Control and system information for ambient IoT

Abstract

Systems and method are described for using reception of system and / or control information amongst A-IoT devices and reader devices. Messaging in PDRCH or PRDCH can indicate, explicitly or implicitly, how to interpret and / or format subsequent PDRCH / PRDCH messaging. The teachings of certain embodiments may enable the reader and A-IoT device to transmit SI, control and data information potentially using the same physical channel. The teachings of certain embodiments may identify potential physical quantities or parameters that needs to be indicated as part of SI / control information in A-IoT systems. This may lead to better data rates, lower latency and more efficient power consumption.

Description

CONTROL AND SYSTEM INFORMATION FOR AMBIENT IOTCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED INFORMATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of United States of America priority application No. 63 / 575481 filed on April 05, 2024, titled “On Control and System Information for Ambient IOT.”TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for receiving system information or control information amongst A-IoT devices.BACKGROUND3 GPP Study on Ambient-IoT

[0003] Wireless loT (internet of things) devices are often battery powered and both the need to change battery and the battery lifetime may be concerns for many potential applications such as asset tracking or environmental / industrial sensors. For this reason, the wireless communications industry has been interested in so-called Ambient-IoT or zero-energy (ZE) devices. Ambient-IoT (A-IoT) devices refer to wireless loT devices that do not require battery replacement, and often harvest energy from the environment. In some use cases, such as monitoring the temperature of food, the Ambient-IoT devices may have small batteries that are disposable (e.g., organic, compostable batteries), rechargeable or have very limited capacity.

[0004] These Ambient-IoT devices can in addition be of very small form factor and could even be printable and they target ultra-low power consumption to enable operation based on either energy-harvesting from an ambient sources or backscattering communication (cf. RFID (radio frequency identification)). That is, instead of relying on energy for communication being provided by a battery, it is instead harvested from an ambient source, such as vibrations, solar power, RF, etc. (harvesting), or a charge carrier wave is provided to the device which is modulated and reflected back to a reader (in the back-scattering communication case). This enables energy autonomous operation during the lifetime of the devices without need for either manual replacement or charging of the batteries. Compared to existing radio access technologies this puts new requirements on the radio interface and the protocols.Deployment scenarios, use cases, services for Ambient-IoT

[0005] There are different connectivity topologies possible. The following connectivity topologies for Ambient loT networks and devices are 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 may be bidirectional or unidirectional.

[0006] BS, UE, assisting node, or intermediate node could be multiple BSs (base station) or UEs (user equipments), respectively. The mixture of indoor and outdoor placement of such nodes is regarded as a network implementation choice. Account would need to be taken of potential impact on device or node complexity. In the connectivity topologies, this does not imply the existence of multi-hop assisting or intermediate nodes. Different topologies are illustrated in Figure 1 to Figure 2 respectively.

[0007] Topology 1 is BS «-> Ambient loT device. Figure 1 (recreating Figure 1 / 4.2.1.1-1 of TR 38.848) illustrates Topology 1 in TR 38.848 V 1.0.0. In Topology 1, 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 signaling. 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.

[0008] Topology 2 is BS «-> intermediate node «-> Ambient loT device. Figure 2 (recreating Figure 2 / 4.2.1.2-1 of TR 38.848) illustrates Topology 2 in TR 38.848 V 1.0.0. In Topology 2, 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 (integrated Access and Backhaul) node, UE, repeater, etc. which is capable of Ambient loT. The intermediate node transfers Ambient loT data and / or signaling between BS and the Ambient loT device.

[0009] There are different deployment scenarios possible. Deployment scenario 1 is Device indoors, base station indoors. Deployment scenario 2 is Device indoors, base station outdoors.

[0010] There are different device categories possible. Ambient loT devices are characterized in the study according to their energy storage capacity, and capability of generating RF signals for their transmissions. The study considers that a device has either: No energy storage at all; or Limited energy storage.

[0011] Relying on these storage capacities, the study considers the following set of Ambient loT devices:• Device A: No energy storage, no independent signal generation / amplification, i.e. backscattering transmission.• Device B: Has energy storage, no independent signal generation, i.e. backscattering transmission. Use of stored energy can include amplification for reflected signals.• Device C: Has energy storage, has independent signal generation, i.e., active RF components for transmission.

[0012] A limited energy storage can be different among implementations within Device B or implementations within Device C, and different between Device B and Device C. Such storage is expected to be order(s) of magnitude smaller than an NB-IoT (narrow band-IoT) device would typically include. Device A, B, and C are able to demodulate control, data, etc, from the relevant entity in RAN (radio access network) according to connectivity topology.Ambient-IoT in 3 GPP Rel-19

[0013] Recently, work on this has started in 3GPP (3rdGenration Partnership Project), TR 22.840 is being developed by SAI to capture potential use cases, traffic scenarios, device constraints of Ambient loT (A-IoT) and identify new potential service requirements as well as new KPIs.

[0014] Meanwhile, a study item at RAN plenary level RP-222685, ‘Study on Ambient loT’ is being carried out with a focus on the feasibility of meeting design targets for relevant use cases of Ambient loT. The outcome is being reported in TR 38.848.

[0015] A new SID RP-234058, ‘Study on solutions for Ambient loT (Internet of Things) in NR’ is agreed to study A-IoT in 3GPP Rel-19, in which, part of study scope is captured as follows.Relevant agreements in 3 GPP

[0016] RAN1 116 made the following agreements related to Reader to A-IoT Device(R2D) channel and control information:

[0017] RAN1 116 made the following agreements related to A-IoT device to Reader(D2R) channel and control information:

[0018] Moreover, RAN1 116 made the following agreements about frame structure:• Agreement a. From RANI perspective, at least when a response is expected from multiple devices that are intended to be identified, an A-IoT contentionbased access procedure initiated by the reader is used. • Agreement a. For A-IoT contention-based access procedure, at least slotted- ALOHA based access is studied.• Agreement a. At least the following time domain frame structure is studied for A-IoT R2D (reader to device) and D2R (device to reader) transmission. i. For R2D transmission,1. A R2D timing acquisition signal (e.g. R2D preamble) is included at least for timing acquisition and for indicating the start of the R2D transmission in time domain.ii. For D2R transmission,1. A D2R timing acquisition signal (e.g. D2R preamble) is included at least for timing acquisition and for indicating the start of the D2R transmission in time domain.2. FFS (for further study) other necessary component(s), e.g. midamble, postamble, periodic sync signal, control fields, guard period.

[0019] There currently exist certain challenges. The 3GPP specification for A-IoT is expected to support both active and passive A-IoT devices. However, the legacy NR (New Radio) physical layer channels (PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel)) for broadcasting system information (SI) will not be used for A-IoT. Similarly, legacy control channels (PDCCH / PUCCH (physical downlink control channel / physical uplink control channel)) may not be used for A-IoT. In short, new signalling and methods are needed to transmit SI and control information in A-IoT systems.SUMMARY

[0020] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. The teachings of certain embodiments may enable the reader and A-IoT device to transmit SI, control and data information potentially using the same physical channel. The teachings of certain embodiments may identify potential physical quantities or parameters that needs to be indicated as part of Sl / control information in A-IoT systems. This may lead to better data rates, lower latency and more efficient power consumption.

[0021] One embodiment under the present disclosure comprises a method performed by an A-IoT device for communicating with a reader device. The method includes: receiving, over PRDCH, a first message, the first message comprising system information and / or control information and / or data information, wherein the system information and / or control information and / or data information comprise an indication of how to interpret one or more PRDCH messages between a reader and the A-IoT device; receiving, from the reader over PRDCH, the one or more PRDCH messages; and interpreting the one or more PRDCH messages according to the indication.

[0022] Another possible method embodiment under the present disclosure is a method performed by a reader device for communicating with an A-IoT device. The method includes: transmitting, over PRDCH to an A-IoT device, a first message and one or more PRDCHmessages, wherein the first message comprises system information and / or control information and / or data information, wherein the system information and / or control information and / or data information comprises an indication to the A-IoT device of how to interpret the one or more PRDCH messages between the reader and the A-IoT device.

[0023] Another embodiment under the present disclosure comprises an A-IoT device for communicating with a reader device. The device comprises: processing circuitry; and a memory. The memory contains instructions whereby the processing circuitry is operable to perform the steps of receiving, over PRDCH, a first message, the first message comprising system information and / or control information and / or data information, wherein the system information and / or control information and / or data information comprise an indication of how to interpret one or more PRDCH messages between a reader and the A-IoT device; receiving, from the reader over PRDCH, the one or more PRDCH messages; and interpreting the one or more PRDCH messages according to the indication.

[0024] Another embodiment under the present disclosure comprises a reader device for communicating with an A-IoT device. The device comprises: processing circuitry; and a memory. The memory contains instructions whereby the processing circuitry is operable to perform the steps of: transmitting, over PRDCH to an A-IoT device, a first message and one or more PRDCH messages, wherein the first message comprises system information and / or control information and / or data information, wherein the system information and / or control information and / or data information comprises an indication to the A-IoT device of how to interpret the one or more PRDCH messages between the reader and the A-IoT device.

[0025] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an indication of the scope of the claimed subject matter.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0027] Fig. 1 illustrates ambient loT data / signaling;

[0028] Fig. 2 illustrates ambient loT data / signaling with an intermediate node;

[0029] Fig. 3 illustrates a flow-chart of a method embodiment under the present disclosure;

[0030] Fig. 4 illustrates a flow-chart of a method embodiment under the present disclosure;

[0031]

[0032]

[0033] Fig. 5 shows a schematic of a communication system embodiment under the present disclosure;

[0034] Fig. 6 shows a schematic of a user equipment embodiment under the present disclosure;

[0035] Fig. 7 shows a schematic of a network node embodiment under the present disclosure; and

[0036] Fig. 8 shows a schematic of a virtualization environment embodiment under the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Before describing various embodiments of the present disclosure in detail, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the parameters of the particularly exemplified systems, methods, apparatus, products, processes, and / or kits, which may, of course, vary. Thus, while certain embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail, with reference to specific configurations, parameters, components, elements, etc., the descriptions are illustrative and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the claimed embodiments. In addition, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing the embodiments and is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the claimed embodiments. Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0038] The term node is used which can be a network node or a user equipment (UE). Examples of network nodes are NodeB, base station (BS), multi-standard radio (MSR) radio node such as MSR BS, eNodeB, gNodeB, MeNB, SeNB, location measurement unit (LMU), integrated access backhaul (IAB) node, network controller, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BCS), relay, donor node controlling relay, base transceiver station (BTS), Central Unit (e.g. in a gNB), Distributed Unit (e.g. in a gNB), Baseband Unit, Centralized Baseband, C-RAN, access point (AP), transmission points, transmission nodes, transmission reception point (TRP), RRU, RRH, nodes in distributed antenna system (DAS), core network node (e.g. MCS, MME etc), O&M, OSS, SON, positioning node (e.g. E-SMLC), etc. The non-limiting term UE refers to any type of wireless device communicating with a network node and / or with another UE in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examplesof UE are target device, device to device (D2D) UE, vehicular to vehicular (V2V), machine type UE, MTC UE or UE capable of machine to machine (M2M) communication, PDA, tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles etc. The term radio access technology, or RAT, may refer to any RAT e.g. UTRA, E-UTRA, narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT), WiFi, Bluetooth, next generation RAT, New Radio (NR), 4G, 5G, 6G, NR NTN, loT NTN, LTE NTN, etc. Any of the equipment denoted by the term node, network node or radio network node may be capable of supporting a single or multiple RATs. The term time resource used herein may correspond to any type of physical resource or radio resource expressed in terms of length of time. Examples of time resources are: symbol, time slot, subframe, radio frame, TTI, interleaving time, slot, sub-slot, mini-slot, system frame number (SFN) cycle, hyper-SFN (H-SFN) cycle etc.

[0039] The term Physical Reader to Device Channel PRDCH is used to refer to the physical channel transmitted by a 3 GPP NR “reader” node to an NR A-IoT “device”. Here, the 3GPP “reader” can be a gNB, or a network-controlled intermediate node (e.g. a 3GPP UE or a repeater, etc.). If the “reader” is a gNB, then PRDCH is transmitted similar to a downlink physical channel, i.e., from a gNB to a A-IoT device. The term Physical Device to Reader Device Channel PDRCH is used to refer to the physical channel transmitted by a 3GPP NR A- loT “device” to a 3GPP NR “reader”. Here, the 3GPP “reader” can be a gNB, or a network- controlled intermediate node (e.g. a 3 GPP UE or a repeater, etc.). If the “reader” is a gNB, then PDRCH is transmitted similar to an uplink physical channel, i.e., from a device to the gNB.

[0040] It is assumed that a carrier wave transmitter (CWT) is a node that is capable of at least transmitting carrier wave (CW) for A-IoT devices. This can be a new 3GPP node (i.e. not an existing 3GPP node like a gNB / eNB, UE, repeater, etc.) or in a special case, one or more of the existing 3GPP nodes (e.g. a gNB / eNB or a UE) may act as a CWT. In the following embodiments, it is assumed that the UU interface is used for communication between the network and the CWT node. However, the embodiments are equally applicable if a different interface is used (e.g. a new interface is defined or an existing interface is used). The signalling and methods disclosed herein can be used to distinguish between different types of messages or information sent on the same physical channel e.g. on PRDCH. The signalling and methods disclosed herein can be used to distinguish between different A-IoT device types, e.g. to enable the device to determine if the PRDCH message is intended for the device type supported by the receiving A-IoT device. The physical channels defined for A-IoT can carry different types of information or messages. In one example, PRDCH may be used to transmit SI, and / or controlinformation and / or data information to the A-IoT device. In another example, dedicated channels may be defined to transmit different types of information. Regardless, the signalling and methods disclosed herein are equally applicable but are more relevant if a physical channel is used to carry more than one type of information or when a distinction between different device types is necessary.

[0041] For reader to device transmission, SI and data information are in parallel and mutually exclusive. SI in this present disclosure can refer to at least cell-specific information and targets multiple of one or more device types. Similar to NR MIB and SIB, it includes the data generated by physical layer. Data information in PRDCH in this present disclosure includes at least data generated in higher layers, e.g., inventory query command. Data information can be specific to a particular device or a group of devices. For device to reader transmission, data includes those generated in higher layers, such as sensor data, and may also include physical layer data, such as measurement-related information.

[0042] In certain descriptions below, such as regarding system and control information, certain details are provided on information that can be indicated as part of SI and control information, respectively. Note that one or more of the information described regarding system information can be transmitted as part of the control information and vice versa. Also note that the standard specification may not explicitly care to distinguish between the nomenclature used for the information carried by PRDCH as SI, data and control information. Certain embodiments are described in terms of PDRCH and PRDCH. However, they are also applicable for other physical channels as well e.g. a physical random access channel, physical device to reader control channel, physical reader to device control channel (if defined for A- loT). In addition, one or more of the information can be indicated using physical layer signalling and / or using a higher layer (e.g. MAC) signalling.

[0043] As described above, there currently exist certain challenges. The 3GPP specification for A-IoT is expected to support both active and passive A-IoT devices. However, the legacy NR physical layer channels (PBCH) for broadcasting system information (SI) will not be used for A-IoT. Similarly, legacy control channels (PDCCH / PUCCH) may not be used for A-IoT. In short, new signalling and methods are needed to transmit SI and control information in A-IoT systems.

[0044] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. Certain embodiments include new methods for signaling SI on the DL and control information on both DL and UL. Certain embodiments can provide mechanism for a network-controlled carrier wave emitter node, including e.g.:• Methods to transmit SI on PRDCH• Methods to transmit control information on PRDCH• Methods to transmit control information on PDRCH• Content of SI and control information

[0045] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. The teachings of certain embodiments may enable the reader and A-IoT device to transmit SI, control and data information potentially using the same physical channel. The teachings of certain embodiments may identify potential physical quantities or parameters that needs to be indicated as part of Sl / control information in A-IoT systems. This may lead to better data rates, lower latency and more efficient power consumption.

[0046] Certain embodiments can entail distinguishing between PRDCH message types and / or A-IoT device types.

[0047] In one embodiment, different formats or message structures are defined for PRDCH depending on the type of information (e.g. SI only, or control only, or data only, or control+data, or Sl+control, or Sl+data or Sl+data+control) carried by it. In another embodiment, different formats or message structures are defined for PRDCH depending on the A-IoT device type. In yet another embodiment, different formats or message structures are defined for PRDCH depending on the type of information carried by PRDCH and the A-IoT device type. For example, PRDCH format for carrying SI message intended for a passive A- loT device can be different from PRDCH format carrying SI message intended for an active A-IoT device.

[0048] In one embodiment, the distinction between the PRDCH message types and / or A- loT device types is achieved by one or more of the following methods: preamble partitioning, scrambling, payload bits, and control information - which are described further below.

[0049] Preamble partitioning: Multiple preambles or starting sequences or timing acquisition signals inserted in the start of a PRDCH transmission (or at a different location within the PRDCH message) are defined to distinguish between PRDCH message / format types and / or A-IoT device types and one of the preambles or starting sequences or timing acquisition signals is inserted in the PRDCH signal. For example, N different preambles are defined to distinguish between up to M different PRDCH messages. The N different preambles can be fixed in the standard specification and are assumed to be known to the A-IoT device and the A-IoT device can attempt to detect the preamble transmitted on PRDCH using the prior knowledge about the N different preambles (e.g. via hypothesis testing or via trial-and-error).In a sub-embodiment, there can be a one-to-one mapping between the N preambles and the PRDCH messages (i.e., N=M) such that each preamble uniquely corresponds to one PRDCH message type. Alternatively, one preamble may correspond to more than one PRDCH message types e.g. same preamble is used for the PRDCH carrying SI only and the PRDCH carrying both SI and control information.

[0050] Scrambling: Different scrambling sequences can be defined for distinguishing between PRDCH message types and certain bits of the PRDCH message can be scrambled using the scrambling sequence. For example, the CRC bits can be scrambled using binary sequences (e.g. Hadamard sequences). Alternatively, or in addition to bit-level scrambling, the scrambling can also be done at a higher granularity e.g. at PRDCH symbol level, or at a group- of-symbols level, or at a time interval level, or across PRDCH repetitions (if one or more repetitions are needed), or at OFDM symbol / subframe / slot level.

[0051] Payload bits: The type of PRDCH message is indicated using N payload bits (or alternatively up to N payload bits). When the A-IoT device decodes the relevant payload bits, it can determine the type of PRDCH message and can therefore know how to process and decode the rest of the message. For example, different PRDCH message may have different fields or interpretation of bits even if the size of payload is the same.

[0052] Control information: a field can indicate a PRDCH message type, for example between control+data and control+SI. It is applicable to a PRDCH which carries command (e.g., inventory query) or system information. The PRDCH targets multiple devices, which would respond with their inventory IDs or save / update the system information accordingly.

[0053] In one embodiment, a common physical layer structure for PRDCH is defined regardless of the type of information carried by it. For example, control information always precedes data information and / or SI in PRDCH.In another example, a fixed message format for PRDCH is defined to carry control (and potentially some or all SI) which is always transmitted. Therefore, the A-IoT does not need to test multiple hypotheses for the message formats when decoding this first message. This first message contains control information (e.g. format) for the subsequent message or the one or more subsequent messages. It may also contain SI. The subsequent messages may have different formats or types and the UE can decode the subsequent message or messages by using the information sent in the control message. In one example, a control message is always sent before a (non-control, i.e., data) PDRCH message. In another example, a control message is applicable to the N subsequent (non-control) messages sent after a control message and need not be sent before every non-control message. This number N can be fixed in the specification or indicated in the control message. E.g. N=1 or N= 2, etc.

[0054] In one embodiment, an N-bit parameter is included in a PRDCH message format to indicate the format of the subsequent PRDCH message or the one or more subsequent PRDCH messages. For example, a 1 -bit parameter can indicate to the A-IoT device if the next PRDCH transmission will have the same format or a different format as that of the current PRDCH message. In another example, a 1-bit parameter is used to indicate one of the two PRDCH formats used for the subsequent message. This information will enable the A-IoT device to reduce the number of hypotheses to test while detecting and decoding the subsequent PRDCH messages.

[0055] In one embodiment, the PRDCH message type is implicitly indicated by an address field. The address field’s primary purpose is to indicate which device(s) that the PRDCH message transmission is intended for:• If the address field indicates the ID of a single device, the PRDCH transmission is a dedicated transmission to that device.• If the address field indicates the IDs for a group of devices, the PRDCH transmission is a multicast transmission to that group of devices. For example, the address field can include a bit mask that can be used to select the group of device IDs (e.g., a range of device IDs) that the PRDCH transmission is intended for.• If the address field indicates the IDs for all devices, the PRDCH transmission is a broadcast transmission to all devices in the coverage area of the reader. For example, if the address field includes a bit mask as mentioned above, all devices can be selected by setting the bit mask to all ones (or all zeros, depending on the definition of the bit mask).

[0056] The possibility to address any individual device, or a group of devices, or all devices (as described above) provides a way for the reader to convey system information or other control information efficiently to devices.• The system information or other control information can for example be in the form of messages and parameters encoded as RRC ASN.1 information.• The reader can convey common system information or other common control information to all devices within its coverage by transmitting it over a PRDCH addressed to all devices.• The reader can convey dedicated system information or other dedicated control information to a single device or a group of devices by transmitting it over a PRDCH addressed to a single device or a group of devices.Distinguishing between PDRCH message types and / or A-IoT device types

[0057] Unlike PRDCH which is transmitted by the 3GPP “reader” such as the gNB or an intermediate node (e.g. network-controlled UE or repeater) or a CW node, PDRCH will be transmitted by the A-IoT device (e.g. either using backscatter communication or by active generation and transmission of the PDRCH signal without resorting to backscattering). Therefore, SI is not expected to be transmitted on PDRCH. This means that a PDRCH may carry the data, or control information or both data and control information for the 3 GPP reader.

[0058] In one embodiment, different formats or message structures are defined for PDRCH depending on the type of information (e.g. control only, or data only, or control+data) carried by it. In another embodiment, different formats or message structures are defined for PDRCH depending on the A-IoT device type. For example, a PDRCH from a passive device may not carry any control information whereas that transmitted from an active device may carry some control information (e.g. ACK / NACK for a previous PRDCH, or information about the energy state information i.e. how many transmissions and / or receptions can the A-IoT device support before requiring recharging via energy harvesting). In yet another embodiment, different formats or message structures are defined for PDRCH depending on the type of information carried by PDRCH and the A-IoT device type.

[0059] To achieve the above objectives, one or more of the methods defined for PRDCH above can be used for PDRCH.

[0060] In one embodiment, the PDRCH message types / formats can be coupled with the PRDCH message type / formats. For example, a certain PDRCH message format may correspond to a PDRCH message format such that the reader knows which channel to expect in response. This can reduce the need to distinguish between a large set of message formats. In another example, a certain PDRCH message format may correspond to two PDRCH message formats. The reader need only check two hypotheses when decoding the PDRCH and the A- loT device need not include any information to distinguish between the two formats. Such dependency between PDRCH and PRDCH can help reduce the need to distinguish between a large set of message formats as well as the need to explicitly distinguish between different formats / message types.

[0061] In one embodiment, a common physical layer structure for PDRCH is defined regardless of the type of information carried by it.Content of SI

[0062] One or more of the following (where each of the information can be indicated using one or more bits e.g. using a 1 -bit indicator) can be carried by PRDCH:• Information about PDRCH and / or PRDCH time / frequency resources• Information about the PDRCH format / type, and transmit parameter configuration e.g. number of repetitions, maximum number of repetitions, transmit power level, modulation scheme, etc. to use for device transmissions on PDRCH or on other physical channels• Information about one or more received signal strength thresholds (e.g., RSRP threshold, RSRQ threshold or other threshold defined as a function of the received signal strength at the A-IoT device) to assist the A-IoT device in determining one or more of transmission parameters such as transmit power, number of repetitions, PDRCH formats / types to be used for transmission on PDRCH, etc. For example, it can be fixed in the specification that two such threshold values LI and L2 can be used and indicated by the reader to the A- loT device. In addition, a received signal strength measurement RSSM=function(received signal strength) can be defined for A-IoT device where RSRP is one example of RSSM. If RSSM<L1, then a first parameter configuration can be used, if L1<=RSSM<L2, then a second parameter configuration can be used, and if RSSM>L2, then a third parameter configuration can be used. These parameter configurations can be entirely fixed in the standard specification. Alternatively or additionally, they can be entirely or partially indicated by the reader to the A-IoT device (e.g., transmit power can be fixed and number of repetitions to be used for each configuration can be indicated by the reader; in another example, the PDRCH format to be used can be fixed depending on the RSSM level relative to the regions defined by thresholds LI, L2). a. If an A-IoT device is incapable of determining its RSSM, it uses the default configuration defined in the standard or indicated by the reader, e.g. it can use the configuration corresponding to RSSM <L1.b. In another embodiment, separate thresholds are defined and indicated depending on the device type. For example, a single threshold LI is indicated (i.e. only two potential transmit parameter configurations) and is only applicable to active A-IoT devices. Passive A-IoT devices can ignore the threshold. In another example, a single threshold LI _passive is defined for passive A-IoT devices and LI a is defined for active A- loT devices and both can be indicated by the reader. An active A-IoT device will determine the parameter configuration based on Ll_a and the passive A-IoT device will determine its parameter configuration based on Li b. c. A N-bit flag is defined to indicate whether A-IoT device are required to select a configuration / PDRCH format / type based on the indicated thresholds. For example, a 1 -bit flag indicates to all devices whether to consider thresholds in determining parameter configuration or PDRCH format / type selection. Otherwise, the default behavior can be defined in the standard specification i.e. which parameter configuration / PDRCH channel / type selection to use. Another option is that it can be left up to A-IoT device implementation to select which parameter configuration / PDRCH channel / type to use. d. Alternatively, instead of defining the N-bit flag, if threshold levels are not indicated by the reader, then the A-IoT device follows the default behavior defined in the standard specification i.e. which parameter configuration / PDRCH channel / type selection to use. Another option is that it can be left up to A-IoT device implementation to select which parameter configuration / PDRCH channel / type to use.• Information about whether proximity determination needs to be performed by the A-IoT device• Information about whether proximity determination result needs to be reported by the A-IoT device• Information about the threshold value to be used for proximity determination e.g. a set of 2K, K > 1 threshold values can be defined in the standard and reader can indicate it using a K-bit parameter. Alternatively, a single threshold value can be defined in the standard and need not be indicated. The threshold valuecan be common for all A-IoT device types / category / capability. Alternatively, separate sets of threshold values can be defined depending on the A-IoT device types / class / capabilities. In yet another alternative, the threshold value is not fixed in the standard but is indicated by the reader e.g. using a Q-bit parameter. The threshold value can be common for all A-IoT device types / category / capability. Alternatively, separate sets of threshold values can be indicated depending on the A-IoT device types / class / capabilities.• Information about whether the gNB or the intermediate node (network- controlled UE) is used as a reader• Information about whether CWT is used or not• Information indicating device type or category for which PRDCH transmission is intended e.g. passive device only, or active device only; another example is active device only, or passive device only, or both active and passive devices.• Information whether PRDCH is intended for all A-IoT device types or not.• Information about access class barring e.g. if passive devices are prohibited from transmitting on PDRCH• Information about time / frequency resources for contention-free access to reader• Information related to channel quality measurement and reporting• Information about the PRDCH / PDRCH message format to be used for next transmission, e.g., message format, or length of CRC used, TBS or payload size used, etc.• Information related to cell identity, radio network temporary identifier to be used for A-IoT response or random access, etc.Content of Control Information

[0063] One or more of the following examples (where each of the information can be indicated using one or more bits e.g. using a 1-bit indicator) can be carried in control information by PRDCH or PDRCH.

[0064] One or more of the following (where each of the information can be indicated using one or more bits e.g. using a 1-bit indicator) can be carried by PRDCH:• One or more of the information, signalling or methods described above regarding content of system information• Information about PDRCH and PRDCH time / frequency resources• Whether gaps for energy harvesting are supported e.g. a 1 -bit indicator can be used to enable / disable energy harvesting or recharging gaps. If energy harvesting gaps are disabled, then the A-IoT device connection is terminated when it does not have sufficient energy. If energy harvesting gap is enabled, then the A-IoT device can attempt to recharge during the gap duration and resume the connection after the end of the gap.• Start time for the energy harvesting gap e.g. the gap may start at the end of the current PDRCH transmission or PRDCH reception• Duration for the energy harvesting gap e.g. it can be set equal to the “time to recharge parameter value” reported by the A-IoT device. Alternatively, the reader can configure a different value for the energy harvesting gap. If the reader does not explicitly configure a value for the energy harvesting gap, then the default value can be the one reported by the A-IoT device.

[0065] One or more of the following (where each of the information can be indicated using one or more bits e.g. using a 1 -bit indicator) can be carried by PDRCH:• Feedback e.g. 1 -bit ACK / NACK for the previous PRDCH message; and / or for the N previous PRDCH messages where N is fixed in the standard and / or the range of N is fixed in the standard and one value is indicated by the reader to A-IoT device or the range of N is fixed in the standard and one value is reported by the A-IoT device in addition to the feedback.• Information about the result of proximity determination performed by the A- loT device (e.g. using a 1 -bit indicator to indicate if it is near or far from the reader; and / or using a 1 -bit indicator to indicate if it is near or far from the CWT node; or using a 1-bit indicator to indicate if the A-IoT device was able to perform proximity determination or not). In one embodiment, this information is only included if the reader has indicated e.g. using PRDCH that proximity determination needs to be reported to the reader.• Information about channel quality measurement e.g. a coarse channel quality information can be indicated to the reader. One or more threshold levels for channel quality measurement can be defined in the specification, and the A-IoT device can measure the PRDCH signal strength (e.g. similar to RSSM and related procedures defined in previous sections) and report the value that is closest to its measured value. Alternatively, the one or more threshold levels forRSSM can be indicated by the reader and the A-IoT device can report the range in which its estimated RSSM measurement lies. Alternatively or additionally, the A-IoT device can report the measured RSSM value if configured by the network.• A-IoT device reports information to assist the reader is determining the energy profile or energy availability of the A-IoT device. In one embodiment, the A- loT device can report its estimate for the number of PDRCH transmissions that the device can transmit until the occurrence of an energy -related event E. In another embodiment, the A-IoT device can indicate its estimate for the number of PRDCH transmissions that the device can successfully receive until the occurrence of an energy -related event E. a. Where energy related event E can refer to the depletion of energy e.g. below a certain threshold, or the need to replenish the energy, or the opportunity or requirement to harvest energy, etc. b. The information about the number of PDRCH transmissions (and / or number of PRDCH receptions) can be reported using N-bit parameter. E.g. 1 -bit parameter to indicate whether the device can support 3 or more transmissions or not. In another example, a 1 -bit parameter to indicate whether the device can support 2 transmissions without requiring recharge or not. c. Alternatively a range of values for the number of PDRCH transmission (and / or number of PRDCH receptions) to be reported can be fixed in the specification and the A-IoT can report a value closest to its own estimate. E.g., a set of 4 values { 1, 2, 8, 16} can be defined in the standard specification and reported by the A-IoT device using a 2 -bit parameter. If it reports bit values 00, then the device can support only 1 PDRCH transmission without requiring a gap to recharge.• A-IoT device reports its power headroom report to the reader• A-IoT device can report its estimated recharge time needed to recharge before resuming reception and / or transmission operations. A range of values for the recharge time duration can be fixed in the specification and the A-IoT can report a value closest to its own estimate. E.g. a set of values { 1 sec, 10 sec, 20 sec, 50 sec or more} can be defined for the recharge time and reported by the A-IoTdevice using a 2 -bit parameter. The reader may use this information to schedule resources, configure parameters for the A-IoT device and to trigger the A-IoT device accordingly.• A-IoT device can report its buffer status report and / or if it has new data to transmit e.g. using a 1-bit indicator so that the reader can schedule resources accordingly.• A-IoT device capability information e.g. device category, power class, quality of timing / frequency or clock accuracy or synchronization capability (e.g. if it supports baseline sample frequency offset accuracy of at least 10A5 PPM or a superior accuracy of at least 10A3 ppm), recharge time duration, energy storage capability (e.g. large energy storage or small energy storage), whether A-IoT device relies on RF energy harvesting only or not, etc., maximum TBS size or payload size supported by the A-IoT device, maximum buffer size supported by the A-IoT device, antenna configuration supported by the A-IoT device, modulation scheme supported on PDRCH / PRDCH or other channels, etc.

[0066] As discussed above regarding distinguishing between PDRCH message types and / or A-IoT device types, different formats or message structures are defined for PDRCH depending on the type of information (e.g. control only, or data only, or control+data). The control information listed in this section above is not restricted to be transmitted in PDRCH with format of ‘control only’.

[0067] In another embodiment, some of the aforementioned control information in this section can be transmitted in PDRCH with format of ‘data only’, namely without the field of control in PDRCH. Either the PDRCH doesn’t carry any other data, or the control information can be piggybacked with other data information.

[0068] For example, information about the result of proximity determination can be transmitted as data information alone or piggybacked with the device’s sensor data.

[0069] A sub-embodiment is how to piggyback control information with data information can be based on predetermined rules, e.g., control information transmitted ahead of data information, a payload size limit of the piggybacked control information.Additional Embodiments

[0070] A possible method embodiment under the present disclosure is shown in Figure 3. Method 600 comprises a method performed by an A-IoT device for communicating with areader device. Step 610 is receiving, over PRDCH, a first message, the first message comprising system information and / or control information and / or data information, wherein the system information and / or control information and / or data information comprise an indication of how to interpret one or more PRDCH messages between a reader and the A-IoT device. Step 620 is receiving, from the reader over PRDCH, the one or more PRDCH messages. Step 630 is interpreting the one or more PRDCH messages according to the indication. Method 600 can comprise a variety of additional, alternative, and / or optional steps.

[0071] Another possible method embodiment under the present disclosure is shown in Figure 4. Method 800 comprises a method performed by a reader device for communicating with an A-IoT device. Step 810 is transmitting, over PRDCH to an A-IoT device, a first message and one or more PRDCH messages, wherein the first message comprises system information and / or control information and / or data information, wherein the system information and / or control information and / or data information comprises an indication to the A-IoT device of how to interpret the one or more PRDCH messages between the reader and the A-IoT device. Method 800 can comprise a variety of additional, alternative, and / or optional steps.

[0072] Figure 5 shows an example of a communication system 3100 in accordance with some embodiments. In the example, the communication system 3100 includes a telecommunication network 3102 that includes an access network 3104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 3106, which includes one or more core network nodes 3108. The access network 3104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 3110a and 3110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 3110), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non- 3GPP access points. Network nodes 3108, 3110a / b can comprise A-IoT reader devices or A- loT devices. UEs 3112 can comprise A-IoT reader devices. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 3102 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 3102 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in thetelecommunication network 3102, including one or more network nodes 3110 and / or core network nodes 3108.

[0073] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O- CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 3110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 3112a, 3112b, 3112c, and 3112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 3112) to the core network 3106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0074] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 3100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 3100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0075] The UEs 3112 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 3110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 3110 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 3112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 3102 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or toperform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 3102. UEs 3112 can comprise A-IoT reader devices.

[0076] In the depicted example, the core network 3106 connects the network nodes 3110 to one or more host computing systems, such as host 3116. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 3106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 3108) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 3108. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0077] The host 3116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 3104 and / or the telecommunication network 3102. The host 3116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0078] As a whole, the communication system 3100 of Figure 5 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0079] In some examples, the telecommunication network 3102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 3102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 3102. For example, the telecommunications network 3102 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0080] In some examples, the UEs 3112 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 3104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 3104. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi -standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN- DC).

[0081] In the example, the hub 3114 communicates with the access network 3104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 3112c and / or 3112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 3110b). In some examples, the hub 3114 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 3114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 3106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 3114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 3110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 3114. As another example, the hub 3114 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 3114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR device, display, loudspeaker, or other media delivery device, the hub 3114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 3114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after addingadditional local content. In still another example, the hub 3114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0082] The hub 3114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 3110b. The hub 3114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 3114 and UEs (e.g., UE 3112c and / or 3112d), and between the hub 3114 and the core network 3106. In other examples, the hub 3114 is connected to the core network 3106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 3114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 3104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 3110 while still connected via the hub 3114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 3114 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 3110b. In other embodiments, the hub 3114 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 3110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0083] Figure 6 shows a UE 3200 in accordance with some embodiments. UE 3200 can comprise A-IoT reader devices. The UE 3200 presents additional details of some embodiments of the UE 3112 of Figure 5. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage / playback device, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop -embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), an Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0084] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle- to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense ofa human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0085] The UE 3200 includes processing circuitry 3202 that is operatively coupled via a bus 3204 to an input / output interface 3206, a power source 3208, a memory 3210, a communication interface 3212, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 6. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0086] The processing circuitry 3202 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 3210. The processing circuitry 3202 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general -purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 3202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0087] In the example, the input / output interface 3206 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 3200. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as aninput device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0088] In some embodiments, the power source 3208 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 3208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 3208 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 3200 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 3208. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 3208 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 3200 to which power is supplied.

[0089] The memory 3210 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 3210 includes one or more application programs 3214, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 3216. The memory 3210 may store, for use by the UE 3200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0090] The memory 3210 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD- DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 3210 may allow the UE 3200 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing acommunication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 3210, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0091] The processing circuitry 3202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 3212. The communication interface 3212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 3222. The communication interface 3212 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 3218 and / or a receiver 3220 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 3218 and receiver 3220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 3222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0092] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 3212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0093] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 3212, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0094] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0095] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 3200 shown in Figure 6.

[0096] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0097] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE mayadjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0098] Figure 7 shows a network node 3300 in accordance with some embodiments. Network nodes 3300 can comprise A-IoT reader devices or A-IoT devices. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)), 0-RAN nodes or components of an 0-RAN node (e.g, O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0099] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an 0-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0100] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi -standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0101] The network node 3300 includes a processing circuitry 3302, a memory 3304, a communication interface 3306, and a power source 3308. The network node 3300 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 3300 comprisesmultiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 3300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 3304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 3310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 3300 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 3300, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 3300.

[0102] The processing circuitry 3302 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 3300 components, such as the memory 3304, to provide network node 3300 functionality.

[0103] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 3302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 3302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 3312 and baseband processing circuitry 3314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 3312 and the baseband processing circuitry 3314 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 3312 and baseband processing circuitry 3314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0104] The memory 3304 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computerexecutable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 3302. The memory 3304 may store any suitable instructions, data,or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 3302 and utilized by the network node 3300. The memory 3304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 3302 and / or any data received via the communication interface 3306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 3302 and memory 3304 is integrated.

[0105] The communication interface 3306 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 3306 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 3316 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 3306 also includes radio front-end circuitry 3318 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 3310. Radio front-end circuitry 3318 comprises filters 3320 and amplifiers 3322. The radio front-end circuitry 3318 may be connected to an antenna 3310 and processing circuitry 3302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 3310 and processing circuitry 3302. The radio front-end circuitry 3318 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 3318 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 3320 and / or amplifiers 3322. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 3310. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 3310 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 3318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 3302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0106] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 3300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 3318, instead, the processing circuitry 3302 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 3310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 3312 is part of the communication interface 3306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 3306 includes one or more ports or terminals 3316, the radio front-end circuitry 3318, and the RF transceiver circuitry 3312, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 3306 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 3314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0107] The antenna 3310 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 3310 may be coupled to the radio frontend circuitry 3318 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving dataand / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 3310 is separate from the network node 3300 and connectable to the network node 3300 through an interface or port.

[0108] The antenna 3310, communication interface 3306, and / or the processing circuitry 3302 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 3310, the communication interface 3306, and / or the processing circuitry 3302 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0109] The power source 3308 provides power to the various components of network node 3300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 3308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 3300 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 3300 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 3308. As a further example, the power source 3308 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0110] Embodiments of the network node 3300 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 7 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 3300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 3300 and to allow output of information from the network node 3300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 3300. In some embodiments providing a core network node, such as core network node 3108 of Figure 5, some components, such as the radio front-end circuitry 3318 and the RF transceiver circuitry 3312 may be omitted.

[0111] Figure 8 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 3400 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may includevirtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 3400 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 3400 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface. Virtualization may facilitate distributed implementations of a network node, UE, core network node, or host.

[0112] Applications 3402 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 3400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0113] Hardware 3404 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 3406 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 3408a and 3408b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 3408), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 3406 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 3408.

[0114] The VMs 3408 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 3406. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 3402 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 3408, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0115] In the context of NFV, a VM 3408 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 3408, and that part of hardware 3404 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 3408 on top of the hardware 3404 and corresponds to the application 3402.

[0116] Hardware 3404 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 3404 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 3404 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 3410, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 3402. In some embodiments, hardware 3404 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 3412 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0117] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or thefunctionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0118] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0119] Some descriptions of certain embodiments use the terms UE or a wireless device interchangeably. The UE herein can be any type of wireless device capable of communicating with a network node or another UE over radio signals. The UE may also be a radio communication device, target device, device to device (D2D) UE, machine type UE or UE capable of machine to machine communication (M2M), low-cost and / or low-complexity UE, a sensor equipped with UE, tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), universal serial bus (USB) dongles, Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (loT) device, or a Narrowband loT (NB- IOT) device, etc.

Claims

ClaimsWhat is claimed is:

1. A method (600) performed by an ambient Internet of Things, A-IoT, device for communicating with a reader, the method comprising: receiving (610), over PRDCH, a first message, the first message comprising system information and / or control information and / or data information, wherein the system information and / or control information and / or data information comprise an indication of how to interpret one or more PRDCH messages between the reader (3200, 3300) and the A-IoT device; receiving (620) from the reader, over PRDCH, the one or more PRDCH messages; and interpreting (630) the one or more PRDCH messages according to the indication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication comprises at least one of: a preamble to the one or more PRDCH messages; a starting sequence of the one or more PRDCH messages; a timing acquisition signal associated with the one or more PRDCH messages.

3. The method of any of claims 1 or 2, wherein how to interpret is based at least in part on one or more of: preamble partitioning; scrambling; one or more payload bits; control information; an address field.

4. The method of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first message is sent using at least one of: layer 1 signaling; layer 2 signaling; a combination of any of the foregoing.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the indication is configured to indicate how to distinguish between one or more intended recipient device types, wherein the one or more intended recipient device types comprise at least one of: a passive A-IoT device; an active A- loT device.

6. The method of any of claims 1 to 5, further comprising transmitting on a Physical Device to Reader Channel, PDRCH, to the reader, an energy status indication.

7. The method of any of claims 1 to 6, further comprising performing preamble partitioning on one or more preambles associated with at least one of: the first message; the indication; theone or more PRDCH messages.

8. The method of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein different formats and / or message structures are defined for the one or more PRDCH messages depending on the first message comprising at least one of: system information only; control information only; data only; control information and data; system information and data; system information and control information; system information, control information, and data.

9. The method of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein how to interpret the one or more PRDCH messages depends at least in part on an intended A-IoT recipient device type.

10. The method of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein, regardless of the indication of the first message, a common physical layer structure is defined for at least one of: the one or more PRDCH messages; one or more Physical Device to Reader Channel, PDRCH, messages.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein control information is defined to always precede data information and / or system information.

12. The method of any of claims 1 to 11, wherein an N-bit parameter is included in the first message to indicate a format of at least one of the one or more PRDCH messages.

13. The method of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein a format of the one or more PRDCH messages indicates to the A-IoT device to use one or more associated formats when transmitting one or more Physical Device to Reader Channel, PDRCH, messages to the reader.

14. The method of any of claims 1 to 13, wherein an address field of the first message comprises an identifier of at least one of: a group of devices; a single device; all devices.

15. A method (800) performed by a reader device (3200, 3300) for communicating with an ambient Internet of Things, A-IoT, device, the method comprising: transmitting (810), over Physical Reader to Device Channel, PRDCH, to an A-IoT device, a first message and one or more PRDCH messages, wherein the first message comprises system information and / or control information and / or data information, wherein the system information and / or control information and / or data information comprises an indication to theA-IoT device of how to interpret the one or more PRDCH messages between the reader and the A-IoT device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the indication comprises at least one of: a preamble to the one or more PRDCH messages; a starting sequence of the one or more PRDCH messages; a timing acquisition signal associated with the one or more PRDCH messages.

17. The method of any of claims 15 or 16, wherein the first message is sent using at least one of: layer 1 signaling; layer 2 signaling; a combination of any of the foregoing.

18. The method of any of claims 15 to 17, wherein the indication is configured to indicate how to distinguish between one or more intended recipient device types, wherein the one or more intended recipient device types comprise at least one of: a passive A-IoT device; an active A-IoT device.

19. The method of any of claims 15 to 18, further comprising receiving, from the A-IoT device, an energy status indication.

20. The method of any of claims 15 to 19, wherein different formats and / or message structures are defined for the one or more PRDCH messages depending on the first message comprising at least one of: system information only; control information only; data only; control information and data; system information and data; system information and control information; system information, control information, and data.

21. The method of any of claims 15 to 20, wherein how to interpret the one or more PRDCH messages depends at least in part on an intended A-IoT recipient device type.

22. The method of any of claims 15 to 21, wherein, regardless of the indication, a common physical layer structure is defined for at least one of: the one or more PRDCH messages; one or more Physical Device to Reader Channel, PDRCH, messages.

23. The method of any of claims 15 to 22, wherein an N-bit parameter is included in the first message to indicate a format of at least one of the one or more PRDCH messages.

24. The method of any of claims 15 to 23, wherein a format of the one or more PRDCH messages indicates to the A-IoT device to use one or more associated formats when transmitting one or more Physical Device to Reader Channel, PDRCH, messages to the reader.

25. The method of any of claims 15 to 24, wherein an address field of the first message comprises an identifier of at least one of: a group of devices; a single device; all devices26. An ambient Internet of Things, A-IoT, device for communicating with a reader device, comprising: processing circuitry (3302) configured to perform any of the steps of any of claims 1 to 14; and power supply circuitry (3308) configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

27. An ambient Internet of Things, A-IoT, device for communicating with a reader device, comprising: processing circuitry (3302); and a memory (3304) containing instructions whereby the processing circuitry is operable to perform the steps of: receiving (610), over Physical Reader to Device Channel, PRDCH, a first message, the first message comprising system information and / or control information and / or data information, wherein the system information and / or control information and / or data information comprise an indication of how to interpret one or more PRDCH messages between a reader (3200, 3300) and the A-IoT device; receiving (620), from the reader over PRDCH, the one or more PRDCH messages; and interpreting (630) the one or more PRDCH messages according to the indication.

28. A reader device (3200, 3300) for communicating with an ambient Internet of Things, A- loT, device, comprising: processing circuitry (3302) configured to perform any of the steps of any of claims 15 to 25; and power supply circuitry (3308) configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

29. An reader device (3200, 3300) for communicating with an ambient Internet of Things, A-IoT, device, comprising: processing circuitry (3302); and a memory (3308) containing instructions whereby the processing circuitry is operable to perform the steps of: transmitting (810), over PRDCH to the A-IoT device, a first message and one or more PRDCH messages, wherein the first message comprises system information and / or control information and / or data information, wherein the system information and / or control information and / or data information comprises an indication to the A-IoT device of how to interpret the one or more PRDCH messages.

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