 405 of the backscatter link 415 may be associated with a first backscatter link channel response value (sometimes referred to as a first backscatter link channel coefficient or a first backscatter link gain value) , hBD. As described below, the backscatter device 405 may have reflection-on periods and reflection-off periods that follow a pattern that is based at least in part on the transmission of information bits by the backscatter device 405. The reader 408 may detect the reflection pattern of the backscatter device 405 and obtain the backscatter communication information via the backscatter link 415. A channel between the reader 408 and the backscatter device 405 of the backscatter link 415 may be associated with a second backscatter link channel response value (sometimes referred to as a second backscatter link channel coefficient or a second backscatter link channel gain value) , hDU. In addition, the RF source 410 and the reader 408 may communicate (e.g., reference signals and / or data signals) via a direct link 420. A channel between the RF source 410 and the reader 408 of the direct link 420 may be associated with a direct link channel response value (sometimes referred to as a direct link channel coefficient or a direct link channel gain value) , hBU.
[0113] The backscatter device 405 may use an information modulation scheme, such as amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulation or on-off keying (OOK) modulation. For ASK or OOK modulation, the backscatter device 405 may switch on reflection when transmitting an information bit “1” and switch off reflection when transmitting an information bit “0. ” In backscatter communication, the RF source 410 may transmit a particular radio wave (e.g., a reference signal or a data signal, such as a PDSCH) , which may be denoted as x (n) . The reader 408 may receive this radio wave, x (n) , directly from the RF source 410 via the direct link 420, as well as from the backscatter device 405 modulating and reflecting the radio wave to the reader 408 via the backscatter link 415. The signal received at the reader 408 via the direct link 420, indicated by reference number 425, is the product of the radio wave transmitted by the RF source 410, x (n) , multiplied by the direct link channel response value, hBU, plus any signal noise. The information bits signal of the backscatter device 405 may be denoted as s (n) where s (n) ∈ {0, 1} . Accordingly, the signal received at the reader 408 via the backscatter link 415, indicated by reference number 430, is the product of the signal transmitted by the RF source 410, x (n) , multiplied by the first backscatter link channel response value, hBD, the second backscatter link channel response value, hDU, the information bits signal from the backscatter device 405, s (n) , and a reflection coefficient associated with the backscatter device 405 plus any noise.
[0114] Thus, the resulting signal received at the reader 408, which is the superposition of the signal received via the direct link 420 and the signal received via the backscatter link 415, may be denoted as y (n) . This signal, y (n) , is shown by reference number 435. As shown, when s (n) =0 (indicated by reference number 440 in the plot shown at reference number 430) , the backscatter device 405 may switch off reflection, and thus the reader 408 receives only the direct link 420 signal. When s (n) =1 (indicated by reference number 445 in the plot shown at reference number 430) , the backscatter device 405 may switch on reflection, and thus the reader 408 receives a superposition of both the direct link 420 signal and the backscatter link 415 signal. To receive the information bits transmitted by the backscatter device 405, the reader 408 may first decode x (n) based at least in part on the direct link channel response value of hBU (n) by treating the backscatter link 415 signal as interference. The reader 408 may then detect the existence of the signal component. In some cases, the backscatter device 405 may not maintain a state from communication session to communication session except of what is stored in the backscatter device 405 memory, such as an electronic product code (EPC) associated with backscatter device 405 or similar information.
[0115] Some IoT devices may be referred to as semi-passive IoT devices, because communication between a reader and the IoT device does not need to be preceded by an energy harvesting waveform. For example, semi-passive IoT devices may include a battery or similar energy source that can power the receiver and / or logic circuit. For such devices, energy harvesting may still be triggered in some cases, such as for long-range communications. In such examples, a rectifier circuit of the IoT device may have a warm start from the battery or other energy source, and thus may be associated with a lower minimum received power requirement than passive IoT devices (e.g., -30 dBm rather than -20 dBm) . Nonetheless, long-range communications may require battery power spend to energize each decoding. More particularly, for long-range communications in which an energy harvesting rate is lower than a decoding circuit requirement, such as when the energy harvesting rate is below -30 dBm, the semi-passive IoT device may expend battery power to energize each decoding. Thus, continuous IoT device monitoring, such as for purposes of receiving a long-distance query communication, may result in excessive battery drain at the IoT device.
[0116] In that regard, passive and semi-passive IoT devices may be inherently limited for certain applications. For example, passive IoT devices, such as the backscatter device 405, may be associated with a low cost and form factor because there is no need for an RF chain at the IoT device. However, these devices require an energy harvesting waveform, limiting the application of such passive IoT devices to short-distance communications. Although semi-passive IoT devices may eliminate the need for an energy harvesting waveform and / or may enable long-distance communications, such devices increase cost and complexity because the devices require the use of a battery or similar energy source. Moreover, because passive and semi-passive devices may be associated with a communication session that is initiated by the RF source, these devices may be inherently limited for use in sensing scenarios or similar latency-critical applications that require aperiodic traffic, and the devices may not scale well for use in high IoT density applications.
[0117] In some examples, ambient IoT (A-IoT) devices may include a class of low-complexity devices (e.g., tags, sensors, or the like) that may operate using only ambient signaling (e.g., incident RF sources) from readers. The ambient IoT devices may rely on backscattering incident signals to send data to readers.
[0118] As indicated above, Fig. 4 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with respect to Fig. 4.
[0119] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating examples 500 and 510 of topologies for ambient IoT devices in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0120] Example 500 relates to a first topology, which may be referred to as topology 1. Topology 1 may relate to a network node-based reader (e.g., a gNB-based reader) . In topology 1, an A-IoT device 135 may directly and bidirectionally communicate (e.g., on an A-IoT link Ua) with one or more network nodes 110. For example, the A-IoT device 135 and the one or more network nodes 110 may communicate A-IoT data and / or signaling. In some examples, a first network node 110 may transmit communications to the A-IoT device 135 and a second network node 110 may receive communications from the A-IoT device 135.
[0121] Example 510 relates to a second topology, which may be referred to as topology 2. Topology 2 may relate to a UE-based reader. In topology 2, the A-IoT device 135 may communicate bidirectionally (e.g., on an A-IoT link Ua) with an intermediate node between the A-IoT device 135 and a network node 110. The intermediate node may be any suitable device that is capable of A-IoT, such as a UE, a relay, an IAB node, or a repeater, among other examples. The intermediate node may transfer (e.g., on an access link Uu) A-IoT data and / or signaling between the network node 110 and the A-IoT device 135. The intermediate node may be a reader, such as the reader 408 or an A-IoT reader, among other examples.
[0122] As indicated above, Fig. 5 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with respect to Fig. 5.
[0123] Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example 600 associated with an A-IoT architecture, in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0124] As shown, example 600 includes an A-IoT device 135, a reader device 610, an A-IoT controller device 137, and an application function (AF) 620. The reader device 610 may correspond to one or more readers described herein (e.g., reader 408) . The A-IoT controller device 137 may be implemented in a core network associated with a wireless communication network (e.g., wireless communication network 100) . The AF 620 may be implemented in a computing device (e.g., a server) that may communicate with the core network via a communications network (e.g., the Internet) . The A-IoT device 135 and the reader device 610 may have a communication link (e.g., using a Ua interface) , the reader device 610 and the A-IoT controller device 137 may have a communication link (e.g., using an A-IoT reader controller (A-RC) interface) , and the A-IoT controller device 137 and the AF 620 may have a communication link (e.g., using an A-IoT controller application (A-CA) interface) .
[0125] The reader device 610 may support a Ua air interface toward one or more A-IoT devices 135. In some examples, the reader device 610 may register (e.g., using a registration procedure) with the A-IoT controller device 137. The reader device 610 may receive requests from the A-IoT controller device 137 that request the reader 610 to perform particular functions with respect to one or more A-IoT devices 135. For example, the A-IoT controller device 137 may request the reader device 610 to perform a one-time inventory or a periodic inventory of A-IoT device (s) 135, and the reader device 610 may deliver an inventory result to the A-IoT controller device 137. As another example, the A-IoT controller device 137 may request that the reader device 610 deliver a command from the A-IoT controller device 137 to an A-IoT device 135. Moreover, the reader device 610 may deliver a command response received from an A-IoT device 135 to the A-IoT controller device 137.
[0126] The A-IoT controller device 137 may register (e.g., using a registration procedure) one or more reader devices 610. Additionally, the A-IoT controller device 137 may authenticate and authorize AFs 620. The A-IoT controller device 137 may receive requests from an AF 620 that request the A-IoT controller device 137 to perform particular functions with respect to one or more A-IoT devices 135 and / or one or more reader devices 610. In some examples, an AF 620 may issue an inventory request or a command request to the A-IoT controller device 137. In some examples, the A-IoT controller device 137 may verify whether an AF 620 is entitled to issue a particular inventory request or command request. The A-IoT controller device 137 may select one or more reader devices 610 to fulfill an inventory request or a command request by an AF 620. The A-IoT controller device 137 may forward an inventory request to one or more reader devices 610, and the A-IoT controller device 137 may deliver one or more inventory results to an AF 620. Similarly, the A-IoT controller device 137 may forward a command request to one or more reader devices 610, and the A-IoT controller device 137 may deliver one or more command responses to an AF 620.
[0127] In some examples, the A-IoT controller device 137 may collect usage data per AF 620 (e.g., to use in connection with charging purposes) . Moreover, the A-IoT controller device 137 may store information indicating last-known reader devices 610 for particular A-IoT devices 135.
[0128] An AF 620 may perform operations to authenticate toward the A-IoT controller device 137. In addition, an AF 620 may send inventory requests and / or command requests to the A-IoT controller device 137, and the AF 620 may receive inventory responses and / or command responses from the A-IoT controller device 137.
[0129] A UE may support multiple states. For example, a UE may support multiple RRC states, such as a connected state (RRC_CONNECTED) , an idle state (RRC_IDLE) , and an inactive state (RRC_INACTIVE) . A UE may also support multiple CM states, such as an idle state (CM-IDLE) and a connected state (CM-CONNECTED) . In addition, a UE may support multiple RM states, such as a deregistered state (RM-DEREGISTERED) and a registered state (RM-REGISTERED) . Supporting all of the RRC, CM, and / or RM states in A-IoT communication may be too complex for an A-IoT device that has low complexity. Accordingly, wireless networks generally lack state management for A-IoT devices, resulting in higher network resource consumption due to inefficient management of network resources. Additionally, without an ability to switch between states, A-IoT devices and / or associated readers may remain unnecessary active, leading to increased power consumption. Furthermore, without an ability for A-IoT devices to indicate their current states, readers and / or A-IoT controller devices may repeatedly attempt to issue requests and / or commands for A-IoT devices that are unavailable, thereby excessively consuming network resources, power resources, and / or computing resources.
[0130] Various aspects relate generally to state management for A-IoT communication. Some aspects more specifically relate to signaling and maintenance of A-IoT device states and / or reader states. In some aspects, an A-IoT device may support and indicate one or more short-term A-IoT states (e.g., conveying information used for local communication between the A-IoT device and a reader device) and / or long-term A-IoT states (e.g., conveying information used for end-to-end communication between the A-IoT device and an A-IoT controller device) . In some aspects, a reader device may maintain and manage short-term A-IoT states of A-IoT devices. In some aspects, an A-IoT controller device may maintain and manage long-term A-IoT states of A-IoT devices. In some aspects, a reader device and / or an A-IoT controller device may issue requests to A-IoT devices to change A-IoT states.
[0131] Particular aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, by enabling state management for A-IoT communication, the described techniques can be used to efficiently manage network resources, thereby reducing network resource consumption. Furthermore, by maintaining and managing short-term A-IoT states of A-IoT devices at a reader device, the described techniques can be used to improve a performance of communications between the reader device and A-IoT devices, such as by reducing attempts by the reader device to issue requests and / or commands for A-IoT devices that are currently unavailable. Similarly, by maintaining and managing long-term states of A-IoT devices at an A-IoT controller device, the described techniques can be used to efficiently notify a reader device of A-IoT devices that have long-term unavailability, so that the reader device does not consume network, power, and / or computing resources to issue requests and / or commands to those unavailable A-IoT devices. Moreover, by enabling a reader device and / or an A-IoT controller device to request A-IoT devices to change A-IoT states (e.g., between a sleep state and an awake state) , the described techniques can be used to conserve power of A-IoT devices and / or the reader device (e.g., by enabling the reader device to reduce power consumption according to when the A-IoT devices are sleeping) .
[0132] As indicated above, Fig. 6 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with respect to Fig. 6.
[0133] Fig. 7 is a diagram of an example 700 associated with state management for A-IoT communication, in accordance with the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 7, a reader device (e.g., reader device 610) may communicate with an A-IoT device (e.g., A-IoT device 135) and an A-IoT controller device (e.g., A-IoT controller device 137) . In some aspects, the reader device, the A-IoT device, and the A-IoT controller device may be part of a wireless network (e.g., wireless network 100) . The A-IoT device may include an IoT terminal, a tag, or a wireless communication device. The reader device may be (e.g., may be co-located with) a UE, a network node (e.g., a gNB or an IAB node) , a sidelink relay, or a separate logical entity (e.g., a wireless communication device) , among other examples. The A-IoT controller device may be a device that implements a core network function or an application function (e.g., a core network device or a network node) . The reader device and the A-IoT device may have established a wireless connection prior to operations shown in Fig. 7.
[0134] In some aspects, the reader device (e.g., a UE) may receive configuration information from a network node. In some aspects, the reader device may receive the configuration information via one or more of system information (e.g., a master information block (MIB) and / or a system information block (SIB) , among other examples) , RRC signaling, one or more MAC-CEs, and / or DCI, among other examples. In some aspects, the configuration information may indicate one or more candidate configurations and / or communication parameters. In some aspects, the one or more candidate configurations and / or communication parameters may be selected, activated, and / or deactivated by a subsequent indication. For example, the subsequent indication may select a candidate configuration and / or communication parameter from the one or more candidate configurations and / or communication parameters. In some aspects, the subsequent indication (e.g., an indication described herein) may include a dynamic indication, such as one or more MAC-CEs and / or one or more DCI messages, among other examples.
[0135] In some aspects, the configuration information may indicate A-IoT states that the reader device is to support and / or reader device states (e.g., RRC states) that the reader device can use. In some aspects, the configuration information may indicate that the reader device is to communicate with A-IoT devices in accordance with A-IoT states and / or indicate that the reader device is to perform state management for A-IoT devices. The reader device may configure itself based at least in part on the configuration information. In some aspects, the reader device may be configured to perform one or more operations described herein based at least in part on the configuration information.
[0136] In some aspects, the reader device may transmit a capabilities report for the network node. The capabilities report may indicate whether the reader device supports a feature and / or one or more parameters related to the feature. For example, the capability information may indicate a capability and / or parameter relating to whether the reader device can act as a reader for A-IoT devices, whether the reader device supports state management for A-IoT devices, A-IoT states supported by the reader device, and / or reader device states (e.g., RRC states) supported by the reader device, among other examples. One or more operations described herein may be based on capability information of the capabilities report. For example, the reader device may perform a communication in accordance with the capability information, or may receive configuration information that is in accordance with the capability information. In some aspects, the capabilities report may indicate reader device support for state management of A-IoT devices.
[0137] In some aspects, the configuration information and / or the capabilities report may include information transmitted via multiple communications. Additionally, or alternatively, the network node may transmit the configuration information, or a communication including at least a portion of the configuration information, before and / or after the reader device transmits the capabilities report. For example, the network node may transmit a first portion of the configuration information before the capabilities report, the reader device may transmit at least a portion of the capabilities report, and the network node may transmit a second portion of the configuration information after receiving the capabilities report.
[0138] As used herein, “state” may refer to a specific operational condition or mode in which a device is operating. Accordingly, “A-IoT state” may refer to a specific operational condition or mode in which an A-IoT device is operating.
[0139] The A-IoT device may support one or more short-term A-IoT states and / or long-term A-IoT states. A short-term A-IoT state may convey information useful for local communication between the A-IoT device and the reader device. A short-term A-IoT state may relate to a power state of the A-IoT device (e.g., whether the A-IoT device is on or off) , a sleep state of the A-IoT device (e.g., whether the A-IoT device is in a light sleep, a medium sleep, or a deep sleep, among other examples) , an energy storage state of the A-IoT device (e.g., whether the A-IoT device is in a low energy state, a medium energy state, or a high energy state, among other examples) , a packet processing state of the A-IoT device (e.g., whether the A-IoT device has received a packet and / or is waiting to reply or acknowledge) , a packet communication (e.g., packet reception and / or transmission) or packet buffering state of the A-IoT device (e.g., whether a packet segment has been received and the A-IoT device is waiting for other segments, or whether packets have been buffered in a transmission or reception buffer of the A-IoT device) , an inventory state of the A-IoT device (e.g., whether the A-IoT device has been inventoried) , a discovery state of the A-IoT device (e.g., whether the A-IoT device is open to discovery) , a scanning state of the A-IoT device (e.g., whether A-IoT device is in a scanning state, such as listening to beacons and / or advertising packets) , a time and frequency synchronization state of the A-IoT device (e.g., whether the A-IoT device is time and frequency synchronized, such as whether an uplink timing of the A-IoT device is synchronized) , an access procedure state of the A-IoT device (e.g., whether the A-IoT device has completed contention resolution) , an identifier assignment state of the A-IoT device (e.g., whether a local identifier for communication with the reader device has been unassigned, assigned, released, or confirmed for the A-IoT device) , and / or a connection state of the A-IoT device (e.g., whether the A-IoT device can exchange data over a connection or session) , among other examples. A short-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device may be managed by the reader device and / or the A-IoT controller device. A short-term A-IoT state may also be referred to as a “first A-IoT state” or a “lower-level A-IoT state. ”
[0140] A long-term A-IoT state may convey information useful for end-to-end communication between the A-IoT device and the A-IoT controller device (e.g., and ultimately an AF) . A long-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device may be transparent to the reader device (e.g., the reader device may not monitor or maintain information relating to long-term states) . A long-term A-IoT state may relate to a communication link security state of the A-IoT device (e.g., whether a communication link of the A-IoT device is secure) , a registration state of the A-IoT device (e.g., whether the A-IoT device has been registered, such as assigned a unique identifier) , an onboarding state of the A-IoT device (e.g., whether the A-IoT device has been onboarded, such as configured with particular information) , and / or a disablement state of the A-IoT device (e.g., whether the A-IoT device has been permanently disabled, sometimes referred to as “killed” ) , among other examples. A long-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device may be managed by the A-IoT controller device. A long-term A-IoT state may also be referred to as a “second A-IoT state” or an “upper-level A-IoT state. ”
[0141] In some aspects, one or more of the short-term A-IoT states and / or one or more of the long-term A-IoT states may be mandatory for the A-IoT device, the reader device, and / or the A-IoT controller device to support. In some aspects, one or more of the short-term A-IoT states and / or one or more of the long-term A-IoT states may be optional for the A-IoT device, the reader device, and / or the A-IoT controller device to support. Whether optional short-term A-IoT states and / or long-term A-IoT states are supported and / or applicable may depend on capabilities of the A-IoT device (e.g., storage capabilities) , an amount of harvested energy and / or an energy storage at the A-IoT device, and / or radio conditions, among other examples.
[0142] As shown by reference number 702, the A-IoT device may begin in one or more initial short-term A-IoT states and / or long-term A-IoT states. The reader device also may support one or more reader states. For example, a reader state may include an RRC state, a CM state, an RM state, and / or another type of state. As shown by reference number 704, the reader device also may begin in one or more initial reader states.
[0143] As shown by reference number 706, the A-IoT device may communicate, and the reader device may receive, a communication indicating the short-term A-IoT state (e.g., one or more short-term A-IoT states) of the A-IoT device. For example, the A-IoT device may inform the reader device about the A-IoT device’s current short-term state and / or about any short-term state changes. In some aspects, the short-term A-IoT states that can be indicated by the A-IoT device (e.g., that the A-IoT device is permitted to indicate) may be dynamic (e.g., may change from time to time) in accordance with capabilities of the A-IoT device (e.g., storage capabilities) , an amount of harvested energy and / or an energy storage at the A-IoT device, and / or radio conditions, among other examples. In some aspects, the communication indicating the short-term A-IoT state may additionally indicate context information for the A-IoT device, such as a device identifier associated with the A-IoT device, a session or bearer identifier associated with the A-IoT device, a Layer 2 (L2) configuration of the A-IoT device (e.g., RLC channel configurations) , and / or a security context associated with the A-IoT device, among other examples. In some aspects, the communication indicating the short-term IoT state may be made via Layer 1 (L1) (e.g., PHY signaling) or L2 signaling (e.g., MAC signaling) and / or via upper layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling and / or non-access stratum (NAS) signaling) .
[0144] In some aspects, the reader device may detect a change to the short-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device in the absence of an explicit communication indicating the short-term A-IoT state (e.g., the reader device may detect the change to the short-term A-IoT state implicitly) . For example, the reader device may detect a change to the short-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device by detecting a connection failure with the A-IoT device, using one or more counters (e.g., a counter of messages transmitted without a response from the A-IoT device satisfying a threshold or a retransmission counter satisfying a threshold) , or in accordance with other events (e.g., expiration of one or more timers) .
[0145] As shown by reference number 708, the reader device may store state information for the A-IoT device that identifies the short-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device. For example, the reader device may maintain the short-term state of the A-IoT device. Accordingly, the reader device may receive indications of short-term states from one or more A-IoT devices (e.g., multiple A-IoT devices) and maintain those short-term states.
[0146] As shown by reference number 710, the reader device may transmit, and the A-IoT controller device may receive, a communication indicating the short-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device. As shown by reference number 712, the A-IoT device may transmit, and the A-IoT controller device may receive, a communication indicating the long-term A-IoT state (e.g., one or more long-term A-IoT states) of the A-IoT device. For example, as shown, the reader device may forward, from the A-IoT device to the A-IoT controller device, the communication indicating the long-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device. To forward the communication, the reader device may receive a first communication, decode the first communication, and transmit a second communication that contains the information of the first communication. Alternatively, to forward the communication, the reader device may receive the communication, and transmit the communication without decoding the communication. In some aspects, the communication indicating the long-term A-IoT state may additionally indicate the short-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device. In this way, the A-IoT device may inform the A-IoT controller device about the A-IoT device’s current long-term state and / or about any long-term state changes, and in some examples, inform the A-IoT controller device about the A-IoT device’s current short-term state and / or about any short-term state changes.
[0147] As shown by reference number 714, the A-IoT controller device may store state information for the A-IoT device that identifies the long-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device (and in some examples, also identifies the short-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device) . For example, the A-IoT controller device may maintain the long-term state of the A-IoT device (and in some examples, also maintain the short-term state of the A-IoT device) . Accordingly, the A-IoT controller device may receive indications of long-term states from one or more A-IoT devices (e.g., multiple A-IoT devices) and maintain those long-term states (and in some examples, receive and maintain short-term states for one or more A-IoT devices) . In some aspects, the reader device may transmit, and the A-IoT controller device may receive, a communication indicating the reader state of the reader device. In some aspects, the A-IoT controller device may store state information for the reader device that identifies the reader state of the reader device (e.g., the A-IoT controller device may maintain the reader state of the reader device) .
[0148] In some aspects, the A-IoT device may communicate the communication indicating the short-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device (described in connection with reference number 706) and / or the communication indicating the long-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device (described in connection with reference number 712) , responsive to an event (e.g., an event trigger, such as radio conditions being above a threshold, harvested energy of the A-IoT device being above a threshold, and / or upon establishment of a new connection or session) , after a particular fixed time, or according to a periodicity (e.g., the A-IoT device may transmit the communication (s) periodically) . Accordingly, the reader device may receive the communication indicating the short-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device responsive to the event, after the particular fixed time, or according to the periodicity. Similarly, the A-IoT controller device may receive the communication indicating the long-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device responsive to the event, after the particular fixed time, or according to the periodicity.
[0149] As shown by reference number 716, the reader device may transmit, and the A-IoT device may receive, a request to change (e.g., update or modify) the short-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device. For example, the reader device may request (e.g., indicate) the A-IoT device to change its short-term device state. As an example, the reader device may request for the A-IoT device to change its sleep state (e.g., to enter a sleep mode to conserve power, or to wake from a sleep mode to communicate with the reader device) .
[0150] As shown by reference number 718, the A-IoT controller device may transmit, and the A-IoT device may receive, a request to change the long-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device. For example, as shown, the reader device may forward, from the A-IoT controller device to the A-IoT device, the request to change the long-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device. The reader device may forward the request in a similar manner as described in connection with reference number 712. In some aspects, the request to change the long-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device may additionally, or alternatively, request to change the short-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device. Accordingly, the A-IoT controller device may request (e.g., indicate) the A-IoT device to change its long-term state and / or short-term state. As shown by reference number 720, the A-IoT device may change its short-term A-IoT state and / or long-term A-IoT state in response to the request transmitted by the reader device (described in connection with reference number 716) or the request transmitted by the A-IoT controller device (described in connection with reference number 718) .
[0151] As shown by reference number 722, the A-IoT controller device may transmit, and the reader device may receive, a request (e.g., an indication) to perform an action (e.g., to take a particular action) relating to an A-IoT state of the A-IoT device and / or relating to a reader state of the reader device (e.g., the request to perform the action may be responsive to a change to a short-term and / or long-term A-IoT state of the A-IoT device) . For example, the A-IoT controller device may request (e.g., indicate) the reader device to take a particular action related to state management. As an example, the action may be releasing and / or modifying one or more short-term A-IoT states maintained at the reader device (e.g., to enable the reader device to account for a long-term state change of the A-IoT device, of which the reader device may be unaware) . As another example, the action may be changing the reader state of the reader device.
[0152] As shown by reference number 724, the reader device may change the reader state of the reader device. For example, the reader device may change its reader state in response to the request to perform an action transmitted by the A-IoT controller device (described in connection with reference number 722) . Alternatively, the reader device may change its reader state in the absence of a request from the A-IoT controller device. For example, the reader device may change its reader state in response to detecting a particular radio condition, in response to detecting a particular power level of the reader device, in response to transmitting or receiving a communication, and / or in response to the A-IoT device changing short-term A-IoT states, among other examples.
[0153] As shown by reference number 726, the reader device may transmit, and the A-IoT device and / or the A-IoT controller device may receive, one or more communications indicating a reader state of the reader device. For example, the reader device may transmit a communication to the A-IoT device and / or the reader device may transmit a communication to the A-IoT controller device. The reader device may transmit the one or more communications in response to the reader device changing its reader state. In this way, the reader device may inform the A-IoT device and / or the A- IoT controller device about the reader device’s current reader state and / or about any reader state changes.
[0154] By using the control logic (e.g., state information) described herein at the A-IoT device, the reader device, and / or the A-IoT controller device, these entities can identify appropriate actions to take in accordance with the state of peer entities. For example, the reader device and / or the A-IoT controller device may refrain from sending an inventory request or a command to an A-IoT device that has an unsecured state, a permanently disabled state, and / or a low energy state, among other examples. In this way, network resources used for A-IoT communication are efficiently managed, a performance of A-IoT communications is improved, and A-IoT devices may experience improved power saving.
[0155] As indicated above, Fig. 7 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with respect to Fig. 7.
[0156] Fig. 8 is a flowchart of an example process 800 of wireless communication. The process 800 may be performed at, for example, a reader device (e.g., a UE 120 or a network node 110) or an apparatus of a reader device.
[0157] Process 800 begins at 810 with receiving a communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device. For example, the reader device may receive a communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device, as described above in connection with, for example, Fig. 7 and at 706.
[0158] Process 800 then proceeds at 820 with storing state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the short-term ambient IoT state. For example, the reader device may store state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the short-term ambient IoT state, as described above in connection with, for example, Fig. 7 and at 708.
[0159] In some aspects, the short-term ambient IoT state relates to one or more of a power state of the ambient IoT device, a sleep state of the ambient IoT device, an energy storage state of the ambient IoT device, a packet processing state, a packet communication state, or a packet buffering state of the ambient IoT device, an inventory state of the ambient IoT device, a discovery state of the ambient IoT device, a scanning state of the ambient IoT device, a time and frequency synchronization state of the ambient IoT device, an access procedure state of the ambient IoT device, an identifier assignment state of the ambient IoT device, or a connection state of the ambient IoT device.
[0160] In some aspects, process 800 includes transmitting, for an ambient IoT controller device, an additional communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0161] In some aspects, process 800 includes transmitting, to the ambient IoT device, a request to change the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0162] In some aspects, process 800 includes forwarding, from the ambient IoT device to an ambient IoT controller device, an additional communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0163] In some aspects, process 800 includes forwarding, from the ambient IoT controller device to the ambient IoT device, a request to change the long-term ambient IoT state or the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0164] In some aspects, the long-term ambient IoT state relates to one or more of a communication link security state of the ambient IoT device, a registration state of the ambient IoT device, an onboarding state of the ambient IoT device, or a disablement state of the ambient IoT device.
[0165] In some aspects, process 800 includes receiving, from an ambient IoT controller device, a request to perform an action relating to an ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device or a state of the reader device.
[0166] In some aspects, process 800 includes transmitting one or more additional communications indicating a state of the reader device.
[0167] In some aspects, receiving the communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device includes receiving the communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device responsive to an event, after a fixed time, or according to a periodicity.
[0168] In some aspects, the communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device is via Layer 1 or Layer 2 signaling, or via upper layer signaling.
[0169] In some aspects, the communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device additionally indicates context information for the ambient IoT device.
[0170] In one aspect, process 800, or any aspect related to it, may be performed by an apparatus, such as communications device 1400 of Fig. 14, which includes various components operable, configured, or adapted to perform the process 800. Communications device 1400 is described below in further detail.
[0171] Although Fig. 8 shows example blocks of process 800, in some aspects, process 800 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in Fig. 8. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 800 may be performed in parallel.
[0172] Fig. 9 is a flowchart of an example process 900 of wireless communication. The process 900 may be performed at, for example, an ambient IoT device (e.g., ambient IoT device 135) or an apparatus of an ambient IoT device.
[0173] Process 900 begins at 910 with communicating a first communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device. For example, the ambient IoT device may communicate a first communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device, as described above in connection with, for example, Fig. 7 and at 706.
[0174] Process 900 then proceeds at 920 with communicating a second communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device. For example, the ambient IoT device may communicate a second communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device, as described above in connection with, for example, Fig. 7 and at 712.
[0175] In some aspects, process 900 includes receiving a request to change the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0176] In some aspects, process 900 includes receiving a request to change the long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0177] In some aspects, process 900 includes receiving an additional communication indicating a state of a reader device.
[0178] In some aspects, the short-term ambient IoT state relates to one or more of a power state of the ambient IoT device, a sleep state of the ambient IoT device, an energy storage state of the ambient IoT device, a packet processing state, a packet communication state, or a packet buffering state of the ambient IoT device, an inventory state of the ambient IoT device, a discovery state of the ambient IoT device, a scanning state of the ambient IoT device, a time and frequency synchronization state of the ambient IoT device, an access procedure state of the ambient IoT device, an identifier assignment state of the ambient IoT device, or a connection state of the ambient IoT device.
[0179] In some aspects, the long-term ambient IoT state relates to one or more of a communication link security state of the ambient IoT device, a registration state of the ambient IoT device, an onboarding state of the ambient IoT device, or a disablement state of the ambient IoT device.
[0180] In some aspects, communicating the first communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device includes communicating the first communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device responsive to an event, after a fixed time, or according to a periodicity.
[0181] In some aspects, communicating the second communication indicating the long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device includes communicating the second communication indicating the long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device responsive to an event, after a fixed time, or according to a periodicity.
[0182] In some aspects, the first communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device is via Layer 1 or Layer 2 signaling, or via upper layer signaling.
[0183] In some aspects, the first communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device additionally indicates context information for the ambient IoT device.
[0184] In one aspect, process 900, or any aspect related to it, may be performed by an apparatus, such as communications device 1500 of Fig. 15, which includes various components operable, configured, or adapted to perform the process 900. Communications device 1500 is described below in further detail.
[0185] Although Fig. 9 shows example blocks of process 900, in some aspects, process 900 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in Fig. 9. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 900 may be performed in parallel.
[0186] Fig. 10 is a flowchart of an example process 1000 of wireless communication. The process 1000 may be performed at, for example, an ambient IoT controller device (e.g., ambient IoT controller device 137) or an apparatus of an ambient IoT controller device.
[0187] Process 1000 begins at 1010 with receiving a communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device. For example, the ambient IoT controller device may receive a communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device, as described above in connection with, for example, Fig. 7 and at 712.
[0188] Process 1000 then proceeds at 1020 with storing state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the long-term ambient IoT state. For example, the ambient IoT controller device may store state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the long-term ambient IoT state, as described above in connection with, for example, Fig. 7 and at 714.
[0189] In some aspects, the long-term ambient IoT state relates to one or more of a communication link security state of the ambient IoT device, a registration state of the ambient IoT device, an onboarding state of the ambient IoT device, or a disablement state of the ambient IoT device.
[0190] In some aspects, process 1000 includes receiving an additional communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0191] In some aspects, the short-term ambient IoT state relates to one or more of a power state of the ambient IoT device, a sleep state of the ambient IoT device, an energy storage state of the ambient IoT device, a packet processing state, a packet communication state, or a packet buffering state of the ambient IoT device, an inventory state of the ambient IoT device, a discovery state of the ambient IoT device, a scanning state of the ambient IoT device, a time and frequency synchronization state of the ambient IoT device, an access procedure state of the ambient IoT device, an identifier assignment state of the ambient IoT device, or a connection state of the ambient IoT device.
[0192] In some aspects, process 1000 includes transmitting a request to change the long-term ambient IoT state or a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0193] In some aspects, process 1000 includes transmitting a request to perform an action relating to an ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device or a state of a reader device.
[0194] In some aspects, process 1000 includes receiving an additional communication indicating a state of a reader device.
[0195] In some aspects, receiving the communication indicating the long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device includes receiving the communication indicating the long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device responsive to an event, after a fixed time, or according to a periodicity.
[0196] In one aspect, process 1000, or any aspect related to it, may be performed by an apparatus, such as communications device 1600 of Fig. 16, which includes various components operable, configured, or adapted to perform the process 1000. Communications device 1600 is described below in further detail.
[0197] Although Fig. 10 shows example blocks of process 1000, in some aspects, process 1000 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in Fig. 10. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 1000 may be performed in parallel.
[0198] Fig. 11 is a diagram of an example apparatus 1100 for wireless communication, in accordance with the present disclosure. The apparatus 1100 may be a reader device (e.g., a UE 120 or a network node 110) , or a reader device may include the apparatus 1100. In some aspects, the apparatus 1100 includes a reception component 1102, a transmission component 1104, and / or a communication manager 1106, which may be in communication with one another (for example, via one or more buses and / or one or more other components) . In some aspects, the communication manager 1106 is the communication manager 140 or 150 described in connection with Fig. 1. As shown, the apparatus 1100 may communicate with another apparatus 1108, such as a UE, a network node (such as a CU, a DU, an RU, or a base station) , or an ambient IoT device, or an ambient IoT controller device using the reception component 1102 and the transmission component 1104.
[0199] In some aspects, the apparatus 1100 may be configured to perform one or more operations described herein in connection with Fig. 7. Additionally, or alternatively, the apparatus 1100 may be configured to perform one or more processes described herein, such as process 800 of Fig. 8, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the apparatus 1100 and / or one or more components shown in Fig. 11 may include one or more components of the reader device described in connection with Fig. 2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components shown in Fig. 11 may be implemented within one or more components described in connection with Fig. 2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components of the set of components may be implemented at least in part as software stored in one or more memories. For example, a component (or a portion of a component) may be implemented as instructions or code stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by one or more controllers or one or more processors to perform the functions or operations of the component.
[0200] The reception component 1102 may receive communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or a combination thereof, from the apparatus 1108. The reception component 1102 may provide received communications to one or more other components of the apparatus 1100. In some aspects, the reception component 1102 may perform signal processing on the received communications (such as filtering, amplification, demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion, demultiplexing, deinterleaving, de-mapping, equalization, interference cancellation, or decoding, among other examples) , and may provide the processed signals to the one or more other components of the apparatus 1100. In some aspects, the reception component 1102 may include one or more antennas, one or more modems, one or more demodulators, one or more MIMO detectors, one or more receive processors, one or more controllers / processors, one or more memories, or a combination thereof, of the reader device described in connection with Fig. 2.
[0201] The transmission component 1104 may transmit communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or a combination thereof, to the apparatus 1108. In some aspects, one or more other components of the apparatus 1100 may generate communications and may provide the generated communications to the transmission component 1104 for transmission to the apparatus 1108. In some aspects, the transmission component 1104 may perform signal processing on the generated communications (such as filtering, amplification, modulation, digital-to-analog conversion, multiplexing, interleaving, mapping, or encoding, among other examples) , and may transmit the processed signals to the apparatus 1108. In some aspects, the transmission component 1104 may include one or more antennas, one or more modems, one or more modulators, one or more transmit MIMO processors, one or more transmit processors, one or more controllers / processors, one or more memories, or a combination thereof, of the reader device described in connection with Fig. 2. In some aspects, the transmission component 1104 may be co-located with the reception component 1102 in one or more transceivers.
[0202] The communication manager 1106 may support operations of the reception component 1102 and / or the transmission component 1104. For example, the communication manager 1106 may receive information associated with configuring reception of communications by the reception component 1102 and / or transmission of communications by the transmission component 1104. Additionally, or alternatively, the communication manager 1106 may generate and / or provide control information to the reception component 1102 and / or the transmission component 1104 to control reception and / or transmission of communications.
[0203] The reception component 1102 may receive a communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device. The communication manager 1106 may store state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the short-term ambient IoT state.
[0204] The transmission component 1104 may transmit, for an ambient IoT controller device, an additional communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0205] The transmission component 1104 may transmit, to the ambient IoT device, a request to change the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0206] The communication manager 1106 may forward, from the ambient IoT device to an ambient IoT controller device, an additional communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0207] The communication manager 1106 may forward, from the ambient IoT controller device to the ambient IoT device, a request to change the long-term ambient IoT state or the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0208] The reception component 1102 may receive, from an ambient IoT controller device, a request to perform an action relating to an ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device or a state of the reader device.
[0209] The transmission component 1104 may transmit one or more additional communications indicating a state of the reader device.
[0210] The number and arrangement of components shown in Fig. 11 are provided as an example. In practice, there may be additional components, fewer components, different components, or differently arranged components than those shown in Fig. 11. Furthermore, two or more components shown in Fig. 11 may be implemented within a single component, or a single component shown in Fig. 11 may be implemented as multiple, distributed components. Additionally, or alternatively, a set of (one or more) components shown in Fig. 11 may perform one or more functions described as being performed by another set of components shown in Fig. 11.
[0211] Fig. 12 is a diagram of an example apparatus 1200 for wireless communication, in accordance with the present disclosure. The apparatus 1200 may be an ambient IoT device, or an ambient IoT device may include the apparatus 1200. In some aspects, the apparatus 1200 includes a reception component 1202, a transmission component 1204, and / or a communication manager 1206, which may be in communication with one another (for example, via one or more buses and / or one or more other components) . In some aspects, the communication manager 1206 is the communication manager 160 described in connection with Fig. 1. As shown, the apparatus 1200 may communicate with another apparatus 1208, such as a UE or a network node (such as a CU, a DU, an RU, or a base station) , using the reception component 1202 and the transmission component 1204.
[0212] In some aspects, the apparatus 1200 may be configured to perform one or more operations described herein in connection with Fig. 7. Additionally, or alternatively, the apparatus 1200 may be configured to perform one or more processes described herein, such as process 900 of Fig. 9, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the apparatus 1200 and / or one or more components shown in Fig. 12 may include one or more components of the ambient IoT device described in connection with Fig. 2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components shown in Fig. 12 may be implemented within one or more components described in connection with Fig. 2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components of the set of components may be implemented at least in part as software stored in one or more memories. For example, a component (or a portion of a component) may be implemented as instructions or code stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by one or more controllers or one or more processors to perform the functions or operations of the component.
[0213] The reception component 1202 may receive communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or a combination thereof, from the apparatus 1208. The reception component 1202 may provide received communications to one or more other components of the apparatus 1200. In some aspects, the reception component 1202 may perform signal processing on the received communications (such as filtering, amplification, demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion, demultiplexing, deinterleaving, de-mapping, equalization, interference cancellation, or decoding, among other examples) , and may provide the processed signals to the one or more other components of the apparatus 1200. In some aspects, the reception component 1202 may include one or more antennas, one or more modems, one or more demodulators, one or more MIMO detectors, one or more receive processors, one or more controllers / processors, one or more memories, or a combination thereof, of the ambient IoT device described in connection with Fig. 2.
[0214] The transmission component 1204 may transmit communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or a combination thereof, to the apparatus 1208. In some aspects, one or more other components of the apparatus 1200 may generate communications and may provide the generated communications to the transmission component 1204 for transmission to the apparatus 1208. In some aspects, the transmission component 1204 may perform signal processing on the generated communications (such as filtering, amplification, modulation, digital-to-analog conversion, multiplexing, interleaving, mapping, or encoding, among other examples) , and may transmit the processed signals to the apparatus 1208. In some aspects, the transmission component 1204 may include one or more antennas, one or more modems, one or more modulators, one or more transmit MIMO processors, one or more transmit processors, one or more controllers / processors, one or more memories, or a combination thereof, of the ambient IoT device described in connection with Fig. 2. In some aspects, the transmission component 1204 may be co-located with the reception component 1202 in one or more transceivers.
[0215] The communication manager 1206 may support operations of the reception component 1202 and / or the transmission component 1204. For example, the communication manager 1206 may receive information associated with configuring reception of communications by the reception component 1202 and / or transmission of communications by the transmission component 1204. Additionally, or alternatively, the communication manager 1206 may generate and / or provide control information to the reception component 1202 and / or the transmission component 1204 to control reception and / or transmission of communications.
[0216] The transmission component 1204 may communicate a first communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device. The transmission component 1204 may communicate a second communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0217] The reception component 1202 may receive a request to change the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device. The reception component 1202 may receive a request to change the long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device. The reception component 1202 may receive an additional communication indicating a state of a reader device.
[0218] The number and arrangement of components shown in Fig. 12 are provided as an example. In practice, there may be additional components, fewer components, different components, or differently arranged components than those shown in Fig. 12. Furthermore, two or more components shown in Fig. 12 may be implemented within a single component, or a single component shown in Fig. 12 may be implemented as multiple, distributed components. Additionally, or alternatively, a set of (one or more) components shown in Fig. 12 may perform one or more functions described as being performed by another set of components shown in Fig. 12.
[0219] Fig. 13 is a diagram of an example apparatus 1300 for wireless communication, in accordance with the present disclosure. The apparatus 1300 may be an ambient IoT controller device, or a ambient IoT controller device may include the apparatus 1300. In some aspects, the apparatus 1300 includes a reception component 1302, a transmission component 1304, and / or a communication manager 1306, which may be in communication with one another (for example, via one or more buses and / or one or more other components) . In some aspects, the communication manager 1306 is the communication manager 170 described in connection with Fig. 1. As shown, the apparatus 1300 may communicate with another apparatus 1308, such as a UE or a network node (such as a CU, a DU, an RU, or a base station) , using the reception component 1302 and the transmission component 1304.
[0220] In some aspects, the apparatus 1300 may be configured to perform one or more operations described herein in connection with Fig. 7. Additionally, or alternatively, the apparatus 1300 may be configured to perform one or more processes described herein, such as process 1000 of Fig. 10, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the apparatus 1300 and / or one or more components shown in Fig. 13 may include one or more components of the ambient IoT controller device described in connection with Fig. 2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components shown in Fig. 13 may be implemented within one or more components described in connection with Fig. 2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components of the set of components may be implemented at least in part as software stored in one or more memories. For example, a component (or a portion of a component) may be implemented as instructions or code stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by one or more controllers or one or more processors to perform the functions or operations of the component.
[0221] The reception component 1302 may receive communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or a combination thereof, from the apparatus 1308. The reception component 1302 may provide received communications to one or more other components of the apparatus 1300. In some aspects, the reception component 1302 may perform signal processing on the received communications (such as filtering, amplification, demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion, demultiplexing, deinterleaving, de-mapping, equalization, interference cancellation, or decoding, among other examples) , and may provide the processed signals to the one or more other components of the apparatus 1300. In some aspects, the reception component 1302 may include one or more antennas, one or more modems, one or more demodulators, one or more MIMO detectors, one or more receive processors, one or more controllers / processors, one or more memories, or a combination thereof, of the ambient IoT controller device described in connection with Fig. 2.
[0222] The transmission component 1304 may transmit communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or a combination thereof, to the apparatus 1308. In some aspects, one or more other components of the apparatus 1300 may generate communications and may provide the generated communications to the transmission component 1304 for transmission to the apparatus 1308. In some aspects, the transmission component 1304 may perform signal processing on the generated communications (such as filtering, amplification, modulation, digital-to-analog conversion, multiplexing, interleaving, mapping, or encoding, among other examples) , and may transmit the processed signals to the apparatus 1308. In some aspects, the transmission component 1304 may include one or more antennas, one or more modems, one or more modulators, one or more transmit MIMO processors, one or more transmit processors, one or more controllers / processors, one or more memories, or a combination thereof, of the ambient IoT controller device described in connection with Fig. 2. In some aspects, the transmission component 1304 may be co-located with the reception component 1302 in one or more transceivers.
[0223] The communication manager 1306 may support operations of the reception component 1302 and / or the transmission component 1304. For example, the communication manager 1306 may receive information associated with configuring reception of communications by the reception component 1302 and / or transmission of communications by the transmission component 1304. Additionally, or alternatively, the communication manager 1306 may generate and / or provide control information to the reception component 1302 and / or the transmission component 1304 to control reception and / or transmission of communications.
[0224] The reception component 1202 may receive a communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device. The communication manager 1206 may store state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the long-term ambient IoT state.
[0225] The reception component 1202 may receive an additional communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device. The transmission component 1204 may transmit a request to change the long-term ambient IoT state or a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device. The transmission component 1204 may transmit a request to perform an action relating to an ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device or a state of a reader device. The reception component 1202 may receive an additional communication indicating a state of a reader device.
[0226] The number and arrangement of components shown in Fig. 13 are provided as an example. In practice, there may be additional components, fewer components, different components, or differently arranged components than those shown in Fig. 13. Furthermore, two or more components shown in Fig. 13 may be implemented within a single component, or a single component shown in Fig. 13 may be implemented as multiple, distributed components. Additionally, or alternatively, a set of (one or more) components shown in Fig. 13 may perform one or more functions described as being performed by another set of components shown in Fig. 13.
[0227] Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of an implementation of code and circuitry for a communications device 1400, in accordance with the present disclosure. The communications device 1400 may be a reader device (e.g., a UE 120 or a network node 110) , or a reader device may include the communications device 1400.
[0228] The communications device 1400 includes a processing system 1402 coupled to a transceiver 1408 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver, and which may include a single transceiver or multiple transceivers which may perform different operations described as being performed by the transceiver 1408) . The transceiver 1408 is configured to transmit and receive signals for the communications device 1400 via an antenna 1410, such as the various signals as described herein. The processing system 1402 may be configured to perform processing functions for the communications device 1400, including processing signals received and / or to be transmitted by the communications device 1400.
[0229] The processing system 1402 includes one or more processors 1420. In various aspects, the one or more processors 1420 may include one or more of receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, controller / processor 280, receive processor 238, transmit processor 214, TX MIMO processor 216, and / or controller / processor 240 as described with respect to Fig. 2. The one or more processors 1420 are coupled to a computer-readable medium / memory 1430 via a bus 1406. In various aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1430 may include one or more memories such as memory 282 and / or memory 242, as described with respect to Fig. 2. In certain aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1430 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code, processor-executable code) that when executed by the one or more processors 1420, cause the one or more processors 1420 to perform the process 800 described with respect to Fig. 8, or any aspect related to it. Note that reference to a processor performing a function of communications device 1400 may include one or more processors performing that function of communications device 1400. Note also that reference to one or more processors performing multiple functions may include a first processor performing a first function of the multiple functions and a second processor performing a second function of the multiple functions.
[0230] As shown in Fig. 14, the communications device 1400 may include circuitry for receiving a communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device (circuitry 1435) .
[0231] As shown in Fig. 14, the communications device 1400 may include, stored in computer-readable medium / memory 1430, code for receiving a communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device (code 1440) .
[0232] As shown in Fig. 14, the communications device 1400 may include circuitry for storing state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the short-term ambient IoT state (circuitry 1445) .
[0233] As shown in Fig. 14, the communications device 1400 may include, stored in computer-readable medium / memory 1430, code for storing state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the short-term ambient IoT state (code 1450) .
[0234] Various components of the communications device 1400 may provide means for performing the process 800 described with respect to Fig. 8, or any aspect related to it. For example, means for transmitting, sending, or outputting for transmission may include the modem (s) 254 and / or antenna (s) 252 of the UE 120, the modem (s) 232 and / or antenna (s) 234 of the network node 110, and / or transceiver 1408 and antenna 1410 of the communications device 1400 in Fig. 14. Means for receiving or obtaining may include the modem (s) 254 and / or antenna (s) 252 of the UE 120, the modem (s) 232 and / or antenna (s) 234 of the network node 110, and / or transceiver 1408 and antenna 1410 of the communications device 1400 in Fig. 14.
[0235] Fig. 14 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described in connection with Fig. 14.
[0236] Fig. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of an implementation of code and circuitry for a communications device 1500, in accordance with the present disclosure. The communications device 1500 may be an ambient IoT device, or an ambient IoT device may include the communications device 1500.
[0237] The communications device 1500 includes a processing system 1502 coupled to a transceiver 1508 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver, and which may include a single transceiver or multiple transceivers which may perform different operations described as being performed by the transceiver 1508) . The transceiver 1508 is configured to transmit and receive signals for the communications device 1500 via an antenna 1510, such as the various signals as described herein. The processing system 1502 may be configured to perform processing functions for the communications device 1500, including processing signals received and / or to be transmitted by the communications device 1500.
[0238] The processing system 1502 includes one or more processors 1520. In various aspects, the one or more processors 1520 may include one or more of receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, and / or controller / processor 280, as described with respect to Fig. 2. The one or more processors 1520 are coupled to a computer-readable medium / memory 1530 via a bus 1506. In various aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1530 may include one or more memories such as memory 282, as described with respect to Fig. 2. In certain aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1530 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code, processor-executable code) that when executed by the one or more processors 1520, cause the one or more processors 1520 to perform the process 900 described with respect to Fig. 9, or any aspect related to it. Note that reference to a processor performing a function of communications device 1500 may include one or more processors performing that function of communications device 1500. Note also that reference to one or more processors performing multiple functions may include a first processor performing a first function of the multiple functions and a second processor performing a second function of the multiple functions.
[0239] As shown in Fig. 15, the communications device 1500 may include circuitry for communicating a first communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device (circuitry 1535) .
[0240] As shown in Fig. 15, the communications device 1500 may include, stored in computer-readable medium / memory 1530, code for communicating a first communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device (code 1540) .
[0241] As shown in Fig. 15, the communications device 1500 may include circuitry for communicating a second communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device (circuitry 1545) .
[0242] As shown in Fig. 15, the communications device 1500 may include, stored in computer-readable medium / memory 1530, code for communicating a second communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device (code 1550) .
[0243] Various components of the communications device 1500 may provide means for performing the process 900 described with respect to Fig. 9, or any aspect related to it. For example, means for transmitting, sending, or outputting for transmission may include the modem (s) 254 and / or antenna (s) 252 of the UE 120 and / or transceiver 1508 and antenna 1510 of the communications device 1500 in Fig. 15. Means for receiving or obtaining may include the modem (s) 254 and / or antenna (s) 252 of the UE 120 and / or transceiver 1508 and antenna 1510 of the communications device 1500 in Fig. 15.
[0244] Fig. 15 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described in connection with Fig. 15.
[0245] Fig. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of an implementation of code and circuitry for a communications device 1600, in accordance with the present disclosure. The communications device 1600 may be an ambient IoT controller device (such as a core network device, a network node 110, or a disaggregated base station as described with regard to Fig. 3) , or an ambient IoT controller device may include the communications device 1600.
[0246] The communications device 1600 includes a processing system 1602 coupled to a transceiver 1608 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver, and which may include a single transceiver or multiple transceivers which may perform different operations described as being performed by the transceiver 1608) . The transceiver 1608 is configured to transmit and receive signals for the communications device 1600 via an antenna 1610 (e.g., one or more antennas) , such as the various signals as described herein. The network interface 1612 is configured to obtain and send signals for the communications device 1600 via communications link (s) , such as a backhaul link, midhaul link, and / or fronthaul link as described herein, such as with respect to Fig. 3. The processing system 1602 may be configured to perform processing functions for the communications device 1600, including processing signals received and / or to be transmitted by the communications device 1600.
[0247] The processing system 1602 includes one or more processors 1620. In various aspects, the one or more processors 1620 may include one or more of receive processor 238, transmit processor 214, TX MIMO processor 216, and / or controller / processor 240, as described with respect to Fig. 2. The one or more processors 1620 are coupled to a computer-readable medium / memory 1630 via a bus 1606. In various aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1630 may include one or more memories such as memory 242, as described with respect to Fig. 2. In certain aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1630 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code, processor-executable code) that when executed by the one or more processors 1620, cause the one or more processors 1620 to perform the process 1000 described with respect to Fig. 10, or any aspect related to it. Note that reference to a processor performing a function of communications device 1600 may include one or more processors performing that function of communications device 1600. Note also that reference to one or more processors performing multiple functions may include a first processor performing a first function of the multiple functions and a second processor performing a second function of the multiple functions.
[0248] As shown in Fig. 16, the communications device 1600 may include circuitry for receiving a communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device (circuitry 1635) .
[0249] As shown in Fig. 16, the communications device 1600 may include, stored in computer-readable medium / memory 1630, code for receiving a communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device (code 1640) .
[0250] As shown in Fig. 16, the communications device 1600 may include circuitry for storing state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the long-term ambient IoT state (circuitry 1645) .
[0251] As shown in Fig. 16, the communications device 1600 may include, stored in computer-readable medium / memory 1630, code for storing state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the long-term ambient IoT state (code 1650) .
[0252] Various components of the communications device 1600 may provide means for performing the process 1000 described with respect to Fig. 10, or any aspect related to it. For example, means for transmitting, sending, or outputting for transmission may include the modem (s) 232 and / or antenna (s) 234 of the network node 110 and / or the transceiver 1608 and / or antenna 1610 of the communications device 1600 in Fig. 16. Means for receiving or obtaining may include the modem (s) 232 and / or antenna (s) 234 of the network node 110 and / or the transceiver 1608 and / or antenna 1610 of the communications device 1600 in Fig. 16.
[0253] Fig. 16 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described in connection with Fig. 16.
[0254] The following provides an overview of some Aspects of the present disclosure:
[0255] Aspect 1: A method of wireless communication performed by a reader device, comprising: receiving a communication indicating a short-term ambient Internet of Things (IoT) state of an ambient IoT device; and storing state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the short-term ambient IoT state.
[0256] Aspect 2: The method of Aspect 1, wherein the short-term ambient IoT state relates to one or more of: a power state of the ambient IoT device, a sleep state of the ambient IoT device, an energy storage state of the ambient IoT device, a packet processing state, a packet communication state, or a packet buffering state of the ambient IoT device, an inventory state of the ambient IoT device, a discovery state of the ambient IoT device, a scanning state of the ambient IoT device, a time and frequency synchronization state of the ambient IoT device, an access procedure state of the ambient IoT device, an identifier assignment state of the ambient IoT device, or a connection state of the ambient IoT device.
[0257] Aspect 3: The method of any of Aspects 1-2, further comprising: transmitting, for an ambient IoT controller device, an additional communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0258] Aspect 4: The method of any of Aspects 1-3, further comprising: transmitting, to the ambient IoT device, a request to change the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0259] Aspect 5: The method of any of Aspects 1-4, further comprising: forwarding, from the ambient IoT device to an ambient IoT controller device, an additional communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0260] Aspect 6: The method of Aspect 5, further comprising: forwarding, from the ambient IoT controller device to the ambient IoT device, a request to change the long-term ambient IoT state or the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0261] Aspect 7: The method of any of Aspects 5-6, wherein the long-term ambient IoT state relates to one or more of: a communication link security state of the ambient IoT device, a registration state of the ambient IoT device, an onboarding state of the ambient IoT device, or a disablement state of the ambient IoT device.
[0262] Aspect 8: The method of any of Aspects 1-7, further comprising: receiving, from an ambient IoT controller device, a request to perform an action relating to an ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device or a state of the reader device.
[0263] Aspect 9: The method of any of Aspects 1-8, further comprising: transmitting one or more additional communications indicating a state of the reader device.
[0264] Aspect 10: The method of any of Aspects 1-9, wherein receiving the communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device comprises: receiving the communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device responsive to an event, after a fixed time, or according to a periodicity.
[0265] Aspect 11: The method of any of Aspects 1-10, wherein the communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device is via Layer 1 or Layer 2 signaling, or via upper layer signaling.
[0266] Aspect 12: The method of any of Aspects 1-11, wherein the communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device additionally indicates context information for the ambient IoT device.
[0267] Aspect 13: A method of wireless communication performed by an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) device, comprising: communicating a first communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device; and communicating a second communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0268] Aspect 14: The method of Aspect 13, further comprising: receiving a request to change the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0269] Aspect 15: The method of any of Aspects 13-14, further comprising: receiving a request to change the long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0270] Aspect 16: The method of any of Aspects 13-15, further comprising: receiving an additional communication indicating a state of a reader device.
[0271] Aspect 17: The method of any of Aspects 13-16, wherein the short-term ambient IoT state relates to one or more of: a power state of the ambient IoT device, a sleep state of the ambient IoT device, an energy storage state of the ambient IoT device, a packet processing state, a packet communication state, or a packet buffering state of the ambient IoT device, an inventory state of the ambient IoT device, a discovery state of the ambient IoT device, a scanning state of the ambient IoT device, a time and frequency synchronization state of the ambient IoT device, an access procedure state of the ambient IoT device, an identifier assignment state of the ambient IoT device, or a connection state of the ambient IoT device.
[0272] Aspect 18: The method of any of Aspects 13-17, wherein the long-term ambient IoT state relates to one or more of: a communication link security state of the ambient IoT device, a registration state of the ambient IoT device, an onboarding state of the ambient IoT device, or a disablement state of the ambient IoT device.
[0273] Aspect 19: The method of any of Aspects 13-18, wherein communicating the first communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device comprises: communicating the first communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device responsive to an event, after a fixed time, or according to a periodicity.
[0274] Aspect 20: The method of any of Aspects 13-19, wherein communicating the second communication indicating the long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device comprises: communicating the second communication indicating the long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device responsive to an event, after a fixed time, or according to a periodicity.
[0275] Aspect 21: The method of any of Aspects 13-20, wherein the first communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device is via Layer 1 or Layer 2 signaling, or via upper layer signaling.
[0276] Aspect 22: The method of any of Aspects 13-21, wherein the first communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device additionally indicates context information for the ambient IoT device.
[0277] Aspect 23: A method of wireless communication performed by an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) controller device, comprising: receiving a communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of an ambient IoT device; and storing state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the long-term ambient IoT state.
[0278] Aspect 24: The method of Aspect 23, wherein the long-term ambient IoT state relates to one or more of: a communication link security state of the ambient IoT device, a registration state of the ambient IoT device, an onboarding state of the ambient IoT device, or a disablement state of the ambient IoT device.
[0279] Aspect 25: The method of any of Aspects 23-24, further comprising: receiving an additional communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0280] Aspect 26: The method of Aspect 25, wherein the short-term ambient IoT state relates to one or more of: a power state of the ambient IoT device, a sleep state of the ambient IoT device, an energy storage state of the ambient IoT device, a packet processing state, a packet communication state, or a packet buffering state of the ambient IoT device, an inventory state of the ambient IoT device, a discovery state of the ambient IoT device, a scanning state of the ambient IoT device, a time and frequency synchronization state of the ambient IoT device, an access procedure state of the ambient IoT device, an identifier assignment state of the ambient IoT device, or a connection state of the ambient IoT device.
[0281] Aspect 27: The method of any of Aspects 23-26, further comprising: transmitting a request to change the long-term ambient IoT state or a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.
[0282] Aspect 28: The method of any of Aspects 23-27, further comprising: transmitting a request to perform an action relating to an ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device or a state of a reader device.
[0283] Aspect 29: The method of any of Aspects 23-28, further comprising: receiving an additional communication indicating a state of a reader device.
[0284] Aspect 30: The method of any of Aspects 23-29, wherein receiving the communication indicating the long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device comprises: receiving the communication indicating the long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device responsive to an event, after a fixed time, or according to a periodicity.
[0285] Aspect 31: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, the apparatus comprising one or more processors; one or more memories coupled with the one or more processors; and instructions stored in the one or more memories and executable by the one or more processors to cause the apparatus to perform the method of one or more of Aspects 1-30.
[0286] Aspect 32: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, the apparatus comprising one or more memories and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors configured to cause the device to perform the method of one or more of Aspects 1-30.
[0287] Aspect 33: An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising at least one means for performing the method of one or more of Aspects 1-30.
[0288] Aspect 34: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by one or more processors to perform the method of one or more of Aspects 1-30.
[0289] Aspect 35: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform the method of one or more of Aspects 1-30.
[0290] Aspect 36: A device for wireless communication, the device comprising a processing system that includes one or more processors and one or more memories coupled with the one or more processors, the processing system configured to cause the device to perform the method of one or more of Aspects 1-30.
[0291] Aspect 37: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, the apparatus comprising one or more memories and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors individually or collectively configured to cause the device to perform the method of one or more of Aspects 1-30.
[0292] The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the aspects.
[0293] As used herein, the term “component” is intended to be broadly construed as hardware or a combination of hardware and at least one of software or firmware. “Software” shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, or functions, among other examples, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. As used herein, a “processor” is implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software. It will be apparent that systems or methods described herein may be implemented in different forms of hardware or a combination of hardware and software. The actual specialized control hardware or software code used to implement these systems or methods is not limiting of the aspects. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems or methods are described herein without reference to specific software code, because those skilled in the art will understand that software and hardware can be designed to implement the systems or methods based, at least in part, on the description herein. A component being configured to perform a function means that the component has a capability to perform the function, and does not require the function to be actually performed by the component, unless noted otherwise.
[0294] As used herein, “satisfying a threshold” may, depending on the context, refer to a value being greater than the threshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than the threshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold, or not equal to the threshold, among other examples.
[0295] As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover a, b, c, a + b, a + c, b + c, and a + b + c, as well as any combination with multiples of the same element (for example, a + a, a + a + a, a + a + b, a + a + c, a + b + b, a + c + c, b + b, b + b + b, b + b + c, c + c, and c + c + c, or any other ordering of a, b, and c) .
[0296] No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items and may be used interchangeably with “one or more. ” Further, as used herein, the article “the” is intended to include one or more items referenced in connection with the article “the” and may be used interchangeably with “the one or more. ” Furthermore, as used herein, the terms “set” and “group” are intended to include one or more items and may be used interchangeably with “one or more. ” Where only one item is intended, the phrase “only one” or similar language is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has, ” “have, ” “having, ” and similar terms are intended to be open-ended terms that do not limit an element that they modify (for example, an element “having” A may also have B) . Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based on or otherwise in association with” unless explicitly stated otherwise. Also, as used herein, the term “or” is intended to be inclusive when used in a series and may be used interchangeably with “and / or, ” unless explicitly stated otherwise (for example, if used in combination with “either” or “only one of” ) . It should be understood that “one or more” is equivalent to “at least one. ”
[0297] Even though particular combinations of features are recited in the claims or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of various aspects. Many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims or disclosed in the specification. The disclosure of various aspects includes each dependent claim in combination with every other claim in the claim set.
Claims
1.An apparatus configured for wireless communication, comprising:one or more memories comprising processor-executable instructions; andone or more processors configured to execute the processor-executable instructions and cause the apparatus to:receive a communication indicating a short-term ambient Internet of Things (IoT) state of an ambient IoT device; andstore state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the short-term ambient IoT state.2.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the short-term ambient IoT state relates to one or more of:a power state of the ambient IoT device,a sleep state of the ambient IoT device,an energy storage state of the ambient IoT device,a packet processing state, a packet communication state, or a packet buffering state of the ambient IoT device,an inventory state of the ambient IoT device,a discovery state of the ambient IoT device,a scanning state of the ambient IoT device,a time and frequency synchronization state of the ambient IoT device,an access procedure state of the ambient IoT device,an identifier assignment state of the ambient IoT device, ora connection state of the ambient IoT device.3.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to:transmit, for an ambient IoT controller device, an additional communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.4.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to:transmit, to the ambient IoT device, a request to change the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.5.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to:forward, from the ambient IoT device to an ambient IoT controller device, an additional communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.6.The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to:forward, from the ambient IoT controller device to the ambient IoT device, a request to change the long-term ambient IoT state or the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.7.The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the long-term ambient IoT state relates to one or more of:a communication link security state of the ambient IoT device,a registration state of the ambient IoT device,an onboarding state of the ambient IoT device, ora disablement state of the ambient IoT device.8.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to:receive, from an ambient IoT controller device, a request to perform an action relating to an ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device or a state of a reader device.9.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to:transmit one or more additional communications indicating a state of a reader device.10.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, to cause the apparatus to receive the communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device, are configured to cause the apparatus to:receive the communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device responsive to an event, after a fixed time, or according to a periodicity.11.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device is via Layer 1 or Layer 2 signaling, or via upper layer signaling.12.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication indicating the short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device additionally indicates context information for the ambient IoT device.13.An apparatus configured for wireless communication, comprising:one or more memories comprising processor-executable instructions; andone or more processors configured to execute the processor-executable instructions and cause the apparatus to:communicate a first communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) device; andcommunicate a second communication indicating a long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.14.The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to:receive a request to change at least one of the short-term ambient IoT state or the long-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.15.The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to:receive an additional communication indicating a state of a reader device.16.An apparatus configured for wireless communication, comprising:one or more memories comprising processor-executable instructions; andone or more processors configured to execute the processor-executable instructions and cause the apparatus to:receive a communication indicating a long-term ambient Internet of Things (IoT) state of an ambient IoT device; andstore state information for the ambient IoT device that identifies the long-term ambient IoT state.17.The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to:receive an additional communication indicating a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.18.The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to:transmit a request to change the long-term ambient IoT state or a short-term ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device.19.The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to:transmit a request to perform an action relating to an ambient IoT state of the ambient IoT device or a state of a reader device.20.The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to:receive an additional communication indicating a state of a reader device.
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