Method for optimising the operation of a receiver device in a communications network

Abstract

The present application relates to a method for optimising the operation of a receiver device in a communications network, the method comprising: o at least one iteration: ▪ of obtaining (21), over a time interval, an item of information lpr relating to the measurement of the power of a resulting wave of signals received by the receiver device, a first of the signals being transmitted by a transmitter device, a second of the signals being obtained by reflection of the first signal transmitted by the transmitter device off a reconfigurable reflective surface, and at least a third of the signals being formed by conditional backscattering of the first signal and / or of the second signal by a backscattering device and carrying an item of synchronisation information; ▪ of determining (22), on the basis of the obtained power measurement information, a spatial distribution of powers; o optimising (23) the operation of the receiver device, comprising adapting the spatial distribution of powers while taking account of the synchronisation information.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] Title of the invention: Method for optimizing the operation of a receiving device in a communications network

[0003] 1. Scope of the invention

[0004] The present application falls within the field of wireless telecommunications networks comprising at least one reflective surface and a backscattering device.

[0005] 2. State of the art

[0006] Fixed and mobile connected devices, such as sensors used in the IoT (Internet of Things) or smartphones in the mobile phone sector, have become essential in our daily lives. They can be used in physical environments where network coverage is sometimes insufficient for optimal reception of communication signals by the devices.

[0007] To increase the communication capabilities of terminals, various technological improvements have been implemented, including the use of amplifiers. While these devices boost the terminal signal and thus improve reception within the coverage area, they require a constant power supply even when no terminal is present and are potentially subject to regulatory limits on transmission power.

[0008] The integration of more advanced components (such as higher-quality antennas) into terminals has also led to improved communication performance, but it also presents drawbacks such as increased integration costs due to greater design and engineering complexity (for example, the increased size resulting from a potentially higher density of transmit and receive hardware components). The expansion of frequency bands used by terminals contributes to increased communication capabilities but also increases the risk of interference and network congestion.

[0009] The purpose of this application is to propose improvements to at least some of the drawbacks of the state of the art.

[0010] 3. Description of the invention

[0011] This application aims to improve the situation by means of a method for optimizing the operation of at least one first receiving device in a communication network, the communication network comprising at least one transmitting device, at least one reflective surface and at least one backscattering device, the method being implemented in a control device of the communication network and comprising: o at least one iteration:

[0012] ■ obtaining at least one piece of information lp r representative of a power measurement of a wave received by at least one receiving device, resulting from signals from the transmitting device, the reconfigurable reflective surface and the backscattering device, the backscattered signal of which carries at least one synchronization information including a value representative of a phase shift applied to the reconfigurable reflective surface;

[0013] ■ a determination, from said at least one information representative of a power measurement of at least one resulting wave obtained, of at least one spatial distribution of radio electric powers over at least said time interval; an optimization of the operation of at least said first receiving device including an adaptation of said at least one spatial distribution of powers taking into account said at least one synchronization information.

[0014] Thus, the proposed solution plans to obtain and adapt a spatial distribution, or mapping, of radio electrical powers in a communication network, in order to optimize the operation of a receiving device in this communication network.

[0015] Within the framework of the invention, the power distribution is determined by means of power measurements of at least one wave resulting from signals received by at least one first receiving device, at least one first of the signals being emitted by at least one emitting device, at least one second of said signals being obtained by reflection of said first signal emitted by said emitting device on at least one reconfigurable reflective surface and at least one third of said signals being formed by a conditional backscattering of at least said first signal and / or said second signal by at least one backscattering device, the backscattering device operating in a plurality of backscattering statuses and said at least one third of said signals carrying, in at least one of said backscattering statuses, at least one synchronization information, allowing a received power to be associated with a reception time.In this way, the control device can know the configuration of the different network entities, and in particular the configuration of the reconfigurable reflective surface, at each time the received power is measured. The power mapping adaptation relies in particular on this synchronization information, specifically to adapt the configuration of the reconfigurable reflective surface to optimize the operation of a given receiving device. Obtaining a power map over several time intervals is possible thanks to the variation of the phase shift of the reconfigurable reflective surface. Indeed, such a modification of the phase shift value of the reflective surface leads to a modification of the second signal obtained by reflection of the first signal on the reflective surface, and therefore a modification of the power of the signal received by the receiving device.The distribution of powers, at a given instant t, is therefore modified compared to the previous instant, and a map of the received powers can thus be obtained for different values ​​of phase shift of the reflective surface.

[0016] For example, the modification of the phase shift value of the reflective surface is implemented via the sending of a command by the controller device to the reflective surface.

[0017] For example, the synchronization information corresponds to a phase shift value of said reconfigurable reflective surface.

[0018] Thus, the third signal carries specific synchronization information representing the phase shift applied to the reconfigurable reflective surface, at least during the time interval in which the receiving device transmits a received power measurement. Since the phase shift value changes periodically, transmitting information representing the phase shift value at the time of the power measurement can therefore serve as synchronization, allowing the control device to know the phase shift value at the time of the power measurement and to take it into account for optimizing the operation of the receiving device.

[0019] According to a particular characteristic, said at least one third of said signals is formed by a backscattering of at least said first signal and / or said second signal modulated by said at least one synchronization information when at least one backscattering device is operating in a variable backscattering mode.

[0020] Thus, this encoding of a synchronization parameter (for example a configuration parameter of the reflective surface, such as the value of the phase shift of the reflective surface), by modulation of the third conditional backscatter signal with a synchronization data, also called timestamp or timestamp for example, allows to transmit to the receiving devices a synchronization information to be associated with a power measurement at a time t.

[0021] To do this, the process takes advantage of the fact that the backscattering device can operate in several modes, including a variable mode called MIX, alternating between a so-called transparent, or OFF, state, during which no signal is backscattered, and a so-called backscattering, or ON, state, during which the TAG backscatters the same signal.

[0022] When the synchronization information corresponds to a reconfigurable reflective surface configuration parameter, for example, one representing the phase shift value applied to the reflective surface, the phase shift value can be encoded using this MIX mode. Furthermore, the ON and OFF modes can be used to allow the receiving device to detect the start of a MIX sequence and thus decode the corresponding phase shift value. This process also includes obtaining at least one synchronization information. Therefore, the receiving device transmits, along with the measured power, the synchronization information carried by the received signal, thus enabling the controller to associate a received power measurement with synchronization information.This association then allows it to know, in particular, the phase shift value applied to the reflecting surface at the time of the received power measurement, and therefore to identify which phase shift value produces a power distribution centered on a given receiving device. According to a specific aspect, said at least one spatial power distribution corresponds to a spatial distribution of power antinodes, and the matching corresponds to an adaptation of said at least one spatial distribution of power antinodes and includes: o the identification of a power antinode for at least said first receiving device, o the determination of the value of said synchronization information obtained corresponding to the identified power antinode, o the configuration of said reflecting surface taking into account said determined value.

[0023] Recall that a power antinode is a region in space where received signals are in phase and constructively overlap, resulting in an increase in signal power at that precise location. In other words, signals from different sources combine to strengthen the signal at these specific locations. If a terminal, or receiving device, is located at a specific position corresponding to a power antinode, its connectivity and communication capabilities are optimized. The present invention therefore aims to modify the spatial distribution of previously obtained power antinodes so that at least one power antinode corresponds to a given location of a receiving device.

[0024] Thus, once the controller has obtained one or more spatial distributions of power antinodes for one or more receiving devices, according to the different phase shift values ​​successively applied to the reflecting surface, the controller can identify a distribution in which a power antinode is centered on a given receiving device. The controller then determines, using the synchronization information obtained with each received power measurement, which phase shift value of the reflecting surface corresponds to this power antinode, and selects this phase shift value as the reflecting surface parameter, so as to position the power antinode on the given receiving device.

[0025] For example, this configuration of the reflective surface with the phase shift value corresponding to a power antinode centered on a given receiving device can be applied for a particular duration, corresponding for example to a communication duration of the receiving device in question.

[0026] In one embodiment, the process is implemented for a plurality of receiving devices in the communication network. In this way, the phase of obtaining received power measurements and determining power antinode maps is implemented simultaneously for several receiving devices, so that the maps can then be adapted for any one of these receiving devices.

[0027] In one embodiment, the backscattering device operates in a plurality of backscattering statuses, the obtaining step being carried out over a time interval corresponding to an operating time of the backscattering device with the same status, the status being representative of either a constant backscattering mode of the backscattering device, or a variable backscattering mode.

[0028] In this way, a received power measurement is obtained for each time interval during which the status of the backscattering device is known and predetermined, namely a constant 'ON' or 'OFF' mode, or a variable 'MIX' mode corresponding to a succession of 'ON' and 'OFF' states. This makes it possible, in particular, during operation of the backscattering device in variable mode, to obtain received power measurements associated with the phase shift value of the reconfigurable reflecting surface and then to determine power antinodes associated with different phase shift values.

[0029] For example, the optimization of the operation of at least the first said receiving device is triggered upon request from said receiving device.

[0030] Thus, for example, when a receiving device, such as one in a vehicle, acts as a relay within the Sidelink technology, it can request to be located in a power antinode. This triggers the power antinode distribution adaptation, enabling it to provide connectivity to other vehicles in the system. This power antinode distribution adaptation can then be modified for another receiving device in the communication network.

[0031] In another aspect, the present application also relates to an electronic device comprising at least one processor configured to implement the method of the present application in any of its embodiments. Such a device corresponds to a controller device in a communication network, the communication network comprising at least one transmitting device, at least one reflective surface, and at least one backscattering device, and at least one receiving device, the controller device comprising at least one processor configured to: obtain at least one piece of information representative of a power measurement of a wave received by at least one receiving device, resulting from signals originating from the transmitting device, the reconfigurable reflective surface, and the backscattering device, the backscattered signal of which carries, when the backscattering device is operating in at least one particular backscattering state,at least one synchronization information comprising a representative value of a phase shift applied to the reconfigurable reflective surface; determine, from said at least one representative information of a power measurement of at least one resulting wave obtained, at least one spatial distribution of radio power over at least said time interval; adapt said at least one spatial power distribution taking into account said at least one synchronization information to optimize the operation of at least said first receiving device.

[0032] According to another aspect, the present application relates to a method for optimizing the operation of at least one first receiving device in a communication network, said communication network comprising at least one transmitting device, at least one reflective surface and at least one backscattering device, and at least one controller device, said method being implemented in said first receiving device and comprising at least one iteration of a transmission, said controller device of at least one piece of information representative of a power measurement of a wave received by at least one receiving device, resulting from signals originating from the transmitting device, the reconfigurable reflective surface and the backscattering device, the backscattered signal of which carries, when the backscattering device operates in at least one particular backscattering state,at least one synchronization information including a representative value of a phase shift applied to the reconfigurable reflective surface.

[0033] According to another aspect, the present application also relates to an electronic device comprising at least one processor configured to implement the method of the present application in any of its embodiments.Such a device corresponds to a receiving device in a communication network, the communication network comprising at least one transmitting device, at least one reflective surface and at least one backscattering device, and at least one controller device, the receiving device comprising at least one processor configured to transmit, to said controller device at least one piece of information representative of a power measurement of a wave received by at least one receiving device, resulting from signals from the transmitting device, the reconfigurable reflective surface and the backscattering device, the backscattered signal of which carries, when the backscattering device operates in at least one particular backscattering state, at least one synchronization information comprising a value representative of a phase shift applied to the reconfigurable reflective surface.

[0034] This application also relates to a system in a communication network, the communication network comprising at least one transmitting device, at least one receiving device as described above, at least one controlling device as described above, at least one reflective surface and at least one backscattering device.

[0035] This application also relates to a computer program comprising instructions for implementing the various embodiments of the above process, where the computer program is executed by a processor and a recording medium readable by an electronic device and on which the computer program is recorded.

[0036] For example, the present application relates to a computer program comprising instructions for the implementation, when the computer program is executed by a processor of an electronic device, of a method for optimizing the operation of a first receiving device of a communications network as described above.

[0037] For example, the present application also relates to a processor-readable recording medium of an electronic device on which is recorded a computer program comprising instructions for the implementation, when the computer program is executed by the processor, of a method for optimizing the operation of a first receiving device of a communications network as described above.

[0038] The program mentioned above may use any programming language, and be in the form of source code, object code, or code intermediate between source code and object code, such as in a partially compiled form, or in any other desirable form.

[0039] The recording (or information) media referred to in this application may be any entity or device capable of storing the program. For example, a medium may include a storage means, such as a ROM, for example a CD-ROM or a microelectronic circuit ROM, or a magnetic recording means.

[0040] Such a storage medium could be, for example, a hard drive, flash memory, etc. Furthermore, an information carrier could be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, which can be transmitted via an electrical or optical cable, by radio, or by other means. A program according to the invention can, in particular, be downloaded from a network such as the Internet.

[0041] Alternatively, an information carrier may be an integrated circuit in which a program is incorporated; in the present application, the circuit is adapted to execute or to be used in the execution of any of the embodiments of the method which is the subject of this patent application.

[0042] 4. Brief description of the drawings

[0043] Other features and advantages of the invention will become clearer upon reading the following description of particular embodiments, given by way of simple illustrative and non-limiting examples, and the accompanying drawings, among which:

[0044] Figure 1 presents a simplified view of a system, cited as an example, in which at least some embodiments of the process of the present application can be implemented.

[0045] Figure 2 presents an overview of the process for optimizing the operation of at least one receiving device in some of its embodiments.

[0046] Figure 3 shows an example of 3 receiving devices in 2 power antinode distributions according to 2 different phase shift values ​​for the reflecting surface,

[0047] Figure 4 presents a simplified view of a control device adapted to implement at least certain embodiments of the control process of this application.

[0048] Figure 5 presents a simplified view of a receiving device suitable for implementing at least some embodiments of the control method of this application.

[0049] 5. Description of the implementation methods

[0050] The present application aims to optimize the receiving operation of at least one receiving device belonging to a physical wireless network such as a local area network or LAN (Local Area Network) and / or a wide area network, or WAN (Wide Area Network) (for example, the wireless communication network may be a corporate or home LAN or a WAN of the internet, or cellular, GSM - Global System for Mobile Communications, UMTS - Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, Wifi - Wireless, etc. type), or even a satellite communication network, by taking advantage of the physical environment in which the receiving device is located and in particular the presence of at least one reconfigurable reflective surface and at least one backscattering device intervening in the electromagnetic radiation of the network for this receiving device.

[0051] More specifically, unlike prior art solutions which consist of increasing the transmitting power of a transmitting device and / or the receiving capacity of a receiving device, the present application adapts the spatial distribution of the powers of an electromagnetic wave resulting from both: an electromagnetic wave emitted by a transmitting device, an electromagnetic wave obtained by reflection of the emitted wave by at least one reconfigurable reflective surface, and an electromagnetic wave obtained by backscattering at least the emitted wave and / or the reflected wave, by at least one backscattering device (or backscattering device), so that the receiving device whose operation is to be optimized is located in a zone of maximum power, for example a power antinode.

[0052] In the realm of electromagnetic waves, the antinodes of an electromagnetic wave resulting from several waves correspond to specific points in space where the amplitude of the resulting wave is maximum. This phenomenon is due to the superposition of at least two waves, such as a wave emitted by the transmitting device and a reflected and / or backscattered wave obtained respectively by reflection and / or backscattering of the emitted wave. When these waves overlap constructively (that is, when their crests and troughs align), the amplitude of the resulting wave is maximized at certain points, thus forming an antinode.

[0053] The present application therefore proposes, in at least one embodiment, to adapt the spatial distributions of power, or power antinodes, previously determined, to optimize the operation of receiving devices and thus act on the performance of the system.

[0054] Figure 1 represents a 100 wireless telecommunications system in which certain embodiments of the process for optimizing the operation of the present application can be implemented.

[0055] By "wireless telecommunications system" we mean here a telecommunications system adapted to the implementation of wireless communications, and optionally wired communications.

[0056] As illustrated in Figure 1, the system 100 includes at least one transmitting device 11 and at least one receiving device Rxl which may be, for example, a base station and a cellular telephone terminal in certain embodiments.

[0057] The transmitting device 11 is an electronic telecommunications device which, via a transmitting radio antenna, can radiate electromagnetic waves 110 into space. The receiving device Rxl (and / or Rx2), which is also an electronic telecommunications device, has the capacity to receive electromagnetic waves (or signals) radiating into space via a receiving radio antenna.

[0058] The system may also include at least one reconfigurable reflective surface 12 positioned to receive radiation emitted 110 by the emitting device 11. A reflected wave 120 then results from the reflection of the incident wave 110 by the reconfigurable reflective surface. A reconfigurable reflective surface (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS)) is a surface (structured as a two-dimensional matrix of elementary cells) that allows for the dynamic modification of the characteristics (particularly in terms of direction) of a reflected electromagnetic wave, in response to an incident wave, through the ability to modify certain configuration parameters of the reflective surface, such as its angle of reflection, resulting in a phase shift of the reflected wave relative to the incident wave.In order to modify these configuration parameters, a RIS can therefore be supervised, or controlled, by a device such as a controller device 13 provided in the system 100 illustrated in figure 1. A RIS can be integrated into a multitude of structures such as building facades, interior partitions, aerial platforms or roadside billboards.

[0059] The emitted wave 110 and the reflected wave 120 can form a resultant wave having a power distribution 160, including power antinodes, especially in the vicinity of the receiving device Rxl (and / or Rx2).

[0060] On the other hand, the system 100 includes at least one backscattering device 14 placed in such a way that it can also receive the radiation 110 emitted by the transmitting device 11. This is a backscattering tag capable of modulating an incident OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing) signal consisting of several subcarriers, emitted by terrestrial or satellite "Radio Access Network" (RAN) antennas and capable of carrying data emitted by a data server to at least one terminal.

[0061] As illustrated in Figure 1, the backscattering device 14 can behave, depending on its current state, either in transparent mode 140 or in backscattering mode 141 with respect to an incident wave (for example, the emitted wave 110 and / or the reflected wave 120). A temporal modulation of the backscattering (i.e., the succession in time of the transparent and backscattering modes) can be used to form a digital signal, the value of a bit of which varies depending on whether or not the wave backscattered by the backscattering device is present at a given instant.

[0062] Thus, according to at least one embodiment, such temporal modulation can be used to specifically transmit synchronization information, allowing a received power measurement to be associated with a given instant. This association then allows the control device to know the value of one or more configuration parameters of the different entities of the system, and in particular, for example, the value of a configuration parameter of the reconfigurable reflective surface 12, such as the value of the phase shift applied to the reconfigurable reflective surface 12. As will be seen later, it is indeed the modification of this phase shift value that allows the adaptation of the spatial distribution of the power antinodes for the optimization of the operation of one or more receiving devices of the system.

[0063] This temporal modulation is implemented, for example, by alternating the transparent and backscattering modes of the backscattering device, so as to encode the value of this parameter. This is described in more detail below.

[0064] In at least one embodiment, the receiving device Rxl (and / or Rx2) is capable of receiving data emitted from the transmitting device 11 and / or data generated and backscattered by the backscattering device 14.

[0065] In some embodiments, at least some of the receiving devices can communicate directly with each other. This may be, for example, fixed and / or mobile terminals using a communication mode known as "sidelink" or "device-to-device (D2D)", in certain communication standards (such as LTE-D (Long Term Evolution-Direct), 5G NR (5G New Radio) for cellular networks or Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, Zigbee and Z-Wave for other networks).

[0066] The control (or supervision) device 13 can in particular send information (commands for example) or receive information (for example a command order to check the state of the backscatter tag) to / from at least some of the devices of the system, including the RIS 12 as already indicated, but also the sending device 11, a receiving device Rxl / Rx2, the backscatter device 14.

[0067] The method 200 for optimizing the operation of at least one receiving device of this application is now described in general terms and in connection with Figure 2, in some of its embodiments. The method 200 can be implemented, for example, by the aforementioned controller device 13, which is described in more detail below.

[0068] As illustrated in Figure 2, the method 200 comprises obtaining 21 at least one piece of information representative of a power measurement lp rof at least one resulting wave of signals received by a receiving device. As already indicated, the signals received by the receiving device correspond to the superposition of: at least one first signal (or wave) emitted 110 by a transmitting device 11, at least one second reflected signal 120 obtained by reflection on a reconfigurable reflective surface 12 of the emitted signal 110, and at least one third backscattered signal 140 obtained by backscattering on a backscattering device 14 of the same emitted signal 110.

[0069] This step 21 therefore makes it possible to obtain, over a particular time interval, a measurement of the power received by one or more receiving devices of the system, this power measurement then allowing, in a step 22, to determine at least a spatial distribution of the powers over the time interval in question.

[0070] These steps 21 and 22 can be repeated to obtain a plurality of received power measurements over several time intervals and to determine a plurality of spatial distributions allowing then, in a step 23, to optimize the operation of a given receiving device.

[0071] This is possible in particular, according to at least one embodiment, by considering that the backscattered signal 140 carries synchronization information, in the form of a modulated binary sequence.

[0072] For example, at least one bit of the binary sequence will be equal to '1' when the backscattering device is in transparent mode and / or at least one bit of the binary sequence will be equal to '0' when the backscattering device is in backscattering mode (or vice versa).

[0073] In the remainder of this document, we distinguish the following three backscattering states of the backscattering device 14: the 'OFF' state, in which the backscattering device remains in transparent mode (140 in Figure 1). The 'OFF' state has, for example, a duration TOFF, and an 8-bit binary sequence of the 'OFF' state is written: 11111111; the 'ON' state, in which the backscattering device remains in backscattering mode. The 'ON' state has, for example, a duration TON, and an 8-bit binary sequence of the 'OFF' state is written: 00000000; the 'MIX' state, in which the backscattering device alternates between transparent and backscattering modes. In the remainder of this document, we refer to a binary sequence specific to the 'MIX' state as a motif (or pattern). The MIX status, for example, has a duration of TMIX, and a pattern of the 'MIX' status of length 8 bits can be written: 01011100.

[0074] The backscattering status can thus represent a constant backscattering state / mode of the backscattering device (statuses 'ON' and / or 'OFF') or a variable backscattering state / mode (status 'MIX').

[0075] In this way, the 'MIX' status pattern can correspond to the encoding of synchronization information, taking the form, in certain embodiments, of information representing a configuration parameter of the reconfigurable reflective surface 12, and each different 'MIX' status pattern corresponds to a different value of this configuration parameter. In this case, the backscattering device 14 must be aware of this information to be modulated / encoded, for example by receiving it from the controller device 13, which notably supervises the operation of the reconfigurable reflective surface 12. Thus, it is provided, in at least one embodiment, that the controller device 13 transmits to the backscattering device 14 information D representing the phase shift applied to the reconfigurable reflective surface 12.

[0076] As already indicated previously, it is also planned that the steps of obtaining power measurements and determining the associated powers will be iterated several times and it appears that one interest of these iterations lies in the fact that the value of the phase shift applied to the reconfigurable reflective surface is modified and therefore different between two iterations for example, so that the resulting wave received by a receiving device is different between two iterations due to the modification of the reflected wave 120, and therefore so that the powers are also different.

[0077] It is also worth noting that, according to some designs, the received power measurements allow the control device to determine more precisely the spatial distributions of power antinodes, as illustrated in Figure 3.

[0078] Figure 3 therefore illustrates two power antinode distributions 160-1 and 160-2, determined respectively for phase shift values ​​DI and D2 applied to the reconfigurable reflective surface 12, and for three receiving devices Rxl, Rx2 and Rx3 (stationary during the implementation of the process) of the system 100 illustrated in Figure 1. The receiving devices have not changed position but the power antinode distributions 160-1 and 160-2 are different. In this case, according to this example, the receiving devices Rxl, Rx2 and Rx3 are in small power antinodes of the 160-1 distribution when the phase shift has a value of D1, while the receiving devices Rxl and Rx2 are no longer in a power antinode of the 160-2 distribution when the phase shift has a value of D2, the receiving device Rx3 being in a large power antinode in this case.

[0079] According to this example, it is then possible to optimize the operation of the Rx3 receiver device by adapting the distribution of power antinodes to obtain the 160-2 distribution and allow the Rx3 receiver device to benefit from maximum connectivity and signal power.

[0080] To do this, it is first necessary to be able to identify which phase shift value of the reconfigurable reflective surface 12 corresponds to the spatial distribution 160-2 of the power antinodes. This is possible thanks to the control device 13 obtaining, simultaneously with the received power measurement information lp rtransmitted by a receiving device, of a synchronization information, corresponding for example to the value of a configuration parameter, in this case the phase shift of the reconfigurable reflective surface 12. Indeed, as described previously, the backscatter signal 141 carries this synchronization information (for example modulated during operation in variable 'MIX' mode of the backscatter device) and the receiving device is able to receive it (and decode it if necessary), to then retransmit it to the controller device at the same time as its measurement of received power.

[0081] It should be noted that it is also possible that an identifier associated with the backscattering device 14 may also be transmitted in the backscattered signal, for example when several backscattering devices are implemented in the same system.

[0082] Furthermore, the process implements, according to certain embodiments, a verification / control of the integrity of the synchronization information carried by the third signal and received by the receiving device(s), so as to protect the controlling device, mainly from a risk of overload of receiving erroneous messages and / or data which could affect its operation.

[0083] For example, this integrity check is implemented by the receiving device to ensure the authenticity of the synchronization information. This integrity check is made possible by applying a hash function to the synchronization information and decoding the synchronization information by the receiving device using a public key in its possession.

[0084] If the receiving device cannot authenticate the received synchronization information, it will not transmit the current power measurement, thus avoiding the transmission of erroneous information to the controlling device. When the controlling device performs an integrity check on the synchronization information previously received from the receiving device, it will not process the associated power measurement information if the integrity check is negative.

[0085] The controller device 13 can therefore associate the phase shift value of the reflective surface with the corresponding power measurement, for each power measurement received from each receiving device where applicable, whether or not the synchronization information corresponds to a value of a configuration parameter of the reflective surface.

[0086] Indeed, synchronization information corresponding to a timestamp or time marker at a given moment t allows the controller to retrieve the applied phase shift value at that moment, because it is the controller that configures the reconfigurable reflective surface and therefore knows the times when the phase shift value changes. If the synchronization information corresponds to an applied phase shift value, the controller directly receives the value associated with the power measurement, thus eliminating any potential delay in receiving messages from the receiving device.

[0087] The controller can therefore determine the phase shift value corresponding to the spatial distribution in which a given receiving device is located within a power antinode. The controller can then configure the phase shift of the reflective surface to obtain, for a specific duration, a spatial distribution of power antinodes that optimizes the operation of the given receiving device.

[0088] It should be noted that if the phase shift applied to the reconfigurable reflective surface is modified, according to the principle of the invention, for example in 5° increments, a large number of spatial distributions of power antinodes can be determined. It is then possible to identify the best configuration of the reconfigurable reflective surface for optimizing the operation of one or more receiving devices.

[0089] Furthermore, obtaining a received power measurement, associated as described above with synchronization information (representative or not of the configuration parameter of the reconfigurable reflective surface), is implemented over a time interval whose duration is particular and can correspond, for example, to an operating time of the backscattering device with the same status, constant or variable.

[0090] For example, cycles can be defined by the controller to optimally determine the spatial distribution of power antinodes. A cycle can correspond to an ordered plurality of binary sequences relating to backscattering states: for example, it could be the order: 'ON' status then 'OFF' status then 'MIX' status, with a length of 8 bits for each status and corresponding to the sequence or pattern 111111110000000011001001, where the binary sequence 11001001 corresponds to a Di value of the phase shift applied to the reconfigurable reflecting surface. The duration of a cycle depends on the length of its binary sequence and the bit rate received by the given receiving device. According to at least one embodiment, a cycle can therefore be repeated in a backscattering loop generated by the backscattering device, for example, at each change in the phase shift value.

[0091] Furthermore, the use of the 'ON' and then 'OFF' states, before the 'MIX' state in the example above, allows the receiving device to prepare to decode the modulated configuration information received during the 'MIX' state. Thus, the receiving device knows that it first receives a resultant wave corresponding to the 'ON' state of the backscatter device, and it measures the received power during a first time interval. Similarly, for the second time interval, the receiving device measures the received power of the resultant wave corresponding to the 'OFF' state of the backscatter device. Then, the receiving device knows that the third time interval corresponds to the reception of a resultant wave including a signal carrying modulated information to be decoded and transmitted, along with the corresponding measured received power.

[0092] According to another embodiment, the triggering of the power measurements carried out by the receiving device can, for example, be achieved using a binary sequence known to the receiving device, such as the sequence corresponding to the 'ON' status followed by the 'OFF' status of the cycle described above.

[0093] Returning to Figure 2, step 23, which optimizes the operation of a receiving device, can be triggered, according to at least one embodiment, after a plurality of iterations of steps 21 and 22, and at the request of the receiving device in question. Thus, a receiving device may need to optimize its operation before initiating a particular communication and transmit a request to this effect to the controller device. This optimization step, which consists of adapting the spatial distribution of power antinodes by configuring the phase shift of the reconfigurable reflective surface according to the embodiments described above, can be implemented during the duration of the communication involving the receiving device. The optimization can also be implemented for a specific, predefined duration.

[0094] According to at least one embodiment, the triggering of the optimization of the operation of the receiving device(s) comes from the data server, for example via information transmitted with the signaling directly to the receiving devices or the controller device, when an optimal quality of service is required for a specific broadcast.

[0095] In another example, where the terminals are relatively fixed (for example, a TV set-top box, a Wi-Fi router, and a desktop computer), the first phase determines the optimal phase shift values ​​for these terminals based on the spatial distributions of power or power antinodes obtained. Then, when a terminal, such as the TV set-top box, needs bandwidth to stream a program, it requests it from the controller device. The controller then applies the configuration associated with the highest signal power transmitted by the terminal to shift the power antinode to the requesting terminal.

[0096] The process of the present application can thus help, in at least some embodiments, to increase the receiving capabilities of a fixed receiving device (such as an IoT connected object) which, given its location imposed for its use, could not benefit from effective network coverage in reception for said use without the implementation of the present technique.

[0097] Finally, when the process is implemented in a system with a plurality of receiving devices, each of which can be located, successively or simultaneously depending on their positions, in a power antinode, then the controlling device can adapt the distribution of power antinodes according to the successive or simultaneous needs of the receiving devices.

[0098] Figure 4 illustrates a simplified structure of an electronic device 400, adapted to implement the principles of this application. Device 400 may, for example, correspond to the controller device 13 of system 100 in Figure 1. Depending on the embodiment, it may be a communication terminal, a home Wi-Fi device controlling several entities, or a TV decoder.

[0099] The device 400 includes at least one memory 41 comprising a buffer memory, at least one processing unit 42, equipped for example with a programmable computing machine or a dedicated computing machine, for example a microprocessor P, and controlled by the computer program 43, implementing steps of the process of optimizing the operation according to at least one embodiment of the invention.

[0100] At initialization, the code instructions of the computer program 43 are, for example, loaded into a RAM memory before being executed by the microprocessor of the processing unit 42.

[0101] The device may also include, or be coupled to, at least one not illustrated I / O input / output module, such as a communication module, enabling, for example, the device 400 to communicate with other devices in the system 100, via wired or wireless communication interfaces, and / or such as a user interface module for the device (also referred to more simply in this application as a "user interface" or "human-machine interface").

[0102] In some implementations, the 400 device can be integrated into a communication terminal. In this case, the communication terminal acts as the controller.

[0103] Figure 5 illustrates a simplified structure of an electronic device 500, adapted to implement the principles of this application. Device 500 may, for example, correspond to the receiving device Rxl of system 100 in Figure 1. Depending on the embodiment, it may be a fixed or mobile user terminal.

[0104] The device 500 includes at least one memory 51 comprising a buffer memory, at least one processing unit 52, equipped for example with a programmable computing machine or a dedicated computing machine, for example a microprocessor P, and controlled by the computer program 53, implementing steps of the process for optimizing the operation according to at least one embodiment of the invention.

[0105] At initialization, the code instructions of computer program 53 are, for example, loaded into RAM memory before being executed by the microprocessor of the processing unit 52.

[0106] The device may also include, or be coupled to, at least one (not shown) input / output module, such as a communication module, enabling, for example, the device 500 to communicate with other devices in the system 100 via wired or wireless communication interfaces, and / or such as a user interface module for the device (also referred to more simply in this application as a "user interface" or "human-machine interface"). The user interface (or "human-machine interface") of the device is understood to mean, for example, an interface integrated into the device 500, or a part of a third-party device coupled to this device via wired or wireless communication.A user interface can notably be an "output" user interface adapted for rendering (or controlling rendering) an output element of a computer application used by the device 500, for example an application running at least partially on the device 500 or an "online" application running at least partially remotely, for example an application accessible via the device 500. Examples of output user interfaces of the device include one or more screens, including at least one graphics screen (touchscreen for example), one or more speakers, a connected headset, one or more light indicator(s) such as light-emitting diodes (or LEDs for "Light Electronic Display" according to English terminology).By output, we mean a presentation (or "output" in English terminology) on at least one user interface, in any form, for example, including text, audio, and / or video components, or a combination of such components. Furthermore, a user interface can be an "input" user interface adapted for receiving a command from a user of the 500 device. This could be, in particular, an action to be performed and / or a command to be sent to a computer application used by the 500 device, for example, an application running at least partially on the 500 device. Examples of input user interfaces for the 500 device include a sensor, an audio and / or video acquisition device (microphone, camera (webcam), for example), a keyboard, and a mouse.

Claims

DEMANDS 1. A method for optimizing the operation of at least a first receiving device in a communication network, said communication network comprising at least one transmitting device, at least one reflective surface and at least one backscattering device, the method being implemented in a controller device of said communication network and comprising: o at least one iteration: ■ of obtaining (21) at least one piece of information lp rrepresentative of a power measurement of a wave received by at least one receiving device, resulting from signals from the transmitting device, the reconfigurable reflective surface and the backscattering device whose backscattered signal carries, when the backscattering device is operating in at least one particular backscattering status, at least one synchronization information including a value representative of a phase shift applied to the reconfigurable reflective surface; ■ a determination (22), from said at least one information representative of a power measurement of at least one resulting wave obtained, of at least one spatial distribution of radio electric powers over at least said time interval; an optimization (23) of the operation of at least said first receiving device comprising an adaptation of said at least one spatial distribution of powers taking into account said at least one synchronization information.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said method comprises a modification of a phase shift value of said at least one reconfigurable reflective surface.

3. Method according to claim 1 wherein said at least a third of said signals is formed by a backscattering of at least said first signal and / or said second signal modulated by said at least a synchronization information when the at least one backscattering device operates in a variable backscattering mode.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein said obtaining comprises obtaining said at least one synchronization information.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein said at least one spatial distribution of powers corresponds to a spatial distribution of power antinodes and said adaptation corresponds to an adaptation of said at least one spatial distribution of power antinodes and comprises: o the identification of a power antinode for at least said first receiving device, o the determination of the value of said synchronization information obtained corresponding to the identified power antinode, o the configuration of said reflective surface taking into account said determined value.

6. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which can be implemented for a plurality of receiving devices of the communication network.

7. Method according to claim 1 wherein the backscattering device operates in a plurality of backscattering statuses, the obtaining step being carried out over a time interval corresponding to an operating time of said backscattering device with the same status, said status being representative either of a constant backscattering mode of said backscattering device, or of a variable backscattering mode.

8. Method according to claim 1 wherein said optimization of the operation of at least said first receiving device is triggered on request of said receiving device.

9. A controller device in a communication network, said communication network comprising at least one transmitting device, at least one reflective surface and at least one backscattering device, and at least one receiving device, said controller device comprising at least one processor configured to: ■ obtain at least one representative piece of information representing a power measurement of a wave received by at least one receiving device, resulting from signals originating from the transmitting device, the reconfigurable reflective surface, and the backscattering device, whose backscattered signal carries, when the backscattering device operates in at least one particular backscattering state, at least one synchronization information including a representative value of a phase shift applied to the reconfigurable reflective surface; ■ determine, from said at least one representative information of a power measurement of at least one resulting wave obtained, at least one spatial distribution of radio electric powers over at least said time interval; adapt said at least one spatial power distribution taking into account said at least one synchronization information to optimize the operation of at least said first receiving device.

10. A method for optimizing the operation of at least one first receiving device in a communication network, said communication network comprising at least one transmitting device, at least one reflective surface and at least one backscattering device, and at least one controller device, said method being implemented in said first receiving device and comprising at least one iteration of a transmission, to said controller device, of at least one piece of information representative of a power measurement of a wave received by at least one receiving device resulting from signals originating from the transmitting device, the reconfigurable reflective surface and the backscattering device, the backscattered signal of which carries, when the backscattering device is operating in at least one particular backscattering state,at least one synchronization information including a representative value of a phase shift applied to the reconfigurable reflective surface.

11. A receiving device in a communication network, said communication network comprising at least one transmitting device, at least one reflective surface, and at least one backscattering device, and at least one controller device, said receiving device comprising at least one processor configured to transmit, to said controller device, at least one piece of information representative of a power measurement of a wave received by the at least one receiving device resulting from signals originating from the transmitting device, the reconfigurable reflective surface, and the backscattering device, the backscattered signal of which carries, when the backscattering device is operating in at least one state of particular backscattering, at least one synchronization information including a value representative of a phase shift applied to the reconfigurable reflective surface.

12. Communication system in a communication network, said communication network comprising at least one transmitting device, at least one receiving device according to claim 11, at least one controlling device according to claim 9, at least one reflective surface and at least one backscattering device.

13. Computer program comprising instructions for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or according to claim 10, where the computer program is executed by a processor.

14. Recording medium readable by an electronic device and on which the computer program according to claim 13 is recorded.

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