Activation signal transmission in an internet of things network

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for on activation signal transmission in an Internet of Things (IoT) network. In a solution, the first apparatus receives, from a second apparatus, a plurality of pre-coding information available for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things (A-IoT) network; transmits, to a third apparatus, a pre-coding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal that is selected from the plurality of pre-coding information; and receives, from the second apparatus, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using the selected pre-coding information.

Description

ACTIVATION SIGNAL TRANSMISSION IN AN INTERNET OF THINGS NETWORKCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority from, and the benefit of, Finland Application No. 20245422, filed April 5, 2024, the content of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.FIELDS

[0002] Example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of communication techniques and in particular, to devices and methods of activation signal transmission in an Internet of Things (loT) network.BACKGROUND

[0003] loT is a network of physical devices. These devices can transfer data to one another without human intervention. Regarding loT applications, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has specified narrow band-loT (NB-loT)Zenhanced Machine Type Communication (eMTC) and new radio (NR) reduced capability (RedCap) before release 18 to satisfy the requirements on low cost and low power devices for wide area loT communication. These loT devices usually consume tens or hundreds of milliwatts power during transceiving with a relative lower cost. To achieve the internet of everything, loT devices with ten or even a hundred times lower cost and power consumption are needed, especially for a large number of applications requiring battery-less devices.SUMMARY

[0004] I n a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a first apparatus. The first apparatus comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus at least to: receive, from a second apparatus, a plurality of pre-coding information available for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things (A-loT) network; transmit, to a third apparatus, a pre-coding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal that is selected from the plurality of pre-coding information; and receive, from the second apparatus, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using the selected pre-coding information.

[0005] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a second apparatus. The second apparatus comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus at least to: determine a plurality of pre-coding information available for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; transmit the plurality of pre-coding information to the first apparatus; and transmit, tothe first apparatus, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using a pre-coding information selected from the plurality of pre-coding information.

[0006] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a third apparatus. The third apparatus comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third apparatus at least to: receive, from a first apparatus, a pre-coding information to be used for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; and transmit the pre-coded activation signal based on the pre-coding information.

[0007] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method. The method comprises: receiving, from a second apparatus, a plurality of pre-coding information available for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; transmitting, to a third apparatus, a pre-coding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal that is selected from the plurality of pre-coding information; and receiving, from the second apparatus, feedback associated with a precoded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using the selected pre-coding information.

[0008] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method. The method comprises: determining a plurality of pre-coding information available for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; transmitting the plurality of pre-coding information to the first apparatus; and transmitting, to the first apparatus, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using a pre-coding information selected from the plurality of pre-coding information.

[0009] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method. The method comprises: receiving, from a first apparatus, a pre-coding information to be used for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; and transmitting the pre-coded activation signal based on the pre-coding information.

[0010] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a first apparatus. The first apparatus comprises means for receiving, from a second apparatus, a plurality of pre-coding information available for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; means for transmitting, to a third apparatus, a pre-coding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal that is selected from the plurality of pre-coding information; and means for receiving, from the second apparatus, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using the selected pre-coding information.

[0011] In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a second apparatus. The second apparatus comprises means for determining a plurality of pre-coding information available for a precoded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; means for transmitting theplurality of pre-coding information to the first apparatus; and means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using a pre-coding information selected from the plurality of pre-coding information.

[0012] In a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a third apparatus. The third apparatus comprises means for receiving, from a first apparatus, a pre-coding information to be used for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; and means for transmitting the pre-coded activation signal based on the pre-coding information.

[0013] In a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium comprises instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0014] In an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium comprises instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the fifth aspect.

[0015] ln a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium comprises instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the sixth aspect.

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

[0017] Through the more detailed description of some example embodiments of the present disclosure in the accompanying drawings, the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent, wherein:

[0018] FIG. 1A illustrate schematic diagrams of Topology 1 and Topology 2;

[0019] FIG. 1 B illustrates a line chart of received power levels for an A-loT device;

[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates an example communication environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented; \

[0021] FIG. 3A illustrates examples of pre-coded Activation signals for interference mitigation at the Reader;

[0022] FIG. 3B illustrates an example signalling flow of communication in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG. 4 illustrates another example signalling flow of communication in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a communication method implemented at a first apparatusaccording to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a communication method implemented at a second apparatus according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0026] FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a communication method implemented at a third apparatus according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG. 8 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0028] FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer readable medium in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0029] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar element.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. Embodiments described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.

[0031] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0032] References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

[0033] It shall be understood that although the terms “first,” “second” and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0034] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at leastone of ” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

[0035] As used herein, unless stated explicitly, performing a step “in response to A” does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after “A” occurs and one or more intervening steps may be included.

[0036] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “has”, “having”, “includes” and / or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0037] As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following:(a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry) and(b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable):(i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware ci rcuit(s) with software / firmware and(ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and(c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

[0038] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0039] As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE- A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-loT) and so on. Furthermore, the communications between a terminal device and a network device in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, the first generation (1 G), the second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will of course also be future type communication technologies and systems with which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned system.

[0040] As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (I AB) node, a low power node such as a femto, a pico, a non -terrestrial network (NTN) or non-ground network device such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology. In some example embodiments, radio access network (RAN) split architecture comprises a Centralized Unit (CU) and a Distributed Unit (DU) at an IAB donor node. An IAB node comprises a Mobile Terminal (IAB-MT) part that behaves like a UE toward the parent node, and a DU part of an IAB node behaves like a base station toward the next-hop IAB node.

[0041] The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example rather than limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), a Subscriber Station (SS), a Portable Subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS), or an Access Terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chaincontexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. The terminal device may also correspond to a Mobile Termination (MT) part of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms “terminal device”, “communication device”, “terminal”, “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0042] As used herein, the term “resource,” “transmission resource,” “resource block,” “physical resource block” (PRB), “uplink resource,” or “downlink resource” may refer to any resource for performing a communication, for example, a communication between a terminal device and a network device, such as a resource in time domain, a resource in frequency domain, a resource in space domain, a resource in code domain, or any other resource enabling a communication, and the like.

[0043] The term “ambient loT device” (also referred to as loT device for sometimes) used herein is a 3GPP loT device which is much smaller and cheaper compared to previous generations of loT. The ultimate ambient loT energy source is that from radio waves. Both Ambient loT and Ambient computing rely upon energy harvesting as one of the key mechanisms for powering and enabling the technology. Energy harvesting, as it applies to Ambient loT and Ambient Computing, is the harnessing of the power in ambient radio waves to power tiny computers. Ambient loT device may have a new radio / air interface to a reader / node. The new radio interface may be frame based or non-frame based. Deploying ambient loT service on existing system could reduce the operation cost and quickly commercialize the new service.

[0044] As discussed above, regarding loT applications, 3GPP has specified NB-loT / eMTC and NR RedCap before release 18 to satisfy the requirements on low cost and low power devices for wide area loT communication. These loT devices usually consume tens or hundreds of milliwatts power during transceiving with a relative lower cost. To achieve the internet of everything, loT devices with ten or even a hundred times lower cost and power consumption are needed, especially for a large number of applications requiring battery-less devices.

[0045] The number of loT connections has been growing rapidly in recent year. With more and more ‘things’ expected to be interconnected for improving production efficiency and increasing comforts of life, it demands further reduction of size, cost, and power consumption for loT devices. In particular, regular replacement of battery for all the loT devices is impractical due to the tremendous consumption of materials and manpower. It has become a trend to use energy harvested from environments to power loT devices for self-sustainable communications, especially in applications with a huge number of devices (e.g., ID tags and sensors).

[0046] The most critical issue with existing 3GPP technologies for the target use cases is the capability of cooperating with energy harvesting considering limited device size. Cellular devices usually consume tens or even hundreds of milliwatts power for transceiver processing. Taking NB-loT module for example, the typical current consumption for receive processing is about 60mA with supply voltagehigher than 3.1V, while 70mA for transmitting processing at OdBm transmit power. Furthermore, the output power provided by typical energy harvester is mostly below 1 milliwatt, considering the small size of a few square centimeters for practical devices. Since the available power is far less than the consumed power, it is impractical to power cellular devices directly by energy harvesting in most cases.

[0047] One possible solution is to integrate energy harvesting with rechargeable battery or supercapacitor. However, there are still a few problems to be solved. First, both rechargeable battery and supercapacitor may suffer from shortened lifetime in practical cases. It is hard to provide constant charging current or voltage by energy harvesting, while longtime continuous charging is needed due to the very small output power from energy harvester. Inconstant charging current and longtime continuous charging are both harmful to battery life. For supercapacitor, its lifetime will be significantly reduced in high temperature environments. Second, device size will be significantly increased. As small size button battery can only provide current of a few tens of milliamps, battery with much larger size is usually used to power cellular devices, whose size can be even larger than the module itself. To store energy for a proper duration of working (e.g., one second), the required capacitance of a supercapacitor is at the level of a hundred mill-farads. The size of such supercapacitors may be larger than an NB-loT module. Third, both rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors can be more expensive than the module itself. Even purchased in large quantities, the cost of a suitable battery or supercapacitor may reach one or a few dollars, which nearly doubles the cost of the device.

[0048] Radio frequency identification (RFID) is the most well-known technology supporting battery less tags (devices). The power consumption of commercial passive RFID tags can be as low as 1 microwatt. The key techniques enabling such low power consumption are envelope detection for downlink data reception, and backscatter communication for uplink data transmission. RFID is designed for short- range communications, whose typical effective range is less than 10 meters. As the air interface of RFID almost remains unchanged since 2005, the too-simple transmission scheme becomes the obstacle of improving its link budget and capability of supporting scalable network.

[0049] Attracted by the extremely low power consumption of backscatter communication, many non- 3GPP technologies begin to put efforts into related research, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ultra wide band (UWB), and long range (LORA). Various research show that a few or tens of microwatts power consumption can be supported for passive tags based on or with small modifications to the above air interfaces. A significant proportion of the studies are targeting at long range communication. Among them, a LoRa tag implemented with commercial off-the-shelf components can send its sensing data to the receiver of 381 meters away. Currently, most of the studies are focusing on independent detailed techniques for various optimization targets. It is hard to see a comprehensive system design fully meeting the requirements of the target use cases. However, the standardization of those technologies is agile and quick, as the industries usually follow some de facto standards. It means that manyproducts in the market will follow even a private standard once it shows competitiveness in some applications.

[0050] A passive radio is a device that harnesses energy from wireless signals sent on specific carriers and / or bandwidths and charges a simple circuitry that, once activated, it will emit / reflect a signal which encodes at least the ID of the passive radio. The typical system architecture around a passive radio consists of the activator, the passive radio and the reader.

[0051] An activator refers to a device that sends an activation signal targeted at waking up the passive radio. The passive radio harnesses energy over a range of frequencies and listens for activation signals. Once such a signal is detected, the passive radio emits / reflects a signal which is specific to that radio ID. In the loT network, a reader may listen and detect the passive radio signals. Further, the reader may or may not be collocated with the activator.

[0052] A RAN level study item was approved and in terms of energy storage the following main two types of devices have been identified as belowTable 10053]The objectives of this study item can be grouped into three areas: (i) deployment scenarios; (iij design targets and (iii) performance assessment. In terms of deployment scenario, it was highlighted the operation in unlicensed spectrum as below:Table 2

[0054] Further, the following general scope and objectives were approved:Table 3

[0055] Furthermore, the following items are highlighted for the objectives of the AloT study item:

[0056] The following connectivity topologies for Ambient loT networks and devices were defined for the purposes of the study. In all these topologies, the Ambient loT device may be provided with a carrier wave from other node(s) either inside or outside the topology. The links in each topology maybe bidirectional or unidirectional. BS, UE, assisting node, or intermediate node could be multiple BSs or UEs, respectively. The mixture of indoor and outdoor placement of such nodes is regarded as a network implementation choice.

[0057] Reference is now made to FIG. 1A, which illustrates schematic diagram 100A of Topology 1 and Topology 2.

[0058] In Topology 1 (the left one in FIG. 1A), the Ambient loT device directly and bidirectionally communicates with a base station. The communication between the base station and the ambient loT device includes Ambient loT data and / or signalling. This topology includes the possibility that the BS transmitting to the Ambient loT device is a different from the BS receiving from the Ambient loT device.

[0059] I n Topology 2 (the right one in FIG. 1A), the Ambient loT device communicates bidirectionally with an intermediate node between the device and base station. In this topology, the intermediate node can be a relay, IAB node, UE, repeater, etc. which is capable of Ambient loT. The intermediate node transfers the information between BS and the Ambient loT device.

[0060] gNBs may utilize Tx pre-coding for massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) today by reducing the interference level of a first transmitted MIMO signal intended for a first user (UE) at a second user (UE). As a gNB has digital hardware implementation, a known / characterized antenna manifold it can derive the angular direction of the UEs based on UL reference signals or it knows the location of the first and second UE (if informed by the LMF), it can by itself configure the correct / best beam for reduced interference level at the second UE while optimizing the signal level at the first UE, intended to receive the data transmission.

[0061] Both topologies can be implemented in a mono-static or bi-static setup. The Activator (activating device) and the Reader (receiving device) are co-located in a mono-static setup and they are expected to be capable of operating in full duplex mode, i.e., transmitting and receiving at the same time, to support Ambient loT devices that backscatter their responses on the same frequency as the activation signal. Some intermediate nodes (like a terminal device) might not support full duplex, which is required for a mono-static set-up (a single intermediate node). As such, a bi-static setup is required to remove the requirement for full duplex support of the intermediate node(s) and thereby enable a generic 3GPP UEs to act as A-loT Activators or A-loT Readers. A bi-static setup will also increase the reading distance (distance between the A-loT Tag and the Reader) and enable A-loT sessions involving multiple Readers. However, a bi-static set-up will suffer from interference issues as the transmitted activation signal will also be received by the Reader, most often on the same resources as the A-loT reply.

[0062] The transmitted activation signal (for example a UL signal in a FDD configuration) from the Activator will also be received at the Reader for a bi-static set-up and the power level of that signal can be many orders of magnitude higher than the reflected response from the A-loT tag, especially inLine-of-Sight (LoS) channel conditions. As illustrated in FIG. 1 B, which illustrates a line chart 100B of received power levels for an A-loT device, where the A-loT Tag device type (i) is 5 m away from the Activator and in the direct path (worst-case) between the Activator and the Reader.

[0063] It can be seen from FIG. 1 B that the power level of the A-loT activation signal can be up to 50 dB higher than the received backscattered response from the A-loT Tag at the Reader. Such high interference can be problematic for common receiver architectures and will have to be addressed. The level of this interference at the Reader can be affected by the available antenna gain for an A-loT Tag device type (i) and the potential reflection gain of an A-loT Tag device type (ii). However, the antenna gain of an A-loT Tag is expected to be low (less than 3 dB) as A-loT Tag are physically small and thereby also electrical small compared to the frequency of the activation signal. As such, every dB of antenna gain at the A-loT Tag will in theory reduce the interference level by a factor of 2 of that antenna gain value. However, even a 10 dB antenna gain at the A-loT device (very large device), or a reflection gain of 20 dB, will only reduce the potential interference level to around 30 dB, which is still a very high interference level. Keep in mind the antenna polarization mismatch will affect the interference levels mention above in either a positive or negative direction, as the presented levels are assuming polarization alignment between the Activator, the Reader and the A-loT Tag.

[0064] According to the present disclosure, a solution for activation signal transmission in an loT network. In this solution, the first apparatus receives, from a second apparatus, a plurality of precoding information available for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; transmits, to a third apparatus, a pre-coding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal that is selected from the plurality of pre-coding information; and receives, from the second apparatus, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using the selected pre-coding information.

[0065] Principles and implementations of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the figures.

[0066] FIG. 2 illustrates an example communication environment 200 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. The communication environment 200 includes the first apparatus 210, the second apparatus 220 and the third apparatus 230 and loT device(s).

[0067] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus 210 may be comprised in a session control unit (SCU), the second apparatus 220 may be comprised in an loT reader which may be a terminal device or a network device, while the third apparatus 230 may be comprised in an loT activator.

[0068] It should be noted that although shown as separate device, the first apparatus 210 may be implemented at the second or third apparatus 220 and 230, respectively or may be implemented at any other suitable device in the loT network or in the 3GPP defined cellular network.

[0069] Communications in the communication environment 100A may be implemented according toany proper communication protocol (s), comprising, but not limited to, cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1 G), the second generation (2G), the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), the fifth generation (5G), the sixth generation (6G), and the like, wireless local network communication protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 and the like, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Moreover, the communication may utilize any proper wireless communication technology, comprising but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0070] Support for UL CA within the same band group (Low Band, LB, Mid Band, MB, High Band, HB and / or Ultra High Band, UHB) and / or 2x2 UL MIMO) has started to be implemented by UE vendors for high-tier devices and it is expected that this trend will continue as the demand for more UL data increases. UEs with the capability to transmit 2 layers on two different antennas can be used as advanced A-loT Activators, that can pre-code the activation signal in a manner to mitigate the interference level of that signal at the Reader, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, which illustrates examples 300A of pre-coded Activation signals for interference mitigation at the Reader.

[0071] gNBs are utilizing this for massive MIMO today by reducing the interference level of a first transmitted MIMO signal intended for a first User (UE) at a second user (UE). As a gNB has digital hardware implementation, a known / characterized antenna manifold, it can derive the angular direction of the UEs and it might even know the physical location of the UEs (if informed by the LMF), it can by itself configure the correct / best beam for reduced interference level at the second UE while optimizing the signal level at the first UE, intended to receive the data transmission. However, that is not the case for a UE (like a handheld device) used as an A-loT Activator, as it has none-uniform / none- characterized antenna radiation patterns, that on top of that can be affected by the user. As such, a UE Activator cannot predict its radiation pattern by itself and will need assistance from the Reader. In addition, the Activator UE will have limited knowledge of the relative location of the Reader, based on its own location, own orientation, and the location of the Reader. As the location of the A-loT Tag is unknown to the Reader, it is possible that the best pre-coding values or PMI (Precoding Matrix Indicator) like index for mitigating the interference level at the Reader is not optimal for activation of the A-loT. This risk can be reduced by instructing the Reader to send a list of different useful precoding values or PMI like indices. This can be a list of fixed length (for example 4 entries) or determined by a valid threshold of the estimated interference level for different pre-coding values or PMI like indices.

[0072] In some example embodiments, the SCU will trigger a characterization of the channel conditions between the Activator and the Reader, by instruction the Activator to transmit more than one SRS.

[0073] In an alternative example embodiment, the triggering is done by either Activator or Reader, where the SCU can be informed so that it can coordinate the resources used in the measurements or the triggering and coordination is done directly between Activator and Reader.

[0074] In some example embodiments, the Reader will estimate the channel, based on reference signals (SRS) from the Activator and determine the best precoding values and / or PMI like indices for mitigating the interference level of the Activator signal.

[0075] I n some example embodiments, the Reader send a prioritized list of pre-coding values and / or PMI like indices to the SCU, which then will inform the Activator, which pre-coding values or PMI like index to use for the pre-coded activation signal.

[0076] In an alternative example embodiment, the sharing of the prioritized list of pre-coding values and / or PMI like indices is shared directly with the Activator and / or SCU.

[0077] In some example embodiments, if the Reader successfully decodes the back scattered response from the A-loT Tag, the SCU will not configure the Activator with new pre-coding values or a new PMI like index. On the other hand, if the Reader didn’t successfully decode the back scattered response from the A-loT Tag, the SCU then re-configure the Activator with new pre-coding values or a new PMI like index, based on the feedback from the Reader.

[0078] In an alternative example embodiment, the re-configuration can be done directly by the Activator when it receives the measurements results directly from the Reader or via the SCU.

[0079] More details will be discussed with reference to FIG. 3B, which illustrates a signaling flow 300B of communication in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purposes of discussion, signaling flow 300B will be discussed with reference to FIG. 2, for example, by using the first apparatus 210 and the second apparatus 220 and the third apparatus 230.

[0080] For purpose of discussion, in the following discussions, the first apparatus 210 may comprise a session control unit, the second apparatus 220 may comprise an A-loT reader and the third apparatus 230 may comprise an A-loT activator.

[0081] I n operation, the second apparatus 220 determines (325) a plurality of pre-coding information available for a pre-coded activation signal in an A-loT network, and transmits (330-1 ) the plurality of pre-coding information to the first apparatus 210.

[0082] As for the first apparatus 210, the first apparatus 210 receive (330-2) the plurality of pre-coding information available for a pre-coded activation signal in an A-loT network. In some example embodiments, the plurality of pre-coding information may comprise at least one of the following: a list of pre-coding values, or a list of pre-coding matrix indicators.

[0083] Then the first apparatus 210 transmit (340-1) a pre-coding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal that is selected from the plurality of pre-coding information to the third apparatus 230.

[0084] As discussed below, the third apparatus 230 may transmit pre-coded activation signal by using a pre-coding information. Further, the first apparatus 1 10 may obtain feedback on the execution from the second apparatus 220. As illustrated in FIG. 3B, the second apparatus 220 may transmit (355-1 ), to the first apparatus 210, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus 230 by using a pre-coding information selected from the plurality of pre-coding information. As a result, the first apparatus 210 receives (355-2) the feedback from the second apparatus 220.

[0085] In some example embodiments, the feedback may indicate at least one of the following:• the response is successfully received from an A-loT tag,• the second apparatus 220 is still interfered by the pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus 230, or• no response is received by the second apparatus 220 from an A-loT tag.

[0086] In some example embodiment, the first apparatus 210 may select (335), from the plurality of pre-coding information, the first pre-coding information as the pre-coding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal, and then transmit (340-1 ) the first pre-coding information to the third apparatus 230.

[0087] ln some example embodiments, the first apparatus 210 may receive an indication of the precoding information, that is selected by the second apparatus 220, to be used for the pre-coded activation signal, and then may determine the pre-coding information based on the indication. As one example, the second apparatus 220 may provide a full CSI report to the third apparatus 230. The third apparatus 230 may select its own pre-coding value(s) and provide the selected pre-coding value(s) to the second apparatus 220. Then, the second apparatus 220 may indicate the selected pre-coding value(s) to the first apparatus 210.

[0088] As for the third apparatus 230, in some example embodiment, after receiving (340-2) the precoding information, the third apparatus 230 may transmit (345) the pre-coded activation signal to the loT device.

[0089] As for the second apparatus 220, if the second apparatus 220 determines (350) that the precoded activation signal is transmitted from the third apparatus 230, the second apparatus 220 may further determine whether a response is received from an A-loT tag and / or the pre-coded activation signal interferes the second apparatus 220; and transmit the feedback to the first apparatus 210 based on the determination.

[0090] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus 230 may transmit (305-1) an indication that the third apparatus 230 supports the pre-coded activation signal transmission to the first apparatus210, and the first apparatus 210 may receive (305-2) the indication from the third apparatus 230 accordingly.

[0091] ln some example embodiments, the first apparatus 210 may determine (310) that a channel characterization between the second apparatus 220 and the third apparatus 230 is to be triggered.

[0092] Additionally, in some example embodiments, the triggering of the channel characterization is determined by the first apparatus 210 based on an estimated channel coherency time and / or movements of the second apparatus 220 or the third apparatus 230 or based on an indication that the channel characterization is triggered by the second apparatus 220 or the third apparatus 230.

[0093] In some example embodiments, if the first apparatus 210 determine (360) that the feedback indicates that the second apparatus 220 is still interfered by the pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus 230 or no response is received by the second apparatus 220 from an A-loT tag, determine that the selected pre-coding information is to be updated.

[0094] Next, in some example embodiments, the first apparatus 210 may inform, to the third apparatus 230, a further pre-coding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal that is selected from the plurality of pre-coding information. Then, the first apparatus 210 may receive, from the second apparatus 220, further feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus 230 by using the further pre-coding information. If the first apparatus 210 determines that the further feedback indicates that the second apparatus 220 receives a response from the A-loT tag successfully, the first apparatus 210 may determine that the further pre-coding information is suitable for the pre-coded activation signal.

[0095] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus 230 may transmit (315-1 ) transmissions of two or more sounding reference signals from two or more different antennas to the second apparatus 220, and the second apparatus 220 may receive (315-2) transmissions of two or more sounding reference signals from two or more different antennas at the third apparatus 230 accordingly.

[0096] Then, the second apparatus 220 may perform a channel estimation based on the received two or more sounding reference signals in case of a trigger of a channel characterization between the second apparatus 220 and the third apparatus 230, and may determine the plurality of pre-coding information based on estimated channel condition.

[0097] In order to better understand the above procedure, some example embodiments will be further discussed with reference to FIG. 4, which illustrate a signaling chart 400 of communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0098] In the example of FIG. 4, an SCU is used as an example of the first apparatus 210, Reader is used as an example of the second apparatus 220, Activator is used as an example of the third apparatus 230.

[0099] As illustrated in FIG. 4, at Step#1 , a first UE is configured as an Activator in a A-loT networkand will inform the SCU that it can transmit a pre-coded activation signal.

[0100] At Step#2, a second UE is configured as a Reader in a A-loT network. At Step#3: The SCU triggers a channel characterization between the Activator and the Reader. This trigger can be based on the estimated channel coherency time and / or movements of the Activator or Reader.

[0101] At Step#4, the SCU allocates the Activator with two or more SRSs and informs the Reader when to listen for these SRSs ). At Step#5, the Activator transmit two or more SRSs. At Step#6, the Reader estimates the channel conditions between the Activator and itself based on the received SRSs.

[0102] At Step#7, the Reader determines a list of useful pre-coding values or precoding matrix indicator (PMI) like indices that will reduce the interference level of the activation signal below a threshold level.

[0103] At Step#8, the Reader send the list of pre-coding values or PMI like indices to the SCU. An alternative embodiment could be for the Reader to feedback a full CSI report to the Activator, whereby the Activator can select its own pre-coding values (Such an implementation would not need step# 7, but it will increase the signaling overhead).

[0104] At Step#9, the SCU selects a first precoding value or PMI like index. At Step#10, the SCU informs the Activator of the selected pre-coding values or PMI like index to be used for the pre-coded activation signal.

[0105] At Stepl 1 , the Activator configures the selected pre-codding or PMI like index. At Stepl 2, the Reader is configured to listen for the back scattered signal from the A-loT Tag.

[0106] At Stepl 3, the Activator transmit a pre-coded activation for interference mitigation at the Reader. At Stepl 4, the Reader send one of the following replies to the SCU: the received Tag response if it was successfully decoded; an indication that is still interfered by the activation signal; an indication that it was not interfered and didn’t receive a response from the A-loT Tag. This could be an indication that the pre-coding at the Activator also has resulted in signal mitigation at the A-loT-Tag.

[0107] Finally, at Step#15, the SCU will select a second pre-coding value if needed based on the reply from the Reader or return to step 3, if that trigger is activated.

[0108] FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an example method 500 implemented at a first apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 500 will be described from the perspective of the first apparatus 210 in FIG. 2.

[0109] At block 510, the first apparatus receives, from a second apparatus, a plurality of pre-coding information available for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network.

[0110] At block 520, the first apparatus transmits, to a third apparatus, a pre-coding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal that is selected from the plurality of pre-coding information.

[0111] At block 530, the first apparatus receives, from the second apparatus, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using the selected pre-coding information.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus receives, from the third apparatus, an indication that the third apparatus supports the pre-coded activation signal transmission.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus determines that a channel characterization between the second apparatus and the third apparatus is to be triggered.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the triggering of the channel characterization is determined by the first apparatus based on an estimated channel coherency time and / or movements of the second apparatus or the third apparatus or based on an indication that the channel characterization is triggered by the second apparatus or the third apparatus.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus receives the plurality of pre-coding information comprising at least one of the following: a list of pre-coding values, or a list of pre-coding matrix indicators.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus selects, from the plurality of pre-coding information, the first pre-coding information as the pre-coding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus receives an indication of the pre-coding information, that is selected by the second apparatus, to be used for the pre-coded activation signal; and determines the pre-coding information based on the indication.

[0118] In some example embodiments, in accordance with a determination that the feedback indicates that the second apparatus is still interfered by the pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus or no response is received by the second apparatus from an A-loT tag, the first apparatus determines that the selected pre-coding information is to be updated.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus informs to the third apparatus, a further precoding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal that is selected from the plurality of pre-coding information; receives from the second apparatus, further feedback associated with a precoded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using the further pre-coding information; and in accordance with a determination that the further feedback indicates that the second apparatus receives a response from the A-loT tag successfully, determines that the further pre-coding information is suitable for the pre-coded activation signal.

[0120] I n some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a session control unit, the second apparatus comprises an A-loT reader and the third apparatus comprises an A-loT activator.

[0121] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an example method 600 implemented at a second apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 600 will be described from the perspective of the second apparatus 220 in FIG. 2.

[0122] At block 610, the second apparatus determines a plurality of pre-coding information available for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network.

[0123] At block 620, the second apparatus transmits the plurality of pre-coding information to the first apparatus.

[0124] At block 630, the second apparatus transmits, to the first apparatus, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using a pre-coding information selected from the plurality of pre-coding information.

[0125] ln some example embodiments, the second apparatus receives transmissions of two or more sounding reference signals from two or more different antennas at the third apparatus; performs a channel estimation based on the received two or more sounding reference signals in case of a trigger of a channel characterization between the second apparatus and the third apparatus; and determines the plurality of pre-coding information based on estimated channel condition.

[0126] In some example embodiments, in accordance with a determination that the pre-coded activation signal is transmitted from the third apparatus, the second apparatus determines whether a response is received from an A-loT tag and / or the pre-coded activation signal interferes the second apparatus; and transmits the feedback to the first apparatus based on the determination.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the feedback indicates at least one of the following: the response is successfully received from an A-loT tag, the second apparatus is still interfered by the pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus, or no response is received by the second apparatus from an A-loT tag.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus transmits the plurality of pre-coding information comprising at least one of the following: a list of pre-coding values, or a list of pre-coding matrix indicators.

[0129] I n some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a session control unit, the second apparatus comprises an A-loT reader and the third apparatus comprises an A-loT activator.

[0130] FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of an example method 700 implemented at a third apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 700 will be described from the perspective of the third apparatus 230 in FIG. 2.

[0131] At block 710, the third apparatus receives, from a first apparatus, a pre-coding information to be used for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network.

[0132] At block 720, the third apparatus transmits the pre-coded activation signal based on the precoding information.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus transmits, to the first apparatus, an indication that the third apparatus supports the pre-coded activation signal transmission.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus receives, from the first apparatus, an allocation of two or more SRSs, and transmit, to the second apparatus, two or more SRSs from two or more antennas based on the allocation.

[0135] I n some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a session control unit, the second apparatus comprises an A-loT reader and the third apparatus comprises an A-loT activator.

[0136] In some example embodiments, a first apparatus capable of performing any of the method 500 (for example, the first apparatus 210 in FIG. 2) may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 500. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module. The first apparatus may be implemented as or included in the first apparatus 210 in FIG. 2.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises means for receiving, from a second apparatus, a plurality of pre-coding information available for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; means for transmitting, to a third apparatus, a precoding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal that is selected from the plurality of pre-coding information; and means for receiving, from the second apparatus, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using the selected precoding information.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for receiving, from the third apparatus, an indication that the third apparatus supports the pre-coded activation signal transmission.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for determining that a channel characterization between the second apparatus and the third apparatus is to be triggered.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the triggering of the channel characterization is determined by the first apparatus based on an estimated channel coherency time and / or movements of the second apparatus or the third apparatus or based on an indication that the channel characterization is triggered by the second apparatus or the third apparatus.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for receiving the plurality of pre-coding information comprising at least one of the following: a list of pre-coding values, or a list of pre-coding matrix indicators.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for selecting, from the plurality of pre-coding information, the first pre-coding information as the pre-coding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for receiving an indication of the pre-coding information, that is selected by the second apparatus, to be used for the pre-coded activation signal; and means for determining the pre-coding information based on the indication.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for in accordancewith a determination that the feedback indicates that the second apparatus is still interfered by the pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus or no response is received by the second apparatus from an A-loT tag, determining that the selected pre-coding information is to be updated.

[0145] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for informing, to the third apparatus, a further pre-coding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal that is selected from the plurality of pre-coding information; means for receiving, from the second apparatus, further feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using the further pre-coding information; and means for in accordance with a determination that the further feedback indicates that the second apparatus receives a response from the A-loT tag successfully, determining that the further pre-coding information is suitable for the precoded activation signal.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a session control unit, the second apparatus comprises an A-loT reader and the third apparatus comprises an A-loT activator.

[0147] In some example embodiments, a second apparatus capable of performing any of the method 600 (for example, the second apparatus 220 in FIG. 2) may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 600. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module. The second apparatus may be implemented as or included in the second apparatus 220 in FIG. 2.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus comprises means for determining a plurality of pre-coding information available for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; means for transmitting the plurality of pre-coding information to the first apparatus; and means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using a pre-coding information selected from the plurality of pre-coding information.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for receiving transmissions of two or more sounding reference signals from two or more different antennas at the third apparatus; means for performing a channel estimation based on the received two or more sounding reference signals in case of a trigger of a channel characterization between the second apparatus and the third apparatus; and means for determining the plurality of pre-coding information based on estimated channel condition.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for in accordance with a determination that the pre-coded activation signal is transmitted from the third apparatus, determining whether a response is received from an A-loT tag and / or the pre-coded activation signal interferes the second apparatus; and means for transmitting the feedback to the firstapparatus based on the determination.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the feedback indicates at least one of the following: the response is successfully received from an A-loT tag, the second apparatus is still interfered by the pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus, or no response is received by the second apparatus from an A-loT tag.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting the plurality of pre-coding information comprising at least one of the following: a list of pre-coding values, or a list of pre-coding matrix indicators.

[0153] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a session control unit, the second apparatus comprises an A-loT reader and the third apparatus comprises an A-loT activator.

[0154] In some example embodiments, a third apparatus capable of performing any of the method 700 (for example, the third apparatus 230 in FIG. 2) may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 700. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module. The third apparatus may be implemented as or included in the third apparatus 230 in FIG. 2.

[0155] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus comprises means for receiving, from a first apparatus, a pre-coding information to be used for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; and means for transmitting the pre-coded activation signal based on the pre-coding information.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, an indication that the third apparatus supports the pre-coded activation signal transmission.

[0157] I n some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a session control unit, the second apparatus comprises an A-loT reader and the third apparatus comprises an A-loT activator.Example Apparatus, Device and Medium

[0158] FIG. 8 is a simplified block diagram of a device 800 that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 800 may be provided to implement a communication device, for example, the first, second and third apparatuses. As shown, the device 800 includes one or more processors 810, one or more memories 820 coupled to the processor 810, and one or more communication modules 840 coupled to the processor 810.

[0159] The communication module 840 is for bidirectional communications. The communication module 840 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interfaces may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, thecommunication module 840 may include at least one antenna.

[0160] The processor 810 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 800 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

[0161] The memory 820 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of the non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 824, an electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disk (DVD), an optical disk, a laser disk, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of the volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a random-access memory (RAM) 822 and other volatile memories that will not last in the power-down duration.

[0162] A computer program 830 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 810. The instructions of the program 830 may include instructions for performing operations / acts of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 830 may be stored in the memory, e.g., the ROM 824. The processor 810 may perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 830 into the RAM 822.

[0163] The example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program 830 so that the device 800 may perform any process of the disclosure as discussed with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. 7. The example embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0164] ln some example embodiments, the program 830 may be tangibly contained in a computer readable medium which may be included in the device 800 (such as in the memory 820) or other storage devices that are accessible by the device 800. The device 800 may load the program 830 from the computer readable medium to the RAM 822 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer readable medium may include any types of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like. The term “non-transitory,” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0165] FIG. 9 shows an example of the computer readable medium 900 which may be in form of CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 900 has the program 830 stored thereon.

[0166] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware orspecial purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, and other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. Although various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representations, it is to be understood that the block, apparatus, system, technique or method described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0167] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer readable medium, such as a non-transitory computer readable medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor, to carry out any of the methods as described above. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machineexecutable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0168] Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

[0169] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable the device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, computer readable medium, and the like.

[0170] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette,a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0171] Further, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, although several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Unless explicitly stated, certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless explicitly stated, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in a plurality of embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0172] Although the present disclosure has been described in languages specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

I / We Claim:1 . A first apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus at least to: receive, from a second apparatus, a plurality of pre-coding information available for a precoded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; transmit, to a third apparatus, a pre-coding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal that is selected from the plurality of pre-coding information; and receive, from the second apparatus, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using the selected pre-coding information.

2. The first apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first apparatus is caused to: receive, from the third apparatus, an indication that the third apparatus supports the pre-coded activation signal transmission.

3. The first apparatus of claims 1 or 2, wherein the first apparatus is caused to: determine that a channel characterization between the second apparatus and the third apparatus is to be triggered.

4. The first apparatus of claim 3, wherein the triggering of the channel characterization is determined by the first apparatus based on an estimated channel coherency time and / or movements of the second apparatus or the third apparatus or based on an indication that the channel characterization is triggered by the second apparatus or the third apparatus.

5. The first apparatus of any of claims 1-4, wherein the first apparatus is caused to: receive the plurality of pre-coding information comprising at least one of the following: a list of pre-coding values, or a list of pre-coding matrix indicators.

6. The first apparatus of any of claims 1-5, wherein the first apparatus is caused to: select, from the plurality of pre-coding information, the first pre-coding information as the preceding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal.

7. The first apparatus of any of claims 1-5, wherein the first apparatus is caused to: receive an indication of the pre-coding information, that is selected by the second apparatus, to be used for the pre-coded activation signal; and determine the pre-coding information based on the indication.

8. The first apparatus of any of claims 1-7, wherein the first apparatus is caused to: in accordance with a determination that the feedback indicates that the second apparatus is still interfered by the pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus or no response is received by the second apparatus from an A-loT tag, determine that the selected pre-coding information is to be updated.

9. The first apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first apparatus is caused to: inform, to the third apparatus, a further pre-coding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal that is selected from the plurality of pre-coding information; receive, from the second apparatus, further feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using the further pre-coding information; and in accordance with a determination that the further feedback indicates that the second apparatus receives a response from the A-loT tag successfully, determine that the further pre-coding information is suitable for the pre-coded activation signal.

10. The first apparatus of any of claims 1-9, wherein the first apparatus comprises a session control unit, the second apparatus comprises an A-loT reader and the third apparatus comprises an A-loT activator.11 . A second apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus at least to: determine a plurality of pre-coding information available for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; transmit the plurality of pre-coding information to the first apparatus; and transmit, to the first apparatus, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using a pre-coding information selected from the plurality of precoding information.

12. The second apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the second apparatus is caused to: receive transmissions of two or more sounding reference signals from two or more different antennas at the third apparatus; perform a channel estimation based on the received two or more sounding reference signals in case of a trigger of a channel characterization between the second apparatus and the third apparatus; and determine the plurality of pre-coding information based on estimated channel condition.

13. The second apparatus of claim 11 or 12, wherein the second apparatus is caused to: in accordance with a determination that the pre-coded activation signal is transmitted from the third apparatus, determine whether a response is received from an A-loT tag and / or the pre-coded activation signal interferes the second apparatus; and transmit the feedback to the first apparatus based on the determination.

14. The second apparatus of any of claims 11-13, wherein the feedback indicates at least one of the following: the response is successfully received from an A-loT tag, the second apparatus is still interfered by the pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus, or no response is received by the second apparatus from an A-loT tag.

15. The first apparatus of any of claims 11-14, wherein the second apparatus is caused to: transmit the plurality of pre-coding information comprising at least one of the following: a list of pre-coding values, or a list of pre-coding matrix indicators.

16. The second apparatus of any of claims 11-15, wherein the first apparatus comprises a session control unit, the second apparatus comprises an A-loT reader and the third apparatus comprises an A-loT activator.

17. A third apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third apparatus at least to: receive, from a first apparatus, a pre-coding information to be used for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; andtransmit the pre-coded activation signal based on the pre-coding information.

18. The third apparatus of claim 17, wherein the third apparatus is caused to: transmit, to the first apparatus, an indication that the third apparatus supports the pre-coded activation signal transmission.

19. The third apparatus of claim 17 or 18, wherein the first apparatus comprises a session control unit, the second apparatus comprises an A-loT reader and the third apparatus comprises an A-loT activator.

20. A method comprising: receiving, at a first apparatus, from a second apparatus, a plurality of pre-coding information available for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network. transmitting, to a third apparatus, a pre-coding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal that is selected from the plurality of pre-coding information. receiving, from the second apparatus, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using the selected pre-coding information.

21. A method comprising: determining, at a second apparatus, a plurality of pre-coding information available for a precoded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network. transmitting the plurality of pre-coding information to the first apparatus. transmitting, to the first apparatus, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using a pre-coding information selected from the plurality of pre-coding information.

22. A method comprising: receiving, at a third apparatus and from a first apparatus, a pre-coding information to be used for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network. transmitting the pre-coded activation signal based on the pre-coding information.

23. A first apparatus comprising: means for receiving, from a second apparatus, a plurality of pre-coding information available for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; means for transmitting, to a third apparatus, a pre-coding information to be used for the pre-coded activation signal that is selected from the plurality of pre-coding information; and means for receiving, from the second apparatus, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using the selected pre-coding information.

24. A second apparatus comprising: means for determining a plurality of pre-coding information available for a pre-coded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; means for transmitting the plurality of pre-coding information to the first apparatus; and means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, feedback associated with a pre-coded activation signal transmitted from the third apparatus by using a pre-coding information selected from the plurality of pre-coding information.

25. A third apparatus comprising: means for receiving, from a first apparatus, a pre-coding information to be used for a precoded activation signal in an ambient internet of things, A-loT, network; and means for transmitting the pre-coded activation signal based on the pre-coding information.

26. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus at least to perform the method of any of claim 20 to 22.

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