Ambient IOT-based solution for object tracking

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to devices, and methods for ambient Internet of Things (IoT)- based object tracking. The present disclosure includes a method performed by a network node, including: transmitting an activation signal at a particular frequency within a predefined location; and receiving one or more backscattered activation signals within the predefined location. The method includes: for each ambient IoT device of the one or more ambient IoT devices: transmitting a downlink signal at the particular frequency within the predefined location; receiving an uplink signal at the particular frequency from the ambient IoT device; and tracking the moving object based on the received tracking information. The method further includes: transmitting an acknowledgement signal at the particular frequency to the ambient IoT device, where the acknowledgement signal being one of: a positive acknowledgement (ACK); or a negative acknowledgement (NACK).

Description

AMBIENT IOT-BASED SOLUTION FOR OBJECT TRACKINGTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a field of wireless communication. More particularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to methods and devices for ambient Internet of Things (loT) based object tracking.BACKGROUND

[0002] The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

[0003] Several endeavours have been made in a field of localizing an object which might be moving or stationary, in an indoor or outdoor environment. Typically, systems (e.g., Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Global Positioning System (GPS), etc.) equipped within the object may be used for locating and / or tracking the object (e.g., a vehicle, an asset, a person, etc.). The systems may communicate with satellite (via satellite signals) for determining location information pertaining to the object. However, due to extreme weather conditions, satellite positioning issues, etc., the satellite signals become unavailable and hence the systems may not be able to accurately locate the object.

[0004] Existing systems may utilize radio frequency identification (RFID) techniques for vehicle tracking, asset tracking, toll collection, etc. The existing techniques may have limitations of a limited coverage, not capable of tracking a massive number of obj ects at a time, no interference management, etc. Limitations of the existing techniques may progressively increase congestion of objects. For example, the congestion of vehicles may occur when there are more vehicles awaiting at toll gate for the toll collection that may lead to slower speeds, longer travel times, and increased queuing of the vehicles at highways. Further, the existing techniques may include RFID tags (e.g., active RFID tags) that are battery powered and have restrictions of high-power consumption. The existing systems (e.g., RFID reader and tag) may include a separate signal processing unit that increases complexity of existing module.

[0005] Thus, there is a desire for methods and devices for object tracking that overcome the above limitations.SUMMARY

[0006] The following presents a simplified summary to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of ambient loT devices. This summary is not an extensive overview and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements nor delineate the scope of such elements. Its purpose is to present some concepts of the described features in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[0007] The present disclosure relates to systems, devices, and methods for ambient Internet of Things (loT)-based object tracking. In some aspects, a method performed by a network node may include: transmitting an activation signal at a particular frequency within a predefined location; and receiving one or more backscattered activation signals within the predefined location. The method includes: for each ambient loT device of the one or more ambient loT devices: transmitting a downlink signal at the particular frequency within the predefined location; receiving an uplink signal at the particular frequency from the ambient loT device; and tracking moving object based on the received tracking information. The method further includes: transmitting an acknowledgement signal at the particular frequency to the ambient loT device, where the acknowledgement signal being one of: a positive acknowledgement (ACK); or a negative acknowledgement (NACK).

[0008] In some aspects, a method for the ambient Internet of Things (loT) device may include: receiving an activation signal at a particular frequency from a network node; backscattering the activation signal towards the network node. The method may include: receiving the downlink signal at the particular frequency requesting tracking information of moving object; and transmitting an uplink signal at the particular frequency to the network node. The method further includes: receiving an acknowledgement signal at the particular frequency, where the acknowledgement signal being one of: a positive acknowledgement (ACK); or a negative acknowledgement (NACK).

[0009] In some aspects, a network node for wireless communication may include: a processor; and a memory communicatively coupled with the processor. The processor is configured to: transmit an activation signal at a particular frequency within a predefined location; and receive one or more backscattered activation signals. The processor is further configured to: for each ambient loT device of the one or more ambient loT devices: transmit a downlink signal at the particular frequency within the predefined location; receive an uplink signal at the particular frequency from the ambient loT device; and track moving object based on the received tracking information. For each ambient loT device of the one or more ambient loT devices, theprocessor is further configured to: S3.4) transmit an acknowledgement signal at the particular frequency, where the acknowledgement signal being one of: a positive acknowledgement (ACK); or a negative acknowledgement (NACK).

[0010] In some aspects, an ambient Internet of Things (loT) device for wireless communication may include: a processor; and a memory communicatively coupled with the processor. The processor is configured to: receive an activation signal at a particular frequency from the network node; backscatter the activation signal towards the network node; receive a downlink signal at the particular frequency requesting tracking information of moving object; and transmit an uplink signal at the particular frequency to the network node. The processor is further configured to: receive an acknowledgement signal at the particular frequency, where the acknowledgement signal being one of: a positive acknowledgement (ACK); or a negative acknowledgement (NACK).

[0011] In some aspects, a network node for establishing communication with an ambient loT device for tracking moving objects may comprise a processor and a memory communicatively coupled with the processor. The processor is configured to: SI) transmit an activation signal at a particular frequency within a predefined location; S2) receive a backscattered activation signal from the ambient loT device, the backscattered activation signal indicating presence of the ambient loT device within the predefined location, where the ambient loT device is associated with a moving object; S3) upon receiving the backscattered activation signal, transmit, a downlink signal at the particular frequency to the ambient loT device requesting tracking information for the moving object; S4) receive an uplink signal at the particular frequency from the ambient loT device, wherein the uplink signal includes the tracking information for tracking the moving object; and S5) track the moving object based on the received tracking information.

[0012] In some aspects, a network node for establishing communication with an ambient loT device for tracking moving objects may comprise a processor and a memory communicatively coupled with the processor. The processor is configured to: SI) transmit an activation signal at a particular frequency within a predefined location; S2) receive a plurality of backscattered activation signals indicating presence of a plurality of adjacent ambient loT devices within the predefined location, the plurality of adjacent ambient loT devices being associated with a plurality of moving objects; and S3) for each ambient loT device of the plurality of adjacent ambient loT devices: S3.1) transmit a power adjusted downlink signal at the particular frequency within the predefined location, wherein the power adjusted downlink signal istransmited in a unique time slot for requesting tracking information for the moving object associated with the ambient loT device; S3.2) receive an uplink signal at the particular frequency from the ambient loT device, wherein the uplink signal includes the tracking information of the moving object; and S3.3) track the moving object based on the received tracking information.

[0013] The above summary is provided merely for the purpose of summarizing some example embodiments to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described embodiments are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the disclosure in any way. It will be appreciated that the scope of the disclosure encompasses many potential embodiments in addition to those here summarized, some of which will be further described below.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The embodiments of the disclosure itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates an environmental setup in accordance with an existing solution.

[0016] FIG. 2A illustrates a schematic representation of an ambient Intemet-of-Things (IoT)- based system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 2B illustrates a flow diagram depicting techniques of object tracking in the ambient loT-based system, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0018] FIGs. 3A-3C illustrate schematic representation of environments in which the techniques of object tracking of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0019] FIG. 4A illustrates a flow-chart representation of a method performed by a network node in the ambient loT-based system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 4B illustrates a flow-chart representation of a method performed by an ambient loT device in the ambient loT-based system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Exemplary embodiments are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherever convenient, the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. While examples and features of disclosed principles are described herein, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments. It is intended that the following detailed description be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims. Additional illustrative embodiments are listed below.

[0023] In the present document, the word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

[0024] As used herein, the term “comprising” is not intended to be limiting, but may be a transitional term synonymous with “including,” “containing,” or “characterized by.” The term “comprising” may thereby be inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps when used in a claim. For instance, in describing a method, “comprising” indicates that the claim is open-ended and allows for additional steps. In describing a device, “comprising” may mean that a named element(s) may be essential for an embodiment or aspect, but other elements may be added and still form a construct within the scope of a claim. In contrast, the transitional phrase “consisting of’ excludes any element, step, or ingredient not specified in a claim. This is consistent with the use of the term throughout the specification.

[0025] In wireless communication, several endeavours have been made in a field of localizing an object which might be moving or stationary, in an indoor or outdoor environment. Typically, systems used for locating and / or tracking the object (e.g., a vehicle, an asset, a person, etc.) may include one or more sensors for determining location information pertaining to the object.

[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates an environment setup 100 of object tracking, in accordance with an existing solution. The environment setup 100 includes a system utilizing radio frequencyidentification (RFID) techniques for vehicle tracking, toll collection, etc. For example (in Fig. 1), an RFID-based electronic toll collection system (e.g., toll plaza) includes an RFID scanner 106 installed at a toll gate of a roadway. When a vehicle 102 affixed with an RFID tag 104 crosses the toll gate, the RFID scanner 106 scans the RFID tag 104 to fetch information pertaining to the vehicle 102 (such as Tag identification (ID), vehicle registration details, vehicle class, etc.) for toll collection purposes.

[0027] The RFID tag 104 may communicate with the RFID scanner 106 at a short distance of few meters (e.g., 1-2 meters) only when the vehicle 102 is closer to the toll gate. Communication distance of the RFID tag 104 depends on the transmit power of the RFID scanner 106. Thus, the existing systems utilizing RFID techniques have various implementation issues, such as limited range of reading, lack of interference management in case of dense deployment, etc. Since, the existing techniques include scanning each vehicle individually, the RFID system may delay in processing toll collection of vehicles due to challenges in seamless transaction of payments. Hence, the existing techniques are not capable of managing a massive number of vehicles at a time, resulting in congestion of vehicles, long backups, etc. Also, the existing systems may include RFID tags (e.g., active RFID tags) that are battery powered and have major limitations of high-power consumption. The existing systems (e.g., RFID reader and tag) may include a separate signal processing unit that increases complexity of existing module, lack of interference management mechanism, etc. Thus, there is a desire for systems and methods for object tracking that overcome the above limitations.

[0028] The techniques of the present disclosure may solve the problem of tracking the object of limited distance. In other words, the techniques of the present disclosure may be able to track the vehicles or assets in a wider area coverage.

[0029] The present disclosure may provide exemplary systems, devices, and methods based on ambient Intemet-of-Things (loT) techniques. Ambient loT-based devices are very low power and low complex devices. An ambient loT device works on the principle of backscatter communication and eliminates the need for active RF components in the loT device. The present disclosure relates to the ambient loT-based techniques for object tracking, as discussed below.

[0030] FIG. 2A illustrates a schematic representation of an ambient loT-based system 200A for object tracking, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The ambient loT-based system 200A may implement techniques of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the ambient loT-based system 200A may comprise at least one object 202equipped with an ambient loT device 204, a network node 206 installed on side of a roadway, but not limiting thereto.

[0031] The object 202 may be associated with a vehicle applicable to one of an automobile, four or more wheeled vehicle, etc., moving on any one of a road, a lane (e.g., single lane or multilane roadways), a highway, etc. (collectively referred to as roadway). Further, the object 202 may relate to an asset that used in various logistic operations. For example, the asset may be at least one of a physical item or a piece of equipment that holds value to an organization. The asset may be tracked during shifting via large containers, trucks, heavy vehicles, etc. while travelling from one place to another place in the roadway. The object 202 may be a moving object (alternatively referred to as moving object 202), travelling on the roadway and the moving object 202 may be a motor vehicle. A skilled person would appreciate the fact that there would be many other vehicles or assets, but are not discussed and explained herein for the sake of brevity. The present disclosure includes the object tracking that may relate to vehicle tracking, or asset tracking, but not limited thereto.

[0032] The ambient loT device 204 is a physical device that is embedded with sensors, software, and network connectivity. The ambient loT device 204 may capture ambient energy from the environment (e.g., sunlight, wind, or etc.) and convert the ambient energy into electrical energy to power itself and / or other devices. Thus, the ambient loT device 204 may be powered by the ambient energy, known as process of energy harvesting that eliminates a need of traditional batteries. The ambient loT device 204 may collect data (e.g., from environment, other devices, or etc.) using the sensors and exchange the data over the internet to the other devices or to a central system for analysis and processing. In an embodiment, the ambient loT device 204 may be equipped within the moving object 202.

[0033] The network node 206 includes a Base station (BS) that may be installed on the side of the roadway. The network node 206 may comprise of a transceiver unit to broadcast a highly directional Radio frequency (RF) signal towards the roadway. The network node 206 may transmit multiple activation signals from multiple antenna surfaces of the transceiver unit. For example, the multiple antenna surfaces of the transceiver unit may transmit steered beams to focus multiple activation signals at frequencies fi and f?_ in a specific direction without any interference. The devices (e.g., ambient loT devices) that exhibit spatial diversity may receive the multiple activation signals from the specific direction of the multiple antenna surfaces. The network node 206 may transmit the multiple activation signals simultaneously at one or more frequencies (e.g., fl or f2) to communicate with one or more devices that exhibit spatialdiversity.

[0034] In an embodiment, the network node 206 may transmit an activation signal 208 in the one or more frequencies fl and f2. The activation signal 208 may correspond to a single tone unmodulated carrier wave which is a high power, high directional steered beam operated in at least two frequencies fl and f2. The high power, high directional steered beams may enhance communication range between the object 202 and the network node 206. It may be apparent to one skilled in the art that the above-mentioned components of the object 202, the ambient loT device 204, and the network node 206 are provided for illustration purposes. The ambient loT- based system 200A may comprise a basic configuration made up of interchangeable components, in accordance with the present disclosure, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The ambient loT-based system 200A of the present disclosure including the one or more above-mentioned components, may be configured for object tracking.

[0035] FIG. 2B illustrates a flow diagram depicting techniques of object tracking in the ambient loT-based system 200B, in accordance with the present disclosure. The ambient loT- based system 200B may include the ambient loT device 204 and the network node 206 communicating via a communication network 210. The network node 206 may be either a base station or a User Equipment (UE). The ambient loT-based system 200B may include one or more above-mentioned devices configured to support a large-scale deployment with seamless coverage for the object tracking.

[0036] In an embodiment, the network node 206 may comprise a processor 206a and a memory 206b communicatively coupled with the processor 206a. The ambient loT device 204 may comprise a processor 204a and a memory 204b communicatively coupled with the processor 204a.

[0037] The processors (204a, 206a) may include data processing units, one or more processors, a suitable logic, circuitry, and / or interfaces that are operable to execute instructions stored in the memory to perform various functions. The processors (204a, 206a) may also be configured to decode and execute any instructions received from one or more other electronic devices or server(s). The one or more processors may include one or more general -purpose processors (e.g., INTEL®, Advanced Micro Devices® (AMD) microprocessors, microcontrollers, or etc.) and / or one or more special-purpose processors (e.g., digital signal processors or Xilinx® System On Chip (SOC) Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) processor, etc.).

[0038] The memory (204b, 206b) includes one or more instructions that are executable by theprocessor to perform specific operations. Some of the commonly known memory implementations include, but are not limited to, fixed (hard) drives, magnetic tape, floppy diskettes, optical disks, Compact Disc Read-Only Memories (CD-ROMs), and magneto-optical disks, semiconductor memories, such as ROMs, Random Access Memories (RAMs), Programmable Read-Only Memories (PROMs), Erasable PROMs (EPROMs), Electrically Erasable PROMs (EEPROMs), flash memory, magnetic or optical cards, cloud computing platforms, or other type of media / machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions.

[0039] The ambient loT-based system 200B may comprise the communication network 210 that includes one or more wireless networks. For example, the communication network 210 may include a cellular network (e.g., a long-term evolution (LTE) network, a third-generation (3G) network, a fourth-generation (4G) network, a fifth-generation (5G) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, a sixth-generation (6G) network, etc.), an intranet, the Internet, a cloud computing network, and / or the like, and / or a combination of some or all of these or other types of networks. For example, the techniques of the present disclosure may include transmitting signals at one or more frequencies fi and fz, where fz > fi, as per the 3GPP Rel-18 specification.

[0040] In an embodiment of the ambient loT-based system 200B, the object 202 may be equipped with the ambient loT device 204 that receives the signal transmitted from the network node 206.

[0041] The network node 206 may transmit (SI) the activation signal 208 (e.g., msg 0) to the ambient loT device 204. The activation signal 208 may include the single tone unmodulated carrier wave (CW) (alternatively referred to as ‘CW 208’) of the network node 206 when directly communicating with the ambient loT device 204. Further, the network node 206 may be capable of transmitting the CW 208 at the one or more frequencies to the one or more ambient loT devices, up to a predefined time period. The predefined time period may relate to one or more time slots during which particular step (S 1 to S5) of the ambient loT-based system 200B being carried out. Thus, the network node 206 may transmit (SI) the activation signal 208 (e.g., msg 0) at the one or more frequencies fi and fi to the ambient loT device 204, up to time tl.

[0042] The network node 206, may operate at the one or more frequencies fi and fz, where fz > fi . In an example, a value of the frequency fi may be greater than a value of the frequency fi . In some embodiments, the frequency fi may be in unlicensed band and the frequency fz maybe in licensed band of communication. Specifically, the network node 206 may transmit the activation signal 208 at alternate frequencies using beam steering. The alternate frequencies include a first frequency (fl) and a second frequency (f2). The communication range between the object 202 and the network node 206 may be enhanced as the network node 206 transmits high power and highly direction beam.

[0043] The one or more frequencies fi and fi may have one or more maximum transmit power Pti and maximum transmit power Pt2 at the one or more frequencies fi and fi, respectively. A value of the maximum transmit power Pt2 may be greater than a value of the maximum transmit power Pti. The maximum transmit power of the signal transmitted at the licensed frequency band is higher than the maximum transmit power of the signal transmitted at the unlicensed frequency band.

[0044] The ambient loT device 204 may be configured to receive the activation signal 208 at a particular frequency (i.e., fl or f2) from the network node 206. The particular frequency is one of a first frequency (fl) selected from the licensed frequency band or a second frequency (f2) selected from the unlicensed frequency band. Specifically, the ambient loT device 204 may operate at the one or more frequencies fi and fi. The activation signal 208 may be configured to activate the ambient loT device 204 which is equipped within the object 202. The object 202 may be the moving object that is present within a predefined location in the roadway. The predefined location may relate to a particular region in a lane within a coverage area of the network node 206. For instance, whenever the moving object 202 reaches the particular region of the lane within a coverage area of the network node 206, the moving object 202 is said to be present within the predefined location.

[0045] The ambient loT device 204 may be configured to backscatter (S2) the activation signal (e.g., msg 1) towards the network node 206. The ambient loT device 204 may establish communication with the network node 206 through a backscatter communication medium and / or channel. The backscatter communication medium and / or channel allows the wireless devices to perform communication without implementing any active RF components. For example, the backscatter communication may involve using reflected or backscattered signals to transmit data, where the backscattered signals often being reflections of ambient radio frequency (RF) signals from a dedicated carrier. Further, the backscattered activation signal indicating presence of the ambient loT device 204 within the predefined location. Furthermore, the backscatter communication channel may be designed to support low-power communications, which is essential for the Internet of Things (loT), ambient loT applications,etc. Thus, the ambient loT device 204 may have no active RF component and no dedicated energy storage. The ambient loT device 204 may backscatter the activation signal at the particular frequency within the predefined time period (i.e., from tl to t2).

[0046] The network node 206 may transmit (S3) a downlink signal (e.g., msg 2) at a particular frequency that may request information of the vehicle from the ambient loT device 204, up to the predefined time period. The network node 206 may transmit the downlink signal at the particular frequency in the predefined time period (i.e., from time t2 to t3) to receive the information from the ambient loT device 204. Thus, the ambient loT device 204, may be configured to receive the downlink signal from the network node 206, at the particular frequency requesting tracking information for the moving object 202.

[0047] In an embodiment, the ambient loT device 204 may be configured to transmit (S4) an uplink signal (e.g., msg 3) at the particular frequency to the network node 206. The uplink signal may include the tracking information for tracking the moving object 202. The tracking information for the moving object 202 may comprise at least one of an identity of the ambient loT device, a type of ambient loT device, a type of the moving object, a class of the moving object, or an identity of the moving object. Thus, the ambient loT device 204 may be configured to transmit the uplink signal at the particular frequency to the network node 206 from time t3 to t4.

[0048] The ambient loT device 204 may use backscatter communication to transmit information pertaining to the object 202 to the network node 206. In other words, the ambient loT device 204 may backscatter the incident CW signal 208 at a respective frequency to transmit the uplink signal, within the predefined time period (i.e., from t3 to t4).

[0049] The network node 206 may receive the tracking information from the ambient loT device 204 through a backscattered downlink signal. The network node 206 may be configured to operate as an ambient loT reader to read the information received back from the ambient loT device 204. On receiving the information pertaining to the object 202, the network node 206 may able to find location of the object 202 within a coverage of which network node 206. Thus, the location of the object 202 may be tracked from the location of the network node 206 (e.g., BS or UE that act as ambient loT reader). Though multiple readers are installed at various locations, the network node 206 at a particular location may provide signal transmission with non-overlapping coverage.

[0050] The network node 206 may transmit (S5) an acknowledgement signal (e.g., msg 4) afterthe successful / unsuccessful reception of the information from the ambient loT device 204. Hence, the ambient loT device 204 is further configured to receive an acknowledgement signal at the particular frequency from the network node 206. The acknowledgement signal may include at least one of: a positive acknowledgement (ACK) or a negative acknowledgement (NACK). The ACK may indicate successful reception of the uplink signal at the network node 206 within a threshold time period (e.g., from time t3 to t4). The NACK may indicate nonreception of the uplink signal at the network node 206 within the threshold time period.

[0051] In other words, the network node 206 may immediately send the ACK signal at the steered beams upon successful reception of information from the ambient loT device 204. After receiving ACK signal, the ambient loT device 204 may not respond to any activation signal 208 from the network node 206 in the next N number of slots. When the ambient loT device 204 receives the ACK from the network node 206, the ambient loT device 204 may be configured to refrain from responding to subsequent activation signals for a predefined time period.

[0052] When the ambient loT device 204 receives the NACK from the network node 206, the ambient loT device 204 may attempt retransmission in the one or more frequencies fl in a next time slot after receiving the activation signal 208 from the network node 206. In other words, the ambient loT device 204 may be configured to repeat steps SI to S5 for receiving the activation signal 208 (another activation signal) in upcoming time slots.

[0053] In an embodiment, the ambient loT-based system 200B may be implemented for establishing communication between the ambient loT device 204 and the network node 206 for tracking the object 202 (e.g., vehicle, asset, etc.) moving in the roadway. The ambient loT device 204 may establish communication with the network node 206 to carry out any of the functions related to object tracking, but not limited thereto.

[0054] FIGs. 3A-3C illustrate schematic representation of environments 300A-300C, in accordance with the present disclosure. The environments 300A-300C may comprise at least one of the network node 206, one or more objects (e.g., vehicles Vn, V12, V21, V22, etc.) moving in a single-lane or multi-lane highway. An object 202 of the one or more objects may be equipped with one or more ambient loT devices for communicating with the network node 206 in any of one or more frequencies fi and £2.

[0055] The network node 206 may transmit the activation signal 208 to each of the lane (e.g., LI, L2, L3, etc.) at the one or more frequencies fi and f2. The network node 206 may transmitthe steered beam to each of the lane with alternate frequency between fl and f2 to avoid interference. The network node 206 may transmit the activation signal 208 at the one or more frequencies fl and f2 to simultaneously communicate with one or more ambient loT devices that exhibits spatial diversity. The steered beams are used for supporting a large-scale deployment with seamless coverage and extended range of connectivity through the use of higher power licensed band-based back scattering.

[0056] The frequencies fl and f2 are center frequencies of having different frequency bands. For example, the frequency fl is of low frequency in unlicensed band and f2 is of high frequency in licensed band (i.e., fz > fi). The frequencies fl and f2 include a respective maximum transmit power (Ptiand Pt2), where Pt i includes a low transmit power and Pt2 includes a high transmit power. The maximum transmit power of the signal transmitted at the licensed frequency band is higher than the maximum transmit power of the signal transmitted at the unlicensed frequency band (i.e., Pt2 > Pti). The frequencies fl and f2 with the respective maximum transmit power (Pti and Pt2) may simultaneously communicate with the one or more ambient loT devices.

[0057] In an embodiment, the network node 206 may act as a reader which is capable of transmitting carrier wave (CW) at the one or more frequencies fl and f2 to the one or more ambient loT devices.

[0058] The network node 206 may serve the one or more objects at a time when the one or more objects are moving while maintaining a minimum distance in the lane. The network node 206 may serve the one or more objects with one or more frequencies fi and fi by steering the beam efficiently, where fz> fi. The one or more frequencies fi and fi may exhibit the maximum transmit power Ptiand Pt2 respectively, where Pt2 > Pti -

[0059] In an embodiment, the network node 206 may serve the one or more objects (e.g., multiple vehicles) simultaneously with minimal interference. For example, the network node 206 may serve multiple vehicles at the same time by optimally allocating the time and frequency domain resources without any interference. Thus, the network node 206 optimally allocating the resources may improve data rate as well as interference management even in case of dense deployment.

[0060] The environment 300A-300C may describe one or more deployment scenarios based on detecting a distance between the network node 206 and the one or more objects moving in the lane. Thus, based on detecting the distance between the network node 206 and the one ormore objects, a suitable deployment strategy may be adopted, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0061] In an exemplary embodiment of Fig. 3A, the environment 300A may include the one or more objects (e.g., vehicle Vn and vehicle V12) moving in a single lane LI. The one or more objects may be equipped with at least one of the ambient loT device 204. The network node 206 may transmit the activation signal 208 with the one or more frequencies between fi and fz for the vehicles Vn and V12 that travel in the single lane at a minimum distance. The one or more objects may respond to the activation signal 208 that corresponds to an alternate frequency fl or f2 as received from the network node 206.

[0062] In an embodiment, the network node 206 may directly communicate with a nearest ambient loT device 204 when the distance between the network node 206 and the ambient loT device 204 is less than a predefined threshold.

[0063] In some embodiments, the network node 206 may communicate with the ambient loT device 204, when the ambient loT device 204 may be able to receive an adequate level of signal power received from the network node 206.

[0064] In an exemplary embodiment of Fig. 3B, the environment 300B may include the one or more objects (e.g., vehicle V21 and vehicle V22) moving side-by-side in lane L2. The one or more objects may be equipped with at least one of the ambient loT device 204. The network node 206 may transmit the activation signal 208 with the one or more frequencies between fi and f? to the vehicles V21 and V22 moving side-by-side in the same lane at a minimum distance. The one or more objects may respond to the activation signal 208 that corresponds to one of the frequency fl or f2 as received from the network node 206.

[0065] In an embodiment, the network node 206 may act as the reader to receive response from one or more ambient loT device 204 at the same time. The network node 206 may receive response from both the objects at the same time and at the same frequency, which it cannot be resolved. For example, when the vehicles V21 and V22 are travelling side-by-side in same lane L2, both the vehicles may respond to the CW signal as received from the network node 206.

[0066] In such cases, the network node 206 may adjust the transmit power of the activation signal 208 transmitted at the particular frequency. At a first instance, the network node 206 may reduce the maximum transmit power of the particular frequency by a AP such that the activation signal 208 may be reached to nearer vehicle V21 only. At a second instance, the network node 206 may increase the transmit power by AP such that the activation signal 208may be reached to farther vehicle V22 in the same time slot.

[0067] In an embodiment, the network node 206 may transmit the adjusted transmit power of the activation signal 208 to both the vehicles V21 and V22 in a single time slot.

[0068] In another embodiment, the network node 206 may transmit the adjusted transmit power of the activation signal 208 to both the vehicles V21 and V22 in the next time slot. The network node 206 may transmit the adjusted transmit power of the ambient loT device 204 to receive information of the vehicles V21 and V22 moving side-by-side in the same lane. In other words, the transmit power may be increased by AP to receive the information from the farther vehicle V22. When the ambient loT device 204 of the nearer vehicle V21 receives the ACK from the reader 206 in the same frequency, it may not respond to any other activation signal 208 receiving in the next N number of slots upon successful response to a previously transmitted CW signal.

[0069] Further, in the next time slot, the reader of the network node 206 may adjust the maximum transmit power by increasing the transmit power by AP such that the CW signal may be reached to the farther vehicle V 22 to carry out the steps SI to S5 as involved in the ambient loT based system 200B.

[0070] When there is a plurality of ambient loT devices present within the predefined location, the network node 206 may transmit a plurality of power adjusted downlink signals at the particular frequency within the predefined location. Each of the plurality of power adjusted downlink signals may be transmitted in a different time slot.

[0071] The ambient loT device 204 may receive the ACK / NACK signal from the network node 206. After receiving the ACK signal, the ambient loT device 204 may not respond to any other activation signal 208 from the network node 206 in subsequent N number of slots. When the nearer vehicle receives a NACK from the network node 206, it may respond to the activation signal 208 received in the next N number of slots.

[0072] In some aspects, the network node 206 may receive a plurality of uplink signals in different time slots at the particular frequency from the plurality of ambient loT devices. The plurality of uplink signals may include the tracking information for a plurality of moving objects associated with the plurality of ambient loT devices. The network node 206 may track each of the plurality of moving object based on the received tracking information. Further, the network node 206 may transmit a plurality of acknowledgement signals at the particular frequency to the plurality of ambient loT devices in the different time slots.

[0073] In an exemplary embodiment of Fig. 3C, the environment 300C may include the one or more objects (e.g., vehicle V31) moving in a lane farther from the coverage area of the steered beam of the network node 206. The network node 206 may transmit the activation signal 208 with the one or more frequency between fi and fi to the one or more objects that travel in a lane (e.g., L3) which is far away from the network node 206. The one or more objects may be equipped with at least one of the ambient loT device 204. The at least one of the ambient loT device 204 may respond to the activation signal 208 that corresponds to an alternate frequency either fl or f2 as received from the network node 206.

[0074] The network node 206 may calculate a distance between the network node 206 and the ambient loT device 204 equipped object 202. The network node 206 may detect that the distance based on detecting time spent to receive a response from the ambient loT device 204 after sending the CW signal. When the distance between the network node 206 and the ambient loT device 204 is detected to be very large, a signal power received from the ambient loT device 204 is lower than the device activation threshold. Hence, the ambient loT device 204 may not be able to harvest energy from the steered beam (e.g., radiofrequency (RF) signal) of the network node 206.

[0075] For example, when the signal power received from the ambient loT device 204 is lower than the device activation threshold, the network node 206 may send a request to an intermediate UE 240 (e.g., vehicle V32) to act as a reader. If the distance between the ambient loT device 204 and BS 206 is large and the device is not able to communicate, in such scenarios a UE can act as an intermediate node to establish communication between the ambient loT device 204 and BS 206.

[0076] When the network node 206 is the base station, the network node 206 may determine the distance between the base station and the ambient loT device 204. Upon determining that the distance between the base station and the ambient loT device 204 exceeds a predefined threshold distance, the network node 206 may transmit a request to an intermediate UE 240 for establishing communication between the intermediate UE 240 and the ambient loT device 204 for tracking the moving object 202. The predefined threshold distance is a maximum range beyond which the CW signal 208 may not reach the ambient loT device 204 from the base station. Further, the network node 206 may receive the tracking information for the moving object 202 from the intermediate UE 240.

[0077] The intermediate UE 240 may relate to an intermediary device, such as another UE. In some embodiments, the intermediate UE 240 may be configured to operate as a reader to readthe information transmitted by the network node 206. Further, the intermediate UE 240 may also be configured to operate as a reader to read the information transmitted from the ambient loT device 204. For example, the intermediate UE 240 relates to a user equipment (UE) equipped within the vehicle V32. The intermediate UE 240 may act as a reader for communicating with the ambient loT device 204.

[0078] The intermediate UE 240 may be capable of transmitting the carrier wave (CW) at one or more frequencies having respective frequencies fi and fi to the ambient loT device 204 for the backscatter communication, provided that the intermediate UE 240 is nearer to the ambient loT device 204. When the network node 206 transmits the CW signal at the one or more frequencies fi or fi, the intermediate UE 240 receives the signal at a particular frequency (either fi or fi) and communicates with the ambient loT device 204 in the particular frequency.

[0079] Thus, if the distance between the BS and device is less such that the device can communicate with the BS, in such deployment scenario, the BS directly act as the reader. For instance, the reader (BS or UE) may transmit the activation signal 208 initially to detect the devices that are available in the vicinity. Otherwise, a user equipment (UE) node available in between may act as the reader and establish communication between the device and the BS.

[0080] Thus, the network node 206 may communicate with the farthest ambient loT device 204 via the intermediate UE 240. Further, the network node 206 may communicate with the farthest ambient loT device 204 if a distance between the ambient loT device 204 and the network node 206 is above a predefined threshold. Furthermore, the network node 206 may communicate with the farthest ambient loT device 204, if the received signal power of the CW falls below a predefined activation threshold.

[0081] In another embodiment, when the ambient loT device 204 is about to communicate with the farthest network node 206 and / or when the received signal power of the CW falls below the predefined activation threshold, the network node 206 may send request to at least one nearby node that act as the intermediate UE 240. Further, the intermediate UE 240 may act as the reader and initiate communication between the ambient loT device 204.

[0082] In an embodiment, the ambient loT device 204 may communicate with the reader of the intermediate UE 240. Further, the network node 206 communicating with the ambient loT device 204, may transmit the CW signal to the ambient loT device 204 through the intermediate UE 240. For example, the intermediate UE 240 may be used for establishing a communication link between the network node 206 and the ambient loT device 204.

[0083] In an embodiment, the intermediate UE 240 may transmit the CW signal 208 at the one or more frequencies fi and fi to the one or more ambient loT device 204, up to time tl . Further, the intermediate UE 240 may transmit the downlink signal at same frequency that may request information of the vehicle from the ambient loT device 204 at time tl to t2. Moreover, the intermediate UE 240 may transmit the activation signal 208 at the same frequency from time t2 to t3 to receive the information from the ambient loT device 204. Besides, the intermediate UE 240 may receive the information from the ambient loT device 204 through a backscattered downlink signal from time t3 to t4. Furthermore, the intermediate UE 240 may transmit the ACK / NACK signal after the successful / unsuccessful reception of the information from the ambient loT device 204.

[0084] In an embodiment, the intermediate UE 240 may transmit the CW signal at the one or more frequencies fi and fi that include the maximum transmit power Ptiand Pt2, where Pt2 > Pti . Since the distance between the network node 206 and the intermediate UE 240 may be less as compared with the distance between the network node 206 and the ambient loT device 204, the activation signal 208 transmitted by the network node 206, at the one or more frequencies fi or fi, may be received by the intermediate UE 240. Further, upon receiving the activation signal 208, the intermediate UE 240 may communicate the activation signal 208 with the ambient loT device 204 in the same frequency. Thus, the environment 300C may enable extended reading range, as the network node 206 transmits the maximum transmit power and dynamically adjusts the maximum transmit power based on the distance between the network node 206 and the ambient loT device 204.

[0085] The environments 300A-300C may include one or more objects moving in the multilane highway and the object 202 of the one or more objects may be equipped with one or more ambient loT devices for communicating with the network node 206. The ambient loT device 204 of the one or more ambient loT devices may include one or more RFID tags (e.g., two RFID tags) each working in any of one or more frequencies fi and fi.

[0086] The network node 206 may receive a plurality of signals in different time slots at the particular frequency from the one or more ambient loT devices. The plurality of signals may include at least one of the tracking information for the one or more moving objects associated with the one or more ambient loT devices. The network node 206 may track each of the one or more moving objects based on the received tracking information.

[0087] The network node 206 may transmit a plurality of acknowledgement signals at the particular frequency to the one or more ambient loT devices in the different time slots. Theambient loT device 204 may receive the ACK / NACK signal from the network node 206. After receiving the ACK signal, the ambient loT device 204 may not respond to any other activation signal 208 (si) from the network node 206 in subsequent N number of slots.

[0088] In an embodiment, the ambient loT device 204 may receive the NACK signal from the network node 206. Further, after receiving the NACK signal, the ambient loT device 204 may attempt for retransmission in the next time slot after receiving the activation signal 208 (si) from the network node 206.

[0089] The network node 206 may include steered beam transmission that enhances energy harvesting efficiency of the ambient loT device 204. The network node 206 may transmit multiple CW signal to the one or more ambient loT device 204 at one or more frequencies to enhance the energy harvesting efficiency of the ambient loT device 204. An ambient loT component associated with the ambient loT device 204 may not be battery powered. The ambient loT device 204 may be configured to harvest energy for operation from the adequate level of signal power received from the network node 206 and avoid any signal interference. The steered beam comprises (e.g., multiple carrier waves that improves reliability and coverage and minimizes signal interference. Moreover, transmitting the multiple CW signal may improve reliability and coverage in large scale in vehicle or asset tracking with minimized interference.

[0090] FIG. 4A illustrates a flow-chart representation of a method 400A performed by the network node 206 in the ambient loT-based system 200A, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 400A may be performed by the network node 206 for establishing communication with the one or more ambient Internet of Things (loT) devices to track the moving objects. The method 400A may include (at step SI) transmitting the activation signal 208 at the particular frequency within the predefined location. The method 400A may include (at step S2) receiving one or more backscattered activation signals indicating presence of one or more ambient loT devices within the predefined location, the one or more ambient loT devices being associated with one or more moving objects, (at step S3)

[0091] For each ambient loT device 204 of the one or more ambient loT devices, the method 400A may include (at step S3.1) upon receiving a backscattered activation signal from the ambient loT device 204, transmitting a downlink signal at the particular frequency within the predefined location requesting tracking information for the moving object 202 associated with the ambient loT device 204.

[0092] The method 400A may include (at step S3.2) receiving an uplink signal at the particular frequency from the ambient loT device 204, wherein the uplink signal includes the tracking information (e.g. Device ID, Device type, etc.) for the moving object 202. The method 400A may include (at step S3.3) tracking the moving object 202 based on the received tracking information.

[0093] wherein the tracking information for the moving object 202 comprises at least one of an identity of the ambient loT device, a type of ambient loT device, a type of the moving object, a class of the moving object, or an identity of the moving object.

[0094] The method 400A, wherein for each ambient loT device 204 of the one or more ambient loT devices, may include (at step S3.4) transmitting an acknowledgement signal at the particular frequency to the ambient loT device 204, the acknowledgement signal being one of: a positive acknowledgement (ACK) indicating successful reception of the uplink signal at the network node 206 within the threshold time period; or a negative acknowledgement (NACK) indicating non-reception of the uplink signal at the network node 206 within the threshold time period.

[0095] The method 400A may include wherein the steps SI, S2, and S3 are performed in different time slots, and the steps S3.1, S3.2, S3.3 are performed in different sub-time slots within a time slot associated with the step S3.

[0096] FIG. 4B illustrates a flow-chart representation of a method 400B performed by the ambient loT device 204 in the ambient loT-based system 200A, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 400B may be performed by the ambient Internet of Things (loT) device 204 for establishing communication with a network node 206 to track moving objects. The method 400B may include (at step SI) receiving an activation signal at a particular frequency from the network node 206, wherein the activation signal is configured to activate the ambient loT device 204 which is present within a predefined location and is associated with a moving object 202. The method 400B may include (at step S2) backscattering the activation signal towards the network node 206, the backscattered activation signal indicating presence of the ambient loT device 204 within the predefined location. The method 400B, upon backscattering the activation signal, may include (at step S3) receiving a downlink signal from the network node 206, at the particular frequency requesting tracking information for the moving object 202. The method 400B may include (at step S4) transmitting an uplink signal at the particular frequency to the network node 206, wherein the uplink signal includes the tracking information fortracking the moving object 202.

[0097] The method 400B may include (at step S5) receiving an acknowledgement signal at the particular frequency from the network node 206, the acknowledgement signal being one of: a positive acknowledgement (ACK) indicating successful reception of the uplink signal at the network node 206 within a threshold time period; or a negative acknowledgement (NACK) indicating non-reception of the uplink signal at the network node 206 within the threshold time period or both ACK and NACK. The method 400B may be performed by the ambient Internet of Things (loT) device 204, wherein the steps SI to S5 are performed in different time slots. The method may further comprise refraining from responding to subsequent activation signals for a predefined time period, upon receiving the ACK; and repeating steps SI to S5 for another activation signal, upon receiving the NACK.

[0098] The ambient loT device 204 is configured to operate on a first frequency (fl) selected from a licensed frequency band and a second frequency (f2) selected from an unlicensed frequency band, and wherein the particular frequency is one of the first frequency (fl) or the second frequency (f2).

[0099] The present disclosure may solve the problem of limited reading range as the network node 206 transmits the high-power steered beam and adjusts the maximum transmit power based on the distance between network node 206 and the ambient loT device 204.

[0100] In an embodiment, the object 202 may be equipped with one or more ambient loT devices (e.g., at least two tags), where at least one ambient loT device may operate at a time with at least one frequency (fl or f2).

[0101] In an embodiment, the network node 206 may transmit at frequency fi if the distance between the network node 206 and the ambient loT device 204 is large as the fi (e.g., licensed band) may carry more power compared to the fi (e.g., unlicensed band). Thus, the environment 300 may provide an extended range of connectivity by using the higher power licensed band (e.g., fi) through the backscatter communication channel.

[0102] In an embodiment, the network node 206 may perform inter-lane and intra-lane sweeping of the one or more frequencies fi and fi. The one or more ambient loT devices may include one or more RFID tags for receiving the CW signal 208 from the network node 206. For example, when one or more RFID tags of the ambient loT device 204 are in use, and if one RFID tag in the ambient loT device 204 may not be working properly, then the other RFID tag may receive the RF signal from the network node 206. Hence, the network node 206 may perform an inter-lane and intra-lane frequency sweeping.

[0103] In an embodiment, the network node 206 may be capable of calculating the distance and detecting location of the ambient loT device 204 in a respective lane. For example, the network node 206 may calculate the distance by detecting the time spent to receive response from the ambient loT device 204 after transmitting the CW signal 208. The network node 206 may detect the location of the ambient loT device 204 in the lane, which is be used to track the object 202.

[0104] The environment 300A-300C (collectively referred to as 300) of the present disclosure, may include at least a feature of low power consumption and low complexity by the components of the ambient loT based system 200A. Further, the environment 300 may support a large-scale deployment with seamless coverage for vehicle or asset tracking.

[0105] In an embodiment, the environment 300 comprising the ambient loT device 204 may receive the CW signal externally from the network node 206 or the intermediate UE 240 that supports multi tome signal. If density of the ambient loT device 204 is high, one or more vehicles may be served at the same time at one or more frequencies without any interference. Thus, the environment 300 may improve the data rate and minimize the interference.

[0106] In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the reading range of the ambient loT device 204 may be limited to a few meters (e.g., 1-2 meters). The distance between the reader and the ambient loT system may be limited to a few meters (e.g., 50 - 500 meters). Thus, the environment 300 may become a more suitable technology for object tracking (e.g., vehicle tracking or asset tracking). Further, the environment 300 may support large connectivity with seamless coverage between the ambient loT system (or may be referred as ambient loT device) and the reader. In addition, the environment 300 may include avoiding the potential interference during the seamless coverage. Further, the environment 300 may remove the need for installing a separate toll collection unit in the roadways as well as asset tracking on highways and tracks which individually tracks each vehicle in a queue once each vehicle comes in close proximity to the reader. Thus, the environment 300 may provide low-cost, low power solution of eliminating the separate toll collection unit for sequentially scanning individual vehicle in a queue. Further, the environment 300 may consider handling of faster as well as higher vehicle density simultaneously. Further, the environment 300 may also ensure that the vehicle moves at comparatively higher pace while the ambient loT devices of multiple vehicles are being read by the reader simultaneously, without requiring for the vehicle to form a queue for sequential tracking as being implemented in existing techniques.

[0107] For example, the environment 300 may be authorized by Vanderbilt Travel RiskAssessment Committee (VTRAC) that comprises directly communicating with the network node 206 by the one or more ambient loT devices.

[0108] In an example, the ambient loT technology proposed in 3GPP release 18, includes a study on ambient power-enabled loT with a 5G system for supporting communication with ambient loT devices, where the ambient loT devices are battery -less or limited battery. Further, information from the ambient loT devices is transmitted to a trusted 3rd party for supporting massive machine-type-communication in handling multiple devices. Typically, the 5G NR base stations and in future 6G base stations are capable of serving multiple users using beamforming. Such highly directional beams are created using multiple antenna elements. Thus, the environment 300 may reduce co-channel interference and increase frequency reuse ratio. Hence, the environment 300 may serve a massive number of devices with a minimum delay. The techniques of the present disclosure may support massive deployment in the 5G advanced massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) and massive communication 6G usage scenario. The techniques may enable object tracking without including any signal interference using 5G or 6G NR. However, the systems, methods, and apparatuses may be utilized for any suitable system, method, or technology and not limited to electronic toll collection system.Salient features:

[0109] The salient features of the present disclosure include the following:> The ambient loT system may include interference management between any two back- to-back vehicles in one lane. The ambient loT device may include a simplest hardware architecture, as the device may not have any signal processing unit.> The ambient loT device may include an improved communication range, as the device attached with the vehicle directly communicates with the nearby BS.> The ambient loT system may include handling of multiple RFID tags communicating with the reader at the same time.> The ambient loT system may be highly efficient in terms of interference management with improved latency.> The ambient loT system may be applicable for vehicle tracking, asset tracking, and collecting toll tax of the vehicles passing through multilane roadways.> The ambient loT devices are very low power and low complex devices.> The ambient loT devices are battery-less or limited battery. The ambient loT device may include eliminating the need of active RF component in the device.> The ambient loT system includes only one reader communicating with multiple tags which reduces the cost and complexity of the system.> the ambient loT system includes the handling of multiple RFID tags communicating with the BS at the same time.> the ambient loT system is highly efficient in terms of interference management with improved latency.> The ambient loT system is applicable to ultra-low power battery-less loT devices Since the ambient loT devices are ultra-low power consuming (<10uW).> The study on ambient power-enabled loT released by 3GPP includes that the 5G system has to support communication with ambient loT devices.> The information from the ambient loT devices may be transmitted to the trusted 3rd party, also it may support massive machine-type-communication to handle multiple devices.

[0110] In an embodiment, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term “computer-readable medium” should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals, i.e., be non-transitory. Examples include Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard drives, Compact Disc (CD) ROMs, DVDs, flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.[oni] In an embodiment, the ambient loT device may be equipped with a Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) such as EEPROM for permanently storing device ID, etc., and registers for temporarily keeping any information required for its operation while energy is available in energy storage. Further, the ambient loT device may also be equipped with a baseband logic unit that consists of a decoder, controller, and encoder. The baseband logic unit may transmitrequired information to backscatter modulator with encoding data ensuring privacy and security. Further, the ambient loT device may be a passive device with no energy storage or limited energy storage using a capacitor. Thus, the ambient loT device is self-sustainable, maintenance-free, and supports low-cost communication.

[0112] The described operations may be implemented as a method, system or article of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof. The described operations may be implemented as code maintained in a “non-transitory computer readable medium”, where a processor may read and execute the code from the computer readable medium. The processor is at least one of a microprocessor and a processor capable of processing and executing the queries. A non-transitory computer readable medium may include media such as magnetic storage medium (e.g., hard disk drives, floppy disks, tape, etc.), optical storage (CD-ROMs, DVDs, optical disks, etc.), volatile and non-volatile memory devices (e.g., EEPROMs, ROMs, PROMs, RAMs, DRAMs, SRAMs, Flash Memory, firmware, programmable logic, etc.), etc. Further, non-transitory computer-readable media may include all computer-readable media except for a transitory. The code implementing the described operations may further be implemented in hardware logic (e.g., an integrated circuit chip, Programmable Gate Array (PGA), Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), etc.).

[0113] It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may be used in any combination with each other. Several of the aspects and embodiments may be combined to form a further embodiment of the disclosure.

[0114] The illustrated steps are set out to explain the exemplary embodiments shown, and it should be anticipated that ongoing technological development will change the manner in which particular functions are performed. These examples are presented herein for purposes of illustration, and not limitation. Further, the boundaries of the functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternative boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed.

[0115] Alternatives (including equivalents, extensions, variations, deviations, etc., of those described herein) will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Such alternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments. Also, the words "comprising," "having," "containing," and "including," and other similar forms are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an itemor items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. It must also be noted that as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0116] Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the disclosure is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the disclosure.

[0117] With respect to the use of substantially any plural and / or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and / or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and / or application. The various singular / plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

Claims

WE CLAIMS:

1. A method performed by a network node for establishing communication with ambient Internet of Things (loT) devices to track moving objects, comprising:51) transmitting an activation signal at a particular frequency within a predefined location;52) receiving one or more backscattered activation signals indicating presence of one or more ambient loT devices within the predefined location, the one or more ambient loT devices being associated with one or more moving objects; and53) for each ambient loT device of the one or more ambient loT devices:53.1) upon receiving a backscattered activation signal from the ambient loT device, transmitting a downlink signal at the particular frequency within the predefined location requesting tracking information for a moving object associated with the ambient loT device;53.2) receiving an uplink signal at the particular frequency from the ambient loT device, wherein the uplink signal includes the tracking information for the moving object; and53.3) tracking the moving object based on the received tracking information.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein for each ambient loT device of the one or more ambient loT devices, the method further comprising:S3.4) transmitting an acknowledgement signal at the particular frequency to the ambient loT device, the acknowledgement signal being one of: a positive acknowledgement (ACK) indicating successful reception of the uplink signal at the network node within a threshold time period; or a negative acknowledgement (NACK) indicating non-reception of the uplink signal at the network node within the threshold time period.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the network node is either a base station or a User Equipment (UE) and the moving object is a motor vehicle, and when the network node is the base station, the method further comprising: determining a distance between the base station and the ambient loT device; upon determining that the distance between the base station and the ambient loT device exceeds a predefined threshold distance, transmitting a request to an intermediate UE for establishing communication between the intermediate UE and the ambient loT device for tracking the moving object; andreceiving, from the intermediate UE, the tracking information for the moving object.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the steps SI, S2, and S3 are performed in different time slots, and the steps S3.1, S3.2, S3.3 are performed in different sub-time slots within a time slot associated with the step S3.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein when there is a plurality of ambient loT devices present within the predefined location, the method comprising: transmitting a plurality of power adjusted downlink signals at the particular frequency within the predefined location, wherein each of the plurality of power adjusted downlink signals is transmitted in a different time slot; receiving, from the plurality of ambient loT devices, a plurality of uplink signals in different time slots at the particular frequency, wherein the plurality of uplink signals includes the tracking information for a plurality of moving objects associated with the plurality of ambient loT devices; tracking each of the plurality of moving object based on the received tracking information; and transmitting a plurality of acknowledgement signals at the particular frequency to the plurality of ambient loT devices in the different time slots.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the particular frequency is one of a first frequency (fl) selected from a licensed frequency band or a second frequency (f2) selected from an unlicensed frequency band, wherein a maximum transmit power of a signal transmitted at the licensed frequency band is higher than a maximum transmit power of a signal transmitted at the unlicensed frequency band.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising: transmitting activation signals at alternate frequencies using beam steering, and wherein the alternate frequencies include the first frequency (fl) and the second frequency (f2).

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tracking information for the moving object comprises at least one of an identity of the ambient loT device, a type of the ambient loT device, a type of the moving object, a class of the moving object, or an identity of the moving object.

9. A method for an ambient Internet of Things (loT) device for establishing communication with a network node to track moving objects, comprising:51) receiving an activation signal at a particular frequency from the network node, wherein the activation signal is configured to activate the ambient loT device which is present within a predefined location and is associated with a moving object;52) backscattering the activation signal towards the network node, the backscattered activation signal indicating presence of the ambient loT device within the predefined location;53) upon backscattering the activation signal, receiving, from the network node, a downlink signal at the particular frequency requesting tracking information for the moving object; and54) transmitting an uplink signal at the particular frequency to the network node, wherein the uplink signal includes the tracking information for tracking the moving object.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:55 ) receiving an acknowledgement signal at the particular frequency from the network node, the acknowledgement signal being one of: a positive acknowledgement (ACK) indicating successful reception of the uplink signal at the network node within a threshold time period; or a negative acknowledgement (NACK) indicating non-reception of the uplink signal at the network node within the threshold time period.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the steps SI to S5 are performed in different time slots, the method further comprising: refraining from responding to subsequent activation signals for a predefined time period, upon receiving the ACK; and repeating steps S 1 to S5 for another activation signal, upon receiving the NACK.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the ambient loT device is configured to operate on a first frequency (fl) selected from a licensed frequency band and a second frequency (f2) selected from an unlicensed frequency band, and wherein the particular frequency is one of the first frequency (fl) or the second frequency (f2).

13. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the tracking information for the moving object comprises at least one of an identity of the ambient loT device, a type of the ambientloT device, a type of the moving object, a class of the moving object, or an identity of the moving object.

14. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the network node is a base station or a User Equipment (UE), and wherein the moving object is a motor vehicle.

15. A network node for establishing communication with ambient Internet of Things (loT) devices to track moving objects, comprising: a processor; and a memory communicatively coupled with the processor, wherein the processor is configured to:51) transmit an activation signal at a particular frequency within a predefined location;52) receive one or more backscattered activation signals indicating presence of one or more ambient loT devices within the predefined location, the one or more ambient loT devices being associated with one or more moving objects; and53) for each ambient loT device of the one or more ambient loT devices:53.1) upon receiving a backscattered activation signal from the ambient loT device, transmit a downlink signal at the particular frequency within the predefined location requesting tracking information for a moving object associated with the ambient loT device;53.2) receive an uplink signal at the particular frequency from the ambient loT device, wherein the uplink signal includes the tracking information for the moving object; and53.3) track the moving object based on the received tracking information.

16. The network node as claimed in claim 15, wherein for each ambient loT device of the one or more ambient loT devices, the processor is further configured to:S3.4) transmit an acknowledgement signal at the particular frequency to the ambient loT device, the acknowledgement signal being one of: a positive acknowledgement (ACK) indicating successful reception of the uplink signal at the network node within a threshold time period; or a negative acknowledgement (NACK) indicating non-reception of the uplink signal at the network node within the threshold time period.

17. The network node as claimed in claim 15, wherein the network node is either a base station or a User Equipment (UE) and the moving object is a motor vehicle, andwhen the network node is the base station, the processor is configured to: determine a distance between the base station and the ambient loT device; upon determining that the distance between the base station and the ambient loT device exceeds a predefined threshold distance, transmit a request to an intermediate UE for establishing communication between the intermediate UE and the ambient loT device for tracking the moving object; and receive, from the intermediate UE, the tracking information for the moving object.

18. The network node as claimed in claim 15, wherein the steps SI, S2, and S3 are performed in different time slots, and the steps S3.1, S3.2, S3.3 are performed in different subtime slots within a time slot associated with the step S3.

19. The network node as claimed in claim 15, wherein when there is a plurality of ambient loT devices present within the predefined location, the processor is configured to: transmit a plurality of power adjusted downlink signals at the particular frequency within the predefined location, wherein each of the plurality of power adjusted downlink signals is transmitted in a different time slot; receive, from the plurality of ambient loT devices, a plurality of uplink signals in different time slots at the particular frequency, wherein the plurality of uplink signals includes the tracking information for a plurality of moving objects associated with the plurality of ambient loT devices; track each of the plurality of moving object based on the received tracking information; and transmit a plurality of acknowledgement signals at the particular frequency to the plurality of ambient loT devices in the different time slots.

20. The network node as claimed in claim 15, wherein the particular frequency is one of a first frequency (fl) selected from a licensed frequency band or a second frequency (f2) selected from an unlicensed frequency band, wherein a maximum transmit power of a signal transmitted at the licensed frequency band is higher than a maximum transmit power of a signal transmitted at the unlicensed frequency band.

21. The network node as claimed in claim 20, wherein the processor is configured to transmit activation signals at alternate frequencies using beam steering, and wherein the alternate frequencies include the first frequency (fl) and the second frequency (f2).

22. The network node as claimed in claim 15, wherein the tracking information for the moving object comprises at least one of an identity of the ambient loT device, a type of the ambient loT device, a type of the moving object, a class of the moving object, or an identity of the moving object.

23. An ambient Internet of Things (loT) device for establishing communication with a network node to track moving objects, comprising: a processor; and a memory communicatively coupled with the processor, wherein the processor is configured to:51) receive an activation signal at a particular frequency from the network node, wherein the activation signal is configured to activate the ambient loT device which is present within a predefined location and is associated with a moving object;52) backscatter the activation signal towards the network node, the backscattered activation signal indicating presence of the ambient loT device within the predefined location;53) upon backscattering the activation signal, receive, from the network node, a downlink signal at the particular frequency requesting tracking information for the moving object; and54) transmit an uplink signal at the particular frequency to the network node, wherein the uplink signal includes the tracking information for tracking the moving object.

24. The ambient loT device as claimed in claim 23, wherein the processor is further configured to:S5) receive an acknowledgement signal at the particular frequency from the network node, the acknowledgement signal being one of: a positive acknowledgement (ACK) indicating successful reception of the uplink signal at the network node within a threshold time period; or a negative acknowledgement (NACK) indicating non-reception of the uplink signal at the network node within the threshold time period.

25. The ambient loT device as claimed in claim 24, wherein the steps SI to S5 are performed in different time slots, and wherein the processor is further configured to: refrain from responding to subsequent activation signals for a predefined time period, upon receiving the ACK; andrepeat steps S 1 to S5 for another activation signal, upon receiving the NACK.

26. The ambient loT device as claimed in claim 23, wherein the ambient loT device is configured to operate on a first frequency (fl) selected from a licensed frequency band and a second frequency (f2) selected from an unlicensed frequency band, and wherein the particular frequency is one of the first frequency (fl) or the second frequency (f2).

27. The ambient loT device as claimed in claim 23, wherein the tracking information for the moving object comprises at least one of an identity of the ambient loT device, a type of the ambient loT device, a type of the moving object, a class of the moving object, or an identity of the moving object.

28. The ambient loT device as claimed in claim 23, wherein the network node is a base station or a User Equipment (UE), and wherein the moving object is a motor vehicle.

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